Expansions are major card set additions to the game of Hearthstone. Expansions introduce the majority of collectible cards into the game, with each expansion introducing around 130-145 new cards. These cards, referred to as expansion cards, are used primarily to create and build decks to play in Casual or Ranked mode, in either the Standard or Wild game format modes. These expansion cards are obtained chiefly through purchasing and opening card packs, through crafting, or through earning Arena rewards.
In early 2017, the developers announced their plans to release three expansions each year, with each expansion featuring around 130 new cards, abandoning their previous annual release cycle of expansion-adventure-expansion.[1] Starting with Knights of the Frozen Throne in August 2017, expansions also feature optional solo-player content in the form of Missions, effectively integrating an adventure into each expansion.[1]
Hearthstone's first expansion was Goblins vs Gnomes, released in December 2014.
List
The following is a table of all card sets, featuring all collectible cards in the game. This includes all expansions and adventures, the core sets of Basic and Classic, and the Hall of Fame set.
For the full table with legend and notes, see: Card set table.
Card sets are the major categories into which all collectible cards are divided into. Card sets reflect how collectible cards can be obtained, and they also determine whether collectible cards can be used in Standard format.
In Standard format, only the card sets from the first two Standard years are allowed for building decks. A card set rotation occurs every year at the beginning of April in which the card sets from the oldest Standard year are removed from Standard play. In Wild format, however, all card sets can be played. In Twist format, any card set may be able to be used, provided that it's part of the available sets in the current rotation.
List
As of Patch 27.2.2.184727, there are 35 card sets, 7 in Standard format and 28 in Wild format.
Format | Card set | Release date | Type | Year | Collectible | By rarity |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Standard | TITANS | August 1, 2023 | Expansion | Wolf | 145 | 53 /38 /27 /27 |
Standard | Festival of Legends | April 11, 2023 | Expansion | Wolf | 183 | 69 /55 /28 /31 |
Standard | March of the Lich King | December 6, 2022 | Expansion | Hydra | 183 | 69 /55 /28 /31 |
Standard | Path of Arthas | December 6, 2022 | Card set | Hydra | 26 | 12 /8 /3 /3 |
Standard | Murder at Castle Nathria | August 2, 2022 | Expansion | Hydra | 170 | 66 /49 /26 /29 |
Standard | Voyage to the Sunken City | April 12, 2022 | Expansion | Hydra | 170 | 66 /49 /26 /29 |
Standard | Core | March 30, 2021 | Card set | 284 | 155 /59 /29 /41 | |
Wild | Caverns of Time | August 31, 2023 | Card set | 114 | 45 /35 /17 /17 | |
Wild | Fractured in Alterac Valley | December 7, 2021 | Expansion | Gryphon | 170 | 66 /49 /26 /29 |
Wild | United in Stormwind | August 3, 2021 | Expansion | Gryphon | 170 | 66 /49 /26 /29 |
Wild | Legacy | March 30, 2021 | Card set | 180 | 11 /11 /7 /8 | |
Wild | Forged in the Barrens | March 30, 2021 | Expansion | Gryphon | 170 | 66 /49 /26 /29 |
Wild | Madness at the Darkmoon Faire | November 17, 2020 | Expansion | Phoenix | 170 | 70 /46 /25 /29 |
Wild | Scholomance Academy | August 6, 2020 | Expansion | Phoenix | 135 | 52 /35 /23 /25 |
Wild | Demon Hunter Initiate | April 7, 2020 | Card set | Dragon | 20 | 8 /6 /4 /2 |
Wild | Ashes of Outland | April 7, 2020 | Expansion | Phoenix | 135 | 52 /35 /23 /25 |
Wild | Galakrond's Awakening | January 21, 2020 | Adventure | Dragon | 35 | 15 /12 /4 /4 |
Wild | Descent of Dragons | December 10, 2019 | Expansion | Dragon | 140 | 49 /36 /27 /28 |
Wild | Saviors of Uldum | August 6, 2019 | Expansion | Dragon | 135 | 49 /36 /27 /23 |
Wild | Rise of Shadows | April 9, 2019 | Expansion | Dragon | 136 | 49 /37 /26 /24 |
Wild | Rastakhan's Rumble | December 4, 2018 | Expansion | Raven | 135 | 49 /36 /27 /23 |
Wild | The Boomsday Project | August 7, 2018 | Expansion | Raven | 136 | 49 /36 /27 /24 |
Wild | The Witchwood | April 12, 2018 | Expansion | Raven | 135 | 49 /36 /27 /23 |
Wild | Kobolds & Catacombs | December 7, 2017 | Expansion | Mammoth | 135 | 49 /36 /27 /23 |
Wild | Knights of the Frozen Throne | August 10, 2017 | Expansion | Mammoth | 135 | 49 /36 /27 /23 |
Wild | Journey to Un'Goro | April 6, 2017 | Expansion | Mammoth | 135 | 49 /36 /27 /23 |
Wild | Mean Streets of Gadgetzan | December 1, 2016 | Expansion | Kraken | 132 | 49 /36 /27 /20 |
Wild | One Night in Karazhan | August 11, 2016 | Adventure | Kraken | 45 | 27 /12 /1 /5 |
Wild | Whispers of the Old Gods | April 26, 2016 | Expansion | Kraken | 134 | 50 /36 /27 /21 |
Wild | The League of Explorers | November 12, 2015 | Adventure | 45 | 25 /13 /2 /5 | |
Wild | The Grand Tournament | August 24, 2015 | Expansion | 132 | 49 /36 /27 /20 | |
Wild | Blackrock Mountain | April 2, 2015 | Adventure | 31 | 15 /11 /0 /5 | |
Wild | Goblins vs Gnomes | December 8, 2014 | Expansion | 123 | 40 /37 /26 /20 | |
Wild | Curse of Naxxramas | July 22, 2014 | Adventure | 30 | 18 /4 /2 /6 | |
Wild | Legacy | March 14, 2014 | Card set | 245 | 94 /81 /37 /33 |
- Notes
- Some collectible cards are uncraftable and only obtainable through special ways. For more information, see individual cards in Uncraftable#Uncraftable cards.
