Patch 36.0.3 launches today with balance updates for Hearthstone, Arena, and Battlegrounds.
Check out our latest Dev Update on YouTube! The Hearthstone Design Team covers the first major balance patch for Escape from Violet Hold, a tease for the next Battlegrounds season, and more.
Dev Comment: Escape from Violet Hold has shaken up the meta in a big way, and we’ve loved seeing so many new cards making an impact. At the same time, we’ve seen a few classes start to fall behind, including Warlock, Death Knight, Priest, and Demon Hunter. Overall, class and deck diversity are lower than we’d like, especially at high ranks, so this patch is focused on opening up more options.
To help with that, we’re improving a large number of Escape from Violet Hold cards, with a particular focus on supporting underperforming classes. Azalina Soulsever is also receiving one of the biggest updates we’ve ever given a card, complete with an all-new Start of Game effect.
We’re also making adjustments to several of the current top-performing decks, such as Two-Cost Rogue and Mug Shaman, focusing on early blow-outs.
In Wild, Warlock was already quite powerful before Escape from Violet Hold, and Godfrey the Betrayer as further increased its overwhelming presence. Because of this, we’re taking some larger swings, with an outright ban to Godfrey and nerfs to several other key cards for Warlock decks. We’ll be monitoring to see what happens after these large changes and made continued follow ups as needed.
As always, we’ll be watching closely to see how the meta develops.
Vanessa the Ringleader
Blazing Invocation
Warptooth
Lotus Troublemaker
Confront the Tol’vir
The above cards will be eligible for full dust refunds for two weeks following Patch 36.0.3.
Blood Doctor Thal’ena
Sawbones
Emergency Surgery
The Living Plague
Imp Gang Stooge
Annihilation
Moragg
Stardust Scythe
Vicious Voidscale
Irida Sinseeker
Tras’tath, Soul Parasite
Azalina Soulsever
Karov the Broken
Enthralled Shade
Rampaging Hound
Sewer Swimmer
Godfrey the Betrayer
The Soularium
Elwynn Boar
Swiftscale Trickster
We’ve increased the appearance rate of Escape from Violet Hold cards in Arena to offer more opportunities to play with the new cards. We’ll continue monitoring how this change impacts the Arena experience and use those findings to help inform future Arena updates.
Dev Comment: With the next Battlegrounds season just around the corner, we wanted to avoid making large-scale balance changes that could have unintended effects on the upcoming meta. Instead, we’re taking a lighter approach and focusing on low-risk adjustments, along with a few significant power outliers.
Overall, the minion types are in a pretty healthy spot right now, so this patch is mainly focused on toning down Mechs and giving Elementals and Quillboar a boost.
There are also a few popular strategies we chose not to address this time, such as Rylak Metalhead and Back to Back, as we already have changes planned for them next season.
We’ll have more to share very soon. Until then, we’ll see you in the Tavern!
Ingenious Inventor
Silky Shimmermoth
Fearless Foodie
Vinespeaker
Prophet of the Boar
Sanguine Refiner
Glowing Cinder
Sand Swirler
Wrath Weaver
Defiler Portrait
Quilligraphy Set
Bubble Crown
Archaic Scroll
Bettle Band
Baller Portrait
Booty Bay Brew
Defiler Portrait
Innkeeper’s Hearth
Deathtouch Apple