Patch 25.4: Hearthstone's New Update brings New Cards, Mechanics and more!

Hearthstone's much awaited and teased 25.4 update is finally here. The update hit the servers earlier this Tuesday, February 14th.

The update, which comes with major updates in various game modes, also comes with 38 new cards from the mini-set, named "Return to Naxxaramas", which is recalling and reviving a series of iconic cards, mechanics and archetypes from the popular TCG.

Players eagerly awaited the arrival of the mini-set, which was teased thoroughly since February 9th on the game's main social media accounts, and slowly revealed, card per card, through a series of quick videos.

Let's check out a few of the highlights from the update!

Arena

Starting with an oldie but a goldie, Arena, the game's draft format, got a new Leaderboard for the highest-ranked players and, as usual, as a new ranked season and mini-set come along, the format's rotation has changed. Check out below the sets which will replace the current sets:

- Core

- Forged in the Barrens

- United in Stormwind

- Fractured in Alterac Valley

- Voyage to the Sunken City

- Murder at Castle Nathria

- March of the Lich King (including Return to Naxxramas)

- Path of Arthas

Battlegrounds

The game's Autobattler, Battlegrounds, also got a few fantastic updates.

Besides now also allowing the players to see how many cards are in their opponents' hands, the mode also got a brand-new Hero, Teron Gorefiend (Armor Tier 1):

Mercenaries

Mercenaries, unfortunately, will have its last update in this patch. The mode got a complete rework in mechanics, cards, rewards, and game modes, which are so big and revolutionary, that they deserve their own article here, at Cards Realm. Keep an eye out for it!

Return to Naxxramas New Cards!

Now to the crown jewel, the new cards! When the main social media accounts first started teasing the Return of Naxxramas to Hearthstone, players were hyped: The theme and the recall set are one of the most nostalgic and iconic!

We separated a few of the notable highlight cards for you to keep an eye on these first few days of the patch, but don't worry because we will soon be releasing a full Patch review. Check out our highlights below:

Paladin - Purator

Inspired by the old Curator card, which was a very iconic card from the Karazam set, the Purator card promises an interesting deckbuilding for those who want to revisit an old archetype using modern mechanics: Menagerie.

Priest - Burn Cards

The Priest class got a few interesting cards for those who would like to build a deck more focused on a burn strategy.

Deathknight - New Location and an Iconic Legendary

This class was gifted its first location in this new update, Construct Quarter.

The class also got an incredible Legendary card depicting one of the most iconic characters in the lore, Frost Queen Sindragosa, which came to strengthen the Rainbow Deathknight archetype, and is this archetype's only card with two distinct runes:

Druid - Promising Card

One of the revealed Druid cards shows a lot of promise as a finisher card, Death Beetle. With its big stats, 6/6, and relatively low cost, only 6 mana, the only thing holding this card back is its Manathirst requirement, which demands 11 banked mana to play, something possible to achieve for Druids. Nonetheless, it has Charge and could potentially attack Heroes for 10/10.

Neutrals - Old Friends Come to Play

The main theme for these cards is their references to World of Warcraft and other iconic sets and bosses in Hearthstone. Our first highlighted card, Thaddius, Monstrosity, came as a token when you summoned either Stalagg or Feggen and one of them died. It is an iconic character for all Hearthstone veterans, and seeing this little guy finally have his own card is sure to capture some players' hearts:

The nostalgia doesn't stop, however, and besides Thaddius, this mini-set from Naxxramas also comes with the iconic Four Horsemen from Azeroth's lore:

A few of these are known by Hearthstone players, but they are all very iconic for those who enjoy Azeroth's lore from World of Warcraft.

This concludes our highlights from this new set of cards, but keep an eye out for the full mini-set review of all 38 new cards soon here at Cards Realm!

Cosmetics

Apart from the wonderful new cards, players were also graced with a few cosmetic releases in the game's shop, most notably the Corgi themed skins and bundles:

Players will also have chances to grab an incredible set of incredible Diamond Versions of these iconic cards, by rolling their dice on the store's random sales or by completing specific Achievements in their collection:

Miscellaneous - Price Adjusments and New Ways to get the Golden Set

In this update, players will also be able to purchase the all-Golden version of the new mini-set with Gold, a first in the game's history. The normal version in-game costs 1500 Runestones or 2000 Gold, or and the all-Golden version costs $69.99 or 10,000 Gold. Additionally, the all-Golden version comes with a bonus Diamond copy of the Thaddius, Monstrosity Legendary minion.

Though it all seems great so far, players were surprised to find a note earlier today declaring Price Adjustments for several different regions, including economically fragile regions such as Ukraine. In some regions, such as Brazil, players have reported a whopping difference of twice the price the products used to cost, deeming the new expansion out of bounds for most.

Possible Leak

To end this article on a high note, however, a keen-eyed Reddit user by the name of u/PoisonFang007 noticed a possible leak for a future Diamond card, Zephrys the Great. The card is another remarkable card from the game, as it looks for the "perfect card" for all situations in-game:

Keep an eye out here at Cards Realms for future Patch Reviews, Deck and Game Mode Guides and Leaks!