Hearthstone: Madness at the Darkmoon Faire, new expansion revealed

Ignored the darkened, eerie woods and the eyes that blink and stare — the Darkmoon Faire is coming to Hearthstone. The upcoming expansion is slated for a November 17th release and will introduce 135 new cards, new card mechanic Corrupt (cards with the Corrupt keyword upgrade to a stronger version after you play a card that costs more), a new game launch mode called Duels and the return of the Old Gods (C’thun, N’Zoth and Yogg-Sarron, among others).

The trailer features a cardboard puppet theater which depicts myriad faire-goers partaking in various activities, from eating ice cream to winning murloc stuffed animals to riding a merry-go-round. The seemingly standard fare faire activities culminate with a mech which resembles Annoy-o-Tron wearing a fortune teller hat swallowing a group of adventurers into its mouth for a frenetic roller coaster ride that is riddled with the tentacles and blinking eyes of eldritch creatures and the reveal of a very familiar Old God at the end.

In addition, players who log into Hearthstone after the 18.6 patch goes live will receive a new free Legendary minion, Silas Darkmoon, the Faire’s founder and lead showman. Silas’ Battlecry chooses a direction to rotate all minions.

First, check out the Hearthstone: Madness at the Darkmoon Faire announcement trailer with the Team 5 developers:

And then check out the full list of additions in the upcoming Hearthstone Madness at the Darkmoon Faire expansion per the official Blizzard press release:

Come one, come all…

…to the Darkmoon Faire, Azeroth’s one and only traveling carnival! Bear witness to supernatural wonders, spectacular performances, and exotic beasts! Sample a dazzling array of sweet and savory treats from around the world, discover rare treasures at our enchanting night market, or perhaps have your fortune read under the watchful orange eye of Darkmoon’s iconic midway gate!

Ignore the ugly rumors you may hear about friendly and exuberant faire-folk! Many guests, overcome with excitement and joy, may report seeing strange or unusual things. Pay them no heed! Ignore the whispers! Come for the wholesome fun and stay. . . forever.

Hearthstone: Madness at the Darkmoon Faire will launch worldwide on November 17 with 135 new collectible cards! You can find the full schedule for card reveals and see which cards were announced today by visiting the card library here. Check back frequently—the list will be updated with new cards as they’re revealed!

Return of the Old Gods

 

The Old Gods—C’thun, N’Zoth, Yogg-Saron, and Y’Shaarj—are back! Each Old God drives a different deck archetype and has a potent Battlecry capable of turning the tide of a match. They’ve really embraced the festivities—take Yogg-Saron, Master of Fate, whose Battlecry lets you spin the Darkmoon Wheel if you’ve cast 10 spells this game!

Players can also tamper with Old God artifacts: four ancient spells with zany effects that hearken back to the abilities of the original Old God designs! Keep your eyes on the card library as we’ll be revealing these artifacts soon.

 

New Keyword: Corrupt

 

Hearthstone: Madness at the Darkmoon Faire introduces a new Keyword: Corrupt! Corrupt cards upgrade in your hand after you play a higher cost card. Plan ahead and upgrade your Corrupt cards before playing them for a major payoff!

 

New Game Mode: Duels

With the announcement of Madness at the Darkmoon Faire, we’re pleased to reveal a new game mode we’re releasing alongside it—Duels! Duels mixes the fun of a Dungeon Run with the excitement of head-to-head competition. In Duels, you’ll choose a Hero, a Hero Power, a signature Treasure, and build a 15-card starter deck from your collection before facing off against a series of worthy human opponents. Between each match, you’ll level up your deck by adding minions, spells, and powerful Treasures! You’ll get early access to Duels when you pre-purchase Madness at the Darkmoon Faire. Learn more about Duels in our announcement blog here!

Progression & Rewards Revamp

On top of the new expansion and game mode, we’ve completely overhauled our progression and rewards systems! Set to be Hearthstone’s biggest systems update ever, the progression revamp includes 4 major parts:

1. The addition of an Achievements System that tracks your in-game accomplishments.
2. A central Reward Track for all earnable rewards outside of Ranked play.
3. A Quest Revamp that supports daily and weekly quests.
4. An updated Profile Page with player info, ranks, and stats.

You’ll be able to access each of these pages by clicking on a new Journal icon that will replace the Quest Log on the main menu. The Progression & Rewards revamp will go live on November 12, read more about it in our deep dive blog here!

Year of the Phoenix Phase 3

Hearthstone: Madness at the Darkmoon Faire marks the final phase of the Year of the Phoenix. In Phase 3, you can expect several major updates, including balance patches, new Battlegrounds Heroes and minions, a seasonal event, and what was previously spell-locked—updates for Duels, a Mini-Set of 35 cards set for release before the next expansion, and another new game mode! We’ll have more details to share on these developments in the new year!

Pre-Purchase Madness at the Darkmoon Faire

Pre-purchase for Madness at the Darkmoon Faire will go live with the 18.6 patch at ~10:00 a.m. PT on 10/22.

The Hearthstone: Madness at the Darkmoon Faire Mega Bundle includes Duels: Early Access*, 80 Madness at the Darkmoon Faire card packs, 5 Golden Madness at the Darkmoon Faire packs, one random Madness at the Darkmoon Faire Golden Legendary card, the N’Zoth Warlock Hero, the N’Zoth card back, and Battlegrounds perks**!

The Hearthstone: Madness at the Darkmoon Faire Bundle includes Duels: Early Access*, 45 Madness as the Darkmoon Faire card packs, one random Madness at the Darkmoon Faire Legendary card, and the N’Zoth card back!

*Early access obtained through pre-purchase is available between October 22, 2020 and November 11, 2020. Duels game mode is accessible after reaching level 10 with all Hero classes in-game. **Battlegrounds Perks are available upon purchase and expire at the end of the Madness at the Darkmoon Faire expansion cycle.

Log in and Get Silas Darkmoon for Free

Meet Silas Darkmoon, the Darkmoon Faire’s founder and lead showman. Log into Hearthstone after the 18.6 patch goes live to receive the Silas Darkmoon Legendary minion for free, available to play immediately! Round and round they go, where they’ll stop, nobody knows! Limited one per account.

What do you think of the reveal for the newest expansion, Hearthstone: Madness at the Darkmoon Faire? What about the new keyword mechanic, Corrupt? And the return of the Old Gods? Let us know in the comments.