The Year of the Gryphon is bringing big changes to Hearthstone. During Blizzcon 2021, held virtually on Friday afternoon, the collectible card game's development team announced the upcoming expansion, Forged in the Barrens, adding to the already revealed Core Set that will replace the Classic and Basic sets, and the Hearthstone Classic mode.

As a reminder, Hearthstone Classic will give players the chance to experience the game as it was in its very first form when it launched back in 2014. This will include original versions of the cards and decks that helped make the game what it is today.

Forged in the Barrens, on the other hand, is the first Hearthstone expansion for the Year of the Gryphon, bringing in new legendary minions such as Shadow Hunter Zol'jin — who is free for all players who log into the game. While the expansion's release date has not been announced thus far, if history repeats itself, players should expect to get their hands on the full set in April.

The final bit of news that players received during the event's opening ceremony was a never-before-seen game mode coming soon. Titled Hearthstone Mercenaries, the game mode is unlike any players have experienced before. Acting as a rogue-like RPG, it is being billed as a primarily single-player mode where players battle through various challenges, gather equipment and level up before they reach the end of their adventure.

According to Hearthstone's development team, the game mode should come out during the first expansion cycle of the year.