Year-long adventures will be bigger than ever before.
Our guide to Hearthstone’s 2019 single player content contains everything we know about how PVE adventures will work throughout the year.
Following on from the success of Adventures found in The Frozen Throne expansion and the replayable challenges such as Dungeon Run that we’ve seen in more recent expansions, Hearthstone’s single-player content for 2019 looks to combine the best elements of both to create a vast new mode that also has room to tell a year-long story.
To show just how dedicated Team 5 is to making this new mode a success, they’ve assembled the biggest mission team in Hearthstone’s history to work on single-player content for 2019.
Based on our experience at a the recent Hearthstone Summit, it’s apparent that their intention is to create a huge and expansive mode that will offer solo players something to return to frequently.
“There’s a lot of different things that are exciting about single-player in Hearthstone,” says Blizzard’s Ben Thompson. “We’ve always felt that this is a game people should be able to play the way they want to play and be a game for everyone.”
With that in mind, Team 5 has said they are “cherry picking” the best parts from each of the previous single-player experiences, and then freshening them up with some new twists and ideas.
As Thompson explains, the team wants to “create an environment that really helps further the story we’re wanting to tell this year, but also create an entirely different environment for players who gravitate more towards the single player aspect of things.”
Overview
There’s a lot we can’t talk about quite yet, but there are some specifics we can discuss about the team’s single player plans for 2019, based on the event.
Essentially, the upcoming mode will function in a similar fashion to Dungeon Run, Monster Hunt and Rumble Run. At the start of a game you’ll choose a class to play as, then battle your way through eight boss encounters to emerge victorious. Once again, these classes will have their own decks, hero powers and mechanics to play around. You’ll also add new cards and treasures after each win.
The content will be released in five chapters, the first of which will be released for free one month after the launch of the first expansion of 2019, and it will include the Mage class. Chapter Two will also be available for purchase at that time and will introduce an additional two classes.
The remaining three chapters and six classes will be released over the following three weeks. You’ll be able to buy the additional chapters for 700 Gold a piece or grab the entire set for $19.99/£16.99. You’ll also be able to play each on in Normal or Heroic difficulties.
Perhaps the biggest addition, though, is the amount of choice you have to further customise your chosen class at the start of a run. For example, as the Mage class, which will be available as part of the first chapter, you’ll be able to choose between three different hero powers and up to four different starter decks before your first encounter even begins. It’s important to note, however, that some of these will need to be unlocked through play.
Team 5 has even gone to lengths to address one of the major concerns players had with the most recent Rumble Run mode by including ways to track your progress across individual chapters, with each class and across both Normal and Heroic modes. That should help goal-oriented players who want to be sure they’ve completed everything as fully as possible!
As for the direction the story is going to take, well, Blizzard is keeping quiet about that for now. Ben Thompson has given us this small tease, though. “A story – or at least a good one – always comes with some twists and turns along the way and hopefully some surprises as well!”
First Impressions
We were able to give the mode a quick spin at the event, and after playing it’s clear that this is going to be the most comprehensive single-player offering yet. The level of customisation on offer should ensure that fans of Hearthstone who prefer playing solo will have a lot to get stuck into if they want to complete the mode with each class, hero power and starter deck combination.
Adding more customisation options at certain milestones throughout the run that allow you to fine-tune your deck even further is an excellent touch too, and should offer an edge to players who really want to get stuck into the inner workings of their assembled deck.
There are also some inventive modifiers for you to get your head around across different chapters, and these can drastically change the ways you’ll want to build your deck throughout a run. The return of Heroic Mode – and giving players the option to toggle even further quirks with Anomaly Mode – adds even more welcome replayability too.
If you found yourself spending a lot of time pushing through Dungeon Run, Monster Hunt and Rumble Run then there’s a lot for you to be excited about here, but it’s also loaded with so many more potential challenges.
We’ll be able to share more detail with you in a future site update, so stay tuned for more on Hearthstone’s next single player adventure.
Rewards
After hearing that players wanted to see more rewards for their efforts in single-player modes, Blizzard will reward you with three new expansion card packs for completing each chapter. By completing all five chapters you’ll also receive a card back and Golden Classic pack. A separate card back is awarded for completing all five chapters in Heroic mode too.
The team is also considering ways you can save some of your favourite decks from the mode, so you can bring them over to wield against other players. “That’s a really cool idea that we’ve had requests for a few times…and we’ll talk about other ways to do it in the future,” says Mike Donais.
Key Points
Here’s a quick lowdown on what to expect from 2019’s single player content.
- Five chapters will be released over the course of four weeks – starting one month after the launch of the first expansion in 2019.
- The single player content will function similarly to Dungeon Run, Monster Hunt and Rumble Run, but also includes some of the story emphasis from previous Adventures.
- Chapter 1 is free. All remaining chapters are 700 Gold each or you can purchase all of them for $19.99/£16.99.
- The Mage class will be included in Chapter 1. Two classes will be added in each subsequent chapter.
- Each class will have a number of different hero powers and starter decks to choose from at the start of a run. Card buckets and Treasures will also be awarded after each win.
- At certain points throughout a run, you’ll engage in a “friendly encounter” where you can fine-tune your deck even further.
- Both Normal and Heroic modes will be supported. There’ll also be something called an Anomaly Mode, which adds different modifiers to your entire run.
- Three new expansion card packs will be rewarded for completing each chapter. Finishing all five chapters will grant a card back and a Golden Classic pack. Heroic Mode rewards its own card back, too.
- All of your progress across chapters and with each class will be tracked so you can see which ways you’ve managed to beat the content.
- The story of this mode will be developed across the entire Year of the Dragon.
That’s about all there is to say on the single player content for Hearthstone in 2019 for now!
Our Year of the Dragon guide is also on hand if you’re interested in all the big changes coming to the game this year, including Hall of Fame cards, Arena tweaks and an all-new “Smart” Deck Builder.
