‘Hearthstone’ crime families duke it out in the ‘Mean Streets of Gadgetzan’

Hearthstone‘s last major collectible card game expansion, One Night in Karazhan, took players on a lighthearted and downright funky journey through one of World of Warcraft‘s best dungeons, but it appears Blizzard is taking things in a more violent, seedy direction for the latest expansion, Mean Streets of Gadgetzan.

“Mean Streets of Gadgetzan thrusts players into a lawless land where criminals from all over Azeroth have found a haven, free of scrutiny from the Horde or the Alliance,” Blizzard said in its announcement on Friday. “The fight for Gadgetzan dominance brought many petty perpetrators to town, but there are three crime families that truly rule the streets.”

These three families — the Grimy Goons, Kabal, and Jade Lotus — are separated in-game based on the hero class you happen to pick. The Grimy Goons are the faction of choice for hunters, paladins, and warriors, while the Kabal is made up of mages, priests, and warlocks. The Jade Lotus, meanwhile, contains druids, rogues, and shamans.

Each faction also has its own “special” ability which is separate from hero classes, though Blizzard did not specify exactly what these abilities do. Also announced are “multi-class” minion cards that can only be used by certain factions — a Kabal minion, for instance, will only be playable in mage, priest, and warlock decks.

We never expected to see any Martin Scorsese or Francis Ford Coppola influence in Hearthstone, but that appears to be exactly what Blizzard has delivered. New cards shown off include a trio of Murlocs wearing old-timey criminal outfits as they escape on a motorcycle, as well as an orc enforcer who looks ready to make someone an offer they can’t refuse.

Mean Streets of Gadgetzan contains a total of 132 new cards and you can now pre-order a special 50-card bundle for $50. The expansion is expected to be released later in 2016.