Hearthstone Patch 22.2 is now live

Things are about to get shaken up in the world of Hearthstone.

Patch 22.2 has finally arrived, introducing a slew of balance changes as well as the new Battlegrounds Buddy system.

Patch 22.2 is filled with something for nearly every player, regardless of what type of Hearthstone content they engage with. If you’re into Standard, you’ll be pleased to learn that a significant number of balance changes are coming to the meta, including nerfs to Rogue, a class that’s been dominating the ladder.

In addition to Rogue, the Mage, Warrior, and Hunter classes all have cards receiving significant changes. You can take a look at all of the cards being balanced here.

Standard changes aren’t the only thing to be excited about with Patch 22.2, though. Hearthstone Battlegrounds fans are in for something completely new: the Battlegrounds Buddy system.

Battlegrounds Buddies are a new mechanic that will be used by every Hero in Battlegrounds. From now on, each Hero will have a Buddy meter that fills up periodically throughout the game, eventually rewarding you with a version of your Hero’s Battle Buddy.

The Buddy meter is filled pretty much just by playing the match. You can gain ground on your meter by dealing damage to enemies, entering combat, poping Divine Shields, and earning wins or ties during the combat phase. Each Hero has a unique Buddy, all of whom do something different. For this reason, the Battlegrounds armor system has been temporarily disabled. The team says it will be activated again once they assess the power level of each Hero with their new Buddy.

You can check out all of the balance changes for Battlegrounds coming alongside the Buddy system, as well as everything else Patch 22.2 has to offer, in the official patch notes.