Hearthstone Devs Talk The Great Dark Beyond Expansion

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As a longtime fan of Blizzard Entertainment and Hearthstone, I must say it’s truly an honor to have had the opportunity to chat with Leo and Mason about the latest expansion, Starcraft: Invasion. With their combined years of experience in game design and passion for the Starcraft universe, they’ve managed to create something truly special that has left me eagerly anticipating its release.

The Hearthstone: The Great Dark Beyond expansion focuses on the Draenei race’s sorrowful exile from Argus and their space voyage, which is vividly depicted through the new gameplay mechanics introduced in this expansion. A variety of fresh Draenei minion cards embody the race’s optimism by emphasizing forward-looking interactions, while the starship mechanic in this Hearthstone expansion encourages players to blend cards and construct potent class-specific starships.

Game Rant sat down with Hearthstone senior game designer Leo Robles Gonzalez and senior VFX artist Luke Mason to discuss the latest expansion’s development process. They weighed in on the importance of creating Draenei cards that authentically reflected the race’s identity, how they designed spacecraft without leaning too heavily into sci-fi, and how the new cards fit into Hearthstone decks of various playstyles. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

How Hearthstone Expresses Draenei Identity Through Cards

Question: Could you share some insights about the genesis of the concept behind The Great Dark Beyond, specifically focusing on the Draenei’s exile into the cosmos? What did the early brainstorming sessions look like for this expansion?

Initially, before diving into the actual design process for the set, during the stage where we were deciding on the overall theme, we had a comprehensive approach, or rather a collection of factors, to help us choose the theme we ultimately selected.

One aspect we strive to focus on is taking player feedback seriously, conducting surveys, and experimenting with a variety of fundamental concepts to determine their popularity. This led us to explore several ideas under the concept of The Great Dark Beyond, focusing on more general themes like, “Shall we venture into space? Shall we journey to the moon? Shall we battle some supernatural entities.

After gathering various pieces from diverse sources, we realized, “Wow, this is fascinating!” Players seem to appreciate these specific aspects, and we identified the common thread tying it all together: the ominous realm known as the Great Dark Beyond. This tale revolves around the Draenei’s betrayal by Kil’jaeden and Archimonde, leading some of them to join the Burning Legion. Consequently, Argus was severely damaged, prompting their search for a new refuge.

In my opinion, the main point I aimed to convey through this expansion is that the specifics of Draenei’s space voyage – the gaps between Argus, Draenor, and Draenor to Azeroth – are not clearly detailed in existing Warcraft lore. Instead, it’s often summarized as “they traveled for thousands of years, then landed, then traveled again for thousands of years and landed.” I wanted this series to offer a glimpse into what could have transpired during those uncharted periods.

Some of our game participants have knowledge about events on Argus, Draenor, and Azeroth. Others do not, which is why certain significant characters from these narratives appear in the collection. However, I aimed to create this as a peek into the cosmic landscape of Warcraft.

Mason: What makes the Draenei particularly fascinating from a visual perspective is the variety of roles each character can play. The classes delve deeper into this diversity. For instance, Shamans like Farseer Nobundo act as navigators, while Mages specialize in Arcanite crystal magic. Warriors fall under the Vindicator category, and there are numerous other examples. This basic Draenei concept is expanded upon with additional layers, mirroring the diverse starships they utilize across galaxies. It was an exciting, exploratory process to further flesh out these details.

As a game designer working on Hearthstone, I found crafting the Draenei race’s distinct personality to be an exciting challenge. To truly capture their unique essence, I focused on emphasizing their noble spirit, resilience, and deep connection with the Light. This was reflected in their card designs by showcasing heroic moments, symbolizing their unyielding determination, and highlighting the sacred bond between them and the divine forces they serve.

Gonzalez: Discussing that topic would be most appropriate with the recently introduced Draenei Minion type. This new minion category is part of our upcoming set, and I find myself in a quandary regarding when to discuss what we’ve already shipped versus its origin. I’d like to cover both aspects, but I’m a bit concerned about maintaining the right pace in my explanation.

As a fan, I ponder over each Minion type we create, understanding there are numerous aspects to take into account. Thinking ahead, we aim for Minion types that hold relevance in the grand scheme of things. The Undead, for instance, is an excellent illustration; they’re omnipresent across various realms due to their prominent presence in the Warcraft universe. On the other hand, Draenei is a known quantity – a beloved playable race in World of Warcraft that ticks that box.

Reflecting on it now, Nagas stood out as an exceptional illustration – they were the initial minion type to have a strong emphasis on spells. When considering Draenei, the choice of minion type didn’t stem from a deliberate intention to make them into minions. Instead, we knew that Draenei would play a crucial role in the expansion. Through various tests of different mechanics, we experimented with these Zodiac-themed minions and found that they resonated well with the Draenei concept.

