After teasing it earlier today with a really cool cinematic trailer, Blizzard is now officially sharing more info about the upcoming Standard Year, ahead of the expansion’s launch reveal next week. The blog post contains A LOT of info, so I’ll try to summarize it the best I can:
Hearthstone Esports in 2025 – I’d like to say that we finally have a full Hearthstone esports announcement, but in reality it’s just another teaser. We’ve learned that “Two Seasonal Championships and the World Championship will make up the backbone of the competitive system”, but that was pretty much obvious already. More details and full rules “are coming soon”.
Evolving Game Board – Blizzard just shared what the new game boards will look like from now on. Instead of getting one each expansion, we’ll get a single board for a whole Standard year (in this case Year of the Raptor). The board represents all three expansions, but with each set’s launch, it will be slightly adjusted to better represent the tone/feel of that expansion.
Unleash the Raptor In-Game Event – A new in-game event is launching in the coming weeks, with rewards including card packs, random Epics, Tavern Tickets, Death Knight (?) skin, and new Event card called “Raptor Herald”. I assume that we’ll find out more in 31.6 Patch Notes.
Arena Revamp, Pets – We finally have some specific dates. Well, not exactly dates, but we can do some rough estimates based on patch numbers. And so, the promised Arena revamp should drop in Patch 32.2, so probably around late April/early May. Then pets (a cosmetic feature teased last year) should be releasing in Patch 32.4, so around May/June.
Patch Cycle Adjustments – Patch 32.2 in is REALLY stacked, with a new Battlegrounds Season, Arena revamp, as well as the mini-set all smashed together. Apparently, there will be no Patch 32.6 in that cycle – they removed it as a final adjustment of their patch schedule they’ve been doing over the last couple of years. It won’t affect the overall duration of the expansion. Things will go back to normal with Patch 33.X cycle.
Anyway, you can read more in the official blog post below:
It’s once again almost time to look to the great Hearthstone clock in the sky and count down the day until the new year of Hearthstone, a year that celebrate’s Hearthstone’s past and brings us into the future: the Year of the Raptor!
Welcome to the Year of the Raptor!
Happy new year and welcome to the Year of the Raptor! I’m excited to share a quick look at the roaring good time we have planned this year:
We have an amazing Hearthstone year ahead of us in 2025! Three great Hearthstone expansions, Mini-Sets, and Battlegrounds seasons will continue to make up the core Hearthstone experience and our primary focus for the year. The response to the Heroes of StarCraft Mini-Set has been amazing, and we’re excited to keep bringing fun new gameplay in all our releases this year.
To that end, the major Arena update that we’ve been working on since last year is almost here. This update will refresh one of the original Hearthstone experiences and welcome a whole new generation of Arena fans!
We’re also expanding our esports program this year, including competitors from China—where millions of fans returned to the Tavern last year, including our new reigning Masters Tour World Champion. Congratulations, mlYanming! With so many new competitors added to the Tavern, we’re bound to see some top-level play again this year.
Finally, we’re going to keep expanding our product range throughout the year, especially in cosmetics. That includes new Mythic skins, Signature cards, and the upcoming Pets, which will launch as part of a new way to get cosmetics into your hands. We’re excited to keep creating more offerings for those of you who enjoy personalizing your representation in the Tavern.
Personally, I’m dreaming about the next expansion—and I’m really looking forward to when Pets will be ready, too. I can’t wait for you all sink your teeth into the Year of the Raptor. Get ready, it all starts next week!
– Tyler Bielman, Hearthstone Game Director
Unleash the Raptor In-Game Event
The Year of the Raptor begins with our first expansion of the year: Into the Emerald Dream. The official expansion kick-off blog and the start of card reveal season are coming next week! To celebrate the new year, there will be a special in-game event in the weeks leading up to the expansion launch.
You’ll be able to complete the Event Track to earn The Great Dark Beyond Epic cards, cards and packs from Into the Emerald Dream, a new Raptor Herald card*, and more! Look for more details next week.
* Raptor Herald will be added to the special Event set and will be playable immediately upon earning. Raptor Herald is scheduled to stay in Standard until the 2026 Standard rotation.
