At BlizzCon 2023, Blizzard unveiled a whole host of new content, including “Showdown in the Wasteland”, a major expansion for Hearthstone with a real Western flair
This is the new addon in a nutshell: Showdown in the Badlands (Showdown in the Badlands in the original) is the latest addon for Blizzard’s whimsical card game Hearthstone. This time, it’s off to the eponymous Badlands, where an unscrupulous mining company is exploiting natural resources and angering the spirits of the land.
So some glorious scoundrels join forces and take on the greedy company. If this all exudes a proper Western flair for you, then you’re in the right place, because Showdown in the Wasteland relies heavily on cherished Western clichés. This is also clearly visible in the new game mechanics
When is it coming out? Showdown in the Wasteland will be released worldwide on November 14th with 145 brand new maps and if you log in now you can get the powerful new map Thunderbringer for free.
These are the features that make Showdown in the Badlands so good Showdown in the Badlands brings you 145 new maps, all of which embody the western flair of the expansion. The following new features are particularly cool. New game mechanics The story in Showdown in the Badlands revolves around the battle between the greedy Bloodrock Mining Company and the noble outlaws who want to protect the land from the machinations of the miners.
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Loners and scoundrels – This is what the outlaws can do
Demon hunters, druids, hunters, paladins, priests and shamans fight on the side of the outlaws, relying on both strong individuals and the power of the land
As the Outlaws are a band of a few strong individuals, their decks benefit from having no duplicates. These so-called “Highlander decks” (there can only be one!) are designed so that you only have one copy of a particular card in your pool. In return, played cards are often given a unique effect
For example, Elise, the Wasteland Savior brings four random minions into your deck as a battle cry if you don’t have any duplicates. The loutish thug Theldurin the Stray, on the other hand, crushes all other cards on the field when Highlander conditions prevail
You can never dig deep enough – This is what you get at the Blutfels mining company
The outlaws are opposed by the classes Death Knight, Mage, Rogue, Warlock and Warrior on the side of the mining company. They, in turn, focus on digging as deep and hard as possible, whatever the cost. When you play this faction, the new keyword “digging” comes into play
By digging you will receive random treasures that can only be obtained in this way. The special thing about it: the more often you dig, the more these special treasures are worth. This ranges from a simple 1-mana effect that does three damage to a mine collapse that attacks all enemies. There is also a special legendary excavation item that is unique to each class
Pull, cowboy! – The new quick-draw keyword
The most popular Western image is, of course, the famous gun duel at noon on the market square. Whoever draws faster wins. And this cool Western cliché is integrated as a new feature in Showdown in the Wasteland
Cards with the keyword “Quick Draw” have an additional effect if you use them in the same round in which they were added to your hand. So if you like decks that “blast out” cards quickly, you’ll definitely enjoy this expansion.
For example, the card “Dehydrate” costs 3 mana and deals 4 damage. But if you “fast draw” it, it only costs 1 mana.
New game mode for the battlefield
The new maps and game mechanics are already a strong reason to get the new addon. But Blizzard has packed even more cool features into the expansion. These include the new “Duos” battleground game mode
What is it? Battleground: Duos is a new way to play Battlegrounds. In Duos, you and your buddies share health, play cards to each other and face off against your opponents together.
To make things even better, there are new cards for this mode that specifically target synergies and reward teamwork. For example, the sand creature “Sandy” can transform into your opponent’s toughest minion at the start of the game
Communication is of course essential here, which is why a new ping system comes into play in duo mode. You can use it to inform your buddy about certain things or simply cheer him on.
The new game mode is still being fine-tuned and will therefore not be added to the game until 2024.
Catch-up packs to get started right away
Hearthstone has been around for almost 10 years and if you’ve been out longer or are just getting started, you might be wondering if it’s even worth it now
The new catch-up packs are precisely for these players. These are a new type of Hearthstone packs that contain between 5 and 50 cards per pack. The number is based on the percentage of cards from previous standard expansions that you have already received
These first catch-up packs are special versions for Showdown in the Wasteland. Designed to help you catch up for the upcoming expansion, they contain cards from the five most recent expansions for the standard format, namely:
- Journey to the Sunken City
- Murder at Nathria Castle
- March of the Lich King
- Festival of Legends
- Titans
At least 20 percent of the cards in each catch-up pack are guaranteed to be a rare card or better. You will also receive a legendary card in the first 50 cards from each expansion. This means you can quickly build up a solid pool of strong cards.
The catch-up packs will be available from November 14 for the release of Showdown in the Wasteland. If you want to secure these benefits now, take part in the pre-sale of Showdown in the Wasteland and receive up to 20 additional packs together with the new cards from the expansion.
