We’re back with another update to Defense Matrix, our ongoing initiative to bring a fair and friendly experience to Overwatch 2. This season, we’d like to share our current initiatives, our future goals, and how we can use your help to combat cheating and disruptive behavior in-game.

Since our last update, we've been taking time to better define our goals to deliver on our promise to provide the most fun and fair experience in Overwatch 2 as possible. Part of this goal is to establish guiding principles that help us make those decisions, and we also want to encourage you to adopt those principles when you play Overwatch 2!

Fair is Fun

Our first guiding principle, “Fair is fun,” comes from our belief that cheating is never okay in Overwatch 2. Playing with cheaters is frustrating, robbing everyone of a fun and fair match. Our team will never stop working to identify and protect against cheats, and we’d like to share how you can help!

Repor...

Each week we’ll look ahead to what’s in store for World of Warcraft, share the latest news, and keep you in the know byte by byte.  Here’s what is in the queue this week as we take a look at Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible raid dungeon, and Dragonflight Season 2.

“Opening the Way” In-Game Cinematic

As the Incarnates seek an edge in their campaign against the Dragon Aspects, the path to Neltharion’s laboratory is revealed beneath the Dragon Isles.

Embers of Neltharion launches May 2, 2023.

News and Events This Week

Stay up to date when you join us each week as we round up some of the latest top blue posts and discussions from the official World of Warcraft forums. 

Here are this week's highlights:

• Live Class Tuning for Nine Classes: With weekly maintenance in each region, most classes received adjustments to their performance in both general and PvP play.
• Embers of Neltharion PTR: On Wednesday, the latest ...

On the weekends of March 17 and 24, Sanctuary let out a cry for help. A cry that would be answered by hordes of wanderers who rode in on a nameless horse and loosened Lillith’s grasp on Sanctuary. During the Early Access and Open Beta weekends, these players sent countless demons back to the Burning Hells, obtained powerful gear, and saw Lilith’s grand plot begin to unfold before them. Many of these players also took the time to leave valuable feedback on our official Diablo IV forums, and on platforms such as Reddit and Discord.

After the Early Access and Open Beta weekends concluded, the development team read through all your feedback and reviewed gameplay data. Using this information, we have made a variety of fixes and updates to various systems in Diablo IV, all of which will...

Patch 26.0.2 is a data-only hotfix patch launching today with updates to Hearthstone, Battlegrounds, and Arena, plus bug fixes.

HEARTHSTONE UPDATES

Card Changes

Construct Quarter

• Old: 3 Durability
• New: 2 Durability

Vengeful Walloper

• Old: 6 Mana
• New: 7 Mana

Lightray

• Old: 9 Mana
• New: 10 Mana

BATTLEGRO...

Muster your courage as you continue your adventure through the Dragon Isles and pursue your enemies into the dangers of the Zaralek Cavern. Along the way, dive deeper into the mysteries of the Black Dragonflight, meet new allies and foes, discover treasures and rewards, and more.

To reach Zaralek Cavern, complete the “Embers of Neltharion” campaign that will put you onto the path which guides you down beneath the Dragon Isles and into a vast underground world. Entrances to Zaralek Cavern lie within the chasm between Valdrakken and Ohn’ahran Plains and are visible on your map. The journey is long, so be sure your drake is well rested.

Meet New Allies

As the heroes of Aze...

Calling all behatted Bastion buffs, bearded Soldier: 76 aficionados, and other fans of Overwatch 2’s colorful heroes: It’s time to rep your main on Battle.net. A fresh batch of avatars has just arrived in the desktop app, so you can finally update that Wrecking Ball icon to show off his new pair of delightful little goggles to your entire friends list. Check out the full roster of current heroes, each sporting their sleek, future-forward new looks!

Want to change yours? Just boot up the Battle.net desktop app, click your current avatar (located in the top-right corner, above the friends list), select the Overwatch 2 logo from the drop-down list, and take your pick. 

Mic check, 1, 2. It’s showtime! Festival of Legends is now live with 145 new collectible cards, the new Finale keyword, Legendary musicians and songs, instrument weapons, Harmonic spells, Soloists, and more! 

