(Live) Hearthstone 25.2 Patch Notes – Battlegrounds Season 3, Lunar New Year Event, Twitch Drops, Heroic Brawliseum

Patch 25.2 is live now on PC (Update: And mobile)! While we already knew about most of the BAttlegrounds things, some players have also expected Standard balance changes. Sadly they aren’t here – we’re still waiting for more information on those. Here’s a quick summary of Patch 25.2:

• Battlegrounds Season 3 – Huge Battlegrounds update with Rewards Track refresh, Undead and Dual-Type minions, new Hero, balance changes to existing Heroes/minions, as well as some smaller new features (for example, 15 damage cap will now last until Turn 10 even if someone dies early).
• Twitch Drops – You can earn a Lightkeeper Xyrella Battlegrounds skin for watching any Hearthstone stream for 1 hour. Drops last until January 23.
• Lunar New Year – To celebrate Lunar New Year, we’re getting another in-game event. It starts today and lasts until the end of the month. There are no Constructed rewards, but you can earn three new Battlegrounds skins. We’ll probably get some Lunar New Year bundles too if you’re interested in thematic skins for the main format.
• Heroic Brawliseum – Heroic Tavern Brawl returns on February 1 in Standard format. Pay 1000 for entry ticket, play until 12 wins or 3 losses for potentially huge rewards (but better don’t try unless you’re a pro player or don’t care about making a profit). However, there’s something extra this time – if you get to 3 wins, you will also earn a new Death Knight portrait (Ghoul Queen Scarlet). Every player will also get a Quest for 1 free pack to compensate for the lack of weekly Tavern Brawl pack.
• Bug Fixes – Just like always, we’ve got a bunch of bug fixes and small QoL changes.

Check out full patch notes in the official blog post below:

Patch 25.2, launching today, brings Battlegrounds Season 3 and more!

Battlegrounds Season 3 is Here!

Good news, everyone! Battlegrounds Season 3 brings Professor Putricide’s new Hero Power, Undead and dual-type minions, and tons more new and updated heroes and minions!

General Updates

• On January 17, Battlegrounds Season 2 will end and Battlegrounds Season 3 will begin. That means that rankings will reset, Battlegrounds Quests will be removed, minion pools will update, and the Battlegrounds Track will switch over. All rewards that were earned, but not yet claimed, from the Season 2 Track will be automatically claimed.
• The 15-damage Damage Cap will now persist until both a hero has died and the game has reached turn 8 (the 10 Gold turn).
• Armor will now appear overlayed on health bars on the scoreboard.
• Undead and dual-type minions have been added as a regular part of Battlegrounds. The same number of minion types will be in each Battlegrounds game (meaning an additional minion type will be excluded each game after this change). If either type of a dual-type minion is in a game, the dual-type minion will be in that game.
• Undead will appear in every lobby for 2 weeks after the patch; they will then appear in 75% of lobbies for an additional 2 weeks. Then they will be part of the regular rotation of minion types.
• For a short time after the launch of Undead, turns 5+ will be 5 seconds longer to allow players time to learn the new cards. This is expected to be reverted in a planned hotfix following the patch.

New Battlegrounds Track

When the new Battlegrounds Season begins, rewards on last Season’s Battlegrounds Track will no longer be able to be earned, all rewards that were earned and not yet claimed will be automatically claimed, and a new Battlegrounds Track will begin. The Season 3 Battlegrounds Track features 40 new Battle for Silvermoon themed cosmetics, including 4 Legendary Hero Skins, 3 Epic Hero Skins, 8 Rare Hero Skins, 1 Rare Board, 1 Rare Bartender, and 9 Rare Emotes!

For more details about the Season 3 Battlegrounds Track, see our Season 3 Announcement Blog.

Hero Updates

Professor Putricide has been reworked with new art and a whole new Hero Power for his return to the Hero Pool!

Professor Putricide

• Build-An-Undead
  • [4 Gold] Craft a custom Undead. (3 Creations left!)

​Dev Comment: When you build an Undead, you’ll be offered two sets of 3 minions to merge together. One set tends to have persistent in-combat rules while the other set tends to have keywords and in-shop effects. All minion offerings will be at or below your Tavern Tier. The Build-An-Undead pools include both minions that are available in Bob’s Tavern and minions that are unique to this effect. Putricide’s creations are unnatural, so they can’t be tripled.

Professor Putricide will be available in all games for two weeks after launch.

Millificent Manastorm (Tinker)

• Old: Passive. Mechs in Bob’s Tavern have +1/+1.
• New: Passive. Whenever you summon a Mech, give it +2 Attack.

Lord Jaraxxus (Bloodfury)

• Old: [1 Gold] Give your Demons +1/+1.
• New: [1 Gold] Choose a friendly Demon. It consumes a minion in Bob’s Tavern to gain its stats.

