As part of Hearthstone’s new expansion reveal, the game is introducing two new types of cosmetics: Legendary Hero Skins (portrait frames made fancier!) and Signature cards, which seem to be a much better take on the weirdly-looking Diamond cards. Let’s take a closer look!

Legendary Hero Skins

Portrait frames just got an upgrade and are now available in a whole new dimension! Here’s a breakdown of what these new skins are all about:

  • Each skin is fully animated in 3D and responds to in-game actions with special animations. These can, for example, be triggered when attacking, playing minions, casting spells and emoting.
  • The skins come with unique hero trays, which (judging by the example below) are more gilded than ever before.
  • New voicelines will accompany every one of these fancy portrait frames.

The first (and currently, only) Legendary Hero Skin we know about is Arthas Menethil and he will be available for pre-purchase as part of the Arthas Menethil Bundle starting November 8th. It’s worth noting this is a Death Knight portrait frame, meaning it won’t be usable until the new class becoming playable when March of the Lich King launches on December 6th.

The bundle will be available for purchase for a while after the expansion launches, so there’s plenty of time to decide if you want to to become old-school Arthas or not!

Signature Cards

Signature cards are an additional tier of ‘cosmetic power’ that regular, playable cards can have. As pictured below, these cards’ art stretches over the entire card and the tones used depend on the expansion they’re from! Here’s what you need to know:

  • For March of the Lich King, all Signature cards will look icy, but future expansions’ Signature cards will have a different style. Card frames may also change on a per-expansion basis.
  • Signature cards can’t be crafted, nor can they be disenchanted.
  • They can only be found in packs or earned through special means (probably as part of seasonal events, promotions and shop bundles).
  • March of the Lich King will debut 18 Signature cards, 15 of them being of Legendary quality.
  • Two of these will be available on the Tavern pass.
  • The three non-legendary cards will be earnable for free as part of an event on expansion launch.

Going deeper into exactly where these cards drop from:

  • Standard packs
  • Class packs
  • March of the Lich King Packs
  • March of the Lich King Signature Golden Packs (new pack type)

Additionally, the upcoming expansions’ Mega Bundle will also grant 2 random Signature Legendary cards and 5 March of the Lich King Signature Golden Packs. Signature Golden Packs will also replace Golden Packs in the in-game shops for all future expansions.

 

Although it was showcased this way during the expansion reveal, keep in mind that Lor'themar Theron is a Neutral minion, and therefore it doesn't have the three Unholy Rune this card version it currently displays!

The Signature Golden Pack

The new Signature Golden Pack, while slightly convoluted in its naming, doesn’t automatically guarantee you’ll get a Signature card from it. Here are the odds you’re up against when opening a Signature Golden Pack:

  • On average, you’ll get one Signature Legendary card every 7 packs you open.
  • On average, you’ll get one Golden Legendary card every 20 packs you open.
  • On average, you’ll get one Golden Epic card every 5 packs you open.

So, while not an easy grind, you will be able to get Signature cards relatively consistently from opening Signature Golden packs, and will make attaining Legendary cards easier if you choose to go this route.

There’s still more information to comb through as part of Hearthstone’s March of the Lich King reveal! Keep refreshing for new posts!