Blizzard’s first expansion of 2017 for its collectible card game, Hearthstone is scheduled to launch for PC and mobile devices on April 6, the developer has announced. Confirmed via a livestream last week, which also revealed several new cards for the add-on, Journey to Un’Goro will contain a grand total of 135 new cards, and, upon arrival, will mark the start of the ‘Year of the Mammoth‘. If you’re not entirely clear on what that entails, upon Un’Goro’s launch, various existing sets of cards will be rotated out of Standard mode, including Blackrock Mountain, The Grand Tournament and League of Explorers. Last year’s Whispers of the Old Gods and Mean Streets of Gadgetzan will remain in Standard until 2018.
As for Un’Goro itself, the new set brings with it various new mechanics never seen before in the title, including the adapt keyword and new quest cards – legendary spells which grant unique, absurdly powerful effects should players manage to meet their pre-requisites. As an example, Warriors are required to play seven taunt minions during the course of any given match. Once the goal has been achieved, they’ll be awarded Sulfuras, a weapon that discards the class’ usual Armor Up! hero power and replaces it with a more pro-active – and deadly – ability that deals eight damage to a random enemy.
Whether you’re a lapsed, current or brand new Hearthstone player, Blizzard’s currently running a login campaign in the build-up to Un’Goro’s launch, which awards everyone who logs in each day until April 6 various beneficial items, including gold, Arcane Dust, card packs and golden cards, so don’t waste the opportunity to get a headstart on the competition!
