by JR Cook - 10 years ago     show comments

We were lazy last week, anticipating that any blue post would be overshadowed with news from PAX East – and we were not disappointed. Here’s a recap of the most significant announcements from last weekend:

• Adventure Mode confirmed.
• First adventure mode will be named Curse of Naxxramas.
• Curse of Naxxramas will add 30 cards to the game. At least one for each class plus neutrals.
• Each wing of Naxxramas will roll out one per week.
• Many of the new cards will have Deathrattle per the theme.
• The new cards will be rolled into the arena so you’ll be able to test them there.
• First one will be free, others will be bought with gold/money.
• Expected release date for adventure mode is this summer.
• Global iPad rollout in a week or two.

New Cards Revealed

• Baron Rivendare: 4 Mana / 1 Attack / 7 Health – Your minions trigger their Deathrattles twice.
• Nerubian Egg: 2 Mana / 0 Attack / 2 Health – Deathrattle: Summon a 4/4 Nerubian.
• Undertaker: 1 Mana / 1 Attack / 2 Health – Whenever you summon a minion with Deathrattle, gain +1 / +1
• Shade of Naxxramas: 3 Mana / 2 Attack / 2 Health – Stealth. At the start of your turn, gain +1 / +1.
• Dancing Swords: Deathrattle: Your opponent draws a card.

At least, that’s how it started out. But then the news just kept pouring in…

Blizzard Announces Fireside Gatherings: Starting on April 26 and any after for a limited time, Hearthstone players worldwide will have the option to earn a new card back by participating in a “Fireside Gathering”. Bring together three or more friends, and play each other on a local subnet.

While the event is timed somewhat with the announcement of the iPad app, participating in a networked Hearthstone event like this does not require the use of an iPad. Zeriyah clarifies on Twitter.

@Malvenue Nope and nope. You can even do it at home with friends. Just need 3 people on your same subnet, play 3 games, get card back!

— Zeriyah (@CM_Zeriyah) April 17, 2014

Well met, fellow tavern-goers! Do you love Hearthstone? Looking for other worthy opponents to challenge? Want to just enjoy the game with likeminded Hearthstone players in your area? Then Fireside Gatherings are exactly what you’re looking for!

Join us as we celebrate the launch of Hearthstone on iPad by attending a Fireside Gathering.  Fireside Gatherings are get-togethers in public hangouts like coffee shops, book stores, and dorms where you can meet and mingle with local Hearthstone players. Trade strategy secrets, show off your decks, or even host mini tournaments—it’s all up to you! These events range in size from 5-10 people in a small group to 100+ in a huge gathering, and require absolutely no minimum skill level. The more the merrier!

Behold . . . the power of friendship! Fireside Gatherings offer the opportunity to add the new “Fireside Friends” card back to your collection! This card back can be obtained by playing three matches against another player on the same network using the following criteria:

– At least three people (including yourself) must be logged into Hearthstone on the same subnet.
– Each match must be played against a player that is playing on the same subnet as you.
– These matches can be played against your friends or using the Player Near Me feature, as long as the above two criteria are met.

The Fireside Friends card back will become available starting on Saturday, April 26thfor a limited time! The last day that you can add the Fireside Friends card back to your collection will be announced at a later date. Be sure to attend a Fireside Gathering near you or utilize the Players Near Me feature in Hearthstone so you don’t miss out on this opportunity to collect this unique card back that’ll make you feel right at home.

While you don’t need to attend a Fireside Gathering to get this card back, attending a Fireside Gathering is a great opportunity to meet some new friends, enjoy a few rounds of Hearthstone with good company,  and gain this card back in the process! The Fireside Friends card back will be instantly added to your collection as soon as you finish your three matches provided that they follow the friendly guidelines above! (Source)

Blizzard Announces Hearthstone Poster Contest, Chance To Win iPad Air™: The mobile Hearthstone media blitz continues! Thursday afternoon, Blizzard announced a poster contest for fans with the chance to win an iPad Air™. Entries need to be submitted to contests@blizzard.com.

Ready your paintbrushes and sharpen those pencils (digitally, of course), because we’ve got a Hearthstone poster contest that may just be right up your alley!

