The Lunar New Year starts on February 1, meaningBlizzard is unveiling their Chinese-themed events, mounts, and skins from across their games.Hearthstoneis joining in the fun as well, with several new skins themed after Pandaria and the August Celestials.
In theWorld of Warcraft, Pandaria is a China-themed continent featured in the 2012 expansionMists of Pandaria. The newHearthstoneskins call back to many characters, factions, and threats faced during the colorful expansion.
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The skins themselves feature reimaginings of several of the face characters for theplayable deck classes inHearthstone. Jade Serpent Thrall, Red Crane Jaina, and Black Ox Rexxar are themed after the August Celestials Yu’lon, Chi-Ji, and Niuzao respectively–three ofWarcraft’stake on the Four Gods of Chinese myth. An Old-God-corrupted Sha Illidan sees the iconic demon hunter overcome by the embodiments of negative emotion, while the Mogu’shan Gul’dan sees the warlock outfitted in armor of the antagonistic stone sentinels. Lastly, Xuen, the white tiger and final August Celestial, is available as an alternate Druid hero.
These new skins join the manyHearthstonehas offered in the past. Last year saw fourRomance of the Three Kingdomsskins released, with Diao Chan Valeera, Guan Yu Uther, Lu Bu Garrosh, and Zhuge Liang Anduin. Other Blizzard games are getting in on the Lunar New Year celebration as well, withnew skins inOverwatchand a flying water-elemental tiger mount inWorld of Warcraft.
Hearthstonefans are always glad to see new skins they can use to customize their decks and heroes, and these stunning skins are no different. The art, animations, and new voice lines allow players to breathe new life into their decks–for those willing to buy them in the cash shop–and the skins available during the Lunar New Year are always unique ideas of the highest quality.
Many fans wonder, however, if these skins could be a hint as to the future ofWorld of Warcraft. WithShadowlandswrapping up soon, speculation as to the nextWoWexpansion is running rampant. There has been some evidence that elements fromMists of Pandariacould play into the next expansion, leading many players to wonder if the strong connections to the August Celestials, Sha, and Mogu in these skins could be a clue. However, previous Lunar New Year cosmetics inHearthstonehave rarely hinted at anything upcoming inWorld of Warcraft, so it is unlikely to be the case this time either–especially in the face of mounting evidence of adragon-themed expansion coming toWorld of Warcraftnext.
Hearthstoneis currently available for Mobile and PC.