- Mini-set cards are included in the "Collectible" section for each expansion.
- LEGACY and EXPERT1 are the in-game names of two separate sets that are merged into one set, called "Legacy", in the Collection manager. EXPERT1 used to be the Classic set prior to March 30, 2021.
Release calendar
The following table shows the calendar release schedule for all card sets. The highlighted sets are in Standard format.
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Naxx* | GvG | ||||||||||
2015 | BRM* | TGT | LoE* | |||||||||
2016 | WOG | Kara* | MSG | |||||||||
2017 | JUG | KFT | K&C | |||||||||
2018 | TWW | TBP | RR | |||||||||
2019 | RoS | SoU | DoD | |||||||||
2020 | GA* | AoO | SA | MDF | ||||||||
2021 | DR# | FitB | WC# | UiS | DM# | FAV | ||||||
2022 | OL# | VSC | ToT# | MCN | M&D# | MLK | ||||||
2023 | RtN# | FoL | Aud# | TTN |
* Adventure
# Mini-set
Events
First years
- Closed beta began on August 26th 2013 in the Americas region, and September 4th 2013 in the Europe region.
- On January 21st 2014, the game entered its open beta phase.
- March 11th 2014 was the official release date of Hearthstone.
- From December 4-8, Goblins vs Gnomes was heralded with a special launch event which saw all Goblins vs Gnomes cards available in Arena, as well as some uncollectible cards available in constructed play.[2][3]
Year of the Kraken
- On April 5, 2016, several days before the release of Journey to Un'Goro, Volcanosaur was released into the game during a special launch event for the new Year of the Kraken.[4]
Year of the Mammoth
- On April 4, 2017, near the start of the Year of the Mammoth, all cards in the Reward and Promo sets were moved to the Hall of Fame, effectively closing both sets.
Year of the Raven
- The Boomsday Project was heralded with a special pre-release event on August 4-5 in which players could open their packs in special Fireside Gatherings and play with their cards in unique Fireside Brawls before the expansion's official release.[5]
- On November 5, 2018, four new cards were added to the Classic set: Tome of Intellect, Pilfer, Call of the Void, and Icicle.
- From November 10 to December 3, 2019, Rastakhan's Rumble was heralded with a special pre-release event in which players could open their packs early and play with them in special Fireside Brawls.[6]
Year of the Dragon
- Starting from April 4, 2019, five days before the release of Rise of Shadows, players who logged in received the free legendary card Archmage Vargoth and were able to play with it in normal games.
- On July 1, 2019, eight new cards were added to the Classic set: Siegebreaker, Gift of the Wild, Righteousness, Brightwing, High Inquisitor Whitemane, Barrens Stablehand, SI:7 Infiltrator, and Arcane Devourer. Furthermore, two new cards were added to the Basic set, Radiance and Plaguebringer, replacing the old cards Mind Blast and Vanish, which were moved to the Hall of Fame in the same update.[7]
- Saviors of Uldum was heralded by a week-long livestreams event in which broadcasters and content creators had early access to the new cards.[8] Fireside Brawl participants also had special early access to the cards.[9]
- On October 8, 2019, in the Doom in the Tomb event, 23 cards from old sets were added as Event cards to Standard play. These cards were temporary copies and not permanent additions to a player's collection. Even if a player already owned some of these cards, they still received copies of the Event cards. When the event ended on December 5, the cards disappeared from a player's collection. In total, there were 4 common, 4 rare, 6 epic, and 9 legendary cards temporarily added for this event.[10]
- On November 5, 2019, Sathrovarr was released into the game, a month prior to the official release of Descent of Dragons. Sathrovarr was most likely introduced into the game as a possible inclusion in Holy Wrath Paladin decks at the time with Shirvallah, the Tiger.
- On March 17, 2020, Kael'thas Sunstrider was released into the game, three weeks prior to the official release of Ashes of Outland.
- On March 26, 2020, about two weeks before the Year of the Phoenix, eleven cards were moved to the Hall of Fame: five neutral cards, Acolyte of Pain, Spellbreaker, Mind Control Tech, Mountain Giant, and Leeroy Jenkins; and six priest cards, Auchenai Soulpriest, Holy Fire, Shadowform, Prophet Velen, Divine Spirit, and Northshire Cleric. Six new priest cards replaced the ones moved to the Hall of Fame: Psychic Conjurer, Power Infusion, Kul Tiran Chaplain, Scarlet Subjugator, Shadow Word: Ruin, and Natalie Seline.
- On April 2, 2020, the Demon Hunter Prologue was released, and players completing the mission unlocked 10 demon hunter Basic cards and the Demon Hunter Initiate set, which contained 20 demon hunter cards. The 30 cards were locked and unusable in Play mode until April 7th.
Year of the Phoenix
- On July 14, 2020, Transfer Student was released into the game, three weeks prior to the official release of Scholomance Academy.
- On October 22, 2020, Silas Darkmoon was released into the game, around four weeks prior to the official release of Madness at the Darkmoon Faire.
- On February 19, 2021, Shadow Hunter Vol'jin was released into the game, around five weeks prior to the official release of Forged in the Barrens.
