We're seeing the platform of Hearthstone evolve with a major, yet minor, update to the main game menu in today's patch.

The first major change is to the  Play button which is now simply "Hearthstone". We know Blizzard looks at the entire game as a platform to enjoy different modes so splitting out constructed play into Hearthstone is in line with these goals. It better communicates to players if you want to play the core of the game, that's where you want to be. This change is communicated elsewhere in the game with references to Play Mode in quests changing to "Traditional Hearthstone".

Battlegrounds overtakes the Adventures menu which has been relegated to the Modes button at the bottom. This is little surprise since Battlegrounds is a huge mode with enough active players that Hearthstone's Game Director, Ben Lee, said if the game were on Steam as a standalone, it would fit into the top 3! The move into the main menu makes the game easier to access for players that only play that.

Finally, we have Mercenaries taking over the Tavern Brawl slot.  With the huge new mode coming on October 12, it makes sense to put it front and center, especially with it being another completely different game inside of the platform. It also makes sense with Tavern Brawl clearly being a project put on the back burner as the team worked on Mercenaries and honestly, we don't really expect much new out of the mode. Tavern Brawl was an amazing addition to Hearthstone but it has been outclassed in many ways since then - and there's nothing wrong with that!

So, you'll now find the Modes menu filled with the following options:

  • Arena
  • Solo Adventures
  • Duels
  • Tavern Brawl