Update: All of the new minion reveals will be compiled in this thread!
Blizzard just announced Season 5 of Battlegrounds, and it’s coming closer than most of us have expected. Patch 27.2 is scheduled a week from now – on August 22. I think it’s the earliest X.2 patch in history (only 3 weeks after the expansion’s launch). Full patch notes will drop on Thursday (August 17), but Blizzard has already shared some details about the new season.
Season 5’s new mechanic is “Anomalies”. It’s a new system that affects the entire lobby and changes the gameplay rules – sometimes making it harder, other times easier. So far we learned about 3 anomalies – Money Match (players start at 10 Gold), Denathrius’ Anima Reserves (All Heroes are Denathrius), and Secrets of Norgannon (Tavern Tier 7 is added, players start with 10 extra Armor). But those are only a few examples – Season 5 will launch with 20 different anomalies, with a new one added each week. Anomaly is determined at the start of the match, before Heroes are picked, and applies to everyone in the lobby.
And yes – you read that right, Tier 7 minions. While not appearing in regular matches, they will be present when Secrets of Norgannon anomaly is active. “That’s rare”, you might think, but not necessarily – that specific anomaly will have 5x higher chance of appearing, which means that you will experience Tier 7 quite regularly. There will be 14 different Tier 7 minions, and so far we know about 3 and they look quite interesting.
On top of that, we have a rewards track refresh, new Hero (Thorim) and a major minion mix-up. 49 Tier 1-6 minions will get removed from the pool, with 32 new minions added and 12 older minions returning. New minions (including Tier 7 minions) will be revealed later today and tomorrow.
Blizzard will also host a Season 5 preview event a day before it launches – on August 21. Content creators from all around the world will showcase the new content on their own Twitch channels.
Read more in the full blog post below:
Battlegrounds Season 5 is almost here and the champions of Azeroth are gathering for a massive gladiatorial contest over who can win favor with the Titans and their Keepers on Azeroth. Starting with Patch 27.2, Battlegrounds is becoming a battle arena fit for the gods… but it seems a bit of chaos has somehow made it into the competition with the all-new Anomalies system! Is this just another test for Azeroth’s greatest champions, or is something more sinister brewing under the surface?
New Gameplay System-Anomalies
Anomalies are new custom game rules that affect your entire lobby throughout the game.* There will be over 20 Anomalies at launch. After the initial launch, more anomalies will be added each week (with increased appearance rates for that week) until there are over 50!
These powerful rules adjustments shape the course of the game from the outset, making each game play out completely differently. The weekly Anomalies updates will keep the meta fresh all season long! All Patch 27.2 Anomalies, plus more details, will be revealed soon, but we have three to share with you today:
Wait… Tier 7?!
* Anomalies are determined at the start of the game, before the hero select. The same Anomaly applies to all players in that lobby. The chosen Anomaly is public while hero selections are being made. Certain minions, minion types, and heroes are banned with certain Anomalies, to avoid unwanted interactions.
New Tier 7 Minions
This Season we’ve unlocked another level of Battlegrounds combat! Tier 7 will be accessible to all players in games when the Secrets of Norgannon Anomaly is active. In those games when Tier 7 is active, it is accessed just like any other tier (upgrading the Tavern, getting triples, Patient Scout, etc.). Tier 7 minions are even more powerful than the powerful Tier 6 minions we’re used to. Some of them are familiar faces and some are all-new!
In total, there will be 14 different Tier 7 minions, the rest of which will be revealed in the 27.2 Patch Notes. The Secrets of Norgannon Anomaly appears 5x more frequently than average, so you’ll have plenty of chances to explore this new Tier!
New Hero – Thorim, Stormlord
Golganneth’s Keeper loves a good contest, so he’s entering the fray himself and giving his chosen champion a little extra help. At the start of the game, choose a promising Tier 7 minion as your champion. After a few rounds, the chosen champion is given the honor of joining your warband. Imagine what you can accomplish with an ally who’s a tier above the competition!
If the Secrets of Norgannon Anomaly is not active, then Tier 7 is not accessible—it can’t be tripled into or otherwise generated—except for specifically Thorim, who gets the one Tier 7 minion from his Hero Power.
Major Minion Mix-Up
Aside from adding the new Tier 7 minions, we’re also making big changes to Tiers 1-6. 49 Minions have been removed from the minion pool, 32 new minions have been added to the minion pool, and 12 older minions will be returning to the minion pool! These new minions will be revealed over the next few days.
