The name is ever so slightly different, but it appears as if the leak earlier this month purporting to out the next card expansion for Hearthstone was right on the money. Journey to Un’Goro, as it’s so called, has been officially announced by Blizzard today, and will introduce 135 brand new cards into the mix, along with a handful of game mechanics in order to drastically shake up the current meta.
Hearthstone game director Ben Brode and production director Jason Chayes provide a rundown of the new set, confirming that it does indeed take its name from the crater of the same name in Blizzard’s MMO World of Warcraft. Dinosaurs, flesh-eating plants and other prehistoric delights are the sorts of creatures players can expect to find in the new card packs upon launch in early April, with a few new cards shown during the video in order to whet your appetite.
As for the new gameplay elements, Adapt is a new keyword arriving with Un’Goro that, much like existing Discover and Inspire cards, does something unique. A new Druid card – Verdant Longneck – illustrates Adapt’s function; upon playing relevant minions, players can choose from over 10 different buffs to give the creature, meaning you’ll have an extremely hard time attempting to read what your opponent’s next move will be.
The other major reveal is an entirely new card type. Quest Cards are 1-mana cards that always appear in your starting hand. Each one requires the player to meet certain prerequisites to complete the quest, whereupon they receive an extremely powerful reward.
Journey to Un’Goro will be the first Hearthstone expansion – following last year’s Mean Streets of Gadgetzan – of 2017 and will mark the beginning of the CCG’s Year of the Mammoth rotation. For the full details on what exactly that entails, see here.
