The 18.2 patch kicks off the Forbidden Library limited-time event on September 8 and includes a new Battlegrounds feature and update! On September 15, the all-new Hearthstone Book of Heroes solo experience will unlock, and on September 23 players can duke it out for big rewards in the Heroic Brawliseum!

Battlegrounds Updates

NEW FEATURE – BATTLEGROUNDS PARTIES

With the introduction of Battlegrounds Parties on September 8, players will be able to queue up for Battlegrounds matches with more than one other player! Battlegrounds Parties will allow groups of players to queue Battlegrounds together, and it supports a full lobby for private games! Here’s how it works:

• Up to 4 players will be able to queue for a normal ranked Battlegrounds match together.
• Once the group lobby exceeds 4 players, the game type will automatically switch to a private Battlegrounds match for 5-8 players.

Climb in rating with a handful of friends or invite the whole family to determine, once and for all, who is the true Battlegrounds pro of the bunch!

NEW HEROES

Lord Barov

• Friendly Wager [Cost 1]
  • Guess which player will win their next combat. If they win, get three Coins.

Jandice Barov

• Swap, Lock, & Shop It [Cost 0]
  • Swap a friendly non-golden minion with a random one in Bob’s Tavern.

Forest Warden Omu

• Everbloom [Passive]
  • After you upgrade Bob’s Tavern, gain 2 Gold this turn only.

Players with Battlegrounds Perks will have early access to these new Heroes before they are formally released on September 22.

NEW MINION

Micro Mummy

• [Tier 1, Mech] 1 Attack, 2 Health
  • Reborn. At the end of your turn, give another random friendly minion +1 Attack.

UPDATED MINION

Pack Leader

• Old: 3 Attack, 3 Health. Whenever you summon a Beast, give it +3 Attack. → New: 2 Attack, 3 Health. Whenever you summon a Beast, give it +2 Attack.

REMOVED MINION

• Mecharoo has been removed from the Battlegrounds minion pool.

Card Balance Updates

Secret Passage

• Old: Replace your hand with 5 cards from your deck. Swap back next turn. → New: Replace your hand with 4 cards from your deck. Swap back next turn.

Cabal Acolyte

• Old: 2 Attack, 6 Health → New: 2 Attack, 4 Health

Totem Goliath

• Old: 4 Attack, 5 Health. Overload (2) → New: 5 Attack, 5 Health. Overload (1)

Archwitch Willow

• Old: [Cost 9] 7 Attack, 7 Health → New: [Cost 8] 5 Attack, 5 Health

Darkglare

• Old: [Cost 3] 3 Attack, 4 Health. After your hero takes damage, refresh 2 Mana Crystals. → New: [Cost 2] 2 Attack, 3 Health. After your hero takes damage, refresh a Mana Crystal.

Secret Passage, Cabal Acolyte, and Darkglare will be eligible for a full dust refund for 2 weeks after the 18.2 patch goes live.

Game Improvements & Miscellaneous Updates

• Newly created decks will now automatically appear at the top of My Decks in the Collection Manager instead of at the bottom.
• The Kael’thas Sunstrider login reward will now be granted if you own a pack from Ashes of Outland and go to the Open Packs menu.
• Transfer Student will now have the appropriate board effect when Discovered or transformed.
• Galakrond will now be upgraded correctly when invoked while using Secret Passage.
• Kingsbane drawn by Secret Passage will no longer be returned to your deck if played then returned to hand via Doomerang.
• Copies of cards drawn by Secret Passage will no longer be returned to your deck at end of turn.
• Copying a silenced minion with Faceless Manipulator will no longer temporarily activate card text effects that buff other minions.
• Dormant minions created by Shadow Reflection no longer disappear if you change your Hero after playing them.
• Fixed a visual issue with Devolving Missiles when transforming a target into a Dormant minion.
• Fixed a crash in the final One Night in Karazhan encounter when playing as Kel'Thuzad.
• Fixed a visual bug where Spellburst icons could disappear while the minion had not activated its Spellburst.
• Headmaster Kel’Thuzad’s Spellburst will now resurrect minions that are destroyed by spells that swap Attack and Health, and spells that have been granted Poisonous by Professor Slate.
• Summoning a cat will no longer allow Headmaster Kel’Thuzad’s Spellburst to trigger on the opponent’s turn. The Headmaster just gets really excited about cats…
• Manafeeder Panthara’s Battlecry will now properly trigger after using your hero power and then Invoking Galakrond or switching to a different hero power.
• Fixed a card text display issue with Master Scheme, Hatred Reactor, and E.V.I.L. Promotion.
• When refilling an existing mana crystal below 10 mana, you now receive a temporary mana crystal instead. This fixes an interaction where Forest Warden Omu would not grant the correct amount of mana.

Coming September 15 – Hearthstone Book of Heroes

Follow Jaina Proudmoore’s journey from scholar to mighty Mage in Hearthstone Book of Heroes, an all-new solo experience! Hearthstone Book of Heroes will bring fresh and FREE single player content over the course of the next 12 months, until the stories for all 10 core Heroes have been told. Defeating all 8 bosses in this linear adventure will reward 1 Mage Pack, containing only Mage cards from Standard!

Coming September 23 - Heroic Brawliseum

You’ve studied up, and now it’s time for a real test! For 1000 Gold or $9.99, you can enter a competitive Tavern Brawl using cards from your own collection with big rewards! Based on how successful your run is, you could win Dust, Gold, Card Packs, and even Golden Legendary cards! Brawl until you’ve lost 3 or won 12!

Check out the Forbidden Library announcement here!