Blizzard Entertainment

Over the course of the first season of Grandmasters, Team Genji is putting the rest of the competitive scene on notice. Fielding more Grandmasters than any other team, they have emerged as one of the strongest teams in competitive Hearthstone today.

So, what’s the story behind the organization? We sat down with Genji’s’s North American Champion Francisco "PNC" Leimontas, the team’s European runner-up Linh "Seiko" Nguyen, and Genji’s co-founder Faraz Barmpar to discuss the team’s recent victories and some simple tips aspiring Hearthstone pros can use to level up their game.

PNC's Big Win

When PNC won the North American Playoffs, he became the first Latin-American player to qualify for the Global Finals at BlizzCon. “It meant so much to me,” explained PNC, “to have my devotion to Hearthstone rewarded.”

“I really turned my performance in Grandmasters around,” said PNC. “I started the season really poorly. But some smart deck choices ...

Now that Saviors of Uldum is live, new cards have been introduced and powerful decks have started to surface. To make for a better ladder experience for Hearthstone players in this new expansion, we’ve decided to make the following card adjustments in an update next week:

Mage

While [[Conjurer’s Calling]] is a powerful tool that’s found in a number of Mage decks, when used in decks focused around cards like [[Mountain Giant]] and [[Sea Giant]], it was creating extremely powerful board states at a point in the game where opponents didn’t have effective answers.

Increasing the mana cost of this card will make using both c...

To commemorate the release of World of Warcraft Classic, we assembled some members of the original World of Warcraft team for an epic play session with the game that launched or propelled many of their careers. Watch original WoW game designers Alex Afrasiabi, Tom Chilton, Jeff Kaplan, Pat Nagle, and Aaron Keller group up and discuss their fondest memories developing the game.

BUG FIXES

War Chest: BlizzCon 2019

• Fixed an issue with the Adept’s Ihan-rii skin when warping in.

MAC

• Fixed a crash that could occur when leaving a match or a lobby.
• Fixed a crash that could occur when launching the Editor.

With the launch of Storm League season 1 we have seen a dramatic improvement in rank distribution. One of the primary changes in this release was in how rank is determined. In the past, rank and rating were two entirely different concepts, both of which were updated differently after each game. It was very common for a player's rank and rating to diverge throughout each season which could cause the matchmaking system to struggle to find games.

With the changes introduced this season, rank is always updated by taking the change in rating and determining the equivalent number of rank points to reward. This leaves very few ways rating and rank can diverge and results in most players being shown a number equivalent to their rating.

Overall, we are very happy with how the changes are looking; however, we are aware of the inconsistencies players are currently experiencing in Bronze 5. With the new design, players in Bronze 5 will gain/lose far fewer points per game than ...

World of Warcraft Classic launches August 26. To make sure you’re prepared, we’ve pulled together some information to help you get started on your journey through Azeroth.

F.A.Q.

Q. What is WoW® Classic?
A. World of Warcraft Classic is a faithful recreation of the original WoW experience, as it was in 2006. Everything about the game—from combat mechanics and talent trees, to character models and zone layouts—has been restored to realize a truly authentic experience. You can learn more in our ...

We’ve just released a Heroes of the Storm patch in order to address a few live bugs. Read on for details.

Bug Fixes

Heroes

• Qhira
  • Fatal Wounds no longer causes Blood Rage to deal bonus damage to enemies that have less than 5 stacks.
  • Fatal Wounds no longer causes the activated portion of Blood Rage to deal bonus damage.

User Interface

• Ranked: Post-game point breakdown animation now properly counts up or down.
• Season names now properly display in order on the Profile.
• Fixed an issue where Blizzard Checkout could fail to load when purchasing Gems.
• The Loot Chest award animation no longer improperly displays two Loot Chests granted when a Hero Le...

One of the hypest events of the year approaches! This week, WCS fans from across the globe can tune into StarCraft II’s all-star event, GSL vs. The World, to watch the biggest names duke it out in fierce competition! 2019’s top performers in both the WCS Circuit and Korea’s Global StarCraft II League, along with an incredible roster of players voted in by fans, will battle each other in an individual 16-player tournament, as well as a unique team-based competition, to see who will come out on top.

Beginning August 15, GSL vs. The World will kick off a dazzling showcase of individual competition, with 16 players competing in a knockout bracket. Last year’s competition did not disappoint, with eventual BlizzCon finalists Serral and Stats meeting in one of the most exciting matches of the year. The Finnish Zerg clinching a close 4-3 series over the Korean Protoss that forecasted his dominance at BlizzCon - will we see another Global Finals preview at this year’s event? 

Whether your personal journey with Diablo III began today or nearly seven years ago upon our launch, we want to give you an update on our ongoing development efforts with the game. Here’s what you can expect going forward from Seasons and patches.

Ongoing Content & Seasons

Beginning with Season 14, we introduced Themed Seasons. The goal was simple: change the expected gameplay loop and create unique experiences from Season to Season. Whether mixing up where the most rewarding gameplay lives or altering the source of your character’s most potent legendary powers, we want to continue to explore new and exciting ways to change how you play Diablo III.

Since the addition of themed Seasons, Season 16 was one of the most popular Seasons overall, with Season 17 showing similar participation. On PC alone, we saw nearly as many people return for Season 16 as Season 11, the first Season in which the Necromancer was available. We've heard ...

Masters Tour Seoul is almost here. Over 350 players have earned an invite to participate, but the trophy is reserved for the winner! Here you can find everything you need to know about the tournament.

