Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, ‘Year of the Dragon’ game updates

The Hearthstone team announced the dawning of a new Hearthstone Year: The Year of the Dragon!

WHAT’S A HEARTHSTONE YEAR?

Each Hearthstone Year ushers in a fresh Standard format: we’ll introduce an updated card set rotation that will drastically change the meta, leading to more exploration and variety in deck types.
When the first expansion of 2019 launches, we will transition into the Year of the Dragon, and the following card sets will become exclusive to Wild: Journey to Un’Goro, Knights of the Frozen Throne, and Kobolds & Catacombs
Once we’ve entered the Year of the Dragon, all sets that are exclusive to Wild can still be bought from the online shop, and single player content will be available there as well.

THE EVOLVING SINGLE-PLAYER EXPERIENCE

For the first time in Hearthstone’s history, the Year of the Dragon will feature a continuous story told across all three expansions
The Hearthstone mission team has doubled in size to create more robust solo adventures than ever before
The first adventure of the year is set to release about a month after the Year of the Dragon begins and features nine all-new playable heroes, each with three Hero Powers and four starting decks, as well as friendly tavern encounters, multiple game modes, and worthy rewards
The first chapter is free and additional chapters will be available for purchase (700 gold each, or 19.99€/£16.99 for all four)HALL OF FAME
The Hall of Fame is a distinction we give to certain Basic and Classic cards that move out of the Standard format and into Wild, encouraging new strategies to play with and against in Standard.
This year, we’ll add the following cards to the Hall of Fame:
- Divine Favor
- Doomguard
- Naturalize
In addition to these three cards, Baku the Mooneater and Genn Greymane will also be moving to the Hall of Fame. We will also be moving their support cards: Gloom Stag, Black Cat, Glitter Moth, and Murkspark Eel.
Players can keep their Hall of Fame cards and we’ll give them the full dust value for each one (up to the maximum number you could put in a deck) as if they were disenchanted.
^{HEARTHSTONE IN 2019}

^{Join us as we bid farewell to the Year of the Raven and welcome the}^{Year of the Dragon!}

^{For the first time ever, the}^{Year of the Dragon}^{will feature}^{a year-long story}^{told across}^{three thrilling expansions}^{! The first}^Hearthstone^{expansion of 2019 will begin a new}^Hearthstone^{Year and} ^{shake up the meta by introducing a fresh new set of cards and a wealth of deckbuilding options to the Standard format.}

^{NEW AND IMPROVED SOLO ADVENTURES}

^{From the fiery chasms of}^{Blackrock Depths}^{to the grueling gauntlet in}^{Rastakhan’s Rumble}^{, Hearthstone has been home to tons of exciting single-player experiences—and in 2019 we’re going all-in to deliver what players love most about PvE with robust Solo Adventures that feature hours of engaging, replayable challenges, new game modes, friendly encounters and all new playable characters, and a variety of enticing rewards including card backs and card packs – golden or otherwise!}

^{This year’s first expansion is planned for April, and its accompanying Solo Adventure—bigger than ever before—will be released starting in May. The first chapter of this Solo Adventure, played from the perspective of a mysterious (but familiar) mage character, will be free and, in a return to what players experienced with the original}^Hearthstone^{Adventures, unlocking the full Solo Adventure will be 19.99€/£16.99 or 700 gold per chapter. Each additional chapter includes two new playable characters, each with three Hero Powers and four starting decks which are unlocked as players progress. More information to come on the first installment later this year.}

^{OTHER UPDATES IN THE WORKS}

^{Here’s a peek at the exciting updates we’re planning for}^Hearthstone^{this year:}
^{YEAR OF THE MAMMOTH IS GOING WILD –}^{At the start of the Year of the Dragon, the following card sets will migrate to Wild:}^{Journey to Un’Goro, Knights of the Frozen Throne,}^and^{Kobolds & Catacombs}^{. These card packs can still be purchased via the}^{Blizzard Shop}^.
^{PLAY EVERY EXPANSION EARLY –}^{Pre-Release is here to stay! Pre-Release events are special Fireside Gatherings where players can open any packs they have from upcoming Hearthstone expansions early—and familiarize themselves with their new cards in unique Fireside Brawls.}
^{HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES}^{– This year, we’re adding the following cards to the Hall of Fame:}^{Divine Favor}^,^Doomguard^,^{Naturalize, Baku the Mooneater, Genn Greymane, Black Cat, Gloom Stag, Glitter Moth, and Murkspark Eel}^{. Players can keep their Hall of Fame cards and we’ll give them the full dust value for each one (up to the maximum number that can be put in a deck) as if they were disenchanted.}
^{QUALITY OF LIFE UPDATES AND MORE}^– ^{We’re also working on player-requested quality of life updates that include: a card back randomizer so players can easily show off their collection; a smarter, more helpful deck auto-complete tool to help players build more competitive decks; allowing Arena wins to count towards Golden Hero progress; and much more!}

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