We’re challenging all artists out there to come up with your best idea for a Hearthstone on iPad® propaganda poster. If you were to show off all of the fun of being able to play Hearthstone on the go and wrap it up into a poster-sized package, what would it look like? What would really grab people’s attention if they saw your poster on the street? Would you suggest that the masses OBEY . . . and play another round of Hearthstone on the iPad? Or would it maybe include pictures of adorable murlocs running their cute little three-fingered hands over an iPad screen? The possibilities are only limited by your imagination!

Participants must design and create their own poster, themed to promote Hearthstone on the iPad in a funny, serious, or other attention-grabbing way—it’s up to you! Poster submissions need to be at least 1024×768 and no bigger than 5MB. Entries limited to one per person. The contest will run from April 17, 2014 to May 15, 2014, and top selections will be made by a panel of Blizzard judges. These top entries will then be uploaded to the Hearthstone Facebook page, where the player community will get to decide which poster they think has the most Hearthstoney goodness. The top three posters with the most “Likes” at the end of the voting period will win an iPad Air™! (Source)

Adventure Mode “Curse of Naxxaramas” coming soon: Blizzard has just released a new blog detailing the upcoming Curse of Naxxramas. For players who enjoyed the solo experience of Hearthstone more than the competitive player vs. player modes, this is very welcome news. For the rest of us, this is an exciting new addition to regular game play, and a potential shift of the meta game.

Hearthstone’s highly anticipated single player Adventure Mode has been officially announced today at PAX East: Curse of Naxxramas, A Hearthstone Adventure!

The Curse Comes!
The ancient necropolis Naxxramas, a base of operations for the powerful lich Kel’Thuzad and his plague-bearing undead host, comes to Hearthstone in a single player PvE Adventure that anyone can undertake! Progress through one of the five unique wings of the dungeon and gain new cards for your Hearthstone collection by defeating the iconic bosses that you’ll face along the way – the oversized arachnid Maexxna, the fungal horror Loatheb and the shambling abomination Patchwerk are just a few of the horrors that await your challenge. Each boss has their own unique cards and Hero Powers at their disposal to challenge even the most seasoned of card-slinging adventurers!

New Cards!
Progressing through Curse of Naxxramas and overcoming the challenges that lurk within will reward you with all new Hearthstone cards! Once you earn these cards, you can start playing with them in your decks right away. A total of 30 new cards will be added with Curse of Naxxramas – Check out a few of the shambling creatures of the undead that are justdying to be a part of your collection below!

Peer Into the Plague Quarter
One of the bosses you’ll be pitted against within the Plague Quarter is the devious plague cauldron master Heigan the Unclean! His Eruption spell will put your minion’s dancing skills to the test, and Mindpocalypse will make you think you’ve got the upper hand! Speaking of hands, Heigan definitely never washes his. Gross.

Defeating Heigan will net you a brand new card to add to your collection, and the completion of each wing will reward you with a guaranteed new Legendary card!

All New Game Board!

Curse of Naxxramas will have its own unique game board Hearthstone players battle on while they are in the adventure, complete with brand new interactive corners! What could possibly lurk within that quivering mass of eggs? Do you really want to find out?

Test Your Might with Class Challenges!

On top of all of that, nine unique Class Challenges lie in wait within Curse of Naxxramas. These challenges put a difficult twist on existing encounters within the adventure and will put your Hearthstone skills with a specific class to the test! If you’re able to overcome the Class Challenges that face you, you’ll be rewarded with new class-specific cards to add to your collection.

Make Tracks to Naxx!

Curse of Naxxramas will open its gates to challenge Hearthstone players over the course of 5 weeks, opening wing by wing. The first wing of Curse of Naxxramas, The Arachnid Quarter, will be available free for all Hearthstone players. If players wish to venture further into Naxxramas to collect all of the new cards for their collection, each wing besides the Arachnid Quarter can be purchased with in-game gold OR real money. As each wing is released, the cards available in each wing will also show up in your Arena picks, even if you have not earned them for your personal collection yet!

Beware the Necropolis!

We hope you enjoyed this first look into Curse of Naxxramas, A Hearthstone Adventure. Curse of Naxxramas is planned to release simultaneously for PC, Mac and iPad. A release date will be announced at a later time. (Source)

Oh, and by the way: Hearthstone is out now on the iPad!