One example was the Celestial Bull, which had a Battlecry: “The next Celestial Bull you play gains blank.” We tested that, and it was like, “Oh, this is really fun.” One of the designers I work with was like, “I want to see this pushed further and made bigger,” so we thought, let’s do it as a minion type. What minion type should we use? Draenei—it fits perfectly.

In essence, the Draenei are characterized by an overwhelming sense of hope. This isn’t just a surface-level observation—their narrative is deeply tragic. Their home planet was destroyed, leaving them adrift in space with no clear destination. Yet they persevere, striving to survive and find a new place to call home.

A: To start with the design of this card set, was there a key card that served as the basis for your approach?

Gonzalez: When considering a new expansion’s theme, I always keep in mind that we want something fresh and distinct – something that sets it apart from our previous work, yet still offers cohesion across the entire card set. The theme should provide a unique spin for each class, showcasing their individual strengths while introducing something completely novel to them as well.

It seems to me that with ample room for exploration, this collection appears to have two primary themes. One focuses on the Draenei’s struggle against the Burning Legion, while the other delves into the realm of space. These themes are chock-full of content that we haven’t previously ventured into. Sure, we’ve encountered the Draenei and demons before, and there was a hint of space in the Titan set, but we’ve never gone as deeply into these areas as we plan to now.

The example I love bringing up is Kil’jaeden and Archimonde. These are two super well-known Warcraft characters that a lot of people love, but they just haven’t been in a Hearthstone card set. It’s been, like, 10 years, right? We finally got them! I think if that is just the first step of, “We got to have those characters in,” there’s so much more to pull from. All the five Exarchs of the Draenei are individual, unique characters. One of my personal favorites is Ascara, the Priest Legendary. There’s a really cool story behind that character—basically sacrificing herself so her entire race could escape the Burning Legion.

Mason: From an artistic perspective, we discovered numerous instances where transforming extensive concepts into a minion or spell illustration demanded that we make it evident, even at first glance, that the depiction is not set on Azeroth, Argus, or any other world players commonly recognize.

One creative idea the artists developed was designing stunning, vividly colored landscapes. The skies are bursting with intensity, and the flora exhibits peculiar forms. New alien species await discovery. In the vast expanse of the Great Dark Beyond, these vibrant star explosions can be seen. Instead of a monotonous black background, there’s now a lively, almost cartoonish aesthetic that conveys our unique interpretation of space, much like the style in the game Hearthstone.

How do you ensure that each card in a deck is unique and easily identifiable during gameplay, yet still cohesive with the overall theme of the art?

Mason: In this case, there are many Draenei and also hints of the Burning Legion. I believe it often boils down to the class characteristics I mentioned earlier. Many of the various spacecraft do a fantastic job showcasing these different classes’ traits. My top pick is the Druid starship.

The concept artist depicted the Draenei as having a profound interest in preserving their history and lore. This was illustrated by a colossal crystal ship adorned with reams of runic Draenei script, which spilled over the ship’s exterior. Intriguingly, arcane magic is always recording events as they happen, a practice that has persisted for millennia and significantly influences the overall visual style.

You can see this across all of them. The Death Knight has this really cool, skull-themed, very ominous look that’s distinct from the Burning Legion. The Burning Legion, of course, is something players are familiar with, so we could reference what Warcraft did, with the cool fel thrusters coming out of it.

To ensure consistency in our starship mechanics, we needed to unify various starships into a coherent system. From the outset, we realized that creating unique visuals for every class would be impractical, so our focus was on striking the right balance. For instance, visual elements such as Draenei language or holy magic should not be present in the Burning Legion’s starship designs.

We wanted the classes that use those elements to retain them. We opted for a more digitized look that seemed generic enough, but as we went in that direction, we realized it wasn’t really feeling like Hearthstone. We have such a strong fantasy influence that we couldn’t just throw 8-bit pixels over everything and call it a space expansion. It felt almost too Sci-Fi.

Leo played a crucial role in revealing the overarching concept of ‘cosmic enchantment’ to me, which is common among them. We are now fully embracing this—in our previous expansion, Titans subtly hinted at it, but now it takes center stage. We’re incorporating unique symbols into our game board, racing towards light speed with all those classic science fiction themes. It required extensive research, selecting what resonated, establishing a fresh aesthetic standard, and then harmoniously blending everything together to create a symphony of visual appeal.

Getting Starships Right In Hearthstone’s Great Dark Beyond Expansion

It seems quite tricky to avoid veering towards science fiction while illustrating fantastical space voyages. Could you share your strategy for maintaining this balance?

