Patch 31.2, launching tomorrow, kicks off Battlegrounds Season 9, sends an invitation to Bob’s Holiday Bash, and more!

Enter the Technotavern in Battlegrounds Season 9

On December 3, Battlegrounds Season 8 will end and Season 9 will begin. That means ratings will reset in Battlegrounds and Duos, Trinkets will be removed, and the Battlegrounds Rewards Track will switch over. All rewards that were earned on the Season 8 track, but not yet claimed, will be automatically claimed. Learn more about the upcoming Season in our Season 9 Announcement Blog.

Three New Heroes

Farseer Nobundo

• The Galaxy’s Lens [3 Gold]
• Get a copy of the last Tavern spell you cast. Each turn, your next Hero Power costs (1) less.

Exarch Othaar

• Arcane Knowledge [0 Gold]
• The next Tavern spell you buy costs (1) less. (Unlocks on turn 3.)

Zerek, Master Cloner

• Cloning Gallery [0 Gold]
• Summon an exact copy of a friendly minion. (Once per game.)

These three new heroes will be offered in every Battlegrounds/Duos game for two weeks following their introduction in Patch 31.2. Since they will always be in the initial hero offerings each game, that also means you will NOT be able to Reroll into them during this period (because you can’t Reroll into a hero that’s already been offered, more on that below).

Hero Updates

Lich Baz’hial

• Graveyard Shift [2 Gold]
• Steal a card from the Tavern. Take 2 damage.

Shudderwock

• Snicker-snack [0 Gold]
• Trigger a friendly minion’s Battlecry. (Unlocks on Turn 3.)

Marin the Manager

• Kaboom Bot Portrait, Eternal Portrait, Felblood Portrait, Tiger Carving, Souvenir Stand, Goose Portrait, and Empowered Mirror have been removed from the Hero Power Trinket Pool.

Trade Prince Gallywix

• No longer banned in Elemental lobbies.

Minion Refresh and Rollout Schedule

The new season will bring nearly 90 new and returning minions and 11 all-new Tavern spells across Battlegrounds and Duos! With so many changes, Bob’s rolling out the minion types in groups so you can learn the new synergies, and each gets a chance to shine:

• December 3: Patch goes live initially with Beasts, Dragons, Quilboar, Pirates, Naga, and Mechs.
• December 5: Murlocs and Demons are added to the minion pool.
• December 9: Undead and Elementals are added to the minion pool.

You can see all the card reveals and changes now in the official Card Library.

Damage Cap Update

Starting with Season 9, the damage cap will be adjusted in solo Battlegrounds games (note: this change will only apply to solo Battlegrounds, not Duos). The damage cap will start at 5 damage, then go up to 10 damage on turn 4, and 15 damage on turn 8. The cap will still be removed once you’re in the Top 4. This change will allow games to progress more evenly, without big bursts of damage in the early game.

New Feature: Hero Rerolls

Starting with Season 9, you’ll be able to Reroll Hero options during the Hero selection phase of your Battlegrounds games. Each Hero slot can be Rerolled once per game, using new Battlegrounds Tokens. Each Reroll will change that specific Hero into a different Hero option that hasn’t been offered to any player in the lobby that game.* Each player’s Rerolls are independent of other players’, so you don’t need to worry about timing your Rerolls to make them more effective.

You can get Battlegrounds Tokens from the Rewards Track (as free rewards and with the Season Pass), in-game grants, viewership rewards, and the in-game Shop. Once Patch 31.2 goes live, all players will automatically have 2 Battlegrounds Tokens added to their account. There will also be a free bundle of 4 Battlegrounds Tokens that you can claim in the in-game Shop for a limited time after launch. Finally, with the new Battlegrounds Season Pass+, your first Reroll each game doesn’t require a Battlegrounds Token.

* Because you can’t Reroll into a Hero that was already offered to someone in the lobby, and because the new Heroes are guaranteed to be offered in every lobby for two weeks following the patch, you will be unable to Reroll into those Heroes during that period.

