Hearthstone Battlegrounds’ first major patch introduces 4 new heroes

Hearthstone Battlegrounds just received its first major update.

The update goes live today and will include a variety of balance changes, in addition to four new heroes. Sindragosa joins the mode alongside three members from the League of Explorers: Sir Finley Mrrgglton, Elise Starseeker, and Brann Bronzebeard. As a result, four heroes will be leaving Battlegrounds to make room for the new recruits.

Blizzard said to make way for new challengers, other heroes must leave the Battlegrounds. King Mukla, Giantfin, Millificent Manastorm, and Lich Baz’hial have all been removed from Battlegrounds. The patch notes say that heroes who leave the Battlegrounds could possibly return in a future update. It looks like Blizzard wants to keep the character pool fresh, but not overcrowded.

In addition to the new heroes, the update also includes a variety of minion changes. Primalfin Lookout has been moved from Tavern Tier 5 to Tavern Tier 4. Voidlord has been moved from Tavern Tier 6 to Tier 5. Junkbot has gone from Tier 4 to Tier 5, while Coldlight Seer has been bumped from Tier 3 to Tier 2.

Blizzard wanted to buff both Demons and Murlocs, and that’s largely why these particular minion changes took place, according to the patch notes.

The team has also made changes to the Battlegrounds ranking system. Originally, you received 240 points for first place in your first game and then 24 points for first place in your 150th game. The team has changed this so that you now receive 190 for first place in your first game and then 95 points for first place in your 150th game. The total for the 150th game also applies to games beyond that point.

In addition, the patch includes a number of minor bug fixes, as well as some words from the team about future updates. It looks like Blizzard is pleased with the growth of Battlegrounds and the company intends to fully support the mode going forward. The team says we can expect the next update sometime in early December.

You can check out the full patch notes on the official Hearthstone blog.