IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Year of the Dragon—Blizzard Entertainment today unveiled Descent of Dragons™, a high-flying 135-card expansion for their smash-hit free-to-play digital card game Hearthstone®. Hatching on December 10, the epic conclusion to Hearthstone’s first-ever year-long story line will arm players with draconic firepower—including the ability to transform into Galakrond, the mightiest dragon in Warcraft® history.
The Year of the Dragon began with Rise of Shadows™, where players were introduced to the League of E.V.I.L., a shadowy organization led by the notorious Archvillain Rafaam. In Saviors of Uldum™, the villains threatened to unleash a world-ending plague, but players joined up with the League of Explorers to save the day. Now, in Descent of Dragons, the forces of good and evil will settle things once and for all with the help of dragons—lots and lots of dragons.
The League of E.V.I.L. plans to bring doom to Azeroth by resurrecting Galakrond—the father of all dragons—who’s playable in different forms in Hearthstone as a set of five new Hero cards. Available to the five “E.V.I.L.” classes—Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, and Warrior—Galakrond takes on a form appropriate to the corresponding class, each with a unique Battlecry and Hero Power.
Cultist minions and spells with the new Invoke keyword will trigger the effect of Galakrond’s Hero Power. Invoking multiple times upgrades Galakrond into his two increasingly stronger forms, the mightiest of which is Galakrond, Azeroth’s End—which comes into play with a quadruple-strength Battlecry and a powerful claw attack. Hearthstone players who log in when Descent of Dragons swoops in* will receive all five Galakrond Hero cards free.
Heroic Druids, Hunters, Mages, and Paladins can cower in the face of Galakrond’s might, or they can bravely prepare to face their doom by completing the new Sidequests, which provide a variety of accessible early-game goals and rewards.
“We love constantly exploring new ideas with Hearthstone, from telling an epic year-long story to introducing fun new ways to play,” said J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment. “Descent of Dragons embodies that value—we think players will have a blast with all of the new cards as well as the new gameplay mechanics we’re introducing with this expansion.”
Until launch, players can pre-purchase two different Descent of Dragons card pack bundles: a 60-pack bundle, which includes a Descent of Dragons-specific golden Legendary card and the Shattering card back; and the massive 100-pack Mega Bundle, which includes those bonuses and the new Deathwing playable Warrior Hero. These bundles are available for $49.99 and $79.99, respectively; one of each can be purchased per account.
Prepare to Enter the Battlegrounds
At BlizzCon® 2019, Blizzard unveiled Hearthstone: Battlegrounds, an all-new way to play. Hearthstone: Battlegrounds is a raucous eight-player auto-battler featuring 24 unique Heroes, in which players will recruit minions, strategically position them, and watch as they battle for supremacy.
This free game mode is designed as a standalone experience that uses Hearthstone as a foundation, but it does not involve building or maintaining a card collection. Hearthstone: Battlegrounds will be available to everyone when it enters open beta on Tuesday, November 12. An early access period will be available from November 5–11 for everyone who attended BlizzCon, purchased the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, or pre-purchased either of the Descent of Dragons bundles.**
Beginning with Descent of Dragons, everyone will receive free access to Hearthstone: Battlegrounds. While nonessential for play, Hearthstone players will be able to unlock optional bonus features when they acquire card packs from the most recent expansion (starting with Descent of Dragons).† This includes free packs, those acquired with in-game gold, or those purchased with real money. At 10 packs, players unlock comprehensive stat-tracking in Hearthstone: Battlegrounds (slated for release following beta testing); at 20 they can choose from three different Heroes instead of two at the start of each match; and at 30, players unlock the ability to taunt or playfully communicate with their opponents using a visual emote system.
To learn more about Descent of Dragons, fly over to www.descentofdragons.com, and be on the lookout for more information regarding Battlegrounds soon.
*Limit one set of five Galakrond Hero cards per account. Must log in by March 31, 2020 to redeem offer.
†Bonus features are unlocked for a limited time and reset at the launch of each new Hearthstone expansion.
**Battlegrounds early access requires 2GB of memory to play on iOS and Android devices.
About Hearthstone
With more than 100 million players worldwide, Hearthstone is Blizzard Entertainment’s internationally acclaimed, free-to-play digital card game designed for novice and veteran card-slingers alike. Players can choose from nine powerful hero classes and customize their decks with minions, spells, and weapons based on the unique fantasy of the Warcraft® universe. Featuring a variety of game modes ranging from epic head-to-head duels to story-driven Solo Adventures, Hearthstone offers a vibrant and rewarding experience stacked with strategy, personality, and fun. Hearthstone is available globally for Windows and Mac PCs; Windows, iOS, and Android tablets; and iOS, and Android mobile phones.
About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft®, Hearthstone, Overwatch®, the Warcraft, StarCraft®, and Diablo® franchises, and the multi-franchise Heroes of the Storm®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track record includes twenty-two #1 games* and numerous Game of the Year awards. The company's online gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest online-gaming services in the world, with millions of active players.
*Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and reports from key distributors.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements:
Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about 2019 Hearthstone content, including the pricing, promotions, availability, features, and functionality of Descent of Dragons and Hearthstone: Battlegrounds, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
