Hearthstone 22.2 Patch is LIVE! Battlegrounds Buddies, how to qualify to Lobby Legends, and Nerfs

The Hearthstone 22.2 Patch is now live and it brings important changes regardless if you are a Standard, Wild, Battlegrounds, Mercenaries, or Duels player. This new patch introduces Nerfs, brand new Battlegrounds Buddies, Battlegrounds ranking reset with the sight on Lobby Legends qualification, and new Duels content. Follow me as we go over all the new things we are getting today.

After presenting them last week to the community, today Hearthstone Buddies will be available for all with the 22.2 Patch on January 25th. This new mechanic will change the way you play every Hero, so let’s go over the basics.

When the 22.2 Hearthstone patch hits, each Battlegrounds Hero will get a Buddy with abilities related to its identity. To get that special minion, you will need to fill your Buddymeter by dealing damage, winning fights, or popping divine shields. Buddies have different tiers, the lower the tier, the fastest you get them. On the contrary, high-tier Buddies take longer to acquire, however, their effects might be game-winning. Remember that if you don’t sell your first Buddy, you can triple it after completing the second stage of the Buddymeter that grants you two more Buddy copies.

For more information, read our dedicated article or the official patch notes. If you want to check the full list of Battlegrounds Buddy before you dive to play in Hearthstone Patch 22.2, check our exclusive article.

Hearthstone Esports announced Battlegrounds competitive circuit Lobby Legends in December, but we haven’t heard much since then. This series of one-off events will have $500,000 in prizes, but there weren’t many precisions on how to qualify. Fortunately, before the 22.2 patch, Hearthstone Esports gave us some clarity.

Hearthstone Battlegrounds rankings will reset with Patch 22.2 coming on January 25th, and every player will have a fresh. Are you good enough to get to the top of the Ladder rankings and be a part of Battlegrounds: Lobby Legends? Let the games begin.

Players have had enough Roguestone for a while. With the 22.2 Patch, Hearthstone will nerf 3 Rouge cards to keep the balance. Along with those nerfs, other cards will be tuned, including the ever-problematic Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Check our article for a full analysis and Dev comments on these changes.

The 22.2 Hearthstone patch has new content for almost every game mode. Duels will have two new Multiclass Heroes following the Horde versus Alliance theme developed after Alterac Valley’s expansion.

Both Vanndar Stormpike and Drek’Thar will enter Duels with their special signature Treasures and their unique Key Word: Allied. Each treasure will Ally you to a class and will give you access to their cards to build your Deck. Vanndar will be able to Ally with the Alliance classes (Demon Hunter, Hunter, Paladin, Priest, and Rogue), while Drek’Thar will be offered to Ally with the Horde classes (Warrior, Mage, Shaman, Warlock, and Druid).

Moreover, both new Heroes will have the chance to go neutral to rip off special neutral Minion Hero Power synergies and awesome Spell Discovery Capabilities. Feel free to check our article on them for further reference.

Last but not least, Mercenaries, Hearthstone’s latest game mode, is getting new content in the 22.2 Patch. Five new Mercenaries will enter the Village, and players will also have the chance to go after new Bounties in a new Alterac Valley Zone for more PvE adventures.

Moreover, the Village will have a new kind of building, the Training Grounds. In this new Building, your Mercenaries will slowly gain passive experience even while you are not playing. If you want to read an expert analysis on the new Mercenaries content, I’d recommend Mullahoo’s guide.

If you find a bug or issue with the 22.2 Patch, check the forums to see if Blizzard is already acting to correct them.

Read the full Hearthstone 22.2 Patch notes here, and stay tuned to Esports.gg for more news and updates. See you next time, in the tavern.