To get ready for Hearthstone’s next expansion, Knights Of The Frozen Throne , Blizzard has been doing a ton of really weird promotions. From having Adam Savage from Mythbusters , company recreate the Lich King armor to setting up an Ice Cream Citadel at San Diego Comic-Con, the company that Azeroth built has been going crazy getting fans pumped. Journey To Un’Goro had a miniseries on YouTube, but The Lich King is getting that plus a comic book series and an ice cream store.
Knights Of The Frozen Throne is the first Hearthstone expansion to make its own lore. Mean Streets Of Gadgetzan added gang warfare to the goblin outpost, but it was still just a normal city in World Of Warcraft . Knights takes an entirely different approach, by rewriting the lore and killing everyone off. See, in the story of World Of Warcraft , the Lich King was defeated and the Frozen Throne remains sad without a death knight perched atop it’s icy seat. In the Hearthstone expansion, the Lich King manages to turn the nine heroes into Death Knights, which then do his bidding and take over Azeroth.
It’s a ballsy move on Blizzard’s part; taking the beloved (and sometimes despised) heroes and villains of Azeroth and morphing them into something new entirely. I feel connected to Rexxar and his Animal Companions after spending hours playing the Hunter class and earning its golden portraits. One part of my brain revels at the thought of killing him and being able to combine Beasts, while the other mourns the loss of a strong hero and a good friend.
Keeping this whole story “pretend” is Blizzard’s way of keeping their heroes safe and not undead. In the three comic book issues that have been released, we see the Pompous Thespian regaling the Tavern’s patrons with stories of the great heroes of Azeroth turning into Death Knights. They fall under the Lich King’s spell, either requiring more power, being consumed by rage or just by getting tricked. Rexxar wants to protect the animals in the land from rotting and dying, Uther wants to protect Jaina and Valeera just wants to use her new cool bone daggers.
Everyone at the Tavern is a Hearthstone card, like Bloodsail Corsair , who are tired of getting bossed around. These “minions” have had enough and want to be in charge for a change, so they are heading to the Frozen Throne to finally gain some recognition. They’ve heard that those who go there can become more powerful than they could possibly imagine. It’s fascinating to see these characters with only two in-game voice lines come alive, even if it’s just to slay a sharkbear.
Even though Hearthstone is a game heavily anchored in the World Of Warcraft mythos, the two rarely interject. Cards depicting the Old Gods and famous WoW bosses and heroes all started as inspiration from the MMO, but they have evolved to something even better. You don’t need to know the lore behind Prince Malchezaar to play him, but that added bit of knowledge adds a new level to the game.
I hope the people at Team 5 making Hearthstone pay attention to this and continue to add more flavor to Hearthstone . I want to know more about the other minions. What does Knife Juggler do when he isn’t risking his life? How does Leeroy Jenkins enjoy his herbal tea? And what makes Ysera dream so much?
