Hearthstone 'Whispers of the Old Gods' Expansion Pack New Cards, Release Date and Rumors

Apr 21, 2016 02:45 PM EDT

The newest addition in Hearthstone called Whispers of the Old Gods will become available on April 26 in North America and April 27 in Asia and Australia. The new expansion pack brings new cards and new game modes for more engaging card battle.

VentureBeat reported Whispers of the Old Gods introduces 134 new cards, including corrupted versions of older cards and four powerful characters called the Old Gods -- C'Thun, N'Zoth, Yogg-Saron and Y'Shaarj.

It is reported that the Corrupted Healbot can restore 8 health to the enemy hero once it's killed. The original Antique Healbot gives 8 health to the players. For the Old Gods, they can become stronger if players use their followers in the deck.

Next week, players can get Whispers of the Old Gods pack in Hearthstone's in-game shop. For those who already availed the pre-purchase offer of 50 packs, they can open it on the exact release date of the expansion. The pre-purchase offer costs $50, and the deadline to get it is until the time that Whispers of the Old Gods goes live.

Furthermore, Blizzard said the expansion introduces Standard and Wild modes. The latter lets players use every card from every expansion in the game. The Standard allows players to use the Basic and Classic sets in their decks.

Gaming analysts say expansions like these are important to keep players engaged in the game. It also urges them to continue to buy more cards. Players got their last set of cards last year from November's The League of Explorers adventure. Also, the upcoming Hearthstone add-on will keep things fresh for players who sometimes get tired of seeing the same minions and spells every deck.

 Blizzard traditionally releases new content after four to five months, so the upcoming expansion should be worth waiting for.

It is also worth mentioning that there are several changes in the game. Fan-favorite cards like Molten Giant received an increased casting cost of up to 25 from 20, and Knife Juggler's attack decreased by a point, as per reports from Engadget. Blizzard says these changes went under "careful consideration" and reflected the feedback of the gaming community.

Interestingly, the digital card game market is worth $1.2 billion, and Hearthstone ranks number one in that field. A recent study from SuperData Research reveals Hearthstone makes $20 million a month. The free-to-play card game is playable in PC, Mac, iOS, and Android devices.