- August 15, 12:00 p.m. PT—RDU reveals Neutrals, Beasts, Mechs, and Elementals
- August 15, 3:00 p.m. PT—Slysssa reveals Dragons, Undead, Naga, Quilboar, and Murlocs
- August 16, 10:00 a.m. PT—Hearthstone reveals Dual Type minions
- August 16, 11:00 a.m. PT—Hearthstone reveals Tier 7 minions
- August 17—27.2 Patch Notes go live
- August 22—27.2 Patch goes live
Battlegrounds Track Refresh
On August 22, Battlegrounds Season 4 will end and Season 5 will begin. At that point, players will switch over to begin earning awards on the new Battlegrounds Season 5 Rewards Track. Any rewards that were already earned on the Season 4 Rewards Track, but not yet claimed, will be automatically claimed for you.
The Season 5 Battlegrounds Track includes gladiatorial cosmetics. Pick up the Season Pass to instantly get +2 Hero options at the start of each game. Then progress through the track to earn the Clash of Thunder Legendary Strike, 18 additional Hero Skins, a new Bartender, and more!
Level XP To Level Cumulative XP Free Reward With Season Pass 1 0 0 2 Hero Slots 2 20 20 Trapper Maiev (Epic Hero Skin) 3 20 40 Noble Faelin (Rare Emote) 4 20 60 Gladiator Saurfang (Rare Hero Skin)) 5 30 90 Gladi-o-Mechano (Rare Hero Skin) 6 30 120 Gorgon Vashj (Epic Emote) 7 30 150 Bookie Barov (Rare Hero Skin) 8 30 180 Custodian Mutanus (Legendary Hero Skin) 9 40 220 Spectator A.F.Kay (Rare Hero Skin) 10 40 260 Gladiator Saurfang (Rare Emote) 11 40 300 Liontamer Brann (Rare Hero Skin) 12 50 350 Ferryman Teron (Legendary Hero Skin) 13 50 400 Challenger Drek’Thar (Rare Hero Skin) 14 50 450 Spectator A. F. Kay (Rare Emote) 15 50 500 Ferryman Teron (Rare Emote) 16 60 560 Ini Stormsuit (Epic Hero Skin) 17 60 620 Bookie Barov (Rare Emote) 18 60 680 Scalper Tickatus (Epic Hero Skin) 19 60 740 Naval Battle Ozumat (Rare Emote) 20 60 800 Announcer Gimblo (Epic Bartender) 21 60 860 Sneed, Chariot Racer (Epic Hero Skin) 22 60 920 Night Warrior Tyrande (Rare Emote) 23 60 980 Val’kyr Varden (Epic Hero Skin) 24 60 1040 Arena Champion Rokara (Epic Hero Skin) 25 60 1100 Scalper Tickatus (Epic Emote) 26 60 1160 Hydra Shudderwock (Epic Hero Skin) 27 60 1220 Sideshow Deryl (Epic Emote) 28 60 1280 Noble Faelin (Legendary Hero Skin) 29 60 1340 Philosopher Holmes (Epic Hero Skin) 30 60 1400 Gladi-O-Mechano (Epic Emote) 31 60 1460 Sneed Chariot Racer (Rare Emote) 32 60 1520 Sideshow Deryl (Epic Hero Skin) 33 60 1580 Naval Battle Ozumat (Epic Hero Skin) 34 60 1640 Custodian Mutanus (Epic Emote) 35 60 1700 Yogg-Saron, Imprisoned (Epic Hero Skin) 36 60 1760 Gorgon Vashj (Legendary Hero Skin) 37 60 1820 Arena Lord Thorim (Epic Emote) 38 60 1880 Chariot Driver Denathrius (Epic Hero Skin) 39 60 1940 Emperor Thorim (Legendary Hero Skin) 40 60 2000 Thorim’s Thunder (Legendary Strike) Battlegrounds Preview Event
On August 21, the day before the patch goes live, players from around the world will be participating in a special preview stream event, playing the new Battlegrounds Season 5 content. Participating players will be streaming to their own channels and will have Season Pass giveaways for their viewers, so make sure you check it out! The participating players are:
NA (9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (PT))
LATAM (9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (PT))
EU (9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (PT))
KR (2:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. (PT))
JP (2:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. (PT))
That’s all for now, but stay tuned for reveals and full patch notes this week. We can’t wait to see you in the Tavern!