Year of the Gryphon
- On March 30, 2021, the Core was released into the game, becoming the new base card set for Hearthstone. At the same time, the Basic, Classic, and Hall of Fame sets were removed.
- On July 1, 2021, Flightmaster Dungar was released into the game, around five weeks prior to the official release of United in Stormwind.
- On November 16, 2021, Drek'Thar and Vanndar Stormpike were released into the game, three weeks prior to the official release of Fractured in Alterac Valley. Players could choose one between Horde and Alliance to add one of these minions to their collection, depending on their choice.
- On March 17, 2022, Blademaster Okani was released into the game, around four weeks prior to the official release of Voyage to the Sunken City.
Year of the Hydra
- On April 12, 2022, the Core set was refreshed for the first time since its introduction, increasing the size of the set by 15 cards.
- On June 27, 2022, Prince Renathal was released into the game, around five weeks prior to the official release of Murder at Castle Nathria.
- On November 1, 2022, The Sunwell was released into the game, five weeks prior to the official release of March of the Lich King.
- On December 6, 2022, the Death Knight Prologue was released, and players completing the mission unlocked the Core set for death knight.
- A new special set, Path of Arthas, was also released at this date, containing 26 death knight cards.
- Additionally, the Core set saw the first addition of new cards outside of the regular set rotation.
- On March 14, 2023, E.T.C., Band Manager was released into the game, four weeks prior to the official release of Festival of Legends.
Year of the Wolf
- On April 11, 2023, the Core set was refreshed for the second time. 70 cards were both added and removed, keeping the size of the Core set the same.
- On June 27, 2023, Prison of Yogg-Saron was released into the game, five weeks prior to the official release of TITANS. Twist format was also released, where all card sets have a chance to be played in a new constructed format.
Categories
The main distinction between card sets is whether its cards are usable in Standard format or in Wild format.
Card sets can also be divided into more specific categories:
- Core cards are the first cards players get in the game, received through the starting experience and leveling. Core cards are permanently part of the Standard format.
- Legacy is a special set that was added when the Core set was introduced. It contains cards from every removed set: Promo and Reward sets, as well as all Classic, Basic and Hall of Fame cards.
- Expansion cards are cards added through expansions - for example Goblins vs Gnomes, The Grand Tournament and Whispers of the Old Gods. Expansion cards released in the last two calendar years are part of Standard, while earlier cards are in Wild.
- Mini-set cards are cards that are considered to be part of an existing expansion and can be obtained through that expansion's card packs, but were added later and have a different watermark. Mini-sets are not considered separated card sets.
- Adventure cards are cards added through adventures, for example Curse of Naxxramas. Similar to expansion cards, they may be in Standard or Wild format based on the calendar year their adventures were released.
- There are also two special sets that are unique in structure and availability:
- Demon Hunter Initiate cards are a handful of cards added to the Year of the Dragon to support the new Demon Hunter class added in the Year of the Phoenix.
- Path of Arthas cards are a handful of cards added to the Year of the Hydra to support the new Death Knight class at the time of its release.
The sets could alternatively be categorized by the way players obtain their cards.
- Standard expansion cards can be found through card packs of the corresponding set, crafting, as Arena or Duels rewards, or from Ranked rewards.
- Wild expansion cards are obtained through card packs of the corresponding set or through Wild packs, purchased from the Shop.
- The availability of Twist expansion cards depends on their format.
- Craftable Legacy cards can also be opened from Wild packs.
- Free cards are uncraftable, but can be obtained after completing New player's ranked system.
- Adventure cards are earned by completing the corresponding adventure, or crafting once that adventure rotates to Wild.
For the purposes of the wiki, further categories can be realized for uncollectible cards:
- Boss cards are used to categorize cards used by bosses. While not collectible by players, they are encountered during play in Adventures and Tavern Brawls.
- Tavern Brawl cards are used to categorize cards used exclusively in Tavern Brawl decks. These are not collectible and are not featured outside of Tavern Brawl.
- Battlegrounds and Duels cards are used to categorize cards used exclusively in Battlegrounds and Duels.
Core
- Main article: Core
Core is the primary card set of Hearthstone. It was first made available on March 25th, 2021, shortly before Forged in the Barrens launched. It is the largest set in Standard format, usually featuring over 200 cards at any time.
The purpose of the Core is to provide a modern collection of starting cards to players of all types and make Hearthstone even more approachable for newcomers. Some of the Core cards return from previous sets, some are reimagined favorites, some are completely new. Regardless, all Core cards can be obtained for free through leveling up classes, while their golden cards can be obtained by winning in Ranked, Arena, or Duels games.
Unlike Basic and Classic, which were the main card sets of Hearthstone, Core is refreshed each year. At the end of every year, a new Core Set will take the place of the previous, composed of new and existing cards. When that happens, Core cards that are rotating will be swapped with new ones in the player's Collection automatically. The original versions of these cards can still be crafted and disenchanted, but the player will be unable to keep their Core versions.[11][12]
Core cards can be used in Standard and Wild format, as well as Twist format provided the set is in the current available card sets, although you may still only have the normal number of copies of any given card in your deck (two for most rarities, one for legendaries).
- Examples
Legacy
Legacy is a special Wild format card set implemented on March 25th, 2021. It is the largest set in the game, containing 412 cards. Legacy is made of cards from the former Basic, Classic, and Hall of Fame sets.
In the game data, Legacy is technically a representation name of two separate sets, coded as LEGACY
and EXPERT1
.