What’s Included: New Keyword—Finale  

Every musician knows the most important part of their set is the grand Finale. Cards with Finale get a special effect if playing them spends all your remaining mana. Make sure you plan out your turns ahead of time to make sure you end on your Finale!

What’s Included: Legendary Musicians and Songs 

Each class in Festival of Legends is bringing a differen...

Each week we’ll look ahead to what’s in store for World of Warcraft, share the latest news, and keep you in the know byte by byte.  Here’s what you can look forward to this week as we keep slipping down the Turbulent Timeways toward the release of Embers of Neltharion on May 2.

Make sure you cast /sprint as you race to collect eggs during Noblegarden. There are many activities you can undertake during the holiday that will give you Travel Points toward filling your bar and gaining this month’s Trading Post bonus reward.

News and Events This Week

• April 10
  • Noblegarden Springs to Life This Week!
• April 11
  • Turbulent Timeways: Warlords of Draenor Timewalking
  • World Quest Bonus Event
  • PvP Brawl: Warsong Scramble
• April 13
  • Uncover the Mysteries...

Noblegarden springs to life from April 10 through April 17. Sport your bunny ears and hop to it by hunting for eggs, eating delectable chocolate, and collecting toys, pets, etc.

The great feast of Noblegarden has long been celebrated by the races of the Alliance and recently adopted by those of the Horde. During this joyous event, it is customary for the nobles and lords from each race to hide coins, candy, and the occasional treasures within special eggs painted to look like wildflowers. These eggs are then scattered around major cities for the citizenry to find.

When: April 10–17
Where: Visit Azure Watch, Dolanaar, Goldshire, Kharanos, Brill, Razor Hill, Bloodhoof Village, or Falconwing Square to join in the festivities.
Currency: Noblegarden Chocolates are used as currency during this holiday to purchase garments, mounts, pets, and other special rewards. These can be collected by completing qu...

Introducing the newest Overwatch 2 hero – Lifeweaver!  To celebrate, we're kicking off Season 4 with a special Flash Ops presentation of our Lifeweaver Invitational. Overwatch League pros will come together with top content creators to compete in a one-of-a-kind tournament featuring Overwatch 2’s newest support hero. This exciting event will give everyone a chance to see Lifeweaver in the hands of some of the best players in the world, and fans watching will have the chance to win fantastic in-game prizes throughout the broadcast.

Tournament Details

Teams will be composed of a mix of West Region Overwatch League players along with your favorite content creators in a four-team, double-elimination event, with a $10,000 USD prize pool up for grabs. The tournament taking place on Sunday, April 16, with featured matches live on twitch.tv/PlayOverwatch. In every match, each team must be playing with Lifeweaver. Matches will be first-to-three on a predetermin...

Stay up to date on all the latest discussions when you join us each week as we round up some of the top blue posts and discussions from the official World of Warcraft forums. Here are this week’s highlights.

Class Tuning for Retribution Paladins: Due to their recent overperformance, some class tuning changes for Retribution Paladins were announced and pushed live on Wednesday.

Embers of Neltharion PTR: ...

Cosmic events, stellar skins and cosmetics, and a milky way of gameplay updates: with Overwatch 2’s latest hero at the center of the orbit, we welcome you to the Overwatch 2 Space Opera!

Unlock our newest hero, Lifeweaver, and support your team through biolight healing and utility. Jump into the Premium Battle Pass to earn Galactic Emperor Sigma and other out-of-this-world space opera cosmetics.

Let’s jump into some of the things you can expect to see in-game this season!

Plant the seeds of victory with Lifeweaver

Lifeweaver is a scientist from Thailand who...

Diablo IV Inside the Game: Into the Endgame

Join members of the Diablo IV development team as they pull back the curtain on the experiences waiting for you in the endgame.

Welcome, wanderer! Over the course of our new Inside the Game video series, we’ll sit down with our resident Diablo IV experts—members of the development team—to walk you through elements of the game.

Our second video in this series, Into the Endgame, is an exploration of the many endgame systems players can continue to grow their character’s legend through once the Main Quest has been completed.

