Blizzard just took the wraps off Hearthstone's fourth major expansion set in Gadgetzan, a dangerous World of Warcraft city populated by a diverse posse of misfits, outcasts and scums of Azeroth. It should be part of a recently reported move to overhaul the game based on player feedbacks.
The expansion title, Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, should already indicate the level of violence as well as the potential for mischief. The narrative revolves around three major crime families going head-to-head in an epic showdown that also involved lavish cache of goods and contrabands, collectively accounting for 132 new Hearthstone cards.
"Mean Streets of Gadgetzan thrusts players into a lawless land where criminals from all over Azeroth have found a haven, free of scrutiny from the Horde and the Alliance," Blizzard stated in an official statement. "Each family offers unique benefits to its own select set of three Hearthstone classes, allowing them to utilize special tricks of the trade unavailable to rival families, so players will want to choose their allies wisely when building decks!"
Gadgetzan's main crime families include the Grimy Goons, Jade Lotus and Kabal. Players should already identify with one of these in-game according to the selected hero class.
Those who prefer a game style centered on magical nukes will surely feel right at home with the Kabal, with its army of mages, priests and warlocks. The Jade Lotus could also be an excellent alternative for its capability to cast unique spells through its gang of druids, rogues and shamans.
The Grimy Goons, on the other hand, should appeal to those who like to slug it out in close combat. It is mainly composed of tanks and weapon-based characters.
Blizzard has also teased that each of these families will have a set of "special tricks" that are unique to its cohorts and also independent from abilities of hero classes. The company, however, is still keeping its cards close, refusing to reveal any details about this particular feature. In line with the class-specific ability, a crime family also has access to a cool bundle of minion cards that can only be used by characters of specific factions. For example, the Grimy Goons minion will work with hunter, paladin and warrior factions.
Blizzard only unveiled a few of the actual cards in the Gadgetzan expansion. One particularly powerful criminal is called Kazakus, who has the capability to craft custom spells and should be on par with rare characters in the Old Gods expansion. Players can get to know the entire set in a saved stream at Heartpwn.
There is no official word about Gadgetzan's actual release date just yet. However, 50 packs can be preordered via the Hearthstone app for $50.
