It’s time for another Hearthstone (Free) patch and limited time event called Masquerade Ball, and although we’re getting some fun experiences, what will undoubtedly be the star of the upcoming patch is the new Battlegrounds rating system, which will bring a reset of all external (player-facing) ratings with the goal of an improved matchmaking experience. The Masquerade Ball event will also bring new Tavern Brawls, Battlegrounds heroes and minions, and the usual card pack bundles and fixes.

The new progression system will look a lot like the constructed Ranked mode. Once the update drops, your rating will reset to 0, and with every top 4 placement, you’ll gain rating. You can never drop below 0 and will not lose rating until you’ve climbed above 2000.  Matchmaking will depend on your internal rating, which is your invisible rating that Blizzard’s been tracking since Battlegrounds launched. That internal rating will not be reset and won’t be affected in any way. What do you think about these changes, Battlegrounds players?

The upcoming patch will bring more than the ratings reset. We are also getting the limited time event Masquerade Ball. This event will add Elementals to Battlegrounds along with four new Heroes and 16 new minions. These heroes will be available to Tavern Pass holders starting tomorrow, Tuesday Sept. 29, and to everyone else on October 13.

On October 13 we will also get the free Rexxar solo experience, which is the second installment of the Book of Heroes. The event will also add three new Tavern Brawls (Rise of the Zombeasts, Masquerade Ball, and Boss Battle Royale), Dual-Class Arena, Legendary Quests, and a ton of card balance updates, fixes, and improvements.