Blizzard announced big changes to Hearthstone today along with its first expansion of the year. The biggest change is the new 235-card Core set which will replace the old base set which were Hearthstone's original cards (from 2014). The new core set will feature a mix of both previously released and totally new cards, but finally removing away from the original 'core set' from 2014 should spice up the game quite a bit.
Besides the new core set, Hearthstone is getting its first expansion of the year titled "Forged in the Barrens" which will introduce 135 new cards as well as 10 Legendary Mercenary minions, each representing a different hearthstone class. The expansion features a new Keyword "Frenzy" as well as new "Ranked Spells" which gain power as you gain mana crystals. While we don't have a release date for Forged in the Barrens and the new core set, pre-purchasing for the new set is available until March 22, 2021.
Forged in the Barrens hearkens back to World of Warcraft’s roots, introducing 135 all-new cards inspired by the characters and stories that define this beloved, hardscrabble setting. In addition to new keywords and game mechanics, Forged in the Barrens will introduce 10 Legendary Mercenary minions, each representing a different Hearthstone class, whose stories will play out across the Year of the Gryphon—including in the upcoming new game mode Hearthstone Mercenaries.
Starting today, players can prepurchase the Forged in the Barrens Mega Bundle (USD $79.99), which comes with 85 card packs from the expansion (five of which are Golden Card Packs, which contain all Golden cards), and two random Golden Legendary cards; the Hamuul Runetotem card back and alternate Hero; and perks for Hearthstone Battlegrounds that last until the next expansion. Also available is the Forged in the Barrens Pre-Purchase Bundle (USD $49.99), which includes 60 packs from the expansion, two random Legendary Cards, and the Hamuul Runetotem card back.
Hearthstone Mercenaries
Hearthstone Mercenaries is an upcoming all-new single-player and competitive game mode in which players collect mighty characters new and old from across the Warcraft® universe and level them up in exciting tactical battles. Mercenaries is scheduled for release later this year, with more information on the mode to be shared closer to launch.
Hearthstone Core Set & Classic Format
The Hearthstone Core Set will arrive alongside the launch of the Year of the Gryphon. Free to all players to unlock as they level up and updated every year, the Core Set replaces the existing Basic and Classic cards with a curated collection of 235 new and existing cards meant to keep Hearthstone fresh and provide an approachable on-ramp for new players. The Core set will consist of 160 class cards and 75 neutral cards, among them reimagined Legendary minion versions of Warcraft’s most fearsome dragons, including Deathwing, Malygos, and Ysera.
Also coming with the Year of the Gryphon is the Hearthstone Classic format, which invites players to experience the game as it was when it launched in 2014. Sitting alongside Standard and Wild, the Classic format will be fully supported, with its own rewards and rankings, and will include all of Hearthstone’s original cards as they were in the game’s early days.
