Patch 20.4 Adds Mini-Set And More

Earlier this year, Blizzard Entertainment inaugurated a new Hearthstone tradition by adding a mini-set of 35 cards halfway through the Madness at the Darkmoon Faire expansion. By adding a smaller amount of cards connected to the “ongoing” expansion’s theme, the developers could shake up the formula less drastically than with a full set, preventing the meta from getting stagnant in the last few weeks before a big update. Patch 20.4, released on June 3, added the second such content package to the Forged in the Barrens. The Wailing Caverns mini-set honors the Horde’s first non-linear dungeon and the heroes who braved it. However, the update did not stop there – it also touched up all the major game modes, from Duels to Adventures.

More Cards and Where to Find Them

As before, the set consists of 35 collectible cards – three per class and five neutral. They are accompanied by more cards that may not be collected directly, which might be the most intriguing addition this time around. Adventurers, meant to represent different player character archetypes from World of Warcraft, count as 2-mana minions but are acquired during matches by using certain cards (such as Party Up!, which summons five of them at once). Each Adventurer minion has 2 health and 2 attack, as well as one of eight random abilities like Taunt or a spell power bonus. While weak on their own, those cards may possess a deeper potential that could be interesting to explore through coaching once they have been put through the test.

Many of the other cards show promise too, and will no doubt help some enterprising and canny players climb the ranks quickly. For example, Kresh, Lord of Turtling, can live up to its name by giving Warriors a powerful new tool for late-game board control. Mutanus the Devourer is the latest legendary Murloc, ideal for turning the tides on a minion-heavy deck thanks to his ability to eat enemy units and steal their stats. The Stealer of Souls offers Warlocks a risky but rewarding way to cheat the system by using Health instead of Mana to deploy cards. The aforementioned Party Up! belongs to Paladins, and may soften the blow from the nerfs to First Day of School and Hand of A’dal that were implemented in the patch.

A bundle that features the full set with doubled Epic, Rare, and Common cards can be bought in the store for just under $15 or 2000 Gold. Alternatively, parts of the set may be discovered in Forged in the Barrens card packs along with items from the expansion itself. One such pack will always drop at the finish of an Arena run until the next major content update. Finally, the cards may be obtained individually as a result of reaching the Legend Rank or crafted using Arcane Dust acquired from certain non-repeatable quests, disenchantments, and Arena wins.

The Wailing Caverns cards have also been added to the Duels heroes’ loot pools and the initial card selection. Together with the tweaks introduced to make the passive treasures less predictable, this should inject some variety into the mode. Arena has undergone a reshuffle, with a couple of old sets entering the rotation alongside the latest mini-set:

Those additions, and the removal of two previously featured sets (Mean Streets of Gadgetzan and Rise of Shadows), have triggered the emergence of a drastically different meta within the mode. It is too early to say how it will transform exactly, but it is worth noting that the Paladins and Priests have received many strong cards that could allow them to hang on to their dominance. Rogues and Mages, on the other hand, seem to be among the losers in this rotation.

Revolving Battlegrounds

The Battlegrounds autobattler mode has undergone a rotation of its own. Perhaps most consequentially, the newly-arrived Quilboar have lost their guaranteed spot in the tribal rotation – they may still show up, but they can’t be counted on for every match. The Maiev Shadowsong hero and the Siegebreaker minion have been temporarily removed. Mutanus the Devourer and Guff Runetotem have joined the ranks of heroes, bringing with them minion-improving powers. The former can devour friendly minions for a partial refund and grant their stats to another ally, while the latter can give a straightforward buff to both stats. Hexruin Marauder, who grows stronger in armies of less than six units, joined the Demon minion tribe.

Battleground MMR should benefit from the general improvements to matchmaking. According to the patch notes, MMR should now reflect any breaks in playing Hearthstone more adequately, helping out returning players. Unfortunately, the details on how this system works are not forthcoming. There have also been quality-of-life improvements, such as the long-awaited ability to see how many matches were won in every mode.

Precious Cosmetics

The patch has been accompanied by the reintroduction of numerous cosmetic items in the store. Namely, nearly a hundred Card Backs and eleven Hero Skins from earlier collections could now be bought in the game with Gold. Card Backs range in price from 500 to 600 Gold, while Hero Skins require 1200 or 1800 Gold. Many of the Hero Skins also come with their own Card Backs. There will be more returning skins in the future, but it seems unlikely that they will ever include cosmetics with special and still available unlock conditions, such as the Lady Liadrin Hero Skin or the Heroes of the Storm Card Backs.

Single-Player Content

The developers’ recent focus on solo Adventures continues to bear fruit. The Book of Mercenaries will have two more chapters this month. The first, following the adventures of the Draenei priestess Xyrella, has arrived with the patch. The young Tauren shaman Guff will take on the eponymous Wailing Caverns in his own entry on June 15. Meanwhile, June 22 will see a new episode of the Book of Heroes, featuring the legendary first druid Malfurion and his ages-old struggle to protect Azeroth’s nature. Each Adventure features eight bosses. Defeating them will yield a Standard Deck pack specific to the mercenary’s or hero’s respective class.

The Year of the Gryphon continues apace. While not as dramatic in its impact as the first mini-set or the major expansions, the Wailing Caverns set should certainly make the Daily Quests for the rest of this content cycle more interesting. Combined with the other changes in this patch, it can deliver a substantially different and more dynamic experience across all modes. Meanwhile, the solo experience continues to draw praise from the fans of Azeroth’s lore. All in all, it seems that the game is on the right track at this time.