Hearthstone Expansion Whispers of the Old Gods Confirmed

Following rampant rumors and accidental teases surrounding the next Hearthstone expansion, Blizzard today confirmed the title and details for the next addition to its popular collectible-card game.

Whispers of the Old Gods, announced during the Hearthstone America's Winter Championship, will add 134 news cards to the game, including the titular Old Gods from Warcraft lore: C'Thun, Y'Shaarj, Yogg-Saron, and N'Zoth. The expansion is set to launch sometime in late April or early May this year. And like the previous expansion, The Grand Tournament, a 50-card pack pre-order for Old Gods will be available for $50 and will include a special card back.

For an unspecified period following the game's launch, any players who log into Hearthstone will receive three Old Gods packs for free.

When players open their first Old Gods card pack, they also automatically receive two bonus cards, the Legendary rank C'Thun and an Occultist card that syngergizes with it in a unique way. The expansion will not include any new bold keyword abilities, but some cards will add extra power to C'Thun regardless of where he is in your deck.

When Old Gods launches, it will also bring the new detailed Standard and Wild game modes. Special quests will be available in Standard Mode that will reward players with Old Gods card packs, and Old Gods packs will be winnable in the Arena as well.

A patch coming sometime next week will introduce a user interface preview for players. In addition, the patch will bring an expanded number of deck slots as well as the previously revealed deck recipes mode.

We'll have even more details, including new card reveals and interviews with the creators of the game, going up later today!