Gonzalez: What I enjoy discussing is the history behind Starship’s beginnings as it has a fascinating origin story. In fact, our work on what would eventually evolve into Starship initially took place within the mini-set for Whizbang’s Workshop. Now, if you happen to remember way back when in Whispers of the Old Gods, there were those C’Thun decks where you had a massive Old God card in your deck that you would boost and then play. It was a thrilling moment – truly exciting! One of my favorite decks from the past, and I believe many players share the same sentiment.

At Whizbang’s Workshop, while we were designing the mini-set, the initial concept revolved around toys with an evil or misfit theme. As we delved into this, one idea I attempted to visualize was constructing a toy representation of C’Thun. The cultists that enhance C’Thun in this design would be tiny toys that could be attached to the C’Thulhu toy itself, resulting in a colossal toy composition.

The early prototypes we tested weren’t satisfactory; they weren’t ready for release. They came with a lot of problems that needed addressing, yet there was an essential element about the concept that felt genuinely engaging. Our design team found themselves drawn to this idea. We knew it had great potential, but unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to develop it at that moment. Since mini-sets consist of fewer cards and less content, we weren’t confident in delivering a quality product then. Therefore, we decided to put it on hold temporarily.

After taking a brief break, I resumed the session, gathering all components, and declared, “Alright, let’s reimagine this as a massive spaceship construction. Let’s pick up from where we left off.” That small interlude was instrumental in our progress. It significantly facilitated the launch of these starships, ensuring a delightful experience for players. The project required an extensive collaboration between various teams, with the design phase being particularly challenging, followed closely by the engineering tasks. I’d say the design work was beyond typical, and the engineering effort was undoubtedly more than usual as well. For visual effects and artwork, it was likely comparable.

Mason: It was incredibly interdisciplinary, which turned out to be quite enjoyable. For instance, when we discovered that space magic was effective in certain areas, it led us to design the appearance of starships. We had numerous design choices to weigh in on. One option that caught our eye combined stained-glass motifs into the wings, making us think, “Wow, this is fitting well. This concept worked elsewhere as well; let’s apply it here.

As we delved deeper into it, it seemed to provide more insights and spark creative thoughts from diverse sources. I’m thrilled with it, particularly because a key term that is vital in our context, stands out so clearly within its structure.

Q: How did you approach making the Starship mechanic mesh with the playstyles of each class?

Gonzalez: When we purposefully chose which classes would receive starships, there were numerous factors to take into account. To begin with, one might wonder why not all classes? Why only six? If I’m honest, I’d prefer it if every class could have a starship, but the design of starships and their components is incredibly challenging. In essence, the design space for engaging starship pieces is narrower than one might initially assume. The most appealing aspect of starships lies in the combinatorics, but we must also ensure that the combination of the two class pieces results in the most thrilling outcome, while still remaining relevant to neutral pieces.

Additionally, it’s essential to think about the unique selling point or advantage when you use a starship token. Playing a starship by itself might not provide much excitement because the real fun lies in combining cards. From the early stages of design, we understood that starships would likely only be assigned to approximately half of the classes, leaving us with many decisions about which ones should receive them.

Initially, we pondered incorporating a fantasy element, as not all classes would receive starships. To compensate for this, we opted to design Draenei-specific decks for the other non-starship-receiving classes in our collection. Subsequently, we deliberated which classes seemed most aligned with the Draenei’s fantasy. The intuitive choices were Priests, Paladins, and Mages.

Another thing we had to think about was play style. Some classes like to play slower, and some prefer a faster pace. In some cases, we went against the grain and gave a faster class a starship, while with others we went with the grain. A good example is Warlock. They’ve had their fair share of slow control decks, so giving them a starship felt right. It just made sense, and narratively, they were the ones who got the Legion starship that Luke was talking about—the one that’s very visually different. That thematic idea really resonated with all of us.

From another perspective, it’s not common for Rogue decks to be slow. When they are slow, it’s usually because they’re combo-oriented decks, aren’t they? Generally, they tend to be quick and offensive in nature.

It was intriguing to provide them with a mechanic that inherently leans towards a more leisurely playstyle, given that Rogues are known for their burgling and theft from other classes. I found it amusing to bestow upon them a starship that had been stolen (burgled). Not only did this make the gameplay enjoyable, but it also significantly reduced our design time as we didn’t have to create as many unique items specifically for Rogues. The unique aspect about theirs was blending elements from various classes and reimagining the original designs in a new context. This resulted in a more deliberate strategy for Rogues that offered a fresh, distinct twist, which I found quite appealing.

