Blizzard has revealed a new Hearthstone mini-set that brings StarCraft units into the world of card games, and also shared exciting updates about future expansions and changes to Arena mode.
During the celebration of Warcraft’s 30th anniversary and Hearthstone’s 10-year milestone, Blizzard unveiled a StarCraft crossover, which is their biggest mini-set yet, featuring 49 cards.
GameSpot had a chat with Cora Georgiou and Leo Robles Gonzalez from the Hearthstone team to dive deeper into the StarCraft adaptation, upcoming Arena changes, and next year’s expansions.
Gonzalez mentioned that since Hearthstone is now ten years old, they wanted to try something daring, like the new StarCraft mini-set.
“I think we’re trying to swing pretty hard here,” Gonzalez said. “It’s the first time we’ve ever done something this deeply outside of Warcraft.”
Players can expect to see their favorite StarCraft heroes in different Hearthstone classes, like Jim Raynor for Warriors and Paladins, Kerrigan for Death Knights and Warlocks, and Artanis for Mages and Druids. Each faction offers unique cards, some shared across classes and others exclusive.
Turning StarCraft into cards was somewhat similar to adapting Warcraft, Gonzalez shared, but they focused on StarCraft’s units instead of characters. Capturing the game’s essence was key.
“The gameplay of it–there’s micro and there’s macro–and it was really important to us to make sure that the macro of, ‘What is your game plan overall with one of the three factions’… does that feel quintessentially like them?” Gonzalez said. “That’s not something we had to super duper think about with the average Warcraft character.”
This exciting mini-set will launch in January 2025, but there’s more in store for Hearthstone fans, including a glimpse at three new expansions and significant changes to Arena mode.
Arena, the competitive draft mode, has been pretty much the same since 2014, but that’s about to change. In early 2025, two versions of Arena will be introduced: Normal Arena and the new Underground Arena. Normal Arena will be faster and still competitive, while Underground Arena will offer longer runs, mixing players of all skill levels, and a “re-draft on loss” feature.
Georgiou explained that having two modes aims to make Arena accessible for new players while providing seasoned ones with more challenges. Arena can be intimidating for newbies due to fierce competition from long-time players.
“It was really to raise that ceiling for players who want that but also lower the floor a little bit so Arena can be a place that is welcoming for all types of players again,” Georgiou said.
The first expansion of 2025, Into the Emerald Dream, will let players explore a beautiful version of Azeroth while druids fight against the Old Gods. This expansion has been in the works for a while and was postponed to avoid clashing with World of Warcraft updates.
The second expansion, The Shrouded City, is a sequel to the Journey to Un’Goro set. Players will follow Elise as she searches for a hidden Tortollan city, with a festival-themed mini-set arriving later. The Tortollan race, created for the original Un’Goro set, will have its lore expanded.
“To be able to revisit an area that is so compelling that had so much that wasn’t explored before, and to be able to look at it in a new light, I think will be really, really fun,” Georgiou said.
Lastly, Heroes of Time will dive into alternate timelines, where players will meet legendary heroes in new ways, culminating in a showdown with Murozond. With WoW’s recent focus on the Bronze Dragonflight, it’s a surprise Hearthstone hasn’t explored this yet, but it seems the perfect moment has arrived.
“I think doing it when there is so much to pull from in Hearthstone’s past feels like the perfect, pun half-intended, time to do it,” Gonzalez said. “There’s so many characters our fans love and characters from Warcraft that our fans might not even be super exposed to that are in that thematic bucket. It’s a really rich theme.”
In other news, Blizzard announced that remastered versions of Warcraft 1 and 2, along with a big update for Warcraft 3: Reforged, are now available.