Pyramad (Brick by Brick)

• Old: [0 Gold] Give a minion +2 Health. (Gains +1 Health each turn you don’t use this!)
• New: [0 Gold] Give a minion +1 Health. (Gains +1 Health each turn you don’t use this!)

Galewing (Dungar’s Gryphon)

• You can no longer choose the same Flight Path twice in a row.

• Westfall
  • Old: Passive. In 1 turn, give your left-most minion +2/+1.
  • New: Passive. In 1 turn, give your left-most minion +2/+2.

• Ironforge
  • Old: Passive. In 3 turns, Discover a minion of your Tavern Tier.
  • New: Passive. In 2 turns, gain 2 Gold.

• Eastern Plaguelands:
  • Old: Passive. In 5 turns, your next Tavern Tier upgrade costs (6) less.
  • New: Passive. In 3 turns, Discover a minion of your Tavern Tier.

Updated Hero Armor Tiers

Many heroes have had their Armor Tiers adjusted for the new season. All armor tiers are as follows:

(You can find them in the original blog post here)

New Minions

Risen Rider [Tavern Tier 1, Undead]

• 2 Attack, 1 Health. Taunt, Reborn.

Rot Hide Gnoll [Tavern Tier 1, Undead]

• 1 Attack, 4 Health. Has +1 Attack for each friendly minion that died this combat.

Thorncaptain [Tavern Tier 1, Quilboar/Pirate]

• 4 Attack, 1 Health. After a card is added to your hand, gain +1 Health until next turn.

Scarlet Skull [Tavern Tier 2, Undead]

• 1 Attack, 2 Health. Reborn, Deathrattle: Give a friendly Undead +1/+2.

Eternal Knight [Tavern Tier 2, Undead]

• 4 Attack, 1 Health.  Has +1/+1 for each friendly Eternal Knight that died this game (wherever this is).

Nerubian Deathswarmer [Tavern Tier 2, Undead]

• 1 Attack, 3 Health. Battlecry: Your Undead have +1 Attack for the rest of the game (wherever they are).

Blazing Skyfin [Tavern Tier 2, Dragon/Murloc]

• 1 Attack, 3 Health. After you play a Battlecry minion, gain +1/+1.

Corpse Refiner [Tavern Tier 2, Undead/Pirate]

• 2 Attack, 3 Health. Avenge (4): This sells for 1 more Gold.

Jelly Belly [Tavern Tier 3, Undead]

• 3 Attack, 5 Health. After a minion is Reborn, gain +3/+3.

Ghoul of the Feast [Tavern Tier 3, Undead]

• 2 Attack, 4 Health. Avenge (1): Give a friendly minion of each type +3 Attack.

Lich Doctor [Tavern Tier 3, Undead]

• 3 Attack, 2 Health. Taunt. At the start of your turn, give your minions that died last combat +1/+1.

Felemental [Tavern Tier 3, Elemental/Demon]

• 3 Attack, 1 Health. Battlecry: Minions in Bob’s Tavern have +1/+1 for the rest of the game.

Soulsplitter [Tavern Tier 4, Undead]

• 4 Attack, 2 Health. Reborn. Start of Combat: Give a friendly Undead Reborn.

Handless Forsaken [Tavern Tier 4, Undead]

• 2 Attack, 3 Health. Deathrattle: Summon a 2/2 Hand with Reborn.

Possessive Banshee [Tavern Tier 4, Undead]

• 2 Attack, 7 Health. Battlecry: Give an Undead +2/+7.

General Drakkisath [Tavern Tier 4, Dragon]

• 2 Attack, 8 Health. Battlecry: Add a 2/1 Smolderwing to your hand that gives another Dragon +5 Attack.

Peggy Sturdybone [Tavern Tier 4, Pirate]

• 6 Attack, 5 Health. After a card is added to your hand, give another friendly Pirate +1/+1.

Chronormu [Tavern Tier 4, Dragon]

• 4 Attack, 4 Health. While this is in the Tavern, gain the stats of any minions sold.

Magmaloc [Tavern Tier 4, Elemental/Murloc]

• 1 Attack, 1 Health. At the end of your turn, gain +1/+1. Repeat for each minion you played this turn.

Pufferquil [Tavern Tier 4, Naga/Quilboar]

• 2 Attack, 4 Health. After a spell is played on this, gain Poisonous until next turn.

Sin’dorei Straight-Shot [Tavern Tier 4]

• 3 Attack, 4 Health. Windfury. Divine Shield. Whenever this attacks, remove Reborn and Taunt from the target.

Anub’arak, Nerubian King [Tavern Tier 5, Undead]

• 5 Attack, 3 Health. Deathrattle: Your Undead have +2 Attack for the rest of the game (wherever they are).

Hungering Abomination [Tavern Tier 5, Undead]

• 3 Attack, 4 Health. Avenge (1): Gain +1/+1 permanently.

