Hearthstone
Chu: Hey, guys! Man that Ragnaros! Makes me glad I’m not an insect. There’s been something we’ve been worrying about on our Hearthstone team. It’s been a pretty stressful year for players. First, you had to fend off the return of Old gods, they’re all whispering and stuff, and then there’s this crazy party, he has this ring of rogue archmages.
So we thought maybe we need to take it easy on you for a little bit, and maybe send you on a nice vacation. Some place calm. Some place soothing. How about beautiful Gadgetzan? What’s more relaxing than a sleepy little outpost out in the Tanaris desert? It’s away from the action, it’s away from the prying eyes of the horde and alliance, it’s away from everything really.
Now some of you may have been to visit Gadgetzan yourself. Anybody been to Gadgetzan? Awesome! I like you guys! You folks might be thinking to yourself: “Hey, you! That’s not what Gadgetzan, is like anymore,” and you are right.
When the great Cataclysm came a few years ago, it shook the world and turn Gadgetzan into a port town; but what you know-it-alls don’t know yet, is that becoming a port town was the greatest thing that could’ve possibly happened to Gadgetzan. With that port came trade, with all that trade pouring in that little town in the desert exploded into a major city crowded with bustling citizens from across the lands; and rich with hustling merchants from across the seas.
All coming together to build a beautiful city lined with delightful little streets, and charming little shops; but do you remember that “away from the prying eyes” bit? It turns out there’s a lot of people interested in a place like that.
You know… unsavory types, and so as the city grew bigger and wealthier those people came pouring in too.
Until now, today, just behind those delightful little streets and charming little shops there’s a dark side to Gagetzan. An underworld of back alleys and shady dens worming their way all throughout the city and that’s where the real Gadgetzan lies.
Chu: Mean Streets of Gadgetzan is Hearthstone’s newest expansion. Well, all right, it’s not the peaceful paradise I kind of promised earlier, but it is a city of opportunity.
Now there are different ways you can grasp opportunity. You can be like this fellow– get out your map, put on your shorts, and venture forward to find your fortune; or you can join the folks who really own the town.
Behind it all are three notorious crime families and they run everything. we recommend the second thing. First up, walking the streets in broad daylight are the Grimy Goons. They’re the roots and enforcers of Gadgetzan, and they like to go around offering protection; but not as much as they like taking their way; and they’re not just muscle either.
If you should find yourself (let’s just say) needing a hand from time to time, they’ll make sure you’re well equipped for the job, but if you really getting good with the Goons, they’ll set you up with one of these: a gun that shoots piranhas. It’s actually a little specialty weapon made for hunters, but who among us hasn’t dreamed of fighting side-by-side with tiny fish? Those are the cutest piranhas ever. Not everybody is a fan of the Goons.
There are those who really look down on them literally, up on the roof tops, across the narrowest of ledges, and in strange doorways that seem to go nowhere is the Jade Lotus. They’re not as crude as the Goons are, they’re not out there taking protection money, or hawking silly guns. They are a sleek and secretive syndicate of spies and assassins. No one seems to be quite sure what they’re up to, but they sure seem to be up to something; and if you get in the way, you might find yourself crossing paths with a Lotus assassin. He’s kind of a slippery fellow so it’s hard to know exactly where he is, but he’s probably in your base, killing your dudes.
Finally, there are those who don’t have the hefty handguns of the Goons, or the deft footwork of the Lotus, but what they do have are loads of questionable potions, and even more questionable morals. They’re the Kabal.
In the Kabal are spellcasters who have been kicked out of their own guilds due to… “creative differences.” So they hide away in secret…. brewing their potions and lending magical aid to those in need. If you come to them, and you ask real nicely they may offer you the services of the Kabal Talonpriest, and who wouldn’t want his services? Just look at his talons. They’re crackling with health. Oh, come on! That one was good. I like that one.
Now you know you a little bit about our three families, but here’s the fun part. What really makes them mighty is that each of them: the Grimy Goons, the Jade Lotus, and the Kabal were originally formed by a coalition of three different classes and these three classes (In each family) have decided they like working together.
So in the Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, we’ve created a brand-new type of card: a tri-class card. Each family has their own exclusive set of them, and this is how it works for the Kabal. In the Kabal are mages, priests, and warlocks. So their tri-class cards can be played in any one of those classes decks.
Here’s an example: The Kabal Courier. So that potion icon in the corner there, the emblem of the Kabal, indicates that this is one of the Kabal’s tri-class cards which means that this industrious harpy can be played in any major priest or warlock deck.
It is super fun tinkering with tri-class cards to see how they play and feel in each of their different classes, and on top of that just to mix things up even more when you play the Courier, you get to discover a card from those classes. So if you’ve ever wished that your warlock could get his hands on some healing, or that your priest can throw a fireball or two, she may be able to help you out.
Now it’s not easy getting three classes to work together like that. So each family has their own fearless leader. For the Kabal they have their captain, their kingpin: their chief-concocting-officer Kazakus. Kazakus himself is a tri-class card, and is one of the most exciting cards we’ve ever made; because with Kazakus you get to create a custom spell.
Here’s how that works: when you summon Kazakus, he’s going to make a potion for you, and depending on how powerful you want that potion to be you choose a mana cost. Based on that, you discover an effect… and then you discover a second effect. All depending on what you think you need, or what you think you’ll need later, and then your job’s done (he is supposed to say: “Job’s done,” it’s going to be really funny. Super funny).
Then you have your sweet custom potion in your hand. It is really fun playing with Kazakus, with over a hundred different potions you can make there’s always interesting decisions in front of you; and all that is just the tip of the iceberg.
If you want to learn more, please join us for the Hearthstone panel right here on the main stage at 12:30pm. We’ll be revealing even more cards including tri-class cards from the other families, and give you a peek behind it all, how it all came together.
We’re putting the finishing touches on getting Gadgetzan ready for visitors, and we expect to be able to head in early December; but for you folks, here at BlizzCon, we thought you might want to get your hands on it sooner so it’s playable on the show floor. When you’ve given that a roll, come check out the Hearthstone tavern upstairs on the third floor. You can enjoy some great music, and tasty snacks, and two awesome of our developers.
Finally you have to check out some of these matches between some of the best Hearthstone players in the world as they battle it out for the world championship. The finals are tomorrow.
Now here to tell you something about Diablo III (I’m just going to stay out here for this), here to tell you about Diablo III, please join me in welcoming Blizzard’s chief development officer Frank Pearce.
Next: Diablo III – BlizzCon 2016 Opening Ceremony
| BLIZZCON 2016 OPENING CEREMONY | |||||
| Welcome | Warcraft | Overwatch | StarCraft II | eSports | Heroes of the Storm |
| Hearthstone | Diablo III | ||||
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