A: What are some advantages of using Draenei minion cards, and what strategies could opponents use to challenge them?

User: I believe the primary advantage of Draenei lies in the reassuring feeling discussed earlier. When I play my Draenei character, it guarantees that a specific benefit will occur as promised, such as Rush being activated. Unlike cards from the past that required controlling a Murloc or Undead to trigger an effect, Draenei’s abilities offer a sense of certainty and reliability without any extra conditions or hurdles.

As a gamer, I find that mastering the Draenei requires a strategic approach, carefully timing each move and anticipating future plays. It’s all about making the best out of what you’ve got. I must admit, Draenei decks can be deceiving at first glance. When it comes to minion-focused decks, there’s an instinctive urge to pack them all into your deck, hoping for a perfect synergy—yippee! However, I’ve learned that many Draenei decks operate differently. They demand a more calculated and thoughtful approach to build and play.

Example: A Draenei Priest with Askara’s war cry summons the next Draenei character you play, but you want to carefully choose which Draenei to include because some of the cheaper ones might not be as effective and could clutter your playing field. The process of selecting these characters for your deck is quite intriguing.

I think the counterplay aspect is also important. Going back to that Rush example: If I play that card that says the next Draenei I play is going to get Rush, as the opponent, I’m like, “Okay, that’s gonna happen. Do I really want to play these minions that I was going to play this turn, or should I reevaluate and try to do something else?”

It’s advantageous for both parties that the outcomes are somewhat apparent, making it quite intriguing. While the benefits differ significantly, the seamless flow of the gameplay is noticeable.

Q: Do you have favorite cards from this set that stand out to you for any reason?

Mason: Among all the cards, what really caught my eye, purely from a visual aspect, was the Ceaseless Expanse. This card had a 100-mana cost, and when we first encountered it in the spreadsheet, we were all taken aback, almost saying, “Hold on, I’ve never seen three digits for a mana cost before. How are we supposed to use this?

As a devoted admirer of spectacular visuals, I often adjust the grandeur of our effects according to the mana cost. For instance, initial one-cost legends boast more understated visuals – think small victories – but as the mana cost escalates, the visuals should reflect an impressive payoff, mirroring the excitement that’s been brewing throughout the game. However, when it comes to a 100-mana card, this is one of the rare instances where we exclaim, “It’s time to go bigger,” not tone things down.

To create an impression of a grand spectacle, we pondered over various options, such as causing the entire board to collapse when “Ceaseless Expanse” is played. Implementing this concept was quite complex. The moment “Ceaseless Expanse” enters the game, it becomes the center of attention, and we aimed to emphasize its impact. Initially, we considered a hand reaching in from beyond the board, but due to time constraints, we had to abandon that idea.

However, it’s my belief that Ceasless Expanse truly deserved its place among the top-ranked card animations of all time.

Gonzalez: Not only do I highly favor “Ceaseless Expanse”, it appears the community feels the same way. Aside from that, I have two additional suggestions. Firstly, an obvious choice would be Kil’jaeden, a character longed for by many in Hearthstone. The effects we’ve designed for him seem spot-on to me. One aspect I particularly appreciate, especially given the Sargeras titan we’ve created, is my fondness for demons that exude an air of inevitability. I believe this offers a unique and intriguing space to delve into when defining the demon minion type.

In reference to Kil’jaeden, your deck transforms into an endless portal, preventing fatigue, and the demons continue to grow larger – this card truly embodies that concept. Another favorite of mine is Uluu, the Everdrifter, a massive turtle-like creature floating in space with a planet on its back. Each turn, it randomly combines two valid Choose One options from the format and presents you with a choice between them.

I can’t explain where that card originated, but I find it absolutely amusing. It tickles my funny bone. Occasionally, its humor reaches a peak, but even the simple act of watching the “Choose One” options change with each turn consistently brings a smile to my face.

Q: Any final thoughts you’d like to share?

Gonzalez: I don’t have any groundbreaking surprises, but I want to express my gratitude to everyone eagerly awaiting this performance. The warm welcome has been incredibly touching and inspiring for me personally. I know the team put in a lot of effort into this project, and it’s thrilling to see it finally launch.

It seems I can only offer one suggestion for rephrasing: Perhaps the key point is that currently, there’s an event called “Tavern Brawl” available, where you can open packs and start playing earlier. I recommend you take a look at it. Apart from that, thank you.

Mason agrees wholeheartedly. Leo has been fantastic as the set leader, offering a delightful blend of unexpected elements outside our typical fantasy genre. It’s been a refreshing change, and we’re thoroughly enjoying it! We’re thrilled with everything we’ve accomplished so far and eagerly anticipate what lies ahead in the future.

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2024-11-15 14:25