Cyborg Drake [Tavern Tier 5, Mech/Dragon]

• 2 Attack, 8 Health. Divine Shield. Your Divine Shield minions have +10 Attack.

Sinrunner Blanchy [Tavern Tier 5, Undead/Beast]

• 4 Attack, 4 Health. Reborn. This is Reborn with full Health and enchantments.

Titus Rivendare [Tavern Tier 5]

• 1 Attack, 7 Health. Your Deathrattles trigger an extra time.

Eternal Summoner [Tavern Tier 6, Undead]

• 8 Attack, 1 Health. Deathrattle: Summon 2 Eternal Knights.

Colossus of the Sun [Tavern Tier 6, Undead]

• 6 Attack, 6 Health. Divine Shield, Reborn.

Sister Deathwhisper [Tavern Tier 6, Undead]

• 4 Attack, 11 Health. After a friendly minion is Reborn, give your Undead +1/+3 permanently.

Felstomper [Tavern Tier 6, Demon/Beast]

• 3 Attack, 7 Health. After you summon a minion in combat, give your minions +3 Attack.

Mecha-Jaraxxus [Tavern Tier 6, Mech/Demon]

• 3 Attack, 15 Health. Battlecry: Add a random Mecha-Demon to your hand.

• Rusted Reggie: 5 Attack, 5 Health. Winfury. Can Magnetize to Mechs and Demons.

• Magtheridon Prime: 1 Attack, 10 Health. Taunt. Can Magnetize to Mechs and Demons.

• Baltharak: 10 Attack, 1 Health. Reborn. Can Magnetize to Mechs and Demons.

MagtheridoGreta Gold-Gun [Tavern Tier 6, Naga/Pirate]

• 2 Attack, 9 Health. Spellcraft: Make a different friendly Naga or Pirate Golden until next turn.

Minion Pool Updates

• Icky Imp and Budding Greenthumb have been returned to the minion pool.
• Peggy Brittlebone, Baron Rivendare, Saltscale Honcho, Glyph Guardian, Yo-Ho-Ogre, Stasis Elemental, Majordomo Executus, Bonker, Mechano-Egg, Baby Krush, Palescale Crocolisk, Imp Mama, Tony Two-Tusk, Draconid Enforcer, Razorgore the Untamed, Witchwing Nestmatron, Imprisoner, Khadgar, and Mythrax the Unravaler have been removed from the minion pool.

Other Minion Updates

• Micro-Mummy has gained the Undead minion type.
• The Golden version of Amber Guardian will now hit two minions with the effect (giving each +2/+2 and Divine Shield), instead of doubling the effect on one minion (giving it +4/+4 and Divine Shield).

Mercenaries Update

• Sire Finley can now be acquired through all normal means.

Special In-Game Event: Lunar New Year

The Lunar New Year is right around the corner and this year we’re doing it in style with the new in-game Event System. From January 17 to January 31, you can complete daily and special Event Quests to earn Event XP towards the event Rewards Track. Complete the event Rewards Track to earn three Battlegrounds Hero Skins!

Heroic Tavern Brawl Returns!

On February 1, the fan-favorite Heroic Tavern Brawl (Standard format) is back for more grueling competition! This time, there will be a new special Legendary Quest tied to the Brawl for those who want earn something they can use to show off their skill. Win 3 games in one Heroic Tavern Brawl run and you’ll get the new Ghoul Queen Scarlet Death Knight Hero Skin in addition to your other prizes! There will also be a Legendary Quest for players to win one game of any type in order to get a Standard Pack, so there is something for all players, even those who don’t want to participate in the Heroic Tavern Brawl.

Bug Fixes and Game Improvements

• [Progression] Quests requiring you to deal damage of a particular spell type have been updated to require damage with one of two spell types.
• [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Heart Strike was not affected by Spell Damage.
• [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Anachronos’s effect interacted inconsistently with effects like Power Overwhelming, Habeas Corpses, and Goblin Prank. All these types of effects will now be removed when the minion returns from its journey through time.
• [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Anachronos’s effect could cause a temporary disconnect in certain circumstances.
• [Mercenaries] Fixed a bug where Chromie’s Chaos Theory used the wrong effect animation.
• [Cosmetics] Fixed a bug where the Lor’themar Hero Skin used the wrong hero power animation.
• [Cosmetics] Fixed a bug where certain Mal’Ganis voicelines were incorrect.
• [Cosmetics] Fixed a bug where some of Ebon Assassin Garona’s voicelines and speech bubbles were swapped.
• [Cosmetics] Fixed a bug where certain card backs were automatically marked as “Favorite” when acquired.
• [Cosmetics] Corrected the “Obtained by” portion of the descriptions for the Scourge Coin and the Tinker Town Takeover Battlegrounds Board in the Collection Managers.
• [Shop] Fixed various shop presentation/visual bugs.
• Misc. other bug fixes and game improvements.

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