Ashes of Outland and Demon Hunter now released!

The Year of the Phoenix has officially kicked off, with the new expansion for Hearthstone, Ashes of Outland, as well as the game’s first ever all-new class, Demon Hunter, now released! Venture beyond the Dark Portal into a brutal, war-torn realm, shaking up the game with 135 new cards of wicked monstrosities, grim personalities and fel-infused spells and artifacts populating this shattered world.

With Ashes of Outland released, it also sees the arrival of the Demon Hunter. Bringing with it chaotic fel energy and fearsome feats of soul magic, this class encourages unbridled aggression with focus on direct hero attacks and powerful demon minions. Get the class, 30 specially tailored cards, and corresponding Hero, Illidan Stormrage, for free when you complete the also free four-part Demon Hunter prologue single-player campaign.

The Ashes of Outland cards include Primes, a new type of Legendary minion designed for lasting impact on a match. Initial forms of Primes are meant to be strong and economical for the early to midgame, then shuffled back into the deck in a vastly upgraded form. Imprisoned Demons are also present, starting dormant for two turns then unleashing their effects once they’re activated.

A new year means some of the biggest changes to Hearthstone yet, including:

• Ranked Mode Overhaul—The new year kicks off with an improved ranked play experience, including reworked matchmaking and a fun progression system loaded with meaningful rewards.
• New and Returning Player Experience—New players who ascend through the beginner ranks—as well as those returning to Hearthstone after an absence—will receive a free competitive deck of the class of their choice.*
• Improved Card Pack Experience—The popular “no duplicate Legendaries” rule now applies across all card rarities. Players will no longer receive more than two copies of any Common, Rare, or Epic until they’ve acquired two copies of all cards of that rarity in a set.
• Free Solo Adventure—Later in the expansion cycle, all players will get a free Solo Adventure set in the shattered world of Outland. Join the iconic Illidan Stormrage and his cadre of elite Demon Hunters as they battle the dreaded Rusted Legion!
• Priest Class Overhaul—Big changes have come to the Priest class to better accentuate its class identity. Six of the class’s cards have moved into the Hall of Fame, with all-new ones introduced in their place.
• Battlegrounds Updates—Hearthstone: Battlegrounds continues to evolve in the Year of the Phoenix, starting with Illidan’s recent arrival to the roster of playable heroes.

Log in to Hearthstone to complete a chain of quests to earn a total of six card packs: three from Ashes of Outland, one each from Descent of Dragons, Saviors of Uldum and Rise of Shadows. The first quest in the chain is now available, with the second coming 9 April UTC +8, and the third 10 April UTC +8. The Legendary minion Kael’Thas will also be free to all players who log in until 29 June UTC +8.

Full details on the website.

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Hearthstone

Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment

Developer: Blizzard Entertainment

Release Date: 2014-03-11

Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows

The hit digital collectible card game from Blizzard Entertainment! All the colourful characters from the Warcraft universe show off their prowess in card form!