However, adding objective cards to the game has the same effect as it had in MTG: It adds room for imagination and fills out the setting that the corresponding expansion plays in, providing yet another layer for both design and storytelling in Blizzard’s card game.Ī gameplay mechanic that did exactly that in the past is the keyword layer. In comparison, Hearthstone’s resource system is much more one-dimensional. The mother of all collectible card games, Magic: The Gathering, uses land cards as resources. Introducing landmarks as cards is nothing new in card games. Now, Team 5 came up with a great solution - multi-turn spell effects perfectly showcase the prolonged fights for the graveyards, bunkers, and towers of Alterac Valley. Great examples for this implementation are the newly introduced objective cards:Ĭustom Hearthstone card creators have always tried to think up ways to include Warcraft’s points of interest as cards. Fractured in Alterac Valley transports yet another true and surprisingly serious picture of the iconic battleground site. But we won’t do that - because we have to admit that, so far, the year-long storyline has built up to become the best storytelling experience that Hearthstone has ever seen, so issues regarding its possible future outcome definitely deserve the benefit of the doubt.Īpart from that, Hearthstone really goes all-in in terms of classic Warcraft fantasy. This would be a great opportunity to compare this more than confusing story fact with the history of faction rivalry in World of Warcraft, including all its ups and downs, all its temporary advances and truces. But why are they fighting against each other in the expansion trailer? They have set their faction rivalry aside during the latest single-player campaign! Her destination? Alterac Valley.Īs the story has been set up for this year’s final act, all we know now is that the mercenaries will try to get their hands on the naaru shards. In the end, his daughter Vanessa VanCleef manages to escape with the shards. In the final fight, both Horde and Alliance mercenaries fight side by side to destroy the greater evil, Edwin Vancleef. Her motives aren’t entirely clear - however, looking back at Onyxia’s origin story told back in original World of Warcraft, she might just intend to end what her father Deathwing, back then disguised as Daval Prestor, once began: To destroy the Alliance from within.īut what brings the heroes of Hearthstone to Alterac Valley? During the latest Book of Mercenaries single-player campaign released with the Deadmines mini-set, the ongoing story explains that Edwin VanCleef and the Defias Brotherhood stole the naaru shards from Stormwind - most likely on Katrana Prestor’s behalf. We learned that Katrana Prestor - better known as Onyxia - has a particular interest in said crystals, and together with Kazakus, a dragon in disguise and one of the prominent characters exclusive to Hearthstone, she seems to have forged a draconic alliance. Ten mercenaries - five of the Alliance, five of the Horde - set out to find these naaru shards, each for their own reasons explained in the Book of Mercenaries single-player campaign chapters.
The year-long storyline evolved around a world event called the Night of Fallen Stars, where pieces of a seemingly dying naaru were crashing onto the Barrens. The two other expansions of 2021, Forged in the Barrens and United in Stormwind, took players on a wild ride between the continents of Azeroth. If you want to check out the most recent news about the expansion and Hearthstone in general, head over to !įractured in Alterac Valley rings in the final phase of the Year of the Gryphon, Hearthstone’s current Standard year.
I'm Tharid, a writer for Wowhead's sister site Hearthstone Top Decks, and I'll be covering the new content around Hearthstone's upcoming expansion called United in Stormwind.
In this article, we will dive deep into the continuing story of the mercenaries, the countless WoW references, and the decision behind featuring the snowy vale that both Alliance and Horde fight so hard for up to this day.
#Hearthstone wallpaper Patch#
While the WoW community patiently awaits the arrival of Patch 9.2, Hearthstone players are soon going to revisit the glory days of World of Warcraft’s most epic battleground: The upcoming expansion Fractured in Alterac Valley will conclude the year-long narrative around the beloved Mercenaries.
0 kommentar(er)