New Battlegrounds Season Pass and Season Pass+

With Season 9, the Battlegrounds Rewards Track is being extended to add Battlegrounds Tokens throughout both the free rewards and the paid rewards from the Season Pass. There will also be a new option, the Season Pass+, that includes everything on the Season Pass plus a perk that makes it so your first Reroll each game doesn’t consume a Battlegrounds Token—making it the most consistent and efficient option for people who want to maximize their Rerolls and Hero options.

The Season Pass will be available for the same price as before ($14.99 USD or 1500 Runestones). The Season Pass+ will be available for $19.99 USD or 2000 Runestones. If you get the regular Season Pass and later decide you want to upgrade to the Season Pass+, you will be able to do so for $4.99 or 500 Runestones. See our Season 9 Announcement Blog for the details about all three levels of the Rewards Track.

Arena Update

When Patch 31.2 launches on December 3, all ongoing Arena runs will end and a new Arena season will begin. The eligible sets will be updated to the following:

• The Great Dark Beyond
• Perils in Paradise
• TITANS
• Festival of Legends
• Scholomance Academy
• Descent of Dragons

Twist Updates

Twist is back! Twist returns with the Wonders format for when Patch 31.2 launches on December 3. The Wonders format is a throwback format celebrating the early years of Hearthstone*. In it, players can make decks with cards from the following sets:

• Legacy (which is distinct from Core and Classic)
• Curse of Naxxramas
• Goblins vs Gnomes
• Blackrock Mountain
• The Grand Tournament
• The League of Explorers
• Whispers of the Old Gods
• One Night in Karazhan
• Mean Streets of Gadgetzan
• Caverns of Time

Starting with Patch 31.2, Twist will no longer require that all formats start and end exactly on the first and last day of the month. This will allow for better support during those transition periods by avoiding weekends and holidays. The initial Wonders format will run from December 3 to January 6.

Seasons will still be monthly and ladder rankings will still reset with the monthly calendar. That means, for example, that the January ladder season will consist of two different formats: one from January 1-6, and one from January 6-31.

On January 6, the XL Wonders format will begin. XL Wonders uses the same card pool as Wonders, but allows you to build your decks with anywhere between 30 and 40 cards and then have your life total match your card total (so if you have a 37-card deck, you will begin the game with 37 max life). This means you can keep playing your Wonders deck, or add a bit more cards in once the format rolls over. What Wonders will you accomplish with freedom over your deck and life total?!

We’ll have more information about the February Twist season closer to when it goes live.

* Before the introduction of Demon Hunter and Death Knight, so those classes are banned in both Wonders and XL Wonders.

Heroic Tavern Brawl Returns

Heroic Tavern Brawl returns for the week of December 4-11. Pay an entry fee and compete in high-stakes games until reaching either 12 wins or 3 losses, with prizing based on how well you do.

In-Game Event: Bob’s Holiday Bash

Bob’s hosting a holiday bash this year, with a special in-game event. From December 10 to December 31, complete Event Quests to earn XP on the special Event XP Track. Both Hearthstone and Battlegrounds are on Bob’s invite list, so Event Quests can be completed in either Mode, and progress gives rewards for both Modes. Complete the entire Event Track to earn 7 The Great Dark Beyond Packs, 4 Battlegrounds Tokens, and Bob the Bartender himself (regular and golden), for the first time in Standard Hearthstone!

Bob the Bartender is planned to rotate out of Standard with the 2026 Standard rotation.

Enjoy Music from the Tavern!

Finish the year out strong with Hearthstone: Music of the Tavern (Volume 2), releasing on December 18! Enjoy the tunes of over 50 in-game tracks when they launch on Spotify, Apple Music, itunes, and Deezer!

