So, it’s been a while since Mojang released the snapshots that precede a full new patch release for the game, but the time has finally come again.

1.9 is called the Combat Update and already we know that a lot of things that will be added to or overhauled this time round have to do with the combat and PvP elements of the game. This snapshot though introduces some very early versions of the things that mostly don’t though.

The two main features of this snapshot are the dual-wielding/dominant left hand feature that many have wanted to see added to the game for some time and the new levitation effect that you get from potions and the new Shulker mob.

Dual-wielding is not yet finished, but already we can tell you that it’s not possible to wield two swords at once. Sorry. It is possible to use a bow though while holding something like a torch in your offhand though, although this could be patched out before 1.9 releases properly. Dual-wielding will mean that mining will also be a bit easier, as you can now use a pick and hold torches to place at the same time. There’s also a few bugs and quirks to be worked out with the dominant left hand feature too, although the b and c versions have at least nixed a few already such as certain actions reverting you back to default righty.

The levitation effect too is still a bit unfinished, but at least we can tell that certain levels of effect applied will make a difference. More levitation effect means a faster rise into the air, while a little effect can actually make it seem like you’re on a low-gravity planet when you descend back down to blocky earth. Of course, if you’ve played on any Minecraft server in the last few years, you’ll know that the game can and often will kick you for ‘cheating’ if it thinks you’re using a cheat to fly in Survival. That used to happen with the levitation too until it was patched out in the b version of the snapshot.

As always, if you want to play with this snapshot remember to backup your worlds just in case. Especially with this one, Mojang admit themselves in their blog that this is a very early Alpha stage snapshot and had a lot of potential to mess things up.

Mojang Blog “Minecraft snapshot 15w31c”: [x]

So Hearthstone’s next big expansion is due to be released sometime this month, and already the hype is growing. Right now in game you can pre-purchase 50 packs of the new card set for a discounted rate of $49.99 / £34.99 / 44,99 Euros.

Also there have been confirmed to be around 130 new cards coming to the game, and a number are being slowly revealed to the public as the days go by many with a bunch of interesting new abilities and effects.

Here are the newer ones that have been revealed since the time I wrote the last article:

Neutral:

Warrior

Rogue

Priest

Druid

Mage

Warlock

In fact, Wrathguard was revealed on a stream while I was in the middle of writing this article. That’s how often we seem to be getting new cards revealed to us right now.

Stay tuned for some more next week. Unless The Grand Tournament is out by then, in which case prepare for a FLOOD of new cards.

Last night brought us the answer to what the new Hearthstone thing Blizzard had been teasing actually was. The Grand Tournament aims to add over 130 new cards to the game and we saw at least 15 during that hour and a half of announcement livestream. Now 3 more have been revealed, and one is quite the card.

Firstly we have Silver Hand Regent which makes use of the new Inspire effect that triggers when you use your Hero Power. She summons a Silver Hand Recruit at 1/1 and what makes her interesting is that it seems she is a Neutral card so now any class could possibly have access to the Silver Hand Recruits.

Next we have Garrison Commander who is one of the new cards introduced to work with your Hero Power, allowing you to use it twice on your turn. Again this is a Neutral card and decent mana cost and Attack/Life means that it certainly looks like a valuable addition to a deck.

And finally we have the most interesting reveal of all, a new Legendary – Justicar Trueheart. With a Battlecry effect that changes your Hero Power to a slightly more powerful version of itself, this card could really liven up play. It’s uncertain whether the upgraded Hero Power is a match-permanent effect or if it reverts back to normal when Justicar Trueheart is removed from play. It also won’t have any effect on Hero Powers that have already been altered in some way (I assume they mean made cheaper or powered up in some way).

Stay tuned to Sanitarium.FM for more card reveals as they are made public!

For about a month now, Blizzard have been teasing that something big was coming to Hearthstone. It started with a set of scrolls being delivered to a number of different places, inviting them to a special ‘challenge’. The Hearthstone Twitter also began tweeting out references to ‘Champions’, which led people to begin guessing what the new thing was going to be.

Well, the announcement happened during a livestream from Blizzard’s Hearthstone Twitch, live from a Fireside Gathering in San Francisco and just as many guessed it’s a proper expansion akin to Goblins vs Gnomes. Called The Grand Tournament, it is themed around the successor to the WoW lore’s Argent Tournament with noble knights and whacky warriors of all shapes, sizes and species gathering for a friendly and fun filled tournament to prove they are the best at their fighting craft.

The expansion will introduce over 130 new cards, around fifteen which were described in the announcement presentation or we got to see in action through playtests between top Hearthstone players Trump, Amaz and world champion Firebat. Those cards are as follows:

Looking over those cards you’ll see a new keyword effect in the vein of Battlecry or Taunt that some cards can have – Inspire. Inspire’s effect triggers when the player of that card uses their Hero Power, and in fact a lot of cards for The Grand Tournament aim to play with your Hero Power making it more useful in different situations.

As with previous expansions, it also comes with a new playing board themed to it and new packs, with a pre-purchase running now to purchase 50 packs before the big release at a discounted rate to obtain a new exclusive cardback for pre-purchasing. You won’t be able to open those packs until the expansion actually releases of course, but it’ll give you quite the starting point.

When is this big release though? Blizzard didn’t give us an actual date during the stream, but they did say that it was to be released next month. So prepare yourselves for a tournament unlike any other, because it’s coming soon!

Seems that Electronic Arts is going through a rebrand of their Origin accounts program. Some users of the service are reporting that they’ve received e-mails about an account branding change.

The e-mail says that “in the coming weeks your Origin Account will be renamed to an EA Account” but otherwise nothing else is expected to be changed – just the branding and the design. Account owners are reassured that “Your Account identity, preferences, and order history will remain unchanged.
You will continue to use this account and the same login credentials to access all EA games, web sites, and services, including Origin.”

No reasons have been given for the change of account naming, but it’s possible that EA are seeking to try and brand things under one umbrella to improve association between all the parts of their business. The changes will happen automatically without any users needing to do anything, and EA hope that the transition will go smoothly.