Patch 33.4.2 launches today with updates for Hearthstone and Battlegrounds, as well as a few bug fixes.
Hearthstone Updates
Dev Comment: We’d like to share an update on the current state of Hearthstone and what to expect from this patch.
The data shows a relatively balanced meta, with no dominant power outliers or play patterns demanding nerfs. At the same time, the Day of Rebirth Mini-Set didn’t land as we hoped. This patch focuses on targeted buffs to help a few of those cards better realize their potential. Some of these changes support Quest decks, while also opening up new options across other archetypes (more details below).
We understand that many of you were hoping for bigger changes. We’ve seen a lot of feedback about the strong neutral package of Fyrakk, Elise, Naralex, and Ysera, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on them moving forward. We’ve also continued to hear suggestions to buff nearly every new Quest so they become competitive archetypes. However, as we’ve shared before, too many competitive Quests in the long term can lead to a metagame that isn’t fun or healthy.
More broadly, we believe future expansions are a better place to bring community feedback to life than trying to overhaul the current set through balance patches. We fell short of our goal of introducing enough new competitive options this expansion. As we look ahead to the next expansion and beyond, we’re keeping your response to this set in mind and are using it to help shape the future of Hearthstone.
Card Changes
Khelos (From Egg of Khelos)
- New: Khelos now has Taunt.
- Dev Comment: We’ve seen a lot of experimentation with Khelos, often in combination with Dissolving Ooze. We want to preserve that synergy while also giving Khelos a stronger standalone presence by adding Taunt.
Mirrex, the Crystalline
- Old: While in your hand, this is a 3/3 copy of the last minion your opponent played.
- New: While in your hand, this is a 3/4 copy of the last minion your opponent played.
Posessed Animancer
- Old: [6 mana]
- New: [5 mana]
- Dev Comment: We’ve seen players tapping into the potential of Possessed Animancer, and we’re making it more efficient to use. Alongside that, we’re also improving one of its favorite partners, Asphyxiodon. We wouldn’t be giga sore if you tried using it with another Beast, either.
Asphyxiodon
Ritual of Life
- Old: Discover a 3-Cost minion. Summon a 2/2 copy of it.
- New: Discover a 3-Cost minion. Summon a 2/3 copy of it.
Ankylodon
- Old: [8 mana] 7/7
- New: [6 mana] 7/5
- Dev Comment: Upgrading Ankylodon gives Hunter a powerful Discover option through effects like Detailed Notes, while also making it a solid Beast for Quest Hunter and other Hunter decks.
Longneck Egg
- Old: Deathrattle: Summon a 1/2 Beast. Give your minions +1/+1.
- New: Deathrattle: Summon a 3/3 Beast. Give your minions +1/+1.
Costume Merchant
Tortotem
- Old: [2 mana] 0/4
- New: [1 mana] 0/3
- Dev Comment: We’ve found that players already complete the Shaman Quest fairly quickly, but we still wanted to give Tortotem a small boost. Lowering its cost helps it contribute to Quest completion while also enabling earlier minion generation to fuel the payoff once the Quest is complete.
Battlegrounds Updates
Dev Comment: We’re heading into the midseason update with one last round of balance changes, and we’re feeling good about how things are shaping up. Since its introduction at the start of Season 11, Rally has performed well and earned its place as an evergreen keyword. That said, future updates will likely dial back its overall prevalence in the game. We’ve also received great feedback on Quests as a system and are actively discussing potential adjustments if and when they return.
This update focuses on refining the meta to keep gameplay engaging and fun. Quilboar and Elementals have been scaled back to better align with the rest of the field, while Undead, Beasts, Dragons, Mechs, and Murlocs have received a boost to help them stand out more competitively.
We also fine-tuned Quest difficulty to make the experience more consistent and reduce the impact of “high roll” and “low roll” outcomes. To support that goal, Unlikely Duo now triggers on “buy” instead of “play,” and Cry for Help has been removed from the Quest pool. These changes, along with other targeted adjustments to individual Quests and Rewards, are intended to reduce variance and discourage holding cards going into Turn 4. Holding cards could give some players too much acceleration on the Quest turn, so this update should help ensure Quest difficulty feels consistently fair across the lobby.
