Today, February 19, the BlizzCon 2021 starts. MeinMMO accompanies you live at Blizzard’s big online event and ticks for you all important announcements and trailers for the games.
Update 23:55 – Brack summarizes the announcements again and leads to the panels where BlizzCon 2021 continues. Thus, the opening ceremony ends.
Update 23:47 – Diablo 2 Resurrected is coming, the remaster of the famous ARPG.
The ARPG classic Diablo 2 receives a remaster with “Resurrected”. Resurrected includes the base version of Diablo 2 as well as the expansion Lords of Destruction in new, revised 4K graphics. The graphics can be switched freely between the old and new look. Even all cinematics have been remastered.
Diablo 2 Resurrected will be released for PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch with cross-progression still in 2021.
- More on this in our news: Diablo 2: Resurrected is coming as a remaster – Everything you need to know about the release
Update 23:38 – Diablo presents its innovations for Diablo 4 and announces a new class: the Huntress.
The Huntress is the fourth class of the upcoming hack-and-slash Diablo 4, alongside the Druid, the Barbarian, and the Sorceress. She fights with fast weapons such as daggers, ranged weapons, and traps. Personalization and individual playstyle are the focus.
Her playstyle is apparently intended to resemble not only that of the original Huntress but also that of Assassins and Demon Hunters from previous installments.
- In our article, you can find more info about the new Huntress class in Diablo 4.
Update 23:36 – Hearthstone receives “Mercenaries” as a new feature.
A new feature is appearing for the card game: Mercenaries. These come with a new way to play. You choose a mercenary like Sylvanas Windrunner or Ragnaros the Firelord and gather experience and cards with them in a special roguelike game mode.
As a result, the mercenaries level up and develop into ever stronger versions that fight for you.
Update 23:31 – Hearthstone receives the new expansion “Forged in the Barrens”. The new expansion features 135 cards focused around the Horde, such as the shadow hunter Vol’jin.
A new keyword “Frenzy” is introduced, a one-time effect that triggers when a creature first takes damage.
Spells are divided into different schools such as Arcane and Nature, and content with Alliance heroes will also appear later this year.
Update 23:29 – Hearthstone presents the “Year of the Griffin”. The card game receives the “Core Set”.
The Core Set replaces the existing Basic and Classic Sets and consists of 235 cards, including 29 new and many revised cards. The set will be completely free and can be unlocked by players through regular play.
In addition, Hearthstone will receive a Classic format, allowing players to experience the game as it was released in 2014.
Update 23:24 – TBC Classic (The Burning Crusade) is coming and is announced with the legendary phrase from Illidan: “You have no idea what is waiting for you.”
The trailer features some of the legendary dungeons and bosses from The Burning Crusade like Kael’thas, Illidan, and Malchezaar from the best raid in WoW. TBC Classic will be released later in 2021.
Players can choose whether to stay with Classic or switch to TBC.
Update 23:21 – A new event “Pets for Charity” starts, where you can adopt the sweet monkey Bananas and a baby sloth. The money goes to “Doctors Without Borders”.
Update 23:15 – Patch 9.1 “Chains of Domination” for Shadowlands is coming. The first cinematic shows Anduin Wrynn as he confronts the Archon of the Kyrians to make an appearance. However, he has transformed into a likeness of Arthas and attacks the Archon with a Blade of Remorse.
Anduin brings the “key” of the Archon to the jailer, who explains that three more are missing – presumably those of the other covenants. Sylvanas seems to be having doubts.
Update 23:11 – Blizzard has announced the Arcade Collection.
The Arcade Collection includes three classics from Blizzard’s history: The Lost Vikings, Rock N Roll Racing, and Blackthorne.
All three games will be released in an Original and a Definitive Edition and will come for PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, as well as PS4 and Xbox Series X|S via backward compatibility.
The games include special features such as a “Watch Mode” (except Rock N Roll Racing), where players can watch a run and jump in at any time, as well as saving and loading games. There is also bonus material such as lore, interviews, unused content, and more. The games even come with local split-screen and coop.
Update 23:10 – Brack explains what cassettes are and talks about the past of Blizzard and the beginnings of video gaming.
Update 23:05 – Blizzard thanks its loyal players for 30 years of Blizzard history. President J. Allen Brack talks about players’ first experiences with Blizzard games.
Update 23:00 – The opening ceremony starts.
Update 22:50 – Kristian Nairn, known for his role as Hodor in Game of Thrones, provides musical accompaniment for the preparation.
Update 22:45 – 15 minutes until the start. Are you ready? What snacks and drinks have you prepared?
What can I find here? We will embed all important information about BlizzCon 2021 live here as soon as they are shown at the convention itself. Every trailer from the opening ceremony will be embedded here so you can see all announcements at a glance.
When does it start? BlizzCon 2021 starts today, February 19, at 23:00 CET. The opening ceremony will last for one hour, followed by more details about each of the games shown. On Saturday, February 20, Day 2 will start at 21:00 and will bring community specials for all Blizzard games.
- Here you can find the exact schedule for BlizzCon 2021
BlizzCon 2021 is free this year, so you do not need a virtual ticket to watch. However, if you want goodies for your favorite games, you can buy the Blizzard 30th Anniversary collection for up to €60.
Of course, we will also accompany the Blizzcon in our livestream on MAX. Watch the opening ceremony live with us here in the ticker:
What we know about BlizzCon 2021 – Leaks and rumors
What will be shown? Already before the start of the convention, Blizzard has leaked some of the biggest announcements itself. From the leaks, we already know what will happen with World of Warcraft:
- In Shadowlands, we will fight against Sylvanas Windrunner in the new raid “Sanctum of Domination” – how this will proceed is still unclear to us.
- Anduin Wrynn, the king of the Alliance, will become a kind of servant of the jailer and a likeness of Arthas.
- WoW Classic will also continue in the form of the first expansion. With TBC Classic, The Burning Crusade returns as the official version of the game.
Concrete details about the upcoming content are still missing and are expected to be presented tonight. So stay tuned if you want to learn more about Shadowlands and Burning Crusade Classic.
What rumors are there? Additionally, there are some rumors that have been hotly debated for some time. Among them is Project Fenway, where players have been speculating for a while about what the mysterious new name could mean.
Moreover, the community suspects a new class for Diablo 4, which is expected to be announced, as well as a remaster of the ARPG classic Diablo 2. In our article on MeinMMO, you can find the 5 most exciting rumors about BlizzCon 2021 and how likely they are.
Through the leaks, some of the important announcements are already known, while others are still just rumors. Cortyn feels sorry for the developers whose content has been leaked, but fortunately, there are still some unknowns. So you can still expect big announcements. Which are you looking forward to the most?
