The Battle.net launcher has been expanded with numerous features in recent days. Among them are gifts!
At Blizzard, the goal is to connect players more closely through more social interaction opportunities. Because those who have many friends in the Battle.net games will surely spend more time there – a clear plus for Blizzard.
The biggest change is the introduction of a new tab in the app. The “Social” section, in German software called “Chats”, offers numerous new possibilities to stay in touch with friends even outside of the games. If desired, one can create their own groups with up to several hundred members.
- For each group, different chats can be set up, with accessibility determined individually for each player.
- Moderation rights can also be distributed if the groups are to be more than just a loose gathering of friends.
- Those who wish can also join the corresponding chat channels with a headset, as it is also suitable for voice chat.
- Additional customization options, such as a wide selection of profile pictures, complete the feature.
Overall, it can be said that Battle.net now has similar features to the Discord software – the best characteristics have been adopted.
Be “offline” and still play
If you just want to casually play without social contacts, you previously had to forgo your Battle.net games. Now there’s a possibility to make yourself “invisible” on Battle.net, appearing as “offline” even while being in the software and the corresponding games. We have explained how you can be invisible in Battle.net in this post.
Good friends give a loot box
One of the best features is probably the ability to now gift games and in-game items (like shop pets) directly to friends through the launcher. Someone has a birthday or deserves a small sign of appreciation? Then you can directly gift them playtime in WoW, loot boxes in Overwatch, or card packs in Hearthstone. Received gifts are then practically displayed directly in the launcher and can be easily redeemed.
To promote the new feature, every user of the app receives a free classic card pack from Hearthstone, which can be picked up in the “Gifts” menu with just a few clicks.
However, there is also criticism: Character services in World of Warcraft, such as server transfers or faction changes, still cannot be gifted to fellow players.
What do you think of the new features of the Battle.net app? Is it a cool thing, or do you only use Discord and TeamSpeak, making this unnecessary ballast?
By the way, you can also gift virtual tickets for BlizzCon – this gives some digital goodies!
