As expected and previewed, the upcoming Patch 23.4 brings us a huge content drop for the Hearthstone Mercenaries game mode. The newly released patch notes have just confirmed and expanded on everything we are going to see available soon:

  • 18 Brand New Mercenaries - The League of Explorers, Naga, Tyrael, Y'shaarj and more!
    • Tyrael (cross-promotion Diablo universe character) will be free to claim from the shop.
    • Poor Sir Finley still missing in action. 
  • Plentiful new Bounties to explore:
    • 3 more challenges being added to the existing Darkshore zone.
    • New Sunken City zone will consist of 10 separate Bounties. 
    • Apparently no secret cow level for Diablo fans. That's disappointing.
  • New limited-time special Y'shaarj event begins on June 7. 
    • Y'shaarj will be initially available through completing the associated tasks, along with its portraits and coins.
  • A new option being added to Mystery Nodes within Heroic Bounties - Mystery Treasure!
    • The resulting surprises might either bless or curse your journey.
  • You can now copy Mercenaries Parties and borrow them from your friends (see here). 
  • A few more bugfixes, especially the one removing the persistent annoying "NEW!" notification.

Patch 23.4 releases tomorrow, June 1.

The current N'zoth special event is also coming to an end - still a bit of time left to complete the tasks! 

Quote From Blizzard

Mercenaries Updates

General Updates

  • N’Zoth is now available through all normal acquisition means.
  • You can now borrow a Party from your opponent in a Mercenaries friendly challenge.
  • You can now copy a Mercenaries Party to build a new Party.
  • A new option has been added to the Mystery nodes on Heroic Bounty maps. Whenever you land on a Mystery Treasure node, you’ll get additional rewards if you successfully complete the Bounty!  But beware, much of that treasure is Cursed, and will hinder your characters throughout the rest of your run. However, every once in a while your Mystery Treasure will turn out to be straight Bonus Rewards: all the additional prizes at the end of your Bounty without the added Curse! So… are you feeling lucky?

 

New Limited-Time Event: Y’Shaarj

Y’Shaarj watched enviously as N’Zoth sunk its tentacles into Mercenaries, so now Y’Shaarj, too, is coming to join the Party in its own limited-time event, starting on June 7. The event will consist of 10 special Tasks centered around the Old God Y’Shaarj. Two new event Tasks can be unlocked on each of the first five days of the event, but you have until June 21 to complete all 10 Tasks. Completing all 10 Tasks will get you the Y’Shaarj mercenary, a random Golden Y’Shaarj Portrait, the Diamond Y’Shaarj Portrait, and 750 total Mercenaries Coins. Humans and Pirates will be your best allies for this event!

Y’Shaarj and its Portraits will not initially be obtainable through packs or crafting. Y’Shaarj, its Portraits, and its Coins will all be obtainable through normal means in a patch after the event ends.

 

Claim Your Free Tyrael Mercenary!

In the immortal struggle between good and evil, it helps to have a powerful ally on your side. Bring strength and justice to your party with this free Legendary Tyrael Mercenary! Tyrael can be claimed for free in the Shop from now until the launch of Patch 24.0.

 

New Mercenaries

Y’Shaarj (Legendary Protector)

  • Old God
  • 9/85 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Defiled Attack 5 (Shadow): (Speed 6) Borrow 5 Attack from all friendly characters this turn. Attack an enemy. Deathblow: Repeat this.
    • Strength of Y’Shaarj 5 (Shadow): (Speed 1) Gain Taunt and take 6 less damage this turn. Old Gods’ abilities Refresh (3).
    • Rage Unbound 5 (Shadow): (Speed 2, Cooldown 10) Give all your characters +20 Attack. They Attack random enemies.
  • Equipment:
    • Mark of Y’Shaarj 4: Defiled Attack borrows an extra 5 Attack.
    • Heart of Y’Shaarj 4: Passive: Whenever this Merc is Attacked, gain +5 Attack.
    • Idol of Y’Shaarj 4: Rage Unbound gives an extra +8 Attack.

