A few months ago,Hearthstonereleased its 22nd major update with theFractured in Alterac Valleyset. Recently,Hearthstonerevealed Patch 22.4, which includes the next mini-set, themed around the iconic “Onyxia’s Lair” raid fromWorld of Warcraft’soriginal release.
The “Onyxia’s Lair” mini-set was announced with a short trailer set to a catchy Disney villain-esque solo sung by none other than Katranna Prestor–thehuman guise of the dragon Onyxia. The Hearthstone mini-set, which includes 35 new cards, launches on February 15th.
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In addition to the draconic mini-set, Patch 22.4 will also include updates for several otherHearthstonegame modes. Three new heroes–the elf mage Varden Dawngrasp, the orc warrior Rokara, and Onyxia herself–are coming to the Battlegrounds mode alongside two new Boards and a new finisher animation used when damaging foes. In Mercenaries, the August Celestials–Warcraft’stake on the Four Gods of Chinese legend–are being added, as well as Long’xin, a celestial dragon and character new to the game, forHearthstone’songoing Lunar New Year celebrations. Along with new Mercenary bounties and the second-to-last Book of Mercenaries story, the “Onyxia’s Lair” mini set has plenty to do.
Shattered in Alterac Valleyis the third and seemingly finalHearthstonein the saga begun withForged in the Barrenslast march and continued withUnited in Stormwindin August. The “Onyxia’s Lair” mini-set joins the “Wailing Caverns” and “Deadmines” mini-sets in revisiting iconic locations from vanillaWorld of Warcraft. Each of these sets have featured characters and environments both new and familiar, and have gone back to the roots of what madeWarcraftso popular–even more so than retailWorld of Warcrafthas withShadowlands.
Hearthstonefans are excited to play with theFractured in Alterac Valleymini-set. New cards and new mercenaries means new combos and deck ideas, not to mention more fantastic art. Players are also excited to see the climax and conclusion of the popular Book of Mercenaries story, which is pointing towards many of the new Mercenary characters from both the Alliance and Horde teaming up to confront a greater threat.
However, there are plenty ofHearthstonefans who are not excited for “Onyxia’s Lair.” The next Masters Tour begins just days after the new mini-set drops, prompting confusion as to the legality of the new cards. Additionally, the newHearthstoneMercenaries game modeis rife with problems, such as imbalanced characters, glitchy quests, and redundant currencies, so adding more mercenaries to the pool could complicate those issues. However,Hearthstoneis decent at addressing player concerns and fixing bugs, even if it takes it a bit, so players should expect more fixes and clarifications before long.
Hearthstoneis currently available for Mobile and PC. The “Onyxia’s Lair” mini-set releases on February 15th.
