On July 1st, Hearthstone hosted an expansion reveal stream for the upcoming United in Stormwind event as part of Phase 2 of the Year of the Gryphon. Set in the Alliance’s capital city, the expansion promises new mechanics, cosmetics, changes to game modes, and most importantly new cards. United in Stormwind, featuring 135 new collectible cards, will drop August 3rd 2021. It follows the Hearthstone summer event, the Fire Festival, which will include adventures such as Legendary Quests and Ragnaros’ Fire Festival tavern brawl, occurring July 6 to July 27 2021. The July 1st stream includes some slight changes to the game, but nothing compared to what is coming up.
The big ticket items discussed during the stream were updates to Hearthstone Battlegrounds, and introductions to Tradeable, Questline, and profession tool card mechanics. Several specific cards were revealed, like “Rustrot Viper” and “Elekk Mount,” and several more will be revealed before the expansion (made viewable below and in the card library), but the majority of the cards remain a mystery. Released alongside these cards are a couple new game card types. Cards with the Tradeable keyword can be played as usual, but can also be traded for a different card in the player’s deck for one mana. Questline cards, available for all classes, are spells with three progression tiers that result in increasing rewards. Profession tools are weapons that provide special effects instead of damage. United in Stormwind, featuring these card abilities, is accessible for pre-purchase now for its release in early August.
Hearthstone also announced on stream a revamp for the Battlegrounds game mode for Phase 2 of the Year of the Gryphon. For the first time, Battlegrounds-exclusive cosmetics will be introduced, including hero skins and an alternate bartender (just an alternate, not an ousting- Bob remains irreplaceable). The game itself will also be changed- alongside some new heroes, over 30 minions will be swapped into the pool that the developers believe will adhere more strongly to the gameplay of the different Types. The announcement also warns to keep an eye out for more information about the changes as time goes on, so it is safe to say the mode will be sufficiently shaken up. Card game fans have plenty to look forward to this summer with everything Hearthstone will have to offer.