 

Tyrael (Legendary Fighter)

  • 12/75 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Divine Bladestrike 5 (Holy): (Speed 5) Attack an enemy. Holy Combo: Deal 15 damage to them.
    • Holy Judgment 5 (Holy): (Speed 5) Deal 10 damage to an enemy. Holy Combo: Freeze them.
    • Angelic Protection 5 (Holy): (Speed 5, Cooldown 1) Gain Taunt for 2 turns. Holy Combo: Other friendly characters take 10 less damage next turn.
  • Equipment:
    • El’druin 4: Divine Bladestrike deals 5 more damage.
    • Blinding Gauntlets 4: Holy Judgment also gives the enemy -5 Attack permanently.
    • Crown of Purity 4: Passive: Your characters have +5 Fel Resistance.

 

Queen Azshara (Legendary Caster)

  • Naga
  • 8/83 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Shifting Tides 5 (Arcane): (Speed 10) Deal 18 damage. (Damage increased by +3 for each Spell School cast this game.)
    • Mage Paramount 5 (Arcane): (Speed 0, Cooldown 1) Gain +3 Spell Damage. Whenever an enemy casts a spell, +4 Resist to its Spell School this turn.
    • Vainglorious Rebuke 5 (Shadow): (Speed 3, Cooldown 1) Deal 10 damage to all enemies. (Damage is increased by the final speed.) This ability gets (2) Speed slower this turn whenever another ability is used.
  • Equipment:
    • Xal’atath 4: Passive: Whenever you cast a Shadow ability, Restore 6 Health to your characters.
    • Tidestone of Golganneth 4: Passive: This merc has +1/+6 Health for each Naga in play or on your bench.
    • Sharas’fal, Queen’s Scepter 4: Passive: The first time this Merc dies, steal 6 health from all Characters in play and return to life.

 

Zar’Jira, the Sea Witch (Epic Caster)

  • Naga
  • 8/77 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Witch’s Curse 5 (Shadow): (Speed 4) Deal 12 damage. If it has already acted, its Attack is permanently halved, rounded up.
    • Freezing Touch 5 (Frost): (Speed 4, Cooldown 2) Freeze a character. They are Immune while Frozen. They deal 10 damage to your enemies when they lose Frozen.
    • Wavethrasher 5: (Speed 7, Cooldown 1)
      • Wavethrasher (Naga, Speed 6): 17/28. Rush. Passive: Has +10 Attack for each Frozen character.
  • Equipment:
    • Serve Chilled 4: Witch’s Curse deals an additional 5 damage.
    • Upstart Acolyte 4: Passive: +20 Health. Whenever a friendly character is Frozen, Freeze a random enemy.
    • Ring of Sluggishness 4: Passive: Shadow abilities are (4) Speed slower.

 

Fathom-Lord Karathress (Rare Protector)

  • Naga
  • 12/82 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Tidal Strike 5: (Speed 6) Attack an enemy and summon a 8/16 Naga. Frost Combo: Summon another Naga.
      • Fathom Guard (Naga): 8 /16.
    • Cataclysmic Bolt 5: (Speed 6, Cooldown 1) Deal 20 damage to the lowest health enemy.
    • Blessing of the Tides 5: (Speed 4, Cooldown 1) Gain +5 Attack for each friendly Naga. If this Merc has less than 40 Health, gain +10 Attack instead.
  • Equipment:
    • Fathom Lure 4: After a friendly Fathom Guard attacks, restore 12 Health to this merc.
    • Hull Breaker 4: Cataclysmic Bolt deals 20 damage to adjacent enemies, but has +1 Cooldown.
    • Tidewalker’s Brooch 4: Blessing of the Tides affects all your Naga and summoned minions, but has +2 Cooldown.

 

Lady Vashj (Epic Fighter)

  • Naga
  • 10/75 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Electrify 5 (Nature): (Speed 5) Deal 22 Nature damage to an enemy. Damage is reduced by the current speed of their action.
    • Handmaiden’s Poison 5 (Nature): (Speed 4) Deal 5 damage to an enemy. Bleed (10).
    • Reflex Shot 5 (Fel): (Speed 7, Cooldown 1) Deal 12 damage to all enemies. If they have already acted, deal Critical Damage.
  • Equipment:
    • Icy Grasp 4: Passive: Your Naga take 4 less damage until they act each turn.
    • Witch’s Mantle 4: Passive: Enemies affected by Bleed receive 5 less healing.
    • Fel Cauldron 4: Reflex Shot also gains +4 Fel Damage.

