So after teasing us about it for over a month and releasing the cards we can win in it, Blizzard released their single-player expansion for Hearthstone two days ago; starting with the first of the five wings – The Arachnid Quarter. Awful lot of webs and squishy eggsacs in this part of the crypt.

I played through the 3 bosses of the wing one after the other during a livestream on the station’s Twitch channel. And my opinion is that Blizzard knows how to code challenging NPC battles. not perfect ones but certainly challenging and enjoyable battles.

Each one of the 3 bosses has a deck made up of the new cards (including some that weren’t spoiled before Naxxramas’ release) and some of the old familiars regular players will be familiar with. As a warning though – don’t expect the same deck restrictions imposed on the regular player to mean anything to the NPC bosses. They can and probably will have more than 2 of a card in their decks; and will always go second meaning they get the coveted Coin card. Playing them is an interesting way to learn how well you can use the newly added cards and ways you can play them for maximum effectiveness.

Each boss comes with their own special ‘hero power’. Anub’Rekhan has a 2-cost that summons a 3/1 minion to the field, Maexxna has a 3-cost that can put a minion back in your hand (similar to the Rogue card Sap) and Grand Widow Faerlina… well, her 2-cost ability rains down as many 1-damage fireballs as you have cards in your hand at the time. Beware that one, it can cause utter devastation. Expect to play each boss a number of times before you win, as they are all fairly tough even at the ‘normal’ skill level; while Heroic just ramps them up to ridiculously hard levels. It is possible to win each though with a decent deck, strategy and a little luck of the draw.

The two Hero challenges unlocked after making it through the three bosses are Rogue and Druid, Rogue being a battle against Maexxna with a pre-constructed Rogue deck and the Druid against Faerlina with a pre-made Druid deck. Both are difficult and if you thought either boss was hard using a deck you’re comfortable with, this just ups the level of difficulty tremendously.

Naxxramas has opened with a bang, presenting us with more of the gameplay we know and love from Hearthstone but presenting us with new challenging opponents to have them against. The balance might not be perfect in my opinion, but it is worth it when you win a match you’ve already failed at ten times previously. Can’t wait for the Plague Quarter next week.