New Year of the Raptor Evolving Game Board
A new Year of the Raptor board will be added to the Hearthstone game board pool with the launch of Into the Emerald Dream, and will appear more frequently than the other boards this entire year. This lush board represents all three expansions for the year, but with each individual expansion the lighting, music, and other components will change in tone and feel.
Core Set and Card Updates
This year’s Core Set update is specially curated to include a menagerie of old favorites—some of which have gotten some updates—and add a few brand new cards, too!
To make room for these updates, we’ve removed some stand-out cards from last year, including burst damage and some of the more frustrating effects. Prepare for the new year and Into the Emerald Dream reveal season by checking out all the details linked here:
In Patch 32.0, we will also have our usual Wild card reverts and some extra updates to cards from last year that are staying in Standard, to better set the stage for the new Standard year. We’ll have more information about those changes closer to when they go live.
Hearthstone Esports is Back and Bigger in 2025!
This year, our goal is to inspire and entertain players of all levels, all around the world. Two Seasonal Championships and the World Championship will make up the backbone of our competitive system. As we build out our team, another goal for the year is finding ways to get more players and fans to experience the thrill and joy of Hearthstone esports. It’s great to be back and I can’t wait for you to join me! Full competitive rules and more program details are coming soon.
– T.J. Sanders, Hearthstone Esports Consultant, Program Lead
Timing and Roadmap Updates
Last year, we teased some of what’s to come this year. Now, we have a few updates to share about the year ahead of us.
First, the Pre-Release Tavern Brawl will return for Into the Emerald Dream—and is planned to return for all three expansions this year. We’ve made some initial adjustments based on the feedback from the last event, and we’ll keep tuning it as we continue to refine this momentous in-game experience. More details on the specific Into the Emerald Dream iteration are coming soon.
Looking a little further down the line, we’ve been working hard on the Arena update we teased last year. As we refine and polish the experience, we’re happy to share that it’s currently scheduled to launch in Patch 32.2, the first major patch after the expansion. Look out for more information about Arena closer to when it goes live, too.
Speaking of Patch 32.2, it’s looking to be a huge one! It will include the usual major Battlegrounds Seasonal Update, the upcoming Arena revamp, and the Into the Emerald Dream Mini-Set. The Mini-Set will be coming one patch earlier than normal because we’ll also be kicking off the next expansion cycle one patch earlier, in Patch 32.4, and there will be no Patch 32.6. This is part of our multi-year effort to slightly adjust patch timing to better align our development and patch cycles. As we’ve talked about here, the overall Into the Emerald Dream expansion cycle will still have all the usual content beats (and then some) and will be about the same calendar length as previous expansion cycles like TITANS and Perils in Paradise. Patch 33.0 will return to our normal patch structure and cadence you’re used to.
We’ve covered a lot in this blog, so here’s a list of the upcoming plans mentioned in this blog. Mark your calendars and we’ll see you in the Tavern!
Patch 31.6:
Pre-Purchase Bundles available
Log in expansion preview card (details with set reveal kickoff next week)
Patch 32.0:
Card text adjustments (Wild reverts, Core Set card changes, Standard balance patch)
Pre-Release Tavern Brawl (Into the Emerald Dream cards playable within Brawl)
Individual card grants from Pre-Purchase Bundles are granted
Into the Emerald Dream cards playable in Arena
Into the Emerald Dream Achievements added
Expansion Launch:
All Into the Emerald Dream cards are playable and can be crafted as normal
Standard expansion rotation
Core Set card list updates
Year of the Raptor board added to the board rotation
New Rewards Track
Updated New and Returning Player Decklists
Updated in-client Deck Recipes
New expansion-based Daily and Weekly Quests added
Patch 32.2:
New Battlegrounds Season
New Arena
Into the Emerald Dream Mini-Set
Patch 32.4:
Next expansion kick-off, reveals, and pre-purchase period begins
A Hearthstone player and writer from Poland, Stonekeep has been in a love-hate relationship with Hearthstone since Closed Beta. Over that time, he has achieved many high Legend climbs and infinite Arena runs. He's the current admin of Hearthstone Top Decks.
