Blizzard's Hearthstone expands, Android coming soon

Barely a year since it launched in March, Blizzard is releasing its first expansion for its unexpected digital card collecting game (CCG) Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. As with any card game expansion, Goblins vs Gnomes adds new decks, new cards, and new strategies to the game. It also adds a new story, as much as you can have stories in these kinds of games. As the title too obviously points out, it is pretty much a feud between goblins and gnomes, both of whom have a different to the word "fun" in mind.

Goblin engineers and tinkering gnomes. That's what this new age of Hearthstone is all about. These two lovers of all things that tick and go boom are littering the world of Azeroth with scraps of metal, maniacal machines, and anything else that goes boom or makes other things go boom. As you might have guessed, this expansion puts a mechanical theme to the game. If you're not convinced, then maybe the new Mech minion will sway you over.

Aside from the 120 new cards to be had, the expansion also adds something new to the game, namely, Spectator Mode. As the name again so obviously points out, this mode lets your watch your friend's game from his or her own point of view, as if you were the one playing, except you're really not. Spectator Mode puts a quite literal twist to the age old adage, "Watch and Learn".

As you might have guessed, Goblins vs Gnomes cards are available from the in-game store, either in exchange for in-game currency or for real world currencies. But for those who will be logging into Hearthstone from launch to December 19, they get three card packs, absolutely free. And if you haven't yet completed your classic collection, don't worry, as those are still available in the shop as well.

Goblins vs Gnomes is now available on Windows, Macs, and iPad, initially only in the US. Come December 9, it will also be open to those in Europe and Asia. The best news is yet to come for those on Android, as Blizzard promises that they too will get Hearthstone soon enough, with rumors floating at a December arrival. Just in time for the holidays!

SOURCE: Blizzard