The latest update to Blizzard’s popular card game is bringing along the new separate seasonal pass for Battlegrounds and Runestones, Hearthstone’s new virtual currency. Heroic Brawliseum is also making a return, plus in-game reporting is finally being added to the game.
Here are the notes for Hearthstone Patch 24.2.
Battlegrounds. Battlegrounds everywhere
Patch 24.2 is primarily focused on the game’s autobattler mode, introducing a set of controversial changes that have the potential to render the game mode entirely pay-to-win. With the selection of four starting hero choices instead of two locked behind a hard paywall, players will have to either swallow a 0.5 position loss on average or fork out for an entirely separate season pass.
But the game mode does get a lot of new content: Quests are introduced as the new big gameplay mechanic, Buddies-style, and a ton of new cosmetics will drop as part of the launch of season two.
New heroes and balance updates are also coming:
- Murloc Holmes (armor tier two): Zero gold – Look at two minions. Guess which one your next opponent had last combat for a Coin.
- Sire Denathrius (armor tier one): Passive – At the start of the game, choose one of two Quests. (Denathrius can have two at once.)
Rakanishu, Patchwerk, Vandarr Stormpike, Drek’Thar, and Aranna Starseeker received buffs. Meanwhile, Fungalmancer Flurgl has been entirely redesigned: his new ability is a passive that reads “After you sell four minions, get a random Murloc.”
The minion pool has also received significant updates, with 11 new ones added alongside the return of Toxfin. Meanwhile, Kooky Chemist, Steward of Time, Bublette, Silverback Patriarch, Icky Imp, Nathrezim Overseer, Soul Devourer, Briny Bootlegger, Shifter Zerus, Cobalt Scalebane, Witchwing Nestmatron, Mythrax the Unraveler, and SI:Sefin have all been removed from the minion pool.
Miscellaneous Mercs, Brawliseum, and more
Mercenaries also received a small update, with eight characters and their abilities getting small adjustments in Patch 24.2. You can find the complete list here.
On Sept. 14, players can once again risk 1,000 gold in the Heroic Brawliseum, the notorious Arena-like high-stakes Tavern Brawl for Constructed players. This time, the mode is Wild, so expect the unexpected.
The patch also introduces Hearthstone’s new premium currency, Runestones. And it brings along a couple of small bug fixes, an in-game reporting option, and an update to the game’s leaderboards that shows all Legend players on the website, not just the top 200. It all goes live on Aug. 30.
