Blizzard has announced the next Hearthstone expansion will be revealed at Blizzcon on Nov. 3. Unlike Knights Of The Frozen Throne and Journey To Un’Goro, which leaked weeks ahead of schedule, we still don’t know much about what’s coming. Ben Brode, Hearthstone’s game director and the owner of a thousand flannel shirts, has said the Year Of the Mammoth release schedule teased at the beginning of the year already “spoiled it.” I’m not sure what a bag of coins with the bottom ripped open means, but it must be important.
Though we can’t be certain about what the expansion will be, a few clues could lead smart theory crafters to a logical conclusion.
Year Of The Mammoth Teaser- This is still the main evidence we have, which is kind of disappointing. Examining the bag closely, we see a pile of gold with two amethysts and a zephyrite. Reddit user repadovrha believes this bag could mean the expansion will take place in High Mountain or the Broken Isles and will bring back the League Of Explorers. These dangerous locations would be perfect for Reno Jackson, Elise and Sir Finley to explore, possibly uncovering magical dilemmas along the way.
The French Innkeeper- On Wednesday morning, the French voice of the Innkeeper, Pierre-Alain De Garrigues, posted a video on his Twitter account voicing one of the cards in the next set. Like the voice actor who prefers not to be named that leaked Journey To Un’Goro in her resume, this video was taken down almost immediately, but the internet never forgets . We see a Kobold, member of a race of tunnel dwellers in Azeroth, who will use bombs and explosives in his effect. There are other a few other Kobold cards in Hearthstone , most from the basic set alongside Dirty Rat from Mean Streets Of Gadgetzan.
“Delve Deep”- In the announcement post for Blizzcon’s schedule, there are a few key choice words that stick out. In the “what’s next” part, it says players are going to “delve deep” in the next expansion, which could mean we’re going underground. The Kobolds are a race that exist entirely below the surface, using candles to light the way. It also mentions what’s “serving up next” but I doubt food is going to play a heavy role in Hearthstone’s next expansion.
I think the next expansion is going to focused on what lies underground, featuring tons of Kobolds and Troggs, trolls who belong with the rocks below. I’d love to ride through the caverns, avoid exploding volcanos and fight dormant elementals who are just waiting for a fight. The The League Of Explorers have been MIA for awhile now and this seems like a perfect time for them to come out of retirement. We’re going to have to wait until Blizzcon to find out for sure, and I’m so excited to be done with Knights Of The Frozen Throne’s awful meta.
What do you think the next expansion is going to be? Tell us in the comments.
