Is the Hearthstone Battlegrounds Season 4 Pass worth buying?

The 26.2 Hearthstone patch brought the much-awaited Battlegrounds content update, including a new Season Pass. We've already gone over the changes that this new season brought to Battlegrounds, now it's time to evaluate what Hearthstone is offering in the updated Season Pass and if it's worth buying it.

So, what's the Battlegrounds Season Pass, and what benefits does it give to Hearthstone players? To answer this, we need first to explain the Battlegrounds Track.

In the same way, Hearthstone offers a Rewards Track in constructed modes, Battlegrounds has its own Seasonal Track, with Premium and free versions. To progress in the Battlegrounds Track and unlock its loot, players need to complete quests and earn BG experience.

One thing to have in mind is that almost 75% of the rewards are locked behind the Hearthstone Battlegrounds paid Season Pass. This product is the way Hearthstone monetizes the game mode, on top of some other cosmetic products.

While it gives the possibility of playing the game for free, the fact that extra Hero options are only available to paying users created controversy in the community. Does this turn the mode into a pay-to-win game?

What are you getting for buying the Hearthstone Battlegrounds Season 4 Pass, then? This is Blizzard's description of the rewards that come with the Season Pass:

The Reward Track offers mainly cosmetics, but there is one item that could be perceived as the most valuable of them all. The +2 Hero option at the start of each Battlegrounds game is a perk only available for those Hearthstone players who purchase the Season Pass.

While there are a ton of cosmetics in Battlegrounds Rewards Track that for many Hearthstone players could be reason enough to buy the Season Pass, this gameplay limitation is in most cases the main reason behind its purchase. If you wonder what are the cosmetics in the Rewards Track, here's a list:

Full list of Rewards and experience requirements can be found at Blizzard's official blog post.

Now that we've gone over what the Battlegrounds Rewards Track brings, we can start answering if the Season Pass is worth buying.

There is no universal answer to the question: "Is the Battlegrounds Season Pass worth buying?". The way to solve this is to see if the Pass fits you as a player.

So, if you care about game cosmetics, buying the Battlegrounds Season Pass should make a lot of sense to you. You won't need to grind much to unlock the cosmetics in the track, and those $15 will last for almost four months until the season ends.

On the other hand, if you only care about the gameplay, the analysis changes. The only non-cosmetic value you will get from the Battlegrounds Season Pass is the +2 Hero option. While this is a great perk, you need to think about how much you play to see if the purchase is worth it.

How much does winning mean to you? How often do you play? Do you have any preferred Heroes? By answering these questions, you will get closer to the big answer.

One of the most important things to have in mind is that there are over 80 Heroes in the game, so if you have favorites, the chance of getting them seeing only 2 a game is quite low.

For some, this is the million-dollar question, and to be fair, it's pretty simple to answer. It does. Having more options allow you to dodge underperforming Heroes, something that might not be possible when you have only 2 to pick from.

While the dev team has repeatedly said that this should not be the case for most players, if you are something more than a casual player, it's hard to say it does not matter.

The team has implemented different variables for balancing Heroes. The last and most important was the Health and Armor change. With Heroes starting at 30 health and having that extra room to maneuver with Armor balancing, they expect to give all characters a fair chance. But sometimes that's just not enough.

There have been cases in which competitive players have succeeded without buying the Battlegrounds Season Pass. Geobugi, from Korea, nailed a top-10 finish last year and, with it, a Lobby Legends qualification without the pass. But this is the exception, not the rule.

While I can't give you the final verdict if it would be worth it for you to buy the Battlegrounds Season Pass, I hope this article gave you the tools to answer that question yourself.

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more Hearthstone news and guides. Be sure to visit esports.gg for all the latest esports news as well. See you next time in Bob's Tavern.