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.

Welcome to the Darkmoon Faire!

An otherworldly carnival is coming to Hearthstone on November 17, 2020 with Madness at the Darkmoon Faire, the upcoming expansion for Blizzard’s free-to-play digital card game, and there’s a whiff of ancient corruption amid the zany wonders and attractions. The Old Gods—timeless beings of terrifying power that ruled a young Azeroth—have chosen the Darkmoon Faire as the site of their return, and they’ll tempt players with 135 all-new cards that bear the taint of their corruption.

Madness at the Darkmoon Faire hearkens back to the fan-favorite Hearthstone expansion from 2016, Whispers of the Old Gods. Iconic Legendary minions including C’Thun and Yogg-Saron will make a comeback (in surprising new forms) and allow players to tap into their astonishing match-swinging powers. If they dare, players can also harness Old Gods Artifacts—powerful spells inspired by the designs of the most dreaded Legendary minions from Whispers of the Old Gods. And to further propagate this foul influence, players can employ cards with the Corrupt keyword, which changes them into substantially more powerful versions after a higher-cost card is played.

The Corrupted version of each card isn’t just stronger—it also features unique alternate artwork with more eyeballs and tentacles than before!

"This is a huge moment for Hearthstone, with the Madness at the Darkmoon Faire expansion, as well as an all-new game mode in Duels, and a fundamental overhaul of the game's progression system," said J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment. "As Hearthstone continues to evolve and grow, our focus is squarely on continuing to deliver a uniquely deep and fun game experience, and we think players are going to lose their minds over all of this new content."

Introducing Hearthstone Duels

Hearthstone Duels is an all-new completely free game mode that combines the thrill of the player-vs.-player Arena mode with the delightfully unpredictable and over-the-top deckbuilding experience from the game’s most beloved Solo Adventures. Just like in Arena, players will face other human opponents with the goal of reaching 12 wins before accruing 3 losses—but in Duels, they’ll start out with custom-built decks from their own collections, and draft additional cards or game-changing Treasures after each match.

Players will also be able to try their hands at Hearthstone Duels Heroic mode to earn rewards such as in-game gold, cards, card packs, and Arcane Dust. Heroic mode Duels runs can be accessed by paying 150 gold or purchasing a Tavern ticket for $1.99 USD. The better the player’s record at the end of the run, the greater the rewards.

Hearthstone Duels will evolve with each new season, with the pool of cards refreshed from Hearthstone's vast card set catalog, and accompanying new Heroes, Hero Powers, and signature Treasures. The theme for the debut season is Wizard Duels, starring a cast of Heroes pulled from the scholars and luminaries of the Scholomance Academy® expansion.

Players who prepurchase a Madness at the Darkmoon Faire bundle (see below) will also receive early access to the new Duels play mode from October 22 to November 11. All Hearthstone players will be able to try out the new game mode beginning November 12, with the official launch of the Duels Beta and the beginning of Season 1 of Duels currently slated for November 17.

Hearthstone Progression System Update

Hearthstone will undergo its biggest ever systems update on November 12 with its fully overhauled progression system. The new system aims to deliver regular, exciting reward to players, be they initial dabblers, periodic deck-builders, or committed card-slingers. Here’s a rundown of what’s changing:

• The new Achievements system tracks players’ statistics and in-game accomplishments. New achievements will be added with every expansion, as well as future game modes, and major updates.
• The Reward Track allows players to earn in-game gold, card packs, cosmetics, and more—with bonus rewards for players who purchase a Tavern Pass. Every expansion will introduce a new Reward Track, and players progress through its 50 levels by accumulating experience points from Quests, achievements, and play.
• The revamped Quest system adds robust and rewarding Weekly Quests to the regular rotation of Daily Quests and the special event-driven Legendary Quests that accompany expansions and content updates.
• Players will be able to view their progress through all of these systems via the new profile page, which will track lifetime stats across a player’s account, including ranks, ratings, and wins.

The Madness at the Darkmoon Faire Mega Bundle is available starting today for $79.99 USD and comes with 85 card packs from the expansion—5 of which are Golden Card Packs (containing all Golden cards)—plus one random Golden Legendary card; the N’Zoth Warlock Hero; the N’Zoth card back; perks for Hearthstone Battlegrounds that last until the next expansion; and early access to the upcoming Hearthstone Duels game mode (see dates above). Also available is the Madness at the Darkmoon Faire Bundle for $39.99 USD, which includes 45 packs from the expansion, one random Legendary Card, the N’Zoth card back, and early access to Hearthstone Duels (see dates above).

LOG IN REWARD

Log into Hearthstone to receive the Silas Darkmoon Legendary minion for free, available to play immediately.

Pre-purchase for Madness at the Darkmoon Faire will go live with the 18.6 patch on October 22 at ~10:00 a.m. PT.