Hearthstone's next major expansion, United in Stormwind, will arrive in the game on August 3. As the title suggests, the update will take plyers to World of Warcraft's city of Stormwind, the heart of the Alliance, and offer a Hearthstone equivalent to many of the ways in which players experienced the iconic city in the MMORPG — from getting their first mount to learning tradeskills to completing questlines.
United in Stormwind will add 135 new cards inspired by the rites of passage "inspired by the rites of passage shared by heroes about to come into their own in this gleaming city."
Among this collection of new cards are Mounts, a spell that you can cast onto a minion that serves as a powerfull buff. Once the buffed minion rider is destroyed, a trusty steed will be summoned with stats that reflect the original buff. There is also Questlines, three-part quests that delve into the stories of Hearthstone's new mercenary heroes. Profession Tools are a new passive type weapon that take up a weapon slot and instead of having an attack value, instead adds a special bonus effect when a specific condition is met. And lastly, there is the new "Tradeable" keyword. These cards can be played for their normal effect or can be swapped with a random card in your deck for just one mana.
United in Stormwind is set to launch worldwide on August 3. It's available to pre-purchase starting today.
In addition to the expansion, it was announced that Battlegrounds will also be getting some major updates, including the "largest minion pool shakeup since launch." New cosmetics are also on the way, including the Battlegrounds Bundle: Beach Party that features seven new portraits of heroes enjoying the sun — such as Grill King Bolvar and Chillin' Vol'jin. There's also the Battleground Heroes: Shadowlands bundle that offers eight heroes "reimagined as members of the Covenants featured in the afterlife-themed World of Warcraft: Shadowlands expansion."
Lastly, the Fire Festival will return. It's set to run from July 6 to July 27 and offer new Legendary quests and fan-favorite Tavern Brawls. Book of Mercenaries: Kutrus will launch on July 13; defeating all 7 bosses rewards you with 1 Demon Hunter pack. Then, on July 20, Book of Heroes: Gul'Dan will task you with defeating 8 bosses to unlock 1 Warlock pack.