Hearthstone, now in its 10th year, has revealed its next expansion titled The Great Dark Beyond. Launching on November 5 with 145 new cards, The Great Dark Beyond introduces a new Draenei minion type as players get thrown into the conflict between the demonic Burning Legion and the Draenei. The expansion introduces a new keyword, Starship, which appears on Starship Piece minions. When those minions die, their stats and effects get added to an in-progress Starship construction, and once the player is ready, they’re able to launch the Starship directly onto the board for five Mana. Players can stack as many pieces as they want before launching, adding a strategic element to Hearthstone, though the mechanic is similar to those found in other card games.
While every class can build a Starship, six classes will have dedicated Starship cards: Death Knight, Demon Hunter, Druid, Hunter, Rogue, and Warlock. Those classes have a unique name and art for their Starship since they’re directly involved with The Great Dark Beyond.
The new Draenei minion type focuses on their hope and community, with many affecting the next Draenei minion played. Blizzard unveiled the legendary minion, Velen, Leader of the Exiled, a 7/7 with Taunt. Deathrattle: Trigger the Battlecries and Deathrattles of all other Draenei you played this game. Another Draenei minion card was unveiled was the Ingenious Artificer, a 4/6 with Battlecry: The next Draenei you play refreshes Mana Crystals equal to its Attack.
The Spellburst keyword is also making a return, and those cards will have an effect that triggers the first time a spell is played. An example shown was the Arkwing Pilot, a 4/3 Draenei with At the end of your turn, deal 3 damage to a random enemy. Spellburst: Summon an Arkwing Pilot. There will also be new Elementals and Demons to support the Burning Legion.
To celebrate The Great Dark Beyond, those who log in now will get the Legendary minion Nexus-Prince Shaffar, a 3/3 with Spellburst: Give a minion in your hand +3 / +3 and this Spellburst. The game will host a Pre-Release Tavern Brawl from October 29 until the launch on November 5. In the Tavern Brawl, players will be able to open The Great Dark Beyond Packs, build decks, and play with the new cards in a mini competition. Players have until they hit six wins or three losses, winning prizes based on how well they do, which will include The Great Dark Beyond cards and packs. Every player gets one free entry, but after that entries will cost two Tavern Tickets, 300 Gold, or 400 Runestones. Players can also look forward to free community pack drops so everyone can play with the new cards.
As usual, there are preorder bundles that are available. The Mega Bundle includes (80) The Great Dark Beyond card packs, (10) Golden The Great Dark Beyond card packs, (1) random Signature The Great Dark Beyond Legendary card, (1) random Golden The Great Dark Beyond Legendary card, (6) Tavern Tickets, and the Prophet Velen Card Back and Priest Hero Skin. There is also the standard bundle, which includes (60) The Great Dark Beyond card packs, (2) random The Great Dark Beyond Legendary cards, and the Prophet Velen Card Back. The standard bundle costs $49.99 while the Mega Bundle costs $79.99.
