14 DAY TRIAL // Hearthstone’s new expansion The Witchwood is coming in April, and it will offer players a collection of 135 new cards and new gameplay mechanics.
For some strange reason, card games have become quite popular on the PC in recent years. It seems that more and more studios choose to make new card games, either based on existing lore or starting from scratch. Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is one of those games.
Hearthstone was initially launched all the way back in 2014, and the fact that Blizzard still pushes updates and expansion four years later is definite proof that it’s a success. And The Witchwood is not merely a simple content update, as it also brings some new gameplay mechanics that will definitely shake things up.
More than just new content
Blizzard didn’t just release 135 new cards with no story behind them. If anything, the details are a little bit too much, but that information will be very helpful when the single player content arrives as well.
“Dark magic has twisted the creatures of the forest and set them loose upon the Gilnean capital in Azeroth, but King Genn Greymane and his lycanthropic subjects won’t make for easy prey. The citizens of this proud kingdom, who can shapeshift into ferocious wolf-beasts known as worgen, are bringing the fight to The Witchwood with tooth and claw—and soon, Hearthstone players will join the pack and help them face down the horrors within.”
So, what’s this new mechanic that will force all players to adapt? It turns out that there are now so-called Echo cards that can be played over and over again, as long as there is mana available. This alone makes the game a lot more dynamic and unpredictable.
Also, deck-builders can use minions that challenge them to use only odd- or even-cost cards in exchange for a potent advantage. It’s a risk, but the possible rewards are great.
And then there are the Monster Hunts, which is actually a single player adventure that sends players into the heart of The Witchwood to destroy the evil that lives there.
Of course, the new expansion will be available on all platforms, including PC, Mac OS, iOS, and Android. Furthermore, it’s possible to win The Witchwood card packs in Hearthstone’s Arena mode, and players can use in-game currency or real money to get them.
If you preorder the expansion before the launch in April, for €49.99, players will get a special 50-pack bundle that also includes 20 bonus packs, as well as the “In a Dark Wood” card back for free.
