The Battlegrounds mode of Hearthstone is being thoroughly revised. We will tell you what the ‘Buddies’ are all about, which are coming soon.
The Battlegrounds mode of Hearthstone has transformed from a small side mode into a real staple since its implementation. The developers clearly want to keep the mode fresh and are introducing a pretty major change that affects every hero in the game. You will soon be able to summon a ‘Buddy’ minion that will turn the game on its head.
What will change? Quite a lot, as every hero essentially gets a new ability, the so-called ‘Buddy.’ This is a minion that interacts with the respective hero ability in most cases. A few of these Buddy minions have already been introduced, giving a rough idea of their strength.
For example, there is King Mukla with his Buddy ‘Crazy Monkey.’ He ensures that when a minion is buffed by a banana, it receives an additional +1 / +1. The golden version of the monkey instead grants +2 / +2.
Flickwerk, on the other hand, gets a Weebomination with an interesting battle cry. It grants another minion +1 health for each missing health point of the hero. Since Flickwerk already has a lot of health and tends to lose some at the start of the game, this could create a really powerful minion. The golden version increases this bonus to +2 health per missing health point of Flickwerk.
A few more Buddy minions are presented by YouTuber and streamer Sunglitters in her reveal video:
How do you get a Buddy? Unlike all other minions in Battlegrounds, you cannot directly buy Buddies from Bob. Instead, you have a ‘Buddy Meter’ that slowly fills up over the course of the match. After the first section, you receive a copy of the Buddy, and after the second section, you get two more copies, allowing you to obtain a golden Buddy (if you haven’t sold the first one).
The ‘Buddy Meter’ fills up with the following actions:
- Dealing damage to opponents
- Destroying god shields from enemies
- Entering combat (passively)
- A win or draw in a fight
Gradually, the display fills up until you have your Buddies.
Why is “Battlegrounds” so popular? Essentially, Battlegrounds is Hearthstone’s attempt to create its own auto-battler – and it has been extremely well received. The mode is quite popular in the community, and many content creators primarily play this game mode.
This has several reasons. The most important is probably that Battlegrounds is the only mode where even free-to-play players have nearly equal chances. You need no cards and earn everything you need throughout the round.
Additionally, Battlegrounds is not at all tied to the current meta of the game. Here, you don’t necessarily play against the same decks over and over again, as certain minion types are excluded at the beginning of each game. By buying cleverly, you can ruin the necessary combos for other players and add an extra tactical element.
This also contributes to the final plus point, the variety. Almost every game plays differently, and the numerous different heroes all have various tricks and gimmicks to influence the match.
The changes are expected to go live in the coming days.
What do you think of the Buddy cards? A sensible expansion? Or does it distort the mode?
