by JR Cook - 1 month ago     show comments

Hearthstone’s next expansion, Escape from Violet Hold, drops on July 7 with 135 new cards that bend the game’s rules in some wild ways. Patch 36.0 launches June 30 and kicks off the Pre-Release Tavern Brawl a full week early, giving you a chance to crack packs and test out the new mechanics before the official launch. This is shaping up to be one of the more interesting sets we’ve seen in a while, especially with the new Prepare keyword and Legendary Rulebreaker minions for every class.

The big news is that Blizzard has added Signature Vanessa the Ringleader to the Mega Bundle at no extra cost. If you already bought the bundle and logged in between June 2 and June 18, you’ll get the card automatically within 24 hours. If you haven’t logged in yet, make sure to do so before Patch 36.0 on June 30 to claim it. Vanessa is seeing a ton of play right now, and the fact that she generates Signature cards when available (and Golden cards otherwise) makes this a pretty solid bonus.

Pre-Release Tavern Brawl Gets a Format Overhaul

The Pre-Release Tavern Brawl is getting a major format change this time around. You’ll build decks using only cards from Escape from Violet Hold with no class or rune restrictions, which should lead to some creative deckbuilding. Everyone starts with free trial copies of all Common cards from the set, so you can experiment even if you haven’t opened packs yet. These trial cards stick around from June 30 at 10:00 a.m. PDT until the expansion launches on July 7, after which they’re removed from your collection.

Blizzard is adding two new achievements for the Pre-Release Brawl. The first, Escape from Violet Hold Pre-Release Champion, rewards you with 2 Tavern Tickets and 1 pack for finishing a run with 6 wins. The second, Escape from Violet Hold Pre-Release Pro, is tougher—finish a run without losing a single game and you’ll earn the Jailbreak Brawler card back plus 2 Tavern Tickets. Your first entry is free, then each additional run costs 2 Tavern Tickets, 300 Gold, or 400 Runestones. If you’re grinding for cards before launch, a quality Razer BlackShark V2 X Gaming Headset keeps you focused during those marathon brawl sessions.

Arena Season Rotates and New Legend Reward Arrives

All ongoing Arena runs end on June 30 when the new season starts. The card pool will include Escape from Violet Hold (a week before the expansion officially launches), Across the Timeways, Whizbang’s Workshop, Festival of Legends, Murder at Castle Nathria, Core Set, and the Event Set. Arena rewards are getting a refresh too—hitting 12 wins in Underground now earns you the Nefarious Nemsy Hero Skin. After you unlock it, any subsequent 12-win runs will give you 2 Golden Escape from Violet Hold packs instead.

There’s also a new Legend reward for Year of the Scarab players. The existing “Myth of the Scarab” achievement now grants the Eternal Scarab card back when you reach Legend rank six unique times during the year. If you’ve already completed the achievement, just visit the achievement page to claim your reward. Between the new Rewards Track, deck recipes for each class, and Community Days events kicking off alongside the Pre-Release Brawl, there’s plenty to keep you busy heading into July 7.

Source: Hearthstone Official Site