We’ll continue monitoring the meta and making updates as needed. There are exciting things on the horizon for the midseason update, and we’re looking forward to sharing more soon. See you in the Tavern!
Minion and Spell Pool Changes
The following cards have been removed from the minion pool:
- Stray Satyr
- Carbonic Copy
- Scourge Harvester
- Canopy Swinger
- Sharp-Eyed Sabretooth
- Merciless Mammoth
The following cards have been returned to the minion pool (all with adjustments, see below):
- Saltscale Honcho
- Gentle Djinni
- Young Murk-Eye
Minion Changes
Razorfen Vineweaver
- Old: [Tier 4] 4/4. Rally: Play 3 permanent Blood Gems on this.
- New: [Tier 5] 5/5. Rally: Play 3 permanent Blood Gems on this.
Roadboar
- Old: 3/2. Rally: Get 3 Blood Gems.
- New: 3/4. Rally: Get 2 Blood Gems.
Champion of Sargeras
- Old: 12/12. Battlecry and Deathrattle: Minions in the Tavern have +5/+5 this game.
- New: 10/10. Battlecry and Deathrattle: Minions in the Tavern have +4/+4 this game.
Raptor Elder
- Old: 2/8. Your Beasts have +2/+2. (Improved by each Beast you’ve summoned this combat!)
- New: 2/7. Stealth. Your Beasts have +3/+2. (Improved by each Beast you’ve summoned this combat!)
Stomping Stegodon
- Old: 4/4. Rally: Give your other Beasts +2 Attack and this Rally.
- New: 3/3. Rally: Give your other Beasts +3 Attack and this Rally.
Mama Bear
- Old: 5/5. Whenever you summon a Beast, give it +5/+5.
- New: 6/6. Whenever you summon a Beast, give it +6/+6.
Goldrinn, the Great Wolf
- Old: 5/5. Deathrattle: For the rest of this combat, your Beasts have +5/+5.
- New: 6/6. Deathrattle: For the rest of this combat, your Beasts have +6/+6.
River Skipper
- Old: 2/1. When you sell this, get a random Tier 1 minion.
- New: 1/1. When you sell this, get a random Tier 1 minion.
Saltscale Honcho
- Old: [Tier 1] 3/3. After you play a Murloc, give a friendly Murloc other than it +1 Health.
- New: [Tier 2] 5/2. After you play a Murloc, give a friendly Murloc other than it +2 Health.
Mrglin’ Burglar
- Old: 6/6. After you play a Murloc, give a friendly minion and a minion in your hand +3/+3.
- New: 8/6. After you play a Murloc, give a friendly minion and a minion in your hand +4/+3.
Young Murk-Eye
- Old: 9/6. At the end of your turn, trigger the Battlecry of an adjacent minion.
- New: 10/5. At the end of your turn, trigger the Battlecries of adjacent Murlocs.
Grease Bot
- Old: 2/5. Divine Shield. After a friendly minion loses Divine Shield, give it +2/+1 permanently.
- New: 2/4. Divine Shield. After a friendly minion loses Divine Shield, give it +2/+2 permanently.
Utility Drone
- Old: 4/5. At the end of your turn, give your minions +1/+1 for each Magnetization they have.
- New: 3/5. At the end of your turn, give your minions +2/+1 for each Magnetization they have.
Charging Czarina
- Old: 6/3. Divine Shield. Whenever you cast a Tavern spell, give your minions with Divine Shield +2 Attack.
- New: 5/3. Divine Shield. Whenever you cast a Tavern spell, give your minions with Divine Shield +3 Attack.
Mechagnome Interpreter
- Old: 2/4. Whenever a friendly Magnetic minion is played or Magnetized, give it +2/+2.
- New: 2/3. Whenever you play or Magnetize a Mech, give it +2/+1.
