'Hearthstone' 7.1 Patch Notes: Latest Update Paves Way for Upcoming Major Expansion
To celebrate the announcement of the upcoming expansion pack "Journey to Un'Goro," Blizzard has finally released the major content patch they promised in February. This would also pave the way for the Year of the Mammoth while ushering in a new standard game format.
This particular content patch also includes some adjustments to Ranked play, a few updates to the Arena, and balance changes to Small-time Buccaneer and the Spirit Claws, which have both been deemed too strong by the gaming community.
According to the official 7.1 Patch Notes released by Blizzard, the Small-time Buccaneer's health has been reduced from 2 to 1, making it much easier to handle in battle. On the other hand, the mana cost of the Spirit Claws, a notably powerful Shaman weapon, has been increased from 1 to 2. This would bring the power of Shaman decks down to an even playing field.
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The adjustment made on the Small-time Buccaneer was especially designed to inspire players to seek more diversity in utilizing card combinations. As to increasing the cost of the Spirit Claws, this should slow down the weapon's ability to efficiently curve out minions.
Another update that's worth noting is the addition of three more "floors" in Ranked mode. Now, players will no longer drop below ranks 15, 10, and 5 once said ranks have been reached. Prior to this update, there were only two "floor" in this mode: ranks 20 and Legend. The update addressed players' criticism of the difficulty imposed by moving up ranks within the short period of each monthly season.
Additionally, the Arena has shifted to the Standard format, which limits the number of potential cards that can show up, with spell cards now designed to show up more often along with Rares, Epics, and Legendaries. The neutral Basic and Classic cards, on the other hand, will show up less often. The patch has also made it possible to bring golden versions of cards into the Arena.
Fans of this Warcraft-inspired online collectible card game can expect the upcoming expansion pack "Journey to Un'Goro" to hit stores in early April.
