Perhaps indicating that it's hard to keep the arrival of a giant, world-destroying dragon under wraps for too long, Blizzard has announced that Galakrond's Awakening is scheduled to arrive on January 21. For those unfamiliar with Hearthstone's scaly ruckus, Awakening is a new solo adventure that will appear as part of the "Descent of Dragons" expansion.

Galakrond's Awakening features 24 encounters spanning two separate stories: one in which the E.V.I.L. League attempts to resurrect Galakrond, the great proto-dragon, and the other in which the Explorers League thwarts an evil plan and the world The other is a desperate effort by the League of Explorers to save the world by thwarting an evil scheme.

This new solo adventure not only closes out Hearthstone's "Year of the Dragon," but also brings back the solo adventure format, where players take on unique and powerful bosses with pre-built decks. Over the course of several weeks, players will earn 35 new cards by completing challenges, which can be added to both Standard and Wild decks. Once both storylines are completed, Hero Mode will be unlocked and a tougher version of the challenge will be available for players to take on with their own decks. [Blizzard President J. Allen Brack said, "The Year of the Dragon has been a dynamic and exciting year for Hearthstone. Galakrond's Awakening brings the story we've been telling in the game for the past year to an epic and fitting conclusion, and we can't wait to share it with you."

Hearthstone's "Descent of Dragons" expansion went live in December, but we quickly ran into trouble. We expected it to be a strong set, but Blizzard began nerfing it almost immediately as Shamans became, as Fraser put it, "an unstoppable, storm-breathing force of nature." While it is not uncommon for people to complain about cards that are too strong in new Hearthstone expansions, Blizzard's quick response was a clear indication that something was wrong. Another patch with more nerfs will be released this week.

The first chapter of the League of Evil campaign for Galakron's Awakening will be free to all players on January 21, with four League of Evil card rewards. Subsequent chapters of both campaigns will be released weekly (January 28, February 4, and February 11) for the same price, or the whole thing can be bundled together for $20, which also includes the Golden Classic Card Pack.

Full details on Galakrond's Awakening can be found at playhearthstone.com, and four cards from the new solo adventure (Shotbot, Chaos Gazer, Dark Prophecy, and The Amazing Reno-down) can be seen below.