• Venue:  VRIZ PC Café (Day 1 & 2), OGN Studios (Day 3).
• Dates: August 16–18
• Broadcast Start Time: 6 p.m. PT (Day 1 & 2), 7 p.m. PT (Day 3).
• Casters: ...

WoW Classic name reservations open today! Players with an active subscription or game time on their World of Warcraft account can create up to three characters per WoW account before WoW Classic releases worldwide on Monday, August 26 at 3:00 p.m. PDT.

When you reserve a name, you’ll also choose the realm you will play that character on. There are a few additional things to keep in mind as you make your choice:

• Players who choose to play on a PvP realm will only be able to create characters within the same faction. This means that if you create an Alliance character, all further characters on that realm must also be Alliance characters.
• After WoW Classic is live, you’ll be able to create up to 10 characters on any given realm and can create a maximum of 50 characters across all WoW Classi...

The Mythic Dungeon International (MDI) is back on Twitch starting August 10^th with the MDI Summer Season!  If you want to follow along with some of the best dungeon racing teams in the world, here’s a breakdown of what you need to know!

Sprint to The Finish

We had an exciting first half of the year with the MDI Spring Finals in Sydney, Australia, but that was only the halfway point. Spring Champions Method NA and runner-up Method EU have already secured their spot at the BlizzCon Global Finals, but there’s still four spots up for grabs. Here’s how to follow along!

...

We’re excited to announce that Twitch Drops will return for ...

After an action-packed WCS Challenger Season 2, we’re ready to jump into the next chapter of North American and European StarCraft II esports! WCS Challenger Season 3 is just around the corner - here’s what you need to know:

In the North America region:

• Two players will qualify based on their performance in 2019 WCS Challenger Season 2
• Two players will qualify based on their performance in Cheeseadelphia X
• Four players will qualify from their rank in the Season 3 Ladder Race
• Eight players will qualify from the online open qualifiers

In the European region...

For the next seven days, take a trip back to when Deathwing ruled the skies over Azeroth—it’s time to delve back into the dungeons of Cataclysm.

This Week

All week, open Group Finder (default hotkey: i) and then select Dungeon Finder and Timewalking in the Type dropdown. When you hit ‘Find Group’, you’ll be matched up with other players and sent to one of the following Heroic dungeons:

• End Time
• Grim Batol
• The Stonecore
• Lost City of Tol’vir
• The Vortex Pinnacle
• Throne of the Tides

Your character and items will be scaled down to a power level fitting for the challenge at hand, but bosses will yield loot appropriate for your natural level. Timewalking dungeons also have a chance to drop items that usually drop when you run them on Heroic, and you’ll earn reputation with a faction that is interested in the dungeon. For example, you can ear...

The next Heroes of the Storm patch has arrived! The update brings a new Hero, Qhira the Iresian Bounty Hunter, alongside bug fixes, new bundles, new skins, and much more! Dive on in for more information.

Quick Navigation:

• General
• New Hero: Qhira
• Storm League
• ...

Arch-Villain Rafaam and his band of misguided miscreants have navigated the capital city of Dalaran across the world and have arrived in the land of magical mummies, treacherous tombs, and sand-swept horizons – Uldum! While their ultimate goals are still shrouded in mystery, their disastrous doings in the dunes have unleashed devastating plagues on the land. Now it’s up to the League of Explorers (and you!) to stop the League of E.V.I.L. from reaching their nefarious goals.

Read on for details on everything that’s new in the tavern, and what’s included in the Saviors of Uldum expansion!

Saviors of Uldum – Launching August 6

The League of Explorers Has Arrived

...

Players, fans and commentators from around the world will meet for Assembly Summer presented by ASUS ROG, live from Helsinki, Finland, with competition kicking off this Thursday. This is the first WCS Circuit tournament without a region lock in place! 

Players will compete for USD $25,000 in prizing with up to 2,800 WCS Circuit points up for grabs. Players who are not eligible to compete in the WCS Circuit will not earn points for their placements, but they still will be allowed to compete based on eligibility as determined by Assembly Summer.

Here’s what you need to know!

Broadcast Times

The inaugural season of Hearthstone Grandmasters ended with a bang as Chris "Fenomeno" Tsakopoulos, Kim "Surrender" Jung-soo, and Francisco "PNC" Leimontas punched their ticket to the Global Finals at BlizzCon. Although it was an exciting season, we have certainly learned some things and will be changing certain aspects of the program moving forward. We continue to listen and gather feedback from players worldwide, and we’re excited to share today some of the changes we’ll be implementing for Season 2.

For starters, we are retiring the Specialist format for Grandmasters Season 2 and will be replacing it with best-of-three Conquest featuring a Shield Phase.

How it Works

• The two battling players bring four decks, each from a unique class.
• The match starts with a Shield Phase where both players will choose one of their own decks to “protect” that cannot be banned.
• Each player will ...

Face Queen Azshara’s most devoted champions in an epic new raid—The Eternal Palace.

Ten thousand years ago, as the seas engulfed Zin-Azshari, Queen Azshara forged a dark bargain with N’Zoth that transformed her loyal subjects into the sinister naga. Through millennia of brutal conquest, Azshara has built a new empire from the ruins of the old and now holds dominion over the depths that once threatened to claim her. Ever the gracious host, she has invited the Alliance and Horde alike into her eternal palace to witness her glorious ascension… and their ultimate demise.

Raid bosses: 8
Difficulties: Raid Finder, Normal, Heroic, Mythic
Level: 120
Raid Finder Minimum Item Level: 380

Raid Unlock Schedule:

July 9 – Normal and Heroic Difficulties
July 16 – Mythic and Raid Finder Wing 1 (The G...