Blizzard adding $10 hero skins to Hearthstone

Rumours of some new heroes for Hearthstone have been proved correct… in a way.

Blizzard has announced the first of what will likely be nine new heroes for the game – Magni Bronzebeard.

However, Magni won’t quite be a new hero in the sense many had hoped. He actually just serves as a new skin for the warrior class, replacing Garrosh Hellscream in appearance but not altering any of the gameplay mechanics or, crucially, the hero power (in this case adding two points of armour).

What players do get is an animated hero icon (normally reserved for those who have clocked 500+ wins with any one class), an animated hero power, new emotes and a new voiceover. The fundamentals remain unchanged, however.

There’s also the fact that Magni will cost $9.99, as presumably will future new heroes. Buyers will also receive a new card back.

While the idea of some new heroes with new powers was very exciting for the fanbase, working new abilities into a game that has for well over a year been developing around a set selection of nine abilities would have undoubtedly proved a tricky prospect for Blizzard. But still hopefully one we might see in the future.

Magni Bronzebeard has been listed as coming soon”.

Here’s the trailer: