Hearthstone Mercenaries release date COUNTDOWN and start time for new game mode

Hearthstone Mercenaries is heralded as one of the most significant new modes ever created for the popular card game.

It does away with the basics of building decks with cards you unlock or buy from packs, replacing them with a mix of RPG and roguelike gameplay.

Fans will take on Bounties, which are similar to missions or new levels that contain the best way to upgrade your team of Mercenaries.

Each features procedurally generated encounters leading to a big Bounty Boss, with additional difficulty levels unlocked as you continue to explore the new mode.

A group of up to six mercenaries will be deployed to collect the bounty and replace the next one with a deck of cards.

Three of your six mercenaries can fight at once and can be replaced by another if one of your three mercenaries falls or uses a special ability to switch.

A message from Blizzard adds: “Any experience you earn during your run stays with you, even if that Mercenary rides on the Bench or they don’t leave the Bounty alive.

“After claiming a Bounty, you can move on to the next one, or return to the one you’ve already defeated to collect more loot and improve your squad. Each Bounty has a different type of loot that can fall, so keep coming back to the same Bounty if you want to focus on a specific reward!

“It’s a small picture of the fighting pit, one of the buildings in the village (used for PVP!) Check the village blog for more about the fighting pit.

“After you’ve claimed a few bounties, your party may be ready to head to the Fighting Pit! In the Fighting Pit, you’ll always be paired up with an equally powerful opponent, even if you’re trying out a new mercenary. Join the Fighting Pit to complete achievements, earn rewards and even compete for a place on the leaderboard.”

Platforms may also affect when you get the new Hearthstone update, and some fans may have to wait until October 13 to unlock all the new content.

Based on past launches, the Hearthstone United Mercenaries release time is expected to roll out across all platforms on October 12 around 10am PDT.

For gamers in the UK, this would mean the next Hearthstone expansion will go live at 6pm GMT, although delays are possible.

When Mercenaries launches later this week, gamers will be able to unlock up to eight characters by playing the prologue and introductory missions

And as with other expansions, there will be a pre-order to purchase, with the Lich king bundle including the lich king Merc and 50 packs, the Diablo bundle includes the Diablo Merc and 50 packs, and the Sylvanus bundle contains the Sylvanas Merc and 30 packs.