 

Tidemistress Athissa (Rare Protector)

  • Naga
  • 8/79 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Wave Crush 5 (Frost): (Speed 7) Deal 14 damage to an enemy. If they have already acted, give them +5 Nature Weakness.
    • Riptide 5 (Nature): (Speed 3, Cooldown 1) Deal 10 damage to an enemy. After an enemy attacks this turn, repeat this damage.
    • Captive Tides 5 (Nature): (Speed 7, Cooldown 3) Deal 20 damage to all enemies. (Increased by 7 for each other Naga you control.)
  • Equipment:
    • Warlord Parjesh 4: Battlecry: Summon a 12/24 Naga with Taunt.
    • Clutching Hatred 4: Riptide deals 5 more damage.
    • Harpsicold 4: Passive: Whenever this merc takes damage, Refresh (1) on Captive Tides.

 

Lord Slitherspear (Rare Fighter)

  • Naga
  • 8/80 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Slithering Rage 5: (Speed 6) Attack an enemy. Summon a 10/18 Hungry Naga with Divine Shield and Rush.
    • You Lift Bro? 5: (Speed 5) Gain +5 Attack. If you control another Naga, gain +5 more Attack. Attack an enemy.
    • Enough of this Trash! 5: (Speed 4, Cooldown 2) Destroy a summoned minion without triggering its Deathrattle. Deal its Attack to all enemies.
  • Equipment:
    • Unleashed Eel 4: Hungry Naga has +5 Attack.
    • Fishy Cauldron 4: Passive: +4 Attack. This Merc always deals Critical Damage to Murlocs.
    • Sharp Idea 4: Passive: After an enemy minion is summoned, Refresh (2) Enough of this Trash!

 

Captain Hooktusk (Epic Caster)

  • Pirate
  • 10/75
  • Abilities:
    • Turnabout Strike 5: (Speed 6) Gain +11 Health. Swap Roles with an enemy and Attack it.
    • Shiver their Timbers 5: (Speed 8) Deal 18 damage to an enemy. If it’s a Fighter, deal 25 damage instead. (Ability swaps to Protector after use.)
      • Shiver their Timbers 5: (Speed 8) Deal 18 damage to an enemy. If it’s a Protector, deal 25 damage instead. (Ability swaps to Caster after use.)
      • Shiver their Timbers 5: (Speed 8) Deal 18 damage to an enemy. If it’s a Caster, deal 25 damage instead. (Ability swaps to Fighter after use.)
    • Cutthroat Negotiations 5: (Speed 7) Change a Merc’s Role to Caster. Bleed (6). (Ability swaps to Fighter after use.)
      • Cutthroat Negotiations 5: (Speed 7) Change a Merc’s Role to Fighter. Bleed (6). (Ability swaps to Protector after use.)
      • Cutthroat Negotiations 5: (Speed 7) Change a Merc’s Role to Protector. Bleed (6). (Ability swaps to Caster after use.)
  • Equipment:
    • Jolly Roger 4: Turnabout Strike gives +4 more Health and affects all friendly Pirates.
    • Captain’s Pride 4: Battlecry: Gain +3 Attack and become a Fighter.
    • Prop Knife 4: Cutthroat Negotiations also restores 20 Health if used on a friendly character.

 

Patches the Pirate (Rare Caster)

  • Pirate
  • 13/81 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Eye Matey 5: (Speed 7) Attack an enemy. Summon a 10/5 Pirate with Rush.
      • Patchling (Pirate): (Speed 4) 10 Attack, 5 Health. Rush.
    • Eye Cap’n 5: (Speed 9, Cooldown 1) Fill your board with 10/5 Pirates with Rush.
    • Crew the Guns 5: (Speed 6, Cooldown 1) Friendly Pirates deal 10 damage to enemies opposite them.
  • Equipment:
    • Hook the Crew 4: Pirates summoned by Eye Matey and Eye Cap’n have +5 Health and are Immune while Attacking.
    • Arms Locker 4: Passive: Whenever a friendly Pirate Attacks, give it +5 Attack.
    • I’m In Charge Now! 4: Bench: After a friendly Pirate Merc dies, summon this Merc. Gain +3 Attack and Attack a random enemy.

