Hearthstone’s Year of the Hydra kicks off with core set updates and more

Hearthstone kickstarting yet another year with the Year of the Hydra which drops on April 12 with the launch of Voyage to the Sunken City.

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Hearthstone is back to kickstart yet another epic event with the Year of the Hydra. As we bid farewell to the Year of the Gryphon, we prepare for he next best thing. The Year of the Hydra drops on April 12 with the launch of Voyage to the Sunken City. The free core set now grows to 250 cards, with 72 returning and adjusted cards rotating in–including classics such as Reno Jackson and Wild Pyromancer.

Check out the trailer here:

The Year of the Hydra is all about providing fresh new content and updates for the already established modes with a renewed focus on sustainability and optimization. Players can expect new quality-of-life features and other improvements, such as being able to equip a random hero skin, in-game reporting, and an overall emphasis on client-performance improvements.

Here are a few more features to expect:

  • The Year of the Hydra will kick off when Voyage to the Sunken City launches on April 12 and set rotation takes place—sending Ashes of Outland, Scholomance Academy, and Madness at the Darkmoon Faire to Wild. 
  • After set rotation, the Standard card pool will include Forged in the Barrens, United in Stormwind, Fractured in Alterac Valley, Voyage to the Sunken City, and the Core set. 
  • Updates for the Core set will go live alongside set rotation in a shakeup that rotates out 57 cards and brings in 72, for a new total of 250 total cards in Core—15 more than last year. These new additions are made up of returning cards, although some have been adjusted for the modern game.
  • Cards of note returning to the Core set are the original League of Explorers: Reno Jackson, Brann Bronzebeard, Elise Starseeker, and Sir Finley Mrrgglton. Other returning favorites include Voidwalker, Wild Pyromancer, Acolyte of Pain, Mossy Horror, Cloaked Huntress, and Fandral Staghelm. 

That’s on top of the usual three card sets and a mountain of planned new content for Battlegrounds, Mercenaries, and more.

Hearthstone is available on mobile via Android and iOS, PC via Microsoft Windows, and macOS.