The Battlegrounds are about to get a whole lot more exciting when Season 2 of Hearthstone’s auto-battler begins later this month. Blizzard have announced the starting date of Season 2 of Hearthstone Battlegrounds, as well as a plethora of changes coming to the mode.
Hearthstone Battlegrounds will start to come into its own when Season 2 begins on August 31. Quests, a Battlegrounds Season Pass, a new currency, plus much more brand-new content will be included. Both for free and at a premium cost.
The main Battlegrounds-exclusive features are the Battlegrounds Track and Season Pass. The Track will work similar to the one already in Hearthstone. However, players will progress through the Track using XP earned only in the Battlegrounds mode. Progression will earn players Battleground-only rewards available to all Battlegrounds players, such as Battlegrounds-specific emotes, cosmetics, strikes, etc. This allows players who don’t play the traditional Hearthstone mode the chance to earn rewards exclusively for Battlegrounds.
XP will mainly be earned through Battlegrounds-exclusive daily and weekly challenges. However, you’ll still be able to earn regular XP if there are traditional Hearthstone quests regarding Battlegrounds.
Premium rewards will also be available along the Battlegrounds track thanks to the new Battlegrounds-exclusive Season Pass. Battlegrounds Season Pass will be available for purchase using either real money or the new in-game currency, Runestones. Which can be purchased either in-game or through the Battlenet web shop. Unlike gold, Runestones can not be earned in-game. A full list of both free and premium rewards and what level they’re earned at can be found here.
Quest cards will also become a mechanic in Battlegrounds during Season 2. Similar to traditional Hearthstone, Quest cards will be available to use from turn 4 of each game. Players will be given a choice of three quest cards, which will grant them different rewards once completed.
There are some cool cosmetic changes coming as well. The theme for Season 2 of Battlegrounds is called “Magic of Azeroth”. And there’s a story behind the sparkly, anime-inspired theme.
“In a new, alternate timeline, The Dark Flight has launched a crusade to extinguish all traces of magic from society. They have rallied the Horde as their army, gathered a few select magic users to their side, and conquered most of Azeroth. Nozdormu is forming a team to take down The Dark Flight and restore the true timeline. This group, the Guardians of Azeroth, and their allies, must awaken the power within them to save the Magic of Azeroth!”
“Magic of Azeroth” themed cosmetics will be included as part of the new Battlegrounds Track/Season Pass. Including the introduction of Legendary Heroes and Strikes.
Legendary Hero skins will come with animated portraits and voice over effects. While Legendary Strikes will come with a much bigger punch than before, depending on how hard and when you’re smacking opponents. Hero knockouts will now play a new, but bigger, Strike animation. While knocking out a player to win first place smacks opponents even harder.
And finally, two new heroes and eleven new minions will also be introduced in Season 2. So far, Blizzard have only given the public a sneak preview of two of the minions, which can be found below.
