Hearthstone: Ashes of Outland Release Date, Gameplay, Trailer, Story, and News

Blizzard has confirmed that Hearthstone’s next expansion is a Burning Crusade-inspired game-changer called Ashes of Outland. 

“Ashes of Outland, Hearthstone’s next expansion and the first in the Year of the Phoenix, brings Blizzard’s smash-hit digital card game to the shattered and war-torn world of 2007’s World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade,” Blizzard said in a press release. “The legendary Illidan Stormrage, self-proclaimed Lord of Outland, stands along with his cabal of Demon Hunters against the hazards of this broken world. Gangs of raiders and demons scour the land clad in scrap iron armor, assailing the scattered pockets of civilization—including those taking refuge in the slums of the once-proud Shattrath City.”

The fact that Blizzard is turning to The Burning Crusade for this next Hearthstone expansion is fascinating. Not only is Burning Crusade considered to be one of the best World of Warcraft expansions ever, but it’s also rumored to be the next major update for WoW Classic after that game’s current content run has expired. 

The release of Ashes of Outland will also see the arrival of Hearthstone’s Demon Hunter Class. Furthermore, it will mark the debut of a series of sweeping changes to the game which will vastly improve Hearthstone’s consumer friendliness and content offerings. The expansion itself will also feature the usual array of new cards as well as new mechanics. 

While we went hands-on with the new expansion, the Demon Hunter class, and many of the new cards, we can’t share details regarding all of the new cards just yet, but we can say that each class (aside from the Demon Hunter class) will get new Legendary class cards known as Primes. Primes assume one form when you first play them but re-shuffle into your deck as a more powerful version of themselves when they are destroyed. Some of these cards will just benefit from increased stats while others will return with new effects. 

On top of that, Ashes of Outland will introduce a new kind of minion known as Imprisoned Demons. These demons will be “dormant” for two turns after you play them and will unleash powerful effects after they awaken. Having played with some of these new cards, I can tell you that they are absolute game-changers. 

Here’s everything else you need to know about Hearthstone‘s Ashes of Outland expansion:

Hearthstone: Ashes of Outland Release Date

Ashes of Outland launches on April 7th. You’ll be able to pre-purchase Ashes of Outland card packs before that time. Bundles of those cards will grant you access to bonuses such as a new card back, a random golden legendary card, and a new Shaman hero (Lady Vashj) for those who purchase the Mega Bundle. Additionally, all players will automatically receive the new legendary card Kael’thas Sunstrider starting on March 17. 

Hearthstone: Ashes of Outland Gameplay

We went hands-on with the Demon Hunter class at a Blizzard press event in February. You can check out all of our gameplay impressions right here!

Hearthstone: Ashes of Outland Trailer

Here’s the announcement trailer for Ashes of Outland: