Hearthstone recently released a sizable press release containing information of changes to the game occurring over the next month until the release of Voyage to the Sunken City, its next expansion. One of the new features added to the game alongside the patch notes was the final entry of the Book of Mercenaries.
Varden Dawngrasp is a Blood Elf magister hailing from the city of Silvermoon, first introduced during the Forged in the Barrens expansion last year. They are also the first non-binary character to be introduced in either Hearthstone or Warcraft.
The Book of Mercenaries story features 10 new characters–1 for each of Hearthstone’s class decks, half for the Alliance and the other half for the Horde. Dawngrasp is the mercenary representing the Mage class, and as a blood elf, is a member of the Horde. However, various circumstances throughout the tale lead the Alliance and the Horde to work together. Dawngrasp themself is integral in creating and maintaining this partnership, and now must lead the mercenaries from both sides against a common enemy: the black dragon broodmother, Onyxia.
The Varden Dawngrasp chapter is free for all Hearthstone players, and is completed with pre-made decks so new players can participate. Completing it rewards a pack with 5 Mage class cards from Standard.
Dawngrasp’s introduction last year was a win for LGBTQ+ fans of Warcraft and Hearthstone. Though it has been slow-going, Blizzard has been slowly including more representation in the Warcraft universe. In addition to Dawngrasp, it added its first trans character with the kyrian Pelagos in Shadowlands, and made spymaster Mathias Shaw and swashbuckler Flynn Fairwind an official couple in the Shadows Rising book and Terror by Torchlight short story.
Fans were hyped to see Dawngrasp as the focal character for the conclusion chapter of the Book of Mercenaries. Though all the mercenaries were well-liked, Dawngrasp’s compassion, level-head, and keen mind made them a favorite of many. Having a non-binary character become the team’s leader is also great representation many would like to see elsewhere in the Warcraft universe and beyond.
Some fans are less enthusiastic about Dawngrasp's chapter in Book of Mercenaries. They believe Hearthstone is becoming too political by including a non-binary character in the roster, and that they are pandering to the 'woke' crowd by making them the leader of the mercenaries. However, Dawngrasp’s gender identity is handled perfectly in the story–it is not a feature of their struggles or goals, nor is it even brought up beyond the pronouns they are referred to. They simply exist–just like the players they act as representation for.
Hearthstone is currently available for Mobile and PC. Voyage to the Sunken City releases on April 12.
Source: Hearthstone