 

Reno Jackson (Legendary Caster)

  • Human
  • 10/82 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Gatling Wand 5 (Arcane): (Speed 3) Deal 11 damage to a random target. +3 damage each time this merc takes 20 damage.
    • Dazzlin’ Flexin’ 5 (Arcane): (Speed 2) Deal 7 damage to an enemy and gain Taunt. Their next ability target this Merc (if possible).
    • That’s My Treasure! 5: (Speed 5, Cooldown 1) Restore 15-25 health to this Merc. Deal damage equal to the amount healed to a random enemy.
  • Equipment:
    • Explorer’s Hat 4: Dazzlin’ Flexin’ deals 10 more damage and affects all enemies, but has +2 Cooldown.
    • We’re Rich! 4: Battlecry: If you have at least two Explorers in play, Restore 100 health to friendly characters.
    • Treasure Inspector 4: Deathrattle: Cast two random Treasure abilities.

 

Brann Bronzebeard (Epic Protector)

  • Dwarf
  • 8/84 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Trusty Whip 5: (Speed 5) Deal 12 damage to an enemy. Your characters gain +3 Frost Resistance.
    • Summit Campfire 5 (Fire): (Speed 3) Your characters gain +4 Frost Resistance. Your characters deal Critical Damage to enemies who have already acted this turn.
    • The Bronzebeard Spirit 5: (Speed 8, Cooldown 2) Restore 25 health. If it has acted already, they repeat their ability.
  • Equipment:
    • Relic of Uldum 4: +7 Health. Your abilities give Fire Resist instead.
    • Adventurer’s Pack 4: Passive: Brann’s abilities are (3) Speed faster. Your abilities give Shadow Resist instead.
    • Extra Spirit 4: Passive: If you have them in play, Elise and Reno have +5/+12.

 

Elise Starseeker (Epic Fighter)

  • Night Elf
  • 7/86 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Starseeker 5 (Nature): (Speed 6) Gain +8 health and Attack an enemy. Nature Combo: Deal damage equal to your Attack, instead.
    • Guiding Path 5 (Nature): (Speed 3, Cooldown 1) Restore 13 health to all friendly characters. Advance the Golden Monkey one step.
    • Quest for the Golden Monkey: Advance through a series of 5 abilities to uncover the Golden Monkey! (Dev Comment: At the start of the game, this will automatically transform into the first step, Embark on the Quest! Then use each Ability to move on to the next step of the Quest.)
      • Embark on the Quest! 5: (Speed 3) Give all your characters on your battlefield and bench +5/+8.
      • Avoid the Dart Trap 5: (Speed 2) Apply Bleed (18) to all enemy characters.
      • Navigate the Jungle 5: (Speed 4) Root all enemy characters.
      • Escape the Rolling Boulder 5: (Speed 6) Deal 20 damage. Any excess damage continues to the right or left.
      • The Golden Monkey 5: Summon a 20/20 Golden Monkey. It has “Passive: Your characters have +15 Spell Damage”.
  • Equipment:
    • Talon Trinket 4: Starseeker also gives +5 Attack.
    • Oasis Canteen 4: Passive: If you have Brann and Reno in play, give them +4/+4 at the end of the turn.
    • Monkey’s Paw 4: Start of Game: Advance the Quest for the Golden Monkey 2 steps. Elise has -20 Health.

 

Maestra (Epic Caster)

  • Orc
  • 10/74 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Dirty Tricks 5 (Shadow): (Speed 3) Deal 14 damage to the enemies across from this Merc.
    • Shifting Strike 5: (Speed 4, Cooldown 1) Gain +7 Attack and Attack the enemies across from this Merc. Combo: Gain role advantage first.
    • Sudden Betrayal (Shadow): (Speed 8, Cooldown 1) Give an enemy +15 Attack this turn. Force it to deal its Attack to its neighbors.
  • Equipment:
    • Mask of the Mummy 4: Bench: After a friendly Merc dies, summon this Merc who uses Dirty Tricks 5 immediately.
    • Mask of the Mimicry 4: Bench: After a friendly Merc Attacks, swap it with this Merc who uses Shifting Strike 5 immediately.
    • Mask of Rage 4: Bench: After an enemy minion is summoned, swap your lowest Health Merc with this Merc who uses Sudden Betrayal 5 immediately.

