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Hearthstone update 17.2 patch notes welcome three new heroes to Battlegrounds

Lady Vashj, Maiev, and Kael'thas are ready to join the Hearthstone Battlegrounds roster with Tuesday's 17.2 update.

Ozzie Mejia

May 11, 2020 12:55 PM

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While the core Hearthstone game continues to roll on, Blizzard is looking to make some more changes to its breakout Battlegrounds mode. The biggest change will see three new heroes join the existing Hero pool and they appear to add some new strategies and mechanics to the proceedings. The Tuesday 17.2 update will also switch out an old minion for a newer, more interesting one.

The following three heroes won't be available to all Hearthstone players just yet. They're set to release on May 26, however those players who have unlocked Battlegrounds perks via the Tavern Pass can take them out for an early spin starting this Tuesday:

• Lady Vashj: Evolving Electricity (After you upgrade Bob's Tavern, replace his minions with ones of a higher Tier.

• Maiev Shadowsong: Imprison (Make a minion in Bob's Tavern Dormant. After 2 turns, get it with +1/+1.)

• Kael'thas Sunstrider: Verdant Spheres (Every third minion you buy gains +2/+2.)

These new Heroes introduce some new ideas into Battlegrounds. Vashj offers an incentive to upgrade Bob's Tavern sooner, potentially offering access to better minions sooner. Maiev guarantees a minion with stronger stats in later turns, albeit one of a lower tier by that point. Then there's Kael'thas, which looks to have a perk that comes in exceptionally handy in the later turns.

That's not all, though. The Dire Wolf Alpha has had a good run as a Tier 1 minion, but it is now going back into the wild. It's being replaced by a new Battlegrounds-exclusive minion called the Rabid Saurolisk.

(1) Rabid Saurolisk (3/1)(Beast)
After you play a minion with Deathrattle, gain +1/+1.

The Rabid Saurolisk introduces an idea that hasn't been used very much in Battlegrounds to this point, further incentivizing Deathrattle builds. This makes Baron Rivendare in Tier 5 an even more valuable commodity.

Elsewhere, Update 17.2 allows players in the core game to rearrange their decks and make them easier to read and access. All of these changes are set to go live this Tuesday. For more on Tuesday's update, be sure to check out the Hearthstone website.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?