Hearthstone Mini-Expansion Comes Next Week, Offers 66 Cards For One Price

When Forged in the Barrens launched, Blizzard told Hearthstone fans that additional "mini-sets" would be coming down the line adding new cards in a one-package sale. The first such add-on was officially announced today, and it arrives one week from now:

⛰ Your next adventure in the Barrens await!

Gather your wits and allies for the infamous dungeon and new Forged in the Barrens Mini-Set, launching June 3!

Card reveals start tomorrow. 👀 pic.twitter.com/oVadZHeelo

— Hearthstone (@PlayHearthstone) May 27, 2021

As the follow-up tweet says, the set will contain 66 cards and be available for a one-time purchase of $15 or 2000 Gold. 35 of the cards will also be available from Forged in the Barrens packs. It's the first time Hearthstone has offered this many cards for a single purchase and without any gameplay strings attached. It's cheaper than the play-to-unlock-cards approach of the game's earliest "bonus" sets, and also contains more cards, so it's a great deal, right?

Surprisingly, reaction to the set seems to be positive. I say "surprisingly" only because any variation from how a game sells its product is typically met with disdain and skepticism, but in this case, players' wishes for less randomization in card packs -- or at least a hybrid model -- seem to be fulfilled. It will be interesting to see if Blizzard keeps this model going forward, seeing as how it leans away from the "loot box" paradigm that's served it so well for so long.