I've spent thousands of hours in Blizzard games, but Hearthstone isn't one of them. I was recently invited to Blizzard's 35th Anniversary celebrations, and somehow found myself part of the Hearthstone showcase despite having a total blindspot when it comes to it. I thought the worst as I sat down to my first game against another journalist, but luckily for me there were a few others there just as clueless as me (while some were impressively experienced and could reel off card stats like their phone numbers).
Regardless of experience level, we all had a great time. Hearthstone has a surprisingly addictive gameplay loop, and I took my time with my first game very, very seriously (Lewis from The Mirror, if you are reading this, we are due a rematch).
Today marks the first announcement of Hearthstone's next expansion, Cataclysm, which arrives on March 17, 2026.
Yep, "Cataclysm," the expansion that shattered World of Warcraft as we know it, is also now coming to Hearthstone but with its own twist.
