Deceptively simple in design but epically engaging, Hearthstone will be instantly accessible to players regardless of their familiarity with Warcraft or collectible card games. Whether players prefer to wield magic or arms in battle, strike from the shadows or head on—or have never given any of that much thought—they’ll be able to jump right in, create a deck, and get in on the card-slinging action.

In addition to honing their skills in practice matches against the computer and taking on their buddies via their Battle.net friends list, players can challenge each other in two competitive game modes. “Play Mode” features traditional head-to-head battles, with players facing off for a chance to increase their medal ranking and earn card packs along the way. And for a different type of challenge, players can enter “The Forge,” where they start each match by building a deck from a new set of cards, and then use that deck to duel other Forge participants. Aside from winning new cards, players will be able to round out their collections by purchasing new card packs or disenchanting some of their existing cards to craft the ones they’re missing.

With hundreds of cards to choose from, featuring a wide range of colorful Warcraft spells, weapons, and characters, players will have limitless possibilities for developing and fine-tuning their deck-building strategies.

Something spooky is stirring in the heart of The Witchwood, the next expansion for Blizzard's digital card game Hearthstone. Next month, those cunning and courageous enough to hunt down monsters and outwit witches can claim their bounty in the form of 135 hair-raising new cards, complete with some uncanny new gameplay mechanics.

Dark magic has twisted the creatures of the forest and set them loose upon the Gilnean capital in Azeroth, but King Genn Greymane and his lycanthropic subjects won’t make for easy prey. The citizens of this proud kingdom, who can shapeshift into ferocious wolf-beasts known as worgen, are bringing the fight to The Witchwood with tooth and claw—and soon, Hearthstone players will join the pack and help them face down the horrors within.

To help them survive the night, players can draw on an arsenal of new tricks, including the eerie new Echo keyword. Cards with Echo can be played over and over again, allowing players to call upon a minion or cast a spell multiple times in a turn as long as they have enough mana. In addition, crafty deck-builders can employ powerful minions that challenge them to use only odd- or even-cost cards in exchange for a potent advantage.

Once the expansion is released, players will have two weeks to arm themselves before embarking on Monster Hunts—the thrilling new single-player Hearthstone experience that will send players deep into The Witchwood to stamp out the evils that lurk within.

Normally, a city surrounded by monsters would be a cause for panic . . . but Gilneas is no ordinary city, and the Gilneans are no ordinary people. Inflicted with the worgen curse, Gilneans have the means to transform into ferocious beasts and take back the forest from its twisted denizens, who have been led astray by an orc shaman known as Hagatha the Witch.

In The Witchwood’s exhilarating single-player mode, Monster Hunt, Gilneas’ greatest heroes are called to cleanse the forest of this darkness. Similar to the Dungeon Run mode from Kobolds & Catacombs, players will defeat bosses and collect their bounties to build a deck that will keep them alive as they venture deeper and deeper into The Witchwood.

The leaders of Gilneas are finalizing preparations for these expeditions, and will share more details in the weeks to come.

Key Features:

• HAUNTING NEW KEYWORD: ECHO – Exemplifying the spooky feel of the set, cards with the Echo keyword create a copy of themselves in the player’s hand when played. These ghastly copies can be played again and again (as long as the player has enough mana!) before disappearing at the end of the turn.
• EVEN/ODD COST CARDS – Several minions in The Witchwood will reward you for building a deck using only even- or odd-cost cards, including two neutral Legendary minions:
  • Genn Greymane: If your deck has only even-cost cards at the start of the game, your starting Hero Power costs one mana.
  • Baku the Mooneater: If your deck has only odd-cost cards at the start of the game, your Hero Power is upgraded.
• WORGEN CARDS – Gilneans can transform between their human and wolf-like worgen forms, and so can some of the cards in The Witchwood. Each turn a worgen card is in a player’s hand, its Attack and Health are swapped, creating opportunities to play the card at just the right time.
• RUSH YOUR FOES – When played, minions with the new Rush keyword can attack other minions immediately, but can’t attack the enemy Hero until the following turn.

Coming in April to PC and Mac; Windows, iOS, and Android tablets; and mobile phones, The Witchwood card packs will be winnable in Hearthstone’s Arena mode, and players can purchase them with in-game gold or real money at the same prices as Hearthstone’s other card packs.

Starting today and up until the expansion is released, allies of Gilneas can pre-purchase The Witchwood card packs in a special 50-pack bundle that also includes 20 bonus packs, as well as the “In a Dark Wood” card back for free. This one-time-only bundle is available on any platform for $49.99 (one purchase per account).