After announcement of the new Descent of Dragons expansion, a new game mode was unveiled by Blizzard. The Battlegrounds game mode that will be available on Hearthstone very soon. Here is all the information we have at the moment.
Availability
The new Battlegrounds game mode will be available on November 5 on Hearthstone for anyone who has pre-ordered Descent of Dragons, and for anyone who has participated to BlizzCon 2019 or purchased a virtual ticket. For all other players the public beta will start on Tuesday, November 12!
When Descent of Dragons is released, all players will have free access to Hearthstone's new game mode: Battlegrounds. It will be accessible through a new mode button which will allow you to access the game.
Format
This new chaotic game mode will allow 8 players to compete in automatic fights. Each player will be able to play as one of 24 unique heroes and recruit servants who will have to be strategically placed before watching the battle unfold.
This game mode will be free and is designed as a full experience. It incorporates the basics of the Hearthstone card game, but does not require any card collection to play.
It will be accessible through a new mode button which will allow you to access the game.
How it works
Welcome to Battlegrounds, an 8-player game mode where battles are automatic for a whole new strategic experience. You will play as one of the 24 Hearthstone heroes available. Each hero will have a different power that will impact your gaming experience.
You will have to organize your board by recruiting servants to face your opponents in a duel until there is only one winner left. You will find the cards you already know, but there will also be new cards, developed specifically for this game mode.
A tutorial commented by Bob will be included in the game, but in the meantime discover all the information below!
Step one - choose your hero
24 heroes will be available upon release, each with a unique power that will change the way you play and shape your ingame strategies. You will be able to choose between 2 heroes (3 if you already had 20 packages of the last extension) who will be chosen at random among the 24.
With Millificent Manastorm for example, you will have +1/+1 to all the mechs of Bob's tavern. With Arthas, you can confer Reincarnation on your most right-handed minion. The arrangement of the board will be even more important!
Bob's tavern
In this game mode, no deck, but a board full of servants that will always be changing. Recruit new ones at Bob's at the beginning of the game and between two fights. As the game goes on, you will receive more and more coins that can be spent to improve and modify your board. Most of the tavern's actions cost coins that can't be saved for the next rounds.
Several options are available:
- Recruit a minion
A new selection of minions will be proposed by Bob at each entrance to the tavern. Each servant costs 3 coins to be recruited. - Renew the selection
Are you looking for a particular servant? For 1 piece you can renew the selection of available servants. - Sending a servant back
If you need space on the board, or if you are no longer interested in a minion, 1 coin will be enough to send it back! - Freeze the selection
You don't have enough coins but you absolutely want this minion? You can freeze the current selection for free! Bob will then offer the same servants on the next visit. - Improve your tavern
The level of the tavern affects several very important aspects of the game.
- The number and power of minions proposed by Bob
- The basic amount of damage inflicted on your opponents during the combat phases.
- The cost of improvement is increasing with each additional level, but if you don't improve it during a round, the cost will be reduced by 1 piece for the next visit. - Three of a kind
Recruit 3 identical minions and combine them to create a more powerful golden version! The triplets retain all bonuses received before their merger. You will also receive a reward card allowing you to discover a free minion from the upper tavern level. - Arrange your minions
Once recruited, you will have to choose how to arrange them on the board. Between two combat phases you can place minions from your hand on the board or exchange their positions by moving them.
In battle, the left-most minions attack a random enemy first, unless there is a minion with Taunt in front who will be attacked first. Arrange your servants strategically to take maximum advantage of effects such as Poison, Deathrattle and Divine Shield.
Combat phase
The final preparations are finished and the fight begins! An opponent will be randomly chosen and your minions will fight until a winner is determined. Minions take turns attacking, starting with the left-most servant of each player. The keywords work as usual as in a Hearthstone game. Minions with Taunt are being attacked first.
On the left, you can still see the status of all your opponents, but you will have to wait until the battle begins to discover its minions and their layout. After each fight, back to the tavern, after each tavern a fight, until you are the last living hero or you are eliminated from the battlefield!
Optional features
Optional features will be unlockable for this game mode by obtaining card packages of the most recent extension (starting from Descent of Dragons). All packages acquired will count, whether they were obtained free of charge, purchased with gold in game or acquired with real money.
- For every 10 packets, players will unlock extensive statistics tracking in Battlegrounds mode. (available after the public beta)
- For 20 packages, players will unlock a third boss that they can choose in addition to the two bosses initially available.
- For 30 packs, players will unlock the ability to provoke or communicate with their opponents through a system of emoticons.
Configuration requirements
Due to the nature of its 8-player games, with countless simultaneous attacks, effects and animations, Hearthstone: Battlegrounds is currently only compatible with mobile devices with more than 2GB of RAM. This means that older devices may not be able to run Hearthstone: Battlefields.
At the end of the beta, the experience will be optimized so that players using older devices can participate in this new game mode.
The third extension of the Year of the Dragon, Descent of Dragons is available in game! New mechanics, new cards and a new game mode are on the menu. Discover all the information in this article!