The true Legacy set contains these following cards:
- All former Basic cards
- All former Reward cards (Captain's Parrot and Old Murk-Eye)
- All Promo cards (Elite Tauren Chieftain and Gelbin Mekkatorque)
- All replacement cards for former Classic cards that were Hall of Famed, such as Icicle.
- All new cards introduced in the Core set that did not return for the next Core set, such as Crimson Clergy.
Expert1 is a set that contains all cards that were in the Classic set in 2014 at the time of its release, including Classic cards that were put in the Hall of Fame throughout the game's lifespan. Gameplay-wise, Expert1 is represented as Legacy, having the same name as the true Legacy set.
Expansions
- Main article: Expansion
Card sets based on expansions are the largest sets after Core, usually bringing around 130-180 new collectible cards (when combining with their mini-sets).
Cards from Standard format expansions can be obtained through:
- opening card packs matching the expansion
- through crafting
- as Arena or Duels rewards
- golden cards can also be obtained through the Highest Rank Bonus chest
- participating in Rewards Track or Event Tracks
Cards from Wild format expansions were once obtainable the same way, but now can only be obtained through crafting or purchasing card packs.[13] Neither individual cards nor card packs are offered as rewards in the Arena, nor do they feature in the Highest Rank Bonus chest. However card packs for Wild format expansions are available in the shop and any card packs already obtained can still be opened as usual. (See also Wild format#Availability.)
For information on specific expansion sets, see expansion pages, e.g., Whispers of the Old Gods.
Adventures
- Main article: Adventure
Card sets based on adventures are smaller than expansion sets, usually bringing around 30-45 new collectible cards.
Cards from Standard format adventures can only be obtained through defeating their corresponding adventure wing, which will grant regular copies of the card. Once the player has obtained the regular version, they can then be able to craft and disenchant both the regular and golden versions of that card.
Cards from Wild format adventures can still be obtained through defeating adventure wings, but can now be crafted and disenchanted regardless of whether the corresponding adventure wing was defeated or not.
Mini-sets
- Main article: Mini-set
Mini-sets are supplemental sets of around 35-38 cards, which continue the theme and mechanics of the previous expansion or year.
Mini-set cards can be obtained from their parent expansion's card packs, or through a bundle which includes all cards from the set. For the purpose of Achievements and progression, mini-set cards are considered part of their parent expansion, although they feature a slightly different watermark behind the card text to differentiate them.
As of Patch 27.2.2.184727, there are currently 8 mini-sets in Hearthstone.
Format | Mini-set | Card set | Release date | Year | Collectible | By rarity |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Standard | Audiopocalypse | Festival of Legends | May 31, 2023 | Wolf | 38 | 16 /17 /1 /4 |
Standard | Return to Naxxramas | March of the Lich King | February 14, 2023 | Hydra | 38 | 16 /17 /1 /4 |
Standard | Maw and Disorder | Murder at Castle Nathria | September 27, 2022 | Hydra | 35 | 16 /14 /1 /4 |
Standard | Throne of the Tides | Voyage to the Sunken City | June 1, 2022 | Hydra | 35 | 16 /14 /1 /4 |
Wild | Onyxia's Lair | Fractured in Alterac Valley | February 15, 2022 | Gryphon | 35 | 16 /14 /1 /4 |
Wild | Deadmines | United in Stormwind | November 2, 2021 | Gryphon | 35 | 16 /14 /1 /4 |
Wild | Wailing Caverns | Forged in the Barrens | June 3, 2021 | Gryphon | 35 | 16 /14 /1 /4 |
Wild | Darkmoon Races | Madness at the Darkmoon Faire | January 21, 2021 | Phoenix | 35 | 16 /14 /1 /4 |
Removed sets
Reward
Reward cards were moved to the Hall of Fame set on April 4, 2017 with the start of the Year of the Mammoth, effectively closing the Reward set. Reward cards were formerly two cards, Old Murk-Eye and Captain's Parrot, both of which were originally earned through completing certain unique quests.
- Old Murk-Eye was rewarded for free upon collecting at least one of every Murloc in the Basic and Classic sets. Golden Old Murk-Eye was rewarded for free upon collecting at least one of every golden version of those cards.
- Captain's Parrot was rewarded for free upon collecting at least one of every Pirate in the Basic and Classic sets. Golden Captain's Parrot was rewarded for free upon collecting at least one of every golden version of those cards.
The associated quests were initially removed in Patch 5.0.0.12574, but were reinstated as achievements in Patch 19.0.0.65614 when achievements were officially added to the game. They are also obtained through regular crafting, like most Wild format cards. For a list of associated removed quests, see Quest#Removed.
Promo
Promo or Promotion cards were moved to the Hall of Fame set on April 4, 2017 with the start of the Year of the Mammoth, effectively closing the Promo set. Promo cards were special cards awarded as part of specific Blizzard promotions. The Promo set featured 11 cards, only 2 of which were collectible, namely Gelbin Mekkatorque and Elite Tauren Chieftain.
Golden Promo cards were formerly available to be obtained as part of their corresponding promotions; it is no longer possible to obtain these golden cards. Following their promotion periods, regular versions of these cards were uncraftable, but were later made available for crafting. Golden Promo cards cannot be disenchanted, but regular versions can. For the removed promotional quests that offered golden Promo cards, see Quest#No longer attainable.
- Golden Gelbin Mekkatorque was offered as a reward for beta testers who helped test the in-game store by making a real-money transaction during the game's beta test.
- Golden Elite Tauren Chieftain was available exclusively as a reward for purchasing a ticket to Blizzcon 2013.
