Set to launch in beta later this month as part of patch 26.6, Twist is its own format with a ranked ladder, monthly rewards, and rotating set of rules intended to unlock previously impossible synergies and create new deck-building challenges. The ruleset being used for the Twist beta, which will run through June and July, is being dubbed ‘New Age’. When building a New Age deck you will be able to pick cards from the following expansions, with the twist being that no neutrals are allowed.

• Core
• Ashes of Outland
• Scholomance Academy
• Madness at the Darkmoon Faire
• Forged in the Barrens
• United in Stormwind
• Fractured in Alterac Valley
• Voyage to the Sunken City
• Murder at Castle Nathria
• March of the Lich King
• Path of Arthas
• Festival of Legends

By combining sets from eras that weren’t previously playable in Standard together, all sorts of new combos become possible. Existing archetypes also threaten to become much more powerful with the addition of cards that weren’t in the pool beforehand. For example, the no neutrals rule immediately makes me think of the Pure Paladin archetype, which doesn’t use neutrals anyway. Now consider the fact that Ashes of Outland contains the Libram package which can now be run alongside more recent cards like The Countess and Elitist Snob, and you’ve got something disgustingly powerful brewing.

Speaking to the developers, they confirmed that the overall power level of Twist—specifically for the New Age test—is being pitched above Standard but below the (total degeneracy) of Wild. Part of the impetus here is that the intention behind Wild was to provide players with fun ways to interact with the older parts of their card collection. But by its very nature, Wild decks only become more and more OP over time, meaning it’s not a mode you can really dip into just to goof about, because the meta revolves around ruthless efficiency.

Once the beta has played out, Twist will go into a short hibernation period before re-emerging later in the year. We don’t yet know what future rulesets will look like, but Nervig and London talked about leaning into dual-class cards, featuring all the Mech expansions, and leaning into ‘singleton’ cards. In testing, London says they tried a version where all cards cost zero mana: “Games ended early,” he said laughing. As its name suggests, Twist being gimmicky is a feature not a bug. It’s fair to think of it as akin to an enhanced version of Tavern Brawl, only with a ladder.

Speaking to the designers, I got the sense that the goal is to breathe new life into constructed Hearthstone at a time when its under more pressure than ever. At present, players spend a couple of weeks (at most) after each expansion solving the meta, and then many drift back to playing Battlegrounds or other games entirely. Twist, which aims to have a new rule set every month, is a way to keep players in that fun meta-solving phase. Inevitably, Blizzard is going to be selling ‘Battle Ready’ Twist decks, which I suppose serve the purpose of enabling players who don’t have substantial collections from the era covered by the rule set to get involved.

As for Classic, I can’t say I’ll mourn its loss. I’ve been a player since beta, and it was fun to revisit the vanilla era, but I wouldn’t want to live there. When asked why Classic is being culled, Blizzard confirmed the suspicion that interest was high at first but lost engagement quickly due to being a static format. However, what feels very uncomfortable to me is that Classic packs have been available in the shop all the way up until today. Players who invested any amount into buying them are going to be out of pocket when Classic dies. Such is the way with digital card games, but it sucks, and combined with the relatively recent shuttering of Mercenaries, which also sold its own packs, is a bad look for Blizzard.

Economics aside, I am enthusiastic about Twist. I think it will potentially offer a place of refuge when the Standard meta gets stale. To that end, I asked whether a potential future Twist format could involve banning the Priest class entirely. Nervig and London laughed at the idea but said nothing is in the works. They did tell me they’ve kicked around the idea that each player could choose to ban one class, which I love. Not just because it would mean dodging your most hated type of opponent, but because eliminating a particularly unfavourable matchup would free you up to build your deck in new ways.

A special preview of Twist will be streamed by content creators on June 22-23, during which time Twitch drops will be enabled up to a maximum of nine free packs. For more info on Twist, take a look at the official blog post.

Blood in Baldur’s Gate takes place 15 years before the events of Baldur’s Gate 3. A murder has been committed, and it’s up to you to figure out whodunit and, presumably, what drove the perpetrator to commit the crime. Of course, it’s not quite that easy: By taking the case, you position yourself as “the next lamb brought to slaughter.”

The game is played by examining locations that are visible on a top-down map of the city. Each location contains a description of the nearby surroundings, local landmarks of note, and other relevant details. The scene of the murder, for instance, is described like this:

The saltwater scent of the harbour cannot mask the overwhelming smell of blood in the air. In the middle of a cobblestone plaza by the pier, a tiered fountain sprays fine mist into the air. At the base is a finely dressed elf impaled on an anchor. Blood pools around the body. Over the sound of lapping waves, someone can be heard retching nearby.

The victim. On closer inspection, the anchor has been driven through the elf’s torso. Whoever committed this atrocity did so with brutal force. Fresh blood continues to seep from the large wound, soaking through a silk tunic and onto an elven engraved coin pouch still attached to a leather belt. A lute lies within the grasp of the young victim, never to play a tune from its owner again.

The fountain. Pristine water flows down freely. A few copper pieces have been thrown into the bottom by wish makers, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Cobblestones. Blood collects around the cobblestones like a network of crimson veins. A faint boot print points toward the direction of Fisher’s Wharf.

Retching sounds. On a street corner at Admiral’s Way, a man props himself with one hand against a building wall.

From the murder scene, you can visit either Admiral’s Way, where the man is retching, or follow the cobblestones to Fisherman’s Wharf, where the occupant of a fishing boat may have seen something. 

But your Sherlockian aspirations will also have to accommodate other investigators on the case: Instead of moving immediately to your next destination, you’ve got a 24 hour window to cast a vote on where you want to go. Once the deadline for voting ends, the majority rules and that’s where you’ll be off to next. And you won’t just be wandering around the city taking in sights: You’ll also search for clues and interrogate potential witnesses (and, I would guess, perpetrators), and there’s an inventory screen in the game as well, with space for 21 items—an oddly specific number, no?

It’s a bit like Twitch Plays, the popular streaming format in which viewers vote to control actions in games ranging from The Outer Worlds to Elden RIng, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Punch Club, and PUBG, but slower and more considered. Votes are held at a rate of one per day, so you can take time to think about what you want to do, or even discuss matters with your fellow investigators on Reddit or the Larian forums.

The mystery has just begun, but so far the reaction to Larian’s latest diversion seems pretty positive, generally speaking.

There are, by my count, 34 markers across the bottom of the map, which means 34 days for the investigation, assuming it runs the full duration. (There’s no indication as to whether or not the case can be wrapped up early.) That would take us to July 24—coincidence or not, that’s the one-year anniversary of the death of famed actor David Warner, who among many other roles provided the voice of Baldur’s Gate 2 villain Jon Irenicus. 

Could the Shattered One be making a surprise return to the Baldur’s Gate series? It’s a longshot, definitely, but that’s also one heck of a coincidence. I’ve reached out to Larian to ask, and while I don’t expect that anyone there will tell me, I’ll update if they do.