A New Hearthstone Adventure is Coming: The League of Explorers
Blizzard will release another round of unique solo challenges starting November 12.
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With The Grand Tournament well-established and the Grim Patron combo nerfed into oblivion, Blizzard is looking ahead with another solo adventure, this one titled The League of Explorers.
The new solo adventure will bring with it 45 new cards as well as the customary array of unique challenges that require players to think out of the box with their decks and strategies. It will be based on locations from World of WarCraft like the Temple of Osiris; and while Harrison Jones hasn't been confirmed as one of the characters, you have to imagine that Blizzard's Indiana Jones-a-like will pop up at some point.
Hearthpwn already has a list of several of the cards that will appear in the new deck, including Elise Starseeker - a legendary minion who can earn you access to the Golden Monkey, which has the potential to replace your hand and deck with Legendary minions. It's slow to the point of not really being useful, but it's one instance of Blizzard having some fun with the established Hearthstone formula.
The League of Explorers is Hearthstone's third solo adventures, the previous two being Curse of Naxxramas and Blackrock Mountain. Like the first two adventures, the League of Explorers will be released over the course of four weeks, with one new wing becoming available each week with the exception of Thanksgiving week.
Hearthstone's solo adventures have typically been well-received by fans and critics alike, with many of them praising the humorous writing - half the fun of Naxxramas is Kel'Thuzad breaking the fourth wall - and clever challenges. Essentially a boss rush, they force you to contend with unusually powerful characters like Loatheb, who has 99 health but summons spores that will give your minions +8 attack when killed. These challenges are great if you're the kind of who person who wants to play something other than the ladder.
What will be interesting to see is how well the new cards fit into the overall metagame. While Blackrock Mountain had its share of game changers - Grim Patron was a huge one - its cards didn't have nearly the stay power of those from Naxxramas. League of Explorers is Blizzard's chance to inject some variety into a competitive metagame that has at times verged on being stale.
The first wing will be available starting November 12. You can buy the entire adventure for a total of $20 or 700 gold.