Promo cards were created with a design in mind that they offered no substantial advantage to the owner, since the cards were exclusive and of limited availability. Rather, the cards were designed to bring more of an entertainment and RNG aspect into the game. This prevented Promo cards from becoming "must-have" cards for higher-level play.
Promo cards were notable for being the only card set not available in Arena picks.[14][15]
Basic
- Main article: Basic
Basic was a large, freely available card set, with 150 cards, 133 of which were collectible. Many Basic cards were neutral, available to heroes of any class. There were also 10 Basic cards exclusive to each class. The Coin is also considered part of the Basic set. Because of the nature of the game system, Hero Powers and even heroes themselves are also categorized as Basic cards, but are not counted in this total.
All Basic cards were of free rarity, except for a few uncollectible cards that are common or have no rarity. All free cards are in the Basic set. "Basic cards" and "free cards" are therefore almost, but not exactly, synonymous. All Basic cards lacked the gem that normally indicates card rarity.
All neutral Basic cards were automatically included in players' collections. Five of the class-specific Basic cards were given to heroes as soon as they are unlocked; the other five are gained by advancing those classes in level. A new Basic card is granted for every two levels reached, up to level 10 in each class. All Basic cards are granted in pairs, enabling players to immediately include two of them in their deck if they so desire. Basic cards are uncraftable and therefore cannot be crafted or disenchanted.
A golden version of each Basic card could be obtained by leveling a specific class of hero to a certain level. Raising a hero of the correct class to the required level would 'unlock' the card, granting the player one copy of the golden version of that card. (The second golden copy of the same card is unlocked at a later level). Like the plain versions, golden versions cannot be crafted or disenchanted. While all class-specific golden Basic cards require a hero of the corresponding class to unlock, the required class for neutral cards varies.
The developers considered it important to keep cards from the Basic set relatively simple and their functions easy to understand.[16][17] This allows newer players to get to grips with the game's mechanics before being forced to grasp the subtleties of cards in the other sets. In at least one case this has caused the developers to significantly change the function of a card in development, due to new players finding the function's subtleties too confusing.[18]
The common rarity originally applied to approximately half of collectible Basic cards, identifying class cards that had to be unlocked by leveling up, and neutral cards that were not available until after the tutorial (with one exception, Goldshire Footman). However, the Year of the Mammoth changed these to be uniformly free. Among uncollectible Basic cards, common rarity still indicates tokens created by other cards, free rarity is used on cards created by Hero Powers, and The Coin and Excess Mana have no rarity at all.
In the Year of the Gryphon, the Basic set was removed from the game, and its cards were moved to the Wild-restricted Legacy set.
Classic
- Main article: Classic (2014-2021)
Classic (formerly known as Expert) was the largest card set, with 294 cards, 240 of which were collectible. It featured 135 collectible class cards (15 for each class) and 105 collectible neutral cards. Classic cards could be recognized by the distinctive "Hearthstone swirl" behind the card text, not found on other cards.
As the larger and more advanced of the two "permanent" sets included in Standard format, Classic cards frequently featured as core cards in successful decks, and the developers constantly monitor the set's power to ensure it does not form too large a proportion of decklists, thus causing the meta to become excessively stale. As of early 2017 the Classic set is "the most powerful set by a wide margin".[19]
Classic cards could be common, rare, epic or legendary.
In the Year of the Gryphon, the Classic set was renamed to Legacy. Most of its cards were moved to the Wild-restricted Legacy/Expert1 set.
Hall of Fame
- Main article: Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame was a special Wild format card set, created on April 4, 2017 just before the start of the Year of the Mammoth. The set contained several collectible cards.
Cards were inducted into the Hall of Fame from the Classic, Reward, and Promo sets. Problematic, frequently-played, and design-hindering cards were moved to the Hall of Fame to remove them from Standard format. Cards were also moved to the Hall of Fame to eliminate the Reward and Promo sets. The developers state that, in the future, they will more likely move problematic Classic cards to the Hall of Fame, whereas problematic cards from other sets will be nerfed instead.[20]
According to Yong Woo, if a metagame largely consists of decks with too similar cores and ideas, the development team will consider making changes to problematic cards found in such decks. Moving problematic cards into the Hall of Fame is one way in which a fresh meta can be ensured; however, it is not something that the designers plan to do on a regular basis.[21]
Being Wild format cards, Hall of Fame cards could only be obtained through crafting.[22] When cards were moved to the Hall of Fame set, they would be removed from their previous sets, and would no longer appear in card packs or be offered as rewards in the Arena, Highest Rank Bonus chest, or Heroic Brawliseum.[23]
In the Year of the Gryphon, the Hall of Fame set was removed from the game, and its cards were moved to the Wild-restricted Legacy set or returned to their home set in the case of the cards from The Witchwood.
Wild Event
- Main article: Wild Event
Wild Event was a promotional card set that existed from October 8th, 2019 until December 5th, 2019. It consisted of 23 collectible cards, 5 neutral and two for each class. Wild Event cards were extra copies of notable Wild format cards given to each player for free, and were usable in Standard format. These cards could not be crafted or disenchanted, and had no Golden versions.
All Wild Event cards were removed from the game at the end of the event.
Patch changes
- See also: Patches
- Patch 26.6.0.179020 (2023-06-27):
- Classic format set deprecated. Cards within it may still appear in Twist formats.
- Patch 25.0.0.158725 (2022-11-29):
- Path of Arthas set added.
- Core received additional cards for the first time outside of a regular set rotation.
- Regular expansion size increased to 145 cards with the addition of death knight.
- Mini-set size increased to 38 cards with the addition of death knight.
- Patch 20.0.0.77662 (2021-03-25): Basic, Classic, and Hall of Fame sets removed. Core and Legacy sets added.
