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 11 *12 older minions will be returning to the minion pool! These new minions will be revealed over the next few days.
* Corrected from prior version, which said 12.
* We found the 12th minion.
- 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!
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