We've barely just had a major Battlegrounds revamp patch, followed by a special hotfix adjusting a large number of Quests and their Rewards for this brand new game mode mechanic, and... apparently that wasn't yet enough. The current balance patch is not only about Constructed balance changes as we might've expected - Battlegrounds has earned itself another sizable section.
Quote From Blizzard Patch 24.2.2, a hotfix patch scheduled for September 9, includes the following updates and bug fixes.
Here is everything that's going to be different starting this weekend:
All Hearthstone Battlegrounds Updates - Patch 24.2.2
The patch should be already available on both desktop and mobile clients!
We've also added some of the images that are missing from the Blizzard's patch notes:
Quote From Blizzard Armor Tier Changes
- Al’Akir, Alexstrasza, Murloc Holmes, and Patchwerk are now Armor Tier 1.
- Death Speaker Blackthorn, George the Fallen, Ini Stormcoil, Silas Darkmoon, Tamsin Roame, Vol’jin, and Xyrella are now Armor Tier 2.
- Ambassador Faelin, Cariel Roame, Deathwing, Elise Starseeker, Heistbaron Togwaggle, Lord Barov, Jandice Barov, Maiev Shadowsong, Malygos, Nozdormu, Patches the Pirate, Reno Jackson, Shudderwock, Sir Finley Mrrgglton, Sneed, and Zephrys the Great are now Armor Tier 3.
- Dancin’ Deryl, Dinotamer Brann, Queen Azshara, Ragnaros the Firelord, and Y’Shaarj are now Armor Tier 4.
- A.F. Kay, Chenvaala, Galakrond, Greybough, Illidan Stormraige, Infinite Toki, Mr. Bigglesworth, Rakanishu, Skycap’n Kragg, Tess Greymane, and The Curator are now Armor Tier 5.
- Captain Eudora is now Armor Tier 6.
- C’Thun and Tavish Stormpike are now Armor Tier 7.
Hero Changes
Heistbaron Togwaggle – The Perfect Crime
- Old: 9 Gold
- New: 10 Gold
Minion Changes
Nether Drake
- Old: 5 Health
- New: 4 Health
Legion Overseer
- Old: Minions in Bob’s Tavern have +2/+2.
- New: Minions in Bob’s Tavern have +2/+1.
Amber Guardian
- Old: Start of Combat: Give another friendly Dragon +3/+3 and Divine Shield.
- New: Start of Combat: Give another friendly Dragon +2/+2 and Divine Shield.
Lava Lurker
- Old: 2 Attack, 4 Health
- New: 2 Attack, 5 Health
Party Elemental
- Old: 3 Attack, 2 Health
- New: 4 Attack, 2 Health
Yo-Ho-Ogre
- Old: 3 Attack, 5 Health
- New: 3 Attack, 6 Health
Quest and Quest Reward Changes
As a reminder, Quests and Quest Rewards in Battlegrounds are not static. Quests have baseline values that are adjusted game-by-game, based on several factors, including the value of the Reward they are paired with.
Quest baseline adjustments:
- Old: Have Bob’s Tavern Refreshed 10 times.
- New: Have Bob’s Tavern Refreshed 9 times.
- Old: Spend 30 Gold.
- New: Spend 33 Gold.
- Old: Have 18 friendly minions die.
- New: Have 19 friendly minions die.
Reward text adjustments:
- Old: At the end of your turn, give +2/+2 to 3 friendly minions of Tier 3 or lower.
- New: At the end of your turn, give +3/+3 to 3 friendly minions of Tier 3 or lower.
- Old: Even Tier minions in Bob’s Tavern have +6/+6. (Swaps to Odd next turn!)
- New: Even Tier minions in Bob’s Tavern have +7/+7. (Swaps to Odd next turn!)
- Old: Start of Combat: Give your minions +15/+15.
- New: Start of Combat: Give your minions +12/+12.
Reward difficulty adjustments:
- Teal Tiger Sapphire, Snicker Snacks, and Red Hand were made generally easier to earn.
- The Smoking Gun, Mirror Shield, and Stolen Gold were made generally harder to earn.
Bug Fixes and Game Improvements
- [Battlegrounds] Added a cap to the Sort It All Out and Unmask the Culprits Quests, limiting the top-end requirements needed in order to complete the Quest.
- [Battlegrounds] Fixed a bug where Lich Baz’hial’s Hero Power could not be used if your hand was full.
- [Battlegrounds] Fixed a bug where Kael’thas’s Verdant Spheres would not give a buff if the minion was Magnetized.
P.S. The Legendary Quest Chain for Hearthstone Battlegrounds is also currently available, with a handful of cosmetic rewards!
Hearthstone Battlegrounds - Armor Tier Values
In case you need to refresh your memory on the existing armor tiers (there are 7 of them, in the ascending order from 0 Armor to 10 Armor, with some of the values overlapping between the tiers), here are the updated numbers from when the whole system has made its grand return during Voyage to the Sunken City:
Quote From Blizzard Tier 1 (0 Armor)
Tier 2 (2-5 Armor)
Tier 3 (3-6 Armor)
Tier 4 (4-7 Armor)
Tier 5 (5-8 Armor)
Tier 6 (6-9 Armor)
Tier 7 (7-10 Armor)
The values remain as is, but of course since then we've had a lot of various balance patches and hotfixes moving a number of Heroes up and down the tiers accordingly. Just like this very one - everything tends to shift dynamically!
What do you think about this particular round of balance passes for the game mode? Are you even managing to keep up with all things Hearthstone Battlegrounds as of late?
Comments
Lava Lurker didn't feel weak as a Tier 2 2/4 at all
Yo-Ho-Ogre was in most dire need of a buff, despite being a strong choice turn 3
Red Hand activating at the start of your turn instead of the end feels bad,
...nobody plays Rendle the Mistermind anyhow (learned the hard way why)
Tea Master Theotar felt in most need of a buff in terms of new cards
Dragon nerfs don't feel that harsh at all.
I expected some tier nerfs to Tarecgosa & Nether Drake
While trading spots for Prized Promo-Drake & smaller Twilight Emissary
Kalecgos, Arcane Aspect still crying as too slow a six star & Murozond just a worse Reef Explorer
I always enjoy seeing these insights from people who might be playing the mode a little more than I do!