- Patch 17.0.0.44222 (2020-03-26): Demon Hunter Initiate set added.
- Patch 8.0.0.18336 (2017-04-04): Hall of Fame set added. Reward and Promo sets removed. Collectible cards in Basic set which were "common" rarity changed to "free".
- Patch 5.0.0.12574 (2016-04-24): Cards from the Reward set are no longer uncraftable. [This change was quickly reverted, before finally being reinstated in a hotfix on May 4.]
- Patch 2.7.0.9166 (2015-06-15): Promo cards are now listed when viewing the reward set.
- Patch 2.0.0.7234 (2014-12-04): The Expert card set has been renamed to “Classic”.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 A Year of Mammoth Proportions!. (2016-02-16).
- ↑ I got a new hunter legend from web spinner : constructed! (Hearthpwn.com forums). (2014-12-04).
- ↑ Zeriyah on Twitter. (2014-12-04).
- ↑ Daxxarri (2017-03-27). A Mammoth Celebration!. Retrieved on 2020-08-12.
- ↑ Blizzard Entertainment (July 17, 2018). THE BOOMSDAY PROJECT PRE-RELEASE PARTIES ARE COMING!. Retrieved on 2018-08-07.
- ↑ Blizzard Entertainment (November 8, 2018). Pre-Release Is Back for Rastakhan’s Rumble—And Rowdier Than Ever!. Retrieved on 2018-12-05.
- ↑ Blizzard Entertainment (July 1, 2019). Hearthstone Update – July 1 – Preparing for Saviors of Uldum!. Retrieved on 2019-07-06.
- ↑ Blizzard Entertainment (July 29, 2019). Saviors of Uldum Livestream Events!. Retrieved on 2019-08-08.
- ↑ Blizzard Entertainment (July 17, 2019). The League of Explorers Needs You to Join a Pre-Release Event!. Retrieved on 2019-08-08.
- ↑ Blizzard Entertainment (October 4, 2019). Can you survive… the Doom in the Tomb!?. Retrieved on 2019-10-05.
- ↑ Blizzard Entertainment (2021-02-09). Introducing the Core Set and Classic Format.
- ↑ Celestalon on Twitter. (2021-02-09).
- ↑ Jaeic "Koth" Lee (2017-02-24). Q&A with Yong Woo (transcribed from Korean Twitch stream) - InvenGlobal.
- ↑ Ben Brode on Twitter. (2014-07-22).
- ↑ Ben Brode on Twitter. (2015-01-25).
- ↑ Ben Brode on Twitter. (2014-09-14).
- ↑ Ben Brode on Twitter. (2016-01-13).
- ↑ Ben Brode on Twitter. (2014-09-12).
- ↑ Ben Brode on Twitter. (2017-02-18).
- ↑ Developer Insights Live - Year of the Mammoth Q&A. (2017-02-21).
- ↑ Dev interview with Producer Yong Woo about the Mammoth-sized changes in Hearthstone. (2017-02-17). Retrieved on 2017-04-04.
- ↑ Ben Brode on Twitter. (2017-02-16).
- ↑ Ben Brode on Twitter. (2017-02-16).
External links
Standard format expansions
Rise of Shadows
- Main article: Rise of Shadows
Rise of Shadows is Hearthstone's eleventh expansion, released on April 9, 2019. Featuring 136 new collectible cards, the The Dalaran Heist single-player content, and the new priest alternate hero Madame Lazul, the expansion introduces the Twinspell keyword. Five of the villains of Hearthstone's previous expansions band together to form the League of E.V.I.L., devising a scheme to take over the magical floating city of Dalaran.
Saviors of Uldum
- Main article: Saviors of Uldum
Saviors of Uldum is Hearthstone's twelfth expansion, released on August 6, 2019. Featuring 135 new collectible cards, the Tombs of Terror single-player content, and the new druid alternate hero Elise Starseeker, expansion introduces the Reborn keyword. The set also reintroduces quest cards again as we know it from Journey to Un'Goro. Following the events of Rise of Shadows, the League of E.V.I.L. successfully steals the city of Dalaran and takes it to Uldum, but the League of Explorers steps in to foil Rafaam's plan.
Descent of Dragons
- Main article: Descent of Dragons
Descent of Dragons is Hearthstone's thirteenth expansion, released on December 10, 2019. Featuring 140 new collectible cards, and the new warrior alternate hero Deathwing, expansion introduces the Invoke keyword and Sidequest cards. The League of E.V.I.L. travels to Dragonblight to fulfill their ultimate plan: reawaken Galakrond, the primeval dragon. The League of Explorers and the League of E.V.I.L. face off once again, with the fate of the world at stake.
Ashes of Outland
Ashes of Outland is Hearthstone's fourteenth expansion, featuring 135 new collectible cards and the alternate shaman hero Lady Vashj. The expansion was released on April 7, 2020. Like the previous expansions, this one also includes Trial by Felfire, a free single-player content, where Aranna Starseeker must stop the Rusted Legion.
Ashes of Outland also featured Hearthstone's first new class, the Demon Hunter. The expansion did not introduce any new keywords directly. However, the Demon Hunter class uses its own special keyword; Outcast, which has an effect if the card is played from the left or right-most spot in the hand. Meanwhile, one of the old abilities, Dormant, was keyworded.
Wild format expansions
Goblins vs Gnomes
- Main article: Goblins vs Gnomes
Goblins vs Gnomes (often abbreviated as GvG) was the first expansion for Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. The second infusion of new cards to be added to the game, after Naxxramas , the expansion features 143 new cards (123 of which are collectible), with a strong mechanical theme, and introduced the Mech minion type, as well as debuting the long-awaited spectator mode. The expansion was debuted in an arena-only launch event on December 4th, 2014, with the full launch taking place on December 8th/9th/10th.
