Hearthstone: Descent of Dragons solo adventure to add 35 new cards in January

(Image credit: Blizzard)

Hearthstone's Year of the Dragon enters its final phase on December 10 with the launch of Descent of Dragons, an epic clash of good and E.V.I.L. that will see the League of E.V.I.L. attempting to resurrect Galakrond, Progenitor of all Dragonkind, while the League of Explorers enlists the help of Dragon Aspects to stop them. That clash will culminate in Galakrond's Awakening, a new solo adventure that, for the first time in a long time for Hearthstone PvE, will add 35 new collectible cards.

You can see all the new cards from the main Descent of Dragons expansion here. The stars of the show will be five legendary Galakrond Hero Cards, one for each class in the League of E.V.I.L.: Rogue, Warrior, Warlock, Shaman, and Priest. These can be powered up in three stages over the course of a game using the new Invoke keyword, each new stage—from his base from to Galakrond, The Apocalypse, and Galakrond, Azeroth's End—doubling the strength of his battlecry, and in his final form he'll also equip a 5/2 Claw weapon.

But the bad guys aren't the only ones who are hard at work in Descent of Dragons: The League of Explorers can undertake new Sidequests, with more "lightweight" objectives and rewards that can suit a variety of different playstyles. There are also ten new Legendary Dragons on the way, one for each class plus a neutral, each with a corresponding Dragon Breath that grant big bonuses while a Dragon is in play.

December 10 will also see the launch of a redesigned Hearthstone in-game shop that will bring bundles, packs, alternate heroes, and other in-game kit together in one place. To celebrate the launch, Blizzard is giving away the Tyrande Whisperwind Priest Hero skin and card back to everyone who stops by to check it out. Blizzard also confirmed that the Sylvanas Windrunner Hunter hero skin and card back that leaked yesterday will be available for a limited time for $10.

All players who log into Hearthstone within 90 days of the start of Descent of Dragons will receive three free Descent of Dragons card packs, plus two copies of Shield of Galakrond, and then all five Legendary Galakrond Hero Cards when you open the packs.

Hearthstone: Descent of Dragons is available for pre-purchase in two flavors: the $50 Standard Bundle, with 60 card packs, the Shattering card back, and a Descend of Dragons Golden Legendary, and the $80 Mega Bundle, with 100 packs, the new Deathwing Warrior hero skin, and the card back and legendary. Details are up at playhearthstone.com.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.