StarCraft fans at least receive a small consolation prize, as the popular characters appear in Blizzard’s card game.
Last night, the Warcraft Direct took place, where many new features surrounding the Warcraft franchise were announced and presented. An upcoming update for Hearthstone has left many fans puzzled. Because the heroes (and villains) of StarCraft will soon be the stars of Hearthstone.
What was announced? The stream of the Warcraft Direct also discussed Hearthstone, including the next mini-set. This is thematically centered around StarCraft and bears the corresponding name. In the vastness of space, the races of the sci-fi strategy game will be found and come as cards to Hearthstone. Some of the most well-known characters will be turned into hero cards:
- Kerrigan from the Zerg
- Artanis from the Protoss
- Raynor from the Terrans
Various StarCraft strategies are also expected to be considered. Players will be able to execute an endless Zerg rush with Kerrigan – just as it was always feared in StarCraft.
How does this fit into Hearthstone? Hearthstone has had smaller crossovers with other franchises in the past, such as with Diablo. Since the current expansion “The Great Dark Beyond” takes place in space and deals with various cosmic horrors, StarCraft thematically fits into it as well.
What else was announced? In addition, Blizzard plans to change the Arena mode and split it into two different formats. The new “Shadow Arena” will offer longer matches. Here, after a defeat, players can redraw part of their deck and make adjustments. However, since the Arena mode is one of the premium modes that require a purchase (either with gold or real money), some fans are initially skeptical about what the monetization of the new arena will look like.
Even if most fans would certainly prefer a “real” StarCraft, there is at least an indication from Blizzard of the willingness to do something with the IP at all. Whether the implementation into Hearthstone is the right step will probably only be shown in the coming months when the mini-set goes live – in January 2025.
Hearthstone is currently doing curious things – for example, introducing cards that cost 100 mana.