The Grand Tournament
- Main article: The Grand Tournament
The Grand Tournament is Hearthstone's second expansion, launched August 24th, 2015. With more than 130 new cards, the expansion features a strong theme of Hero Power-related effects, as well as seeing the introduction of the first full new keyword since the game's release - Inspire - allowing minions to grant special effects each time the player uses their Hero Power. It also introduced a new non-keyword mechanic, Joust.
Whispers of the Old Gods
- Main article: Whispers of the Old Gods
Whispers of the Old Gods is Hearthstone's third expansion, launched April 26th, 2016. Featuring 134 new collectible cards, this sinister expansion revolves around the dark influence of the Old Gods, ancient and unspeakably evil creatures that have long lain hidden, imprisoned in the dark places of the world millennia ago. Despite their imprisonment, these shadowy beings' influence can be felt in every corner of Azeroth, twisting and corrupting any who hear their maddening whispers. With an army of followers performing forbidden empowerment rituals, the tentacles of these massive horrors are growing rapidly toward the light, eager to bring their own kind of excitement to the sunlit kingdoms and merry taverns of Azeroth.
Mean Streets of Gadgetzan
- Main article: Mean Streets of Gadgetzan
Released December 1, 2016, Hearthstone's fourth expansion, Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, features 132 new collectible cards. Set in the bustling, lawless port city of Gadgetzan, the expansion features characters from the city's three ruling crime families - the brutish Grimy Goons, the assassins of the Jade Lotus, and the shadowy spellcasters of the Kabal. With their own minions, spells and weapons, each family is formed from an allegiance of three different Hearthstone classes, resulting in multi-class cards, usable by heroes of any of those three classes.
Journey to Un'Goro
- Main article: Journey to Un'Goro
Journey to Un'Goro is the fifth expansion to Hearthstone, featuring 135 collectible cards. The expansion was released on April 6, 2017 in the Americas region, and April 7, 2017 in the Europe and Asia regions. The expansion features the new Adapt mechanic, the new Quest card type, and adds the new Elemental minion type. Set in the primordial mists of Un'Goro Crater, the expansion sees Elise Starseeker leading an expedition to explore the strange wonders of the region. The denizens of the region include dinosaurs, raging elementals and unusually active plants, many of whom have learned to adapt to the needs of the situation with impressive new powers.
Knights of the Frozen Throne
- Main article: Knights of the Frozen Throne
Released August 10th, 2017, Knights of the Frozen Throne is the sixth expansion to Hearthstone, featuring 135 collectible cards. Set in the frozen wastes of Northrend, the expansions sees each of the nine classic heroes of Warcraft fall under the sway of the Lich King, becoming undead death knights in his service. The expansion features the introduction of a new card type in the form of the hero card, which replaces the player's hero portrait and Hero Power, as well as the Lifesteal keyword. Knights of the Frozen Throne is also the first expansion to feature a new type of free, optional single-player content in the form of Missions, which take the player through the halls of Icecrown and rewards card packs and a random Legendary hero card.
Kobolds & Catacombs
- Main article: Kobolds & Catacombs
Kobolds & Catacombs is the seventh expansion to Hearthstone. It was released on December 7, 2017 and is the final expansion in the Year of the Mammoth. This set consists of 135 collectible cards, along with the new Recruit keyword, Legendary weapons for all classes, and offers the new Solo Adventures option of Dungeon Run. Hearkening back to the roots of classic fantasy and dungeon crawlers, the expansion sees players venturing deep into dark dungeons and winding catacombs in search of treasure and loot, encountering monsters, traps, rival adventurers, and — above all — slovenly, candle-obsessed kobolds along the way.
The Witchwood
- Main article: The Witchwood
The Witchwood is the eighth expansion to Hearthstone. It was released on April 12, 2018 and is the first expansion in the Year of the Raven. This set consists of 135 collectible cards, featuring three new keywords: Start of Game, Echo, and Rush. It also added a new game mode called Monster Hunt, a single-player mode akin to Dungeon Run that features four exclusive playable classes. The expansion also celebrated the release of Lunara, a new druid alternate hero. The release of The Witchwood ended the previous Standard year, the Year of the Mammoth. Set in the worgen kingdom of Gilneas, its citizens band together to fight the evil witch Hagatha who has corrupted the neighboring forest. The Witchwood expansion is the first one in which two minions, Baku the Mooneater and Genn Greymane, rotated out of standard after one year instead of two.
The Boomsday Project
- Main article: The Boomsday Project
The Boomsday Project is Hearthstone's ninth expansion, released on August 7, 2018. Featuring 136 new collectible cards, the Puzzle Lab single-player content, and the new warlock alternate hero Mecha-Jaraxxus, the expansion introduces the Magnetic keyword, Legendary spells for all nine classes, and themed "Project" and "Omega" cards. Set in the shattered, otherworldly region of the Netherstorm in Outland, the science-themed expansion is centered around the famous Dr. Boom and his team of elite scientists at Boom Labs working on a mysterious top-secret project, unleashing all manner of strange experiments along the way.
Rastakhan's Rumble
- Main article: Rastakhan's Rumble
Rastakhan's Rumble is Hearthstone's tenth expansion, released on December 4, 2018. Featuring 135 new collectible cards, the Rumble Run single-player content, and the new shaman alternate hero King Rastakhan. Set in the Gurubashi Arena, combatants fight for glory of the Loa spirits. The expansion introduces the Overkill keyword, and spirits and legendary Loa minions for all nine classes.
