Blizzard details the next round of Hearthstone: Ashes of Outland nerfs

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The update will land early next week.

(Image credit: Blizzard)

Update: The details on what's coming in the 17.0.2 patch have now been revealed on the Hearthstone forums. A date still hasn't been nailed down, but Blizzard re-stated that it's expected to arrive early next week. 

According to our resident Hearthstone obsessive, the change to Kael'Thas doesn't go far enough, as delaying the degenerate OTK combos the card enables by a single turn isn't a big deal. Likewise, it seems very questionable that the damage from Altruis still hits the enemy hero in the face. Otherwise, it's a solid set of changes.

Here's what you've got to look forward to.

  • Kael’Thas Sunstrider: Old: Cost 6 mana → New: Cost 7 mana.
  • Bad Luck Albatross: Old: Cost 3 mana → New: Cost 4 mana.
  • Frenzied Felwing: Old: 3 Attack / 3 Health → New: 3 Attack / 2 Health.

Demon Hunter:

  • Altruis the Outcast: Old: Cost 3 mana, 3 Attack / 2 Health → New: Cost 4 mana. 4 Attack / 2 Health.
  • Battlefiend: Old: 2 Attack / 2 Health → New: 1 Attack / 2 Health.
  • Glaivebound Adept: Old: 7 Attack / 4 Health → New: 6 Attack / 4 Health.

Warlock:

  • Sacrificial Pact: Old: Destroy a Demon. Restore 5 Health to your hero. → New: Destroy a friendly Demon. Restore 5 Health to your hero.
  • Bloodbloom: Old: Cost 2 mana → New: Cost 4 mana.

Paladin:

  • Libram of Justice: Old: Cost 6 mana → New: Cost 5 mana.

Mage:

  • Open the Waygate: Old: Cast 6 spells that didn’t start in your deck. Reward: Time Warp. → New: Cast 8 spells that didn’t start in your deck. Reward: Time Warp.

The following cards will be eligible for a full dust refund for two weeks after the 17.0.2 patch has been released:

  • Golden Altruis
  • Golden Battlefiend
  • Golden/Normal Bad Luck Albatross
  • Golden/Normal Frenzied Felwing
  • Golden/Normal Open the Waygate
  • Golden/Normal Bloodbloom

Battlegrounds

Millhouse Manastorm:

  • Old: Minions cost 2 Gold. Refresh costs 2 Gold. Start with 3 Gold. → New: Minions cost 2 Gold. Refresh costs 2 Gold. Tavern Tiers cost (1) more. Start with 3 Gold.

Bug fixes:

  • The Lurker Below is now properly tagged as a Beast.
  • Fixed a tracking issue that prevented 500 wins with Demon Hunter from being achieved.
  • Fixed a bug where Zephrys the Great would not offer a lethal option if your hero had a large amount of Attack.
  • Zephrys the Great has been updated to accommodate the Sacrificial Pact and Glaivebound Adept changes.

Original post:

Hearthstone's Ashes of Outland expansion was a big one, delivering both the first new class, and the fastest-ever nerf, in the game's long history. More changes are on the way next week: Senior designer Dean Ayala said on Twitter that the second Ashes of Outland balance patch will change a number of cards, and also buff Libram of Justice and nerf Milhouse in Hearthstone Battlegrounds.

Blizzard expects to slow down the pace of updates after this one, "at least in terms of card nerfs in constructed game modes," Ayala said. A larger update for the autobattler Hearthstone Battlegrounds is planned around the midway point of the expansion. Dates haven't been specified, but Ashes of Outlands is the first of three expansions planned for the Year of the Phoenix, which by my guess would put it somewhere around early June.

We'll give you the details on the Ashes of Outland balance patch when they're available. In the meantime, stay up to speed on all the happenings with our rundown of how Galakrond Warlock is tearing up the Hearthstone meta (and Demon Hunters), and the best Demon Hunter decks—and what to do if someone uses one against you.

Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.