On August 30,Hearthstoneis adding a new patch to the collectible card game. In addition to a new Battlegrounds season, Mercenaries updates, and bug fixes, this new patch adds the long-awaited reporting feature to the game, meaning players can finally alertHearthstoneto troublesome players in the community.
SinceHearthstone’srelease, players have had no reliable way to report griefing, harassment, or intentionally rude behavior, which has cultivated a toxic environment in the game. With the reporting feature just around the corner,Hearthstonecan take the first steps toward fixing that issue.
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After the patch goes live, players will be able to report individuals on their friends list, as well as current and recent opponents, through the social tab in the bottom left corner of the screen. To report a player, one simply selects the Options menu when engaging with the troublesome player’s name and selects the Report button. According toHearthstone, inappropriate names, harassment in chat, and deliberately rude gameplay habits are all grounds for reporting. Though excessive emoting and roping are tricky to cite as inappropriate behavior, they could stillqualify for punishment by Blizzardunder the right circumstances or with enough proof.
Patch 24.2 also marks the start of Battlegrounds Season 2, which comes with a bevy ofchanges to theHearthstonegame mode. Battlegrounds is receiving a number of balance changes, the new Quest mechanic, and a Season Pass Rewards Track. Equipped with all new Battlegrounds cosmetics, including skins, emotes, and finishers, the new Rewards Track has both Premium and normal rewards like its traditionalHearthstonecounterpart.
Players are relievedHearthstoneis finally implementing the report feature in-game. Though the only way to chat inHearthstoneis by being friends, an unfortunately common practice is to friend a previous opponent, only to flame them in chat. Many devious players also use “rope bots” to intentionally farm game time, inconveniencing players and ruining experiences. Now, players will be able toreduce these incidents withinHearthstoneto create a better experience.
However, the reporting feature is a silver lining to the storm cloud many fans consider Patch 24.2 to be. The new monetization model for Battlegrounds with its Rewards Track is extremely unpopular, and the implementation of the new Runestones currency has beenmet with outrage fromHearthstonefans.Hearthstonewill have to see how well the new Premium Rewards Track fares after it launches–if players boycott the new system, it may be forced to reassess its business model.
Hearthstoneis available now for mobile and PC.
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