It was just earlier this month when the Forbidden Library event went live on Hearthstone, and it featured some balance changes in constructed play, three new Battlegrounds heroes plus a new Battlegrounds minion, and the first chapter in the new Book of Heroes Solo Adventure.
Considering the amount of content that was added to the game at the start of the month, it seemed unlikely that we’d be getting any more anytime soon, but with today’s surprise announcement of the 18.4 patch update and the Masquerade Ball event, we’re getting even more than we wouldn’t have thought to expect. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the new additions to Hearthstone as the Masquerade Ball event rolls out over the next few weeks.
The Elementals have entered the Battlegrounds
On September 29, Elementals will be added to the minion pool in Hearthstone Battlegrounds. Just like with the addition of Pirates in the 17.4 patch update, Elementals will be excluded from every game’s minion tribe bans for a while, meaning you’ll always get the chance to play with an Elemental warband every game for a limited time.
So far, the Elemental set seems to cover all bases: it has tools for managing your Tavern economy, minions for buffing your other Elementals, and even WIndfury and Mega-Windfury mechanics. There are also select minions that interact with your warband depending on your Tavern Tier level.
Of course, the addition of Elementals to Battlegrounds wouldn’t be complete without some Elemental heroes, of which we’ll be getting four: Al’Akir the Windlord, Chenvaala, Rakanishu, and a reworked version of previously available Battlegrounds hero, Ragnaros the Firelord. It’ll be interesting to see how their Hero Powers will work with the new Elemental minions, as well as existing tribes.
You can find a full list of the new Elemental minions, details on their Golden copies, as well as details on the new heroes on the 18.4 patch notes.
The return of Dual-Class Arena
Halloween, err, I mean Hallow’s End is coming early this year, as Hearthstone’s greatest heroes are putting on their costumes a few weeks ahead of time. Starting September 29, you can buy yourself a ticket to participate in the Dual-Class Arena, which will allow you to choose from three random heroes and three random Hero Powers, and draft a deck from both classes. With the addition of Dual-Class cards in the Scholomance Academy expansion, this means that you can build a deck with cards from up to four different classes. And if you haven’t got any gold ready for an Arena run, don’t worry, because your first Dual-Class Arena ticket is free.
Relive the story of Rexxar in Hearthstone’s Book of Heroes
If you’ve already played through Jaina’s chapter in Hearthstone’s Book of Heroes and you’re looking for more single-player Hearthstone content, worry not, because it won’t be long until the book turns its next page to the tale of Rexxar, Champion of the Horde, on October 13. Whether you know him from WoW, Warcraft, or even from when Dota was just a Warcraft 3 mod, you’ll surely recognize some bits of lore from the legendary Beastmaster’s tale in the Book of Heroes’ next chapter.
For a posh Masquerade Ball, there sure are a lot of Tavern Brawls
You’d think that a Masquerade Ball at Scholomance Academy would be above those wily bar fights, but it seems that even Headmaster Kel’Thuzad enjoys watching a brawl or two. As the Masquerade Ball event rolls out weekly, we’ll be getting three special Tavern Brawls:
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- Rise of the Zombeasts (September 30) – Battle against your opponent as you both assume the role of Deathstalker Rexxar and fight to build the strongest Zombeast with your Build-A-Beast Hero Power.
- The Masquerade Ball Tavern Brawl (October 7) – A Tavern Brawl in which even your minions get to wear a mask–each minion you play will transform into a random one that costs (2) more, and gain the Deathrattle: Summon the original minion you played. You’re gonna want RNGsus’s blessing for this one.
- Boss Battle Royale 3 (October 14) – A Tavern Brawl where you wear the mask. Dress up as one of ten playable bosses from the game’s various Solo Adventures, and wield their fearsome Hero Powers against your opponents.
Full details for the 18.4 patch update and the Masquerade Ball event can be found on Hearthstone’s official site. For the latest Hearthstone news and updates, be sure to stay tuned to our website and Facebook page. See you in the Tavern!