Join associate game director Joseph Piepiora, game director Joe Shely, lead game producer Kayleigh Calder, and game producer Ash Sweetring as they elaborate on these aspects of Diablo IV in the below developer video: Capstone and Nightmare dungeons, Paragon Boards and the Codex of Power, Overworld experiences, and Fields of Hatred.

He’s witty, kind, and always looking to lift those in need—sometimes literally.

Hailing from Thailand, Lifeweaver is characterized by his love and respect for nature as well as his advanced biolight technology. This groundbreaking technology is woven throughout his abilities, and it plays a pivotal role in the healing and utility aspects of his kit.

Lifeweaver has a unique playstyle that introduces a few new mechanics into the game, so let’s take a walk through his kit and how he was developed. His final look is the result of a culmination of many different teams, including various concept art, hero design, and narrative. One of these pieces features an older physician who drew healing energy into his hands and blasted it into his allies, a bit like Moira’s Coalescence.

We ideated further based on these concepts an...

Welcome spring with great WoW® deals on special items up to 50% off now through April 17! Read on to discover what’s on sale.

The Time for Diploma-sea Has Come

Sail across the Great Sea with confidence as you sport this elegant attire fit for an envoy of any nation. Get the Waveborne Diplomat’s Regalia* and be the talk of the town at every port.

...

Sharpen your swords and reinforce your boards, because you’re called to the PvP Arena for the hectic mayhem of Skirmishes.

This Week: Arena Skirmishes

All week, from anywhere in Azeroth, open the Group Finder (default hotkey: i), select the Player vs. Player tab on the bottom of the window, and then under Casual, choose Arena Skirmish and JOIN BATTLE. You’ll be matched up with teammates and provided with opponents to kill in the Arena. You can also queue for a Premade group or create your own group within the Premade tab. 

Look for the following all week long:

• Kazra in Valdrakken has a quest for you. You can also start the quest within the Adventure Guide (Shift-J).
  • Quest requirement: Win 10 Arena PvP Skirmishes
  • Reward: 110 Conquest and 2,000 Honor
• Passive buff: +50% honor gains from Skirmishes

If you’ve been looking to mak...

It’s almost time to drum up a kitted-out new Rewards Track! When the Rewards Track refreshes with the Festival of Legends launch, all players will automatically be granted any unclaimed rewards on both the free Rewards Track and the Tavern Pass track (if purchased), and a completely new Festival of Legends Rewards Track of unlockable treasure will take its place. 

March of the Lich King Achievements will stop awarding XP with the launch of Patch 26.0, whereas the Rewards Track will swap over with the launch of Festival of Legends on April 11. 

Festival of Legends Rewards Track 

The free Rewards Track for Festival of Legends will include packs from Festival of Legends, Standard packs, a random Epic card, two random Legendary cards, Tavern Tickets, a new card back, and a lot of Gold! T...

Patch 26.0, launching tomorrow, is the venue for Hearthstone’s latest expansion, Festival of Legends, launching April 11! The Patch also paves the way for the new Year of the Wolf, adjusts Battlegrounds, Duels, and Arena, and more.  

Festival of Legends is About to Begin! 

Hearthstone’s next expansion, Festival of Legends, starts the show on April 11! The new 145-card expansion features the new Finale keyword, Legendary musicians and songs, instrument weapons, Harmonic spells, Soloists, and more! See all the new cards in the official Card Library today. This is your last chance to get your ...

Each week we’ll look ahead to what’s in store for World of Warcraft, share the latest news, and keep you in the know byte by byte.

Mark Your Calendars: Embers of Neltharion Goes Live May 2!

Join your allies for the continuing adventure through the Dragon Isles with our next content update. You’ll explore an all-new zone, meet new allies, discover hidden treasures, and more.

• New Zone: Zaralek Caverns – Gather your courage as you venture into this mysterious underground cavern.
• Cross-Faction Guilds: Players who have been enjoying Cross-Faction Instances now can join the same guild as their opposite-faction friends and benefit from conveniences like shared chat and guild repairs.
• ...