Artist: Uriah Voth

Bug Fixes and Game Improvements

• [General] Using the “Quit” button from the in-game menu will no longer Concede your game when closing the client. Funnily, this issue was actually the original and intended behavior, resurfaced after a longstanding bug was fixed. But there was clear feedback that many of you were used to the bug and preferred that functionality, so we turned the bug into a feature and reverted the functionality.
• [General] Fixed a bug causing disconnection/performance issues.
• [Tavern Brawl] Tavern Brawl timing will be updated so that all regions align with Pacific Time (9 a.m. PT start time).
• [Hearthstone] Fixed bugs with Private Eye and Mysterious Challenger causing disconnects, and unbanned them from Wild.
• [Hearthstone] Avatar of Hearthstone will no longer require handspace for its effect.
• [Hearthstone] Announce Darkness can now give Warlock locations.
• [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where playing a Titan, returning it to your hand, and replaying it could cause a disconnect.
• [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Imployee of the Month didn’t count as an Imp. We’ve updated his personnel file.
• [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Airlock Breach didn’t count properly for number of Health changes.
• [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Maestra, Mask Merchant could Discover Galakrond hero cards.
• [Hearthstone] Fixed a text-only bug where Kil’jaeden’s Portal would upgrade some card texts that it shouldn’t, based on the Portal buffs.
• [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Mining Casualties could be played on a full board.
• [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Carnivorous Cubicle’s end of turn effect could trigger multiple times if its Battlecry was multiplied when played (like with Shudderblock).
• [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Hot Coals would not resolve deaths after the first wave.
• [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Parrot Sanctuary wouldn’t reopen if the Battlecry minion transformed into a non-Battlecry minion.
• [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Wakener of Souls could resurrect itself under specific circumstances.
• [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Uluu, the Everdrifter’s Choose One effects could be affected by Spell Damage.
• [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where cards that would resurrect Mistah Vistah couldn’t (or would cause a crash).
• [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Dryscale Deputy wouldn’t copy the right card if the next spell drawn was a Cast When Drawn card, like a Plague (now it will copy the Plague).
• [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Greedy Partner wouldn’t get activated by cards that were made to cost 2 by Razorscale.
• [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where minions that transformed into Dormant minions with “while Dormant” effects didn’t have their functionality. 
• [Hearthstone] Fixed visual bugs with Spore Empress Moldara’s effect.
• [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where Deathborne and Cycle of Hatred counted as destroying minions that died during their effect resolution, but not as a direct result of the spell (it was a weird edge case, don’t worry about it).
• [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where copying Voodoo Doll’s Battlecry would also copy its Deathrattle.
• [Battlegrounds] Various minions that give a bonus when you spend a certain amount of Gold have been updated so that the effect will now still trigger even if the required Gold is spent getting a triple of that minion.
• [Battlegrounds] Various minions that grant a variable of an effect (like, based on how much Gold was spent that turn) have had their text updated to track this variable.
• [Battlegrounds] The Blessing of the Nine Frogs Hero Power can no longer be activated if your hand is full.
• [Battlegrounds] Fixed a bug where Ritual of Growth would trigger Catacomb Crasher’s effect.
• [Battlegrounds] Fixed a bug where Motley Phalanx would not buff Corrupted Myrmidon during combat.
• [Battlegrounds] Fixed a bug where Golden Persistent Poet didn’t work with Sky Pirate Flagbearer.
• [Battlegrounds] Fixed a bug where Ghosts could have spells with Start of Game effects that should have been spent expired after the fight they died in.
• [Battlegrounds] Fixed a bug where Aggem Thorncurse’s effect could be triggered in the Tavern.
• [Collection, CN-only] Fixed a bug where the “Refund” search in the Collection manager showed all the cards from the prior year.
• [Collection] Players who missed getting Champions of Azeroth from the event can now get the normal version by going to the pack opening screen with a regular The Great Dark Beyond pack and get the golden version with a Golden The Great Dark Beyond pack.
• [Collection] Fixed a bug where Imp-oster couldn’t be crafted or disenchanted.
• [Collection] Check out Interstellar Starslicer’s flavor text.
• [Shop] Fixed a bug where the “New” notification could show even when there was nothing new in the Shop.
• [Solo Content] Fixed issues where a couple Boomsday Puzzles became unsolvable.
• [Progression] Fixed a bug where multiple older Achievements didn’t progress correctly if you used Core Set versions of the relevant cards instead of the originals.
• [Misc.] Fixed a bug with the performance of the in-game Reconnect feature.
• Misc. other bug fixes and game improvements.