Expansion Release Calendar
Jan | Feb | March | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Naxx* | GvG | ||||||||||
2015 | BRM* | TGT | LoE* | |||||||||
2016 | WOG | Kara* | MSG | |||||||||
2017 | JUG | KFT | K&C | |||||||||
2018 | TWW | TBP | RR | |||||||||
2019 | RoS | SoU | DoD | |||||||||
2020 | Gala* | AoO |
* Adventure
Expansion cards
Expansion cards are cards added to the game through expansions, or the game's original release, rather than through adventures or other means.
How to get
All Standard format expansion cards are obtainable through card packs, through crafting, or as Arena rewards. Standard expansion cards may also be found in the Highest Rank Bonus chest at the end of each Ranked season.
Wild format expansion cards are obtainable through crafting or card packs.
Expansion cards are added to the game in large batches with each new expansion from patch updates. They are different from adventure cards in the way they are obtained. Adventure cards are obtained in small batches, as each wing of the corresponding adventure is released. The introduction of new expansion cards thus tends to have a larger impact on the game's meta than that of adventure cards. The old adventures can still be bought either in-game or in the online Blizzard Shop.
Standard format
- Main article: Standard format
When the first new expansion is released each year, all card sets that weren't released in the same year or the year prior are removed from Standard format. Cards from these removed sets are termed Wild cards and can only be used in Wild format matches. For details on how the Standard format year works, see The Standard year.
Expansions and adventures
Starting in 2014, only a few months after the game's release, Hearthstone presented two different forms of content: adventures and expansions. The former featured a small number of cards and a substantial solo experience, with special bosses and challenges; while expansions brought far larger amounts of cards, but without solo content of any kind. Additionally, while adventures' cards were earned through defeating bosses, expansions' cards were earned through regular means such as crafting and card packs.
Despite these differences, in more general parlance, adventures can be considered equivalent to expansions in other games, with substantial changes to the game's basic play experience that far exceed the impact of a regular patch. For example, Curse of Naxxramas, the game's first adventure, is commonly considered its first 'expansion'.
Between the release of the game in March 2014 and the start of the Year of the Mammoth in spring 2017, Hearthstone saw an alternating pattern of adventures and expansions. However, in early 2017 the developers announced plans to integrate future adventure content into expansions. Starting with the second expansion of 2017, each release will feature optional single-player missions, themed around the expansion and serving to illustrate its story, setting and characters. These missions will be free of charge, but may not award cards in the same way or numbers in which adventures have until now. Further details will be announced later in the year.
Notes
- By the time an expansion is released, Team 5 are "already working a lot on future expansions",[1] including "not only the next [expansion] but the one after that as well".[1] Former Game Director Ben Brode states that the team always have "3-ish expansions in development",[2] although it is likely this also includes adventures. According to Senior Producer Yong Woo, the developers are always "trying to get ahead of the curve".[1] In April 2018, shortly after the release of The Witchwood, Ben Brode stated that the next set had passed through final design, the stage in development during which Team 5 focuses on refining the balance and clarity of the set's new cards. The set after that was currently in the final design process, and the set after was in the initial design phase, during which Team 5 comes up with the ideas for the set's general theme and for the cards and their mechanics. All in all, there are usually at least three sets that Team 5 know about but which players don't yet know about.[3] Later in 2018, the expansion development process was described as a full year cycle with different people working on it for about 16 weeks per team. First, the initial design team spend about 16 weeks nailing down the mechanics, art, and voice overs for the set before passing it onto final design, who refine and tweak the set's mechanics to "make an awesome set that's fair and fun, has cool themes, and all that stuff". At the same time, artists work on creating the card art and golden card animations. When final design starts finishing up, the team records all of the voice lines for the cards while the sound department engineer the various sound effects and the effects artists create the in-game visual effects and animations. At this point, when final design is done and animation is in progress, the engineering team spend time "cleaning up [...] whatever horrible things we've done in design" to ensure that cards function on a technical level and don't cause server or client crashes. The set then heads towards the very end of the cycle, at which point the PR team starts working on how best to market the set and reveal all of the various cards before it is finally released and becomes available to players.[4]
Speculation
- Future expansions may bring increased level caps for heroes, although this has not yet been the case.
- World of Warcraft already has seven expansions, with the latest being Battle for Azeroth. However, only two of the Hearthstone expansions so far have matched with one of these (Wrath of the Lich King, the Burning Crusade), with a preference for original themes.
Trivia
- Eric Dodds has jokingly referred to a potential The Lich King vs Battle Pets expansion.
- "There was another idea out there... well actually it wasn't really an idea out there, but I was kinda wishing it would have been [...] because it's one that I think would be super awesome, is the idea that maybe we could do something like, you know, "THE LICH KING... VS... BATTLE PETS" [...] of course I've only put that up there to have a little fun with it, but on the other hand as I've been looking at it and thinking about it, it... it's starting to grow on me, actually..."[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Yong Woo, live on stream. (2014-12-13).
- ↑ Ben Brode on Twitter. (2016-09-7).
- ↑ Ars Technica (2018-04-18). Blizzard's Ben Brode Answers Unsolved Hearthstone Mysteries. YouTube. Retrieved on 2018-04-20.
- ↑ Skiffington (2018-11-07). Interview With Hearthstone Game Designers Liv Breeden & Peter Whalen At BlizzCon: Discussing Rastakhan's Rumble!. Hearthstone Top Decks. Retrieved on 2018-11-12.
- ↑ The Grand Tournament announcement. (2015-07-22).
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