Prized Promo-Drake
- Old: 2/2. Start of Combat: Give your Dragons +3/+3.
- New: 1/1. Start of Combat: Give your Dragons +4/+4.
Roaring Recruiter
Tarecgosa
- Old: [Tier 3] 4/4.
- New: [Tier 2] 3/3.
Twilight Watcher
- Old: 3/8. Whenever a friendly Dragon attacks, give your Dragons +1/+2.
- New: 3/7. Whenever a friendly Dragon attacks, give your Dragons +1/+3.
Noisul of the Many Faces
- Old: [Tier 6] 3/9.
- New: [Tier 5] 2/8.
Oranomonos, the Wilted
- Old: [Tier 5] 3/8. After a friendly minion is Reborn, your Undead have +1 Attack this game (wherever they are).
- New: [Tier 6] 4/9. After a friendly minion is Reborn, your Undead have +2 Attack this game (wherever they are).
Campfire Shadow
- Old: [Tier 5] 6/4.
- New: [Tier 4] 4/2.
Gentle Djinni
- Old: [Tier 6] Taunt Battlecry and Deathrattle: Get a random Elemental.
- New: [Tier 5] Taunt Deathrattle: Get a random Elemental.
Spell Changes
Sanctify
- Old: Give your minions with Divine Shield +5 Attack.
- New: Give your minions with Divine Shield +7 Attack.
Azerite Empowerment
- Old: Give your minions +4/+4.
- New: Give your minions +3/+3 twice.
Quest Changes
The following Quests are now easier to complete:
- Reenact The Murder
- Round Up the Suspects
- Crack the Case
The following Quest is now harder to complete:
Quest Card Changes
Unlikely Duo
- Old: Quest: Play 5 (minion type) or (minion type).
- New: Quest: Buy 4 (minion type) or (minion type).
Quest Reward Changes
The following Quest Rewards are now easier to obtain:
- Smelting Chamber
- Bloodsoaked Tome
- Beyond the Mirage
- Magicfin Relic
- Yogg-tastic Tasties
- Timeline Acceleration
Quest Reward Card Changes
Untold Riches
- Old: Get a 7-Gold Coin Pouch. Increase your maximum Gold by 7.
- New: Get a 5-Gold Coin Pouch. Increase your maximum Gold by 5.
Perpetual Incantation
- Old: Your Tavern spells give an extra +1/+1. (+1/+1 can be earned endlessly!)
- New: Your Tavern spells give an extra +2/+1. (+2/+1 can be earned endlessly!)
Hero Updates
Armor Changes
The following Heroes have had their armor values increased.
- Galewing has 10 Armor and 8 Armor in Duos
- Vol’jin has 17 Armor, 14 Armor in Duos, and 15 Armor in low ranks
- Maiev Shadowsong has 15 Armor, 13 Armor in Duos, and 18 Armor in low ranks
- Kurtrus Ashfallen has 15 Armor and 12 Armor in Duos
- Sir Finley Mrrgglton has 14 Armor and 12 Armor in Duos
- Galakrond has 17 Armor and 15 Armor in Duos
- Guff Runetotem has 12 Armor and 10 Armor in Duos
- Tess Greymane has 18 Armor and 16 Armor in Duos
- Shudderwock has 12 Armor and 10 Armor in Duos
- Dinotamer Brann has 18 Armor and 16 Armor in Duos
- Skycap’n Kragg has 17 Armor and 15 Armor in Duos
- Y’Shaarj has 17 Armor and 15 Armor in Duos
- Rakanishu has 18 Armor and 16 Armor in Duos
- Kerrigan, Queen of Blades has 14 Armor and 12 Armor in Duos
Bug Fixes
- [Arena] Fixed a bug where Anachronos, Frostmourne, and Barak Kodobane didn’t have Legendary buckets. They have been returned to the card pool.
- [Hearthstone] Fixed a bug where the pop-up Reward Scroll said “Sharp-Eyed Lookout” when receiving Staff of the Endbringer.