Get ready to relive the Burning Crusade as Hearthstone brings its newest expansion, Ashes of Outland, releasing on April 2. Compared to all other expansion announcements, this may be the one packed with the most content and upcoming changes as the rotation brings the Year of the Phoenix.

For starters, the most exciting part of the announcement is that a new hero class is being added, the Demon Hunter. Click here for an in-depth look at what to expect in the tenth class in Hearthstone! Beyond that, there is still a lot to unpack, and we begin with a new type of Legendary minion, Primes.

Primes are designed to make players consider the long game, offering a Legendary minion with stats that are fair, at best, with a Deathrattle that shuffles a far more powerful Prime version of the minion into the player’s deck. Kargath Bladefist may be a rather dull Legendary as a 4 Mana 4/4 with Rush, but Kargath Prime is an absolute beast. This upgraded version of the character is an 8 Mana 10/10 with Rush and text that reads “Whenever this attacks and kills a minion, Gain 10 Armor.”

Each Prime will have at its core this idea of two minions, each representative of the identity of the class they belong to. In Wild, methods of doubling up on Deathrattles are sure to make for a massive payoff for control decks that can withstand aggro and midrange opponents.

The new keyword for this expansion is Dormant, not counting Outcast for the Demon Hunter class. Minions can be played and are Dormant for two turns, untouchable in that time like The Darkness prior to its activation. Upon waking, these minions affect the board as indicated in their card text. A novel concept, but in a game that rewards tempo and demands players act in meaningful ways each turn, Dormant minions offer nothing but the opportunity for your opponent to go face or otherwise clean up the board to their advantage. These cards will need to be powerful if they are ever to see play, and outside of effective control archetypes, may be mostly ignored by players.

Via: Youtube.com (Hearthstone)

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There is also a new way to experience Battlegrounds with the new Tavern Pass. For $19.99 USD or 2,500 Gold, the pass provides four Arena Tickets, and in Battlegrounds, advanced stats, visual emotes, a third and fourth hero at the start of the game, and early access to new Heroes.

As always, pre-orders will be available with two bundles. The Ashes of Outland Mega Bundle includes 90 new expansion packs, the Lady Vashj Shaman Hero skin, the Serpentine card back, and a random Golden Legendary from the new set. Players will also receive four Arena Tickets and the Battlegrounds Bonuses immediately.

The smaller bundles features 55 packs, the Serpentine card back, and a random Legendary card from the new set.

Via: Youtube.com (Hearthstone)

Be sure to log in today for the free promotional legendary, Kael’thas Sunstrider!

Source: playhearthstone.com

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