Hearthpwn

In Ten Days, Hearthstone's Next Expansion Will Be Revealed - What We Know So Far

A countdown to the expansion announcement will show up on our front page next week - stay tuned!

In just a little under 240 hours, we'll know the name and some details of Hearthstone's next expansion - the last one for the Year of the Raven. 

This year's BlizzCon on the surface won't be very different for us, but there's going to be something big missing - Ben Brode. One of Hearthstone's lead visionaries and fathers left the company earlier this year to found his own game studio with other ex-members of the Hearthstone team. Not only was one of the usual Hearthstone folk to tell us about the new expansion, but he was also responsible as the booming voice over the halls of BlizzCon.

Here's what you can expect this year that aren't so different.

• Announcement of Expansion during the Opening Ceremony.
• More details, including card reveals, during the dedicated "What's Next" panel.
• Details on any single player content they're adding in with the card set.
• Playable demo of the new single player content on the show floor.

There's also a couple of new things happening this year.

• An art panel where artists will showcase how they created the new card pack for this expansion.
• A panel talking about the past and future of Hearthstone solo adventures (likely additional, focused info on the new single player content).

Check out the full schedule of Hearthstone goodness over in our dedicated post.

What We Know So Far About Expansion 3

Not a whole lot! We do have a preview image of the theme though thanks to the Year of the Raven introduction from this past February.

• Expansion 1 showcased the trees of the Witchwood (which most, including us, thought we were going to Duskwood)
• Expansion 2 showcased The Netherstorm. No, Tempest Keep was not actually in store for us, it's just the home of Dr. Boom's Lab.

Expansion 3 is all over the place. We've got tribal-style markings that could be Troll themed (maybe even Orc?) and the middle contains what appears to be water, possible even a little bit of ice at the bottom left. The red rocks surrounding the "orb" in the center don't make any immediate connections unlike the Ethereal Gateway from Ex2 and roots from Ex1.

If I really wanted to go crazy with a guess, it would be something Pandaria themed thanks to the very natural, tranquil vibe the overall panel gives me. Come on Lorewalker Cho, let's go to your homeland and, hopefully, not make an absolute mess of it.

What do you think Expansion 3 will be?