 

Baine Bloodhoof (Rare Protector)

  • Tauren
  • 12/84 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Mulgore Might 5: (Speed 7) Attack an enemy and Gain +2 Healing Power. Nature Combo: Restore 15 Health to this Merc.
    • Chain Heal 5 (Nature): (Speed 3, Cooldown 1) Restore 20 to a friendly character. Repeat this on up to 2 damaged adjacent characters.
    • Earthmother’s Fury 5 (Nature): (Speed 10, Cooldown 2) Deal 25 to all enemies. Deathblow: Set the cooldowns on all enemy abilities to their original value.
  • Equipment:
    • Totemic Mastery 4: Battlecry: Summon a 0/10 Grounding Totem.
      • Grounding Totem: 0 Attack, 10 Health. Whenever an adjacent character takes damage, this minion takes it instead.
    • Herbal Ancestry 4: Chain Heal repeats on up to three additional friendly characters, but has +1 Cooldown.
    • Chieftain’s Feather 4: Passive: +7 Health. +4 Healing Power.

 

Maiev Shadowsong (Legendary Protector)

  • Night Elf
  • 10/78 Maxed Health
  • Abilities:
    • Single-Minded Pursuit 5: Gain +10 Attack and Attack an enemy. This bonus is lost if this Merc ever Attacks a different target.
    • Coup de Grâce 5: Attack an enemy. Deathblow: Restore 25 Health to this Merc and gain the Role of the enemy.
    • Imprison 5: Deal 10 damage to a Merc. Its abilities gain Cooldown equal to the number of their benched Mercs. Return it to the bench.
  • Equipment:
    • Charged Glaive 4: Single-Minded Pursuit gains +5 more Attack.
    • Eye of the Watchers 4: Passive: Characters Attacked by this Merc can’t heal until this Merc leaves play.
    • Warden’s Shroud 4: Passive: Your left and right most characters take 10 less damage from Attacks.

 

Lorewalker Cho (Epic Caster)

  • Pandaren
  • 4/78 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Knowledge 5: (Speed 5) Tell the Tale of the Mogu, the Hozen, or the Saurok.
      • Tale of the Mogu 5: Summon a 15/15 Mogu with Rush and Deathblow: Gain +10/+10.
      • Tale of the Hozen 5: Summon 2 10/10 Hozen Troublemakers with “Has +3/+3 for each other friendly Hozen Troublemaker.”
      • Tale of the Saurok 5: Summon a 25/1 Saurock with Stealth and +10 Spell Resistance.
    • Patience 5: (Speed 5) Give +5/+10 to all friendly characters who have not yet acted this turn.
    • Wisdom 5: (Speed 1, Cooldown 2) Your characters deal 5 more damage this turn.
  • Equipment:
    • Stash of Scrolls 4: Passive: Your minions take 8 less damage.
    • Heart of Neutrality 4: -10 Health. Battlecry: Become Neutral.
    • Cho Family Heirloom 4: Battlecry: Reduce all characters’ Attack by 20 this turn.

 

Yrel (Epic Fighter)

  • Draenei
  • 12/76 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Vindicator’s Fury 5 (Holy): (Speed 5) Attack an enemy. Deathblow: Deal 15 damage to all enemies.
    • Radiant Light 5 (Holy): (Speed 4) Gain +6/+6. When another friendly character uses a Holy ability this turn, they gain +6/+6.
    • Wrath of the Lightbound 5 (Holy): (Speed 8, Cooldown 2) Deal 10 damage to all enemies. Then deal 15 damage to all characters who have not used a Holy ability this turn.
  • Equipment:
    • Hammer of the Naaru 4: Passive: When a friendly character attacks, they gain +4 Attack this turn.
    • Libram of Wisdom 4: End of Turn: If you have used 2 or more Holy abilities, gain +2 Holy Damage and +2 Healing Power.
    • Light of Karabor 4: Passive: Your characters have +5 Shadow Resistance.

 

New Zone and Bounties

With Patch 23.4, we’ll be delving deeper into Darkshore with three more Bounties for the Zone. We’ll also be exploring the depths of the Sunken City with 10 Bounties for the all-new Zone. There is no cow level.

Bug Fixes and Game Improvements

  • Added keyword tooltips to several Mercenaries Abilities that were missing them.
  • Corrected Mercenaries encounters that had the wrong role indicator on the Bounty map.
  • Fixed a bug causing various issues with the “New!” indicators in the Mercs Collection.