Blizzard’s well-liked free-to-play CCG Hearthstone has rolled out its eleventh growth right this moment, Rise Of Shadows. Tapping into the present wave of superhero film buzz, the theme of this growth is cape-swooshing, moustache-twirling cartoon supervillainy, full with expendable lackeys, evil schemes and do-gooders to bully. As typical there’s 135 new playing cards to gather, together with some enjoyable new key phrases like Twinspell, Lackey-summoning minions and self-upgrading Schemes that change into extra highly effective with each flip they’re left brewing in your hand. Below, the launch trailer.
You can see all the brand new playing cards within the growth here, many that includes the brand new trio of key phrases. Twinspell is definitely the least fascinating, successfully simply letting you solid a spell twice. Strategically very helpful, however boring. Schemes are a bit extra fascinating and play properly into the supervillain theme, with every of the 5 villains getting their very own auto-upgrading card. They’re initially underpowered, like Dr Boom’s Scheme providing you with only one Armor for four mana, however they will change into extraordinarily highly effective if left lengthy sufficient. Perhaps Twinspells offset sacrificing a spot in your hand to a Scheme.
For me, at the least, probably the most fascinating new system is Lackeys. Several new playing cards can add Lackeys to your hand, token-type playing cards that solely value one mana, and regardless of being 1/1 fodder varieties, every one has a helpful means. The enjoyable half is that there are 5 sorts of Lackey, and which you get is totally random. Hearthstone has at all times been a chaotic game by CCG requirements, with The Boomsday Project growth having quite a lot of game-scrambling oddball playing cards with excessive prices. Lackeys really feel like an try to convey a few of that wilder play to the early game.
Unlike the previous few expansions, Rise Of Shadows goes again to charging individually for its accompanying single-player adventures. Due to launch a month from now, the solo a part of this growth will characteristic one free chapter, adopted by a sequence of extra adventures that may both be bought separately for 700 in-game gold or $20 for the set. While which means that you’ll have the ability to earn some playing cards from the single-player adventures, I admit that I had gotten used to having a brand new, much less aggressive cause to return to the game each few months.
Heartstone: Rise Of Shadows is out now. The game is free-to-play, available here. Logging in now will internet you a free Legendary card from the brand new set, plus some new quests to earn extra goodies.
