Hearthstone expansion reveal stream scheduled for July 1

Hearthstone fans have spent the past few months in-game forging through the Barrens, the home of the Horde. But now, it looks like the next adventure in Azeroth might be heavily themed around World of Warcraft’s other faction, the Alliance.

Blizzard released a trailer today for the upcoming Hearthstone expansion that shows a band of what appears to be Stormwind soldiers holding their Alliance-branded shields at the ready. The soldiers stand at attention stamping their spears into the ground while the Alliance banner falls and flows behind them. The trailer then teased a reveal stream for July 1 at 11:30am CT.

Thanks to a blog post that went up simultaneously alongside the trailer, we know that this reveal stream will be for Hearthstone’s next expansion. Players will hear from lead designer Alec Dawson as he gives the lowdown on what to expect for the future of Hearthstone. Afterward, more members of the Hearthstone team will join Dawson in a showcase of the upcoming set.

The blog post also included a tidbit about Hearthstone Mercenaries. In short, the team said they need more time to work on the mode and that fans can expect a dedicated Hearthstone Mercenaries stream with more details this fall. In the meantime, it looks like players will have more than enough Hearthstone to keep their attention with anticipation for the upcoming expansion.

Based on what we know about the trailer, it looks like we can thematically expect this expansion to be heavily influenced by the Alliance. Hearthstone’s Forged in the Barrens expansion takes place in Kalimdor alongside the Horde. It wouldn’t be surprising to see this expansion themed around somewhere in the Eastern Kingdoms, the home of the Alliance.

You can check out the official Hearthstone Twitch or YouTube channel later this week to learn about the expansion for yourself when it’s revealed.