What does Blizzard have to offer this year?
It was at Gamescom 2013 where Blizzard presented Hearthstone to a wider audience for the first time and ever since then, our favorite card game has been a staple of Blizzard's Gamescom presence. Gamescom 2016, which started today, is no exception to this rule and offers plenty of Hearthstone content for visitors as well as viewers at home.
Those of you who are lucky enough to be in Cologne right now will have the opportunity to play a brand new, cooperative Tavern Brawl. "Nefarian Rises!" pits two players against a 200 HP boss, not unlike the previous Mechazod Brawls. The two classes are Priest and (Murloc!) Shaman, and the goal is, again, to destroy the boss before he KOs either player.
"Nefarian Rises!" marks the first time in Hearthstone's Gamescom history where the two players are not at odds with each other. While it seems like competitive decks with the remaining Karazhan cards should have been the obvious choice for this year's presentation, I can't say I didn't enjoy teaming up with someone else to play some PvE Hearthstone. It does, however, highlight the weakness of these kinds of Tavern Brawls; had my partner and me not been able to communicate effortlessly, we probably would not have won the match, which took well over 15 minutes. Whether or not "Nefarian Rises!" will be released as a "proper" Tavern Brawl remains to be seen.
Even without further One Night in Karazhan content, there is still plenty to see for the competitive Hearthstone player. From today through Sunday, Blizzard will host showmatches and livestreams, with players such as Thijs, Lothar and Hafu, on Twitch as well as their Youtube site.
For more info on Hearthstone content at Gamescom as well as Blizzard's other franchises (highlights include two new playable heroes for Heroes of the Storm and a new Overwatch map) and the streaming schedule, check out Blizzard's official Gamescom hub.
Are you attending Gamescom this year? Let us know below!
