We've known it was coming for good three weeks now, ever since that initial announcement going out with the Patch 24.0, and even before the newest Murder at Castle Nathria expansion was fully launched. It does feel like it's been quite a wait with such a staggered release. But at least we had a chance to properly recover and further improve our Mercs since the last challenge of this type.

And so the 6th distinct limited-time event for Hearthstone Mercenaries has officially begun on August 16, just moments before the most recent balance patch hit the live servers. We definitely didn't forget and would never wish to get on the wrong side of an imposing Old God, so it's all those other distractions that are to blame! We can only try to make up for that now by singing praises of one glorious C'thun. From a cozy hiding spot. 

The start of the quest chain was specifically set to happen at the same time for all regions, but all of the following tasks (2 new ones per day) now appear as tied to each timezone's daily reset. Currently, there are all 10 of them already available for completion.

We'll be making sure to keep updating this space accordingly in the coming days!

The Final Old God Companion 

With the previous three brethren of C'thun becoming available for hire - free of charge, thus making for a pretty good deal - over the past few months and across such separate special events, this is going to mark the end of a certain chapter. We have three weeks to go (until September 6) before there is an expected break; and perhaps a new set of thematic challenges appearing on the horizon. 

Quote From Blizzard

Sensing that its Old God brethren had awakened, the ancient one C’Thun has emerged from its prison to begin its own assault on Mercenaries! Defend your Village and tame the final Old God in this limited-time event, starting on August 16. The event will consist of 10 special Tasks centered around the Old God C’Thun. Two new event Tasks can be unlocked on each of the first five days of the event, but you have until September 6 to complete all 10 Tasks. Completing all 10 Tasks will get you the C’Thun Mercenary, a random Golden C’Thun Portrait, the Diamond C’Thun Portrait, and 700 Mercenary Coins! Dragons and Protectors will be important for protecting your Village from C’Thun’s wrath.

Let's hope your Dragons are all ready to take flight, as there should be no shortage of viable Protector Mercenaries to cover the front lines.

C'thun Demands Such Tasks

Chances are you've already seen it all ahead of time and had ample time to prepare, as we were quick to share everything that was datamined beforehand: 

As you'll be able to see all of them now in-game (if not outright, then soon enough), it's not like there would've been any sudden changes.

VisitorTask nameDescriptionRewards Quote
Event C'ThunTask 1: Glacial RaveComplete Ravak Bounty with all your Mercs alive in Alterac Valley.         75 C'Thun Coins I’ve been waiting for you, my servant. Gather my followers and begin the ritual…
Event C'ThunTask 2: Seafood SoupComplete Acolyte of N'Zoth bounty with at least 2 Dragons in Darkshore.      50 C'Thun Coins, 25 N'Zoth Coins In my world, there is no place for weakness.
Event C'ThunTask 3: We Are DancersComplete Louis Philips bounty without any Humans in Alterac Valley.Mercenary: C'Thun My enemies have already lost.
Event C'ThunTask 4: MindblowingTrigger C'Thun's Mind Flay Deathblow 5 times in a single battle.50 C'Thun Coins, 50 Random coin random coins Forget all you thought you knew before…
Event C'ThunTask 5: Family GatheringComplete Onyxia Bounty with at least 3 Dragons in Onyxia's Lair.50 Onyxia Coins, 25 Deathwing Coins, 50 Nefarian Coins Destroy. Them. All.
Event C'ThunTask 6: Bar BrawlComplete Heroic Taran Zhu Fight in less than 10 turns in The Sunken City.50 C'Thun Coins, 50 Long'xin Coins The walls close in. There is no escape.
Event C'ThunTask 7: AntidoteDefeat Heroic Xaril the Poisoned Mind with only Protectors in The Sunken City.Mercenary: Golden C'Thun I have been waiting for this.
Event C'ThunTask 8: Beef for the TakingComplete Heroic Secret Cow Bounty in less than 35 turns in Barrens.75 C'Thun Coins, 50 Tyrael Coins Peace is a myth for the weak.
Event C'ThunTask 9: Family BurialComplete Heroic Undead Onyxia Bounty with at least 4 Dragons in Onyxia's Lair.100 C'Thun Coins Shattered and unmade.
Event C'ThunTask 10: Field HospitalRestore 100 health in a single match using C'Thun.Mercenary: Diamond C'thun  

(Source)

Following the suit of previous Old God events, it doesn't seem like getting your hands on free C'Thun should be particularly difficult - all it takes is 3 tasks, and the first half of the quest chain can be all done on Normal difficulty (since Mercs of Legendary quality are so difficult to find in packs, it's the most recommended course of action). Usually the more demanding Heroic challenges await only later on, should you deem all the extra coins and portraits worth your while. 

Staggered Release Times, See You Soon Toki

You know how it goes by now: a new special guest arrives, and Toki instantly takes the opportunity to go on vacation. As mentioned before, the event tasks unlock two at a time with each consequent server reset: as led by Europe, then Americas, and finally Asia. By Saturday, August 20 we gained access to the entire quest chain. 

Now, while any unique task takes up a spot in your log, the daily random coins from Toki are nowhere to be found. If you tend to rush through these challenges as they come, you might see her come back as soon as the end of this week. If you prefer to take your time, then it's going to happen whenever you are fully done - or once the event comes to its natural conclusion.


Familiar sights by now.

Beware the Ancient Beings

We've been seeing C'thun and pals show up as various Hearthstone incarnations ever since Whispers of the Old Gods. Nowadays, they are also all over Battlegrounds and Mercenaries game modes. 

(World of) Warcraft players and diligent followers of lore might be even more closely familiar with the whole bunch. As it happens, we've actually devoted a couple of articles to this very topic. They make for a very interesting background: 

On a side note: we could argue that the current C'thun voice-over being used for Mercenaries leaves something to be desired when it comes to its menacing potential. 

The Full Glory of C'thun

We also knew all about upcoming abilities and equipment options for a good while, but only now we can put all this theory into practice. Some dedicated players have also spent the past few weeks farming coins for C'Thun (and another new guy Sir Finley) from the Acolyte of N'zoth bounty in Darkshore zone.

Quote From Blizzard

C’Thun (Legendary Fighter)

  • Old God
  • 10/85 Maxed Stats
  • Abilities:
    • Mind Flay 5 (Shadow): (Speed 7) Deal this Merc’s Attack damage to an enemy. Deathblow: Summon a 5/15 Tentacle of C’Thun.
    • Tentacle of C’Thun 5 (Old God): (Speed 5) 5 Attack, 15 Health. Rush. Whenever this attacks, give your C’Thun +5 Attack and Old Gods’ abilities Refresh (1).
    • Mask of C’Thun 5 (Shadow): (Speed 4, Cooldown 10) Deal this Merc’s Attack damage to all enemies. Deathblow: Restore 20 Health to friendly Old Gods.
  • Equipment:
    • Heart of C’Thun 4: Battlecry: Summon a 5/15 Tentacle of C’Thun. It gains Taunt, but loses Rush.
    • Maw of C’Thun 4: Battlecry: Gain +4 Attack. Destroy a random enemy Minion.
    • Body of C’Thun 4: Bench: Gain +5/+10 after you summon an Old God.
 

Now with the entire Old God party at our disposal, got any favorites? 

C'Thun Card Image Yogg-Saron Card Image N'Zoth Card Image Y'Shaarj Card Image

They all share the same tribal tag and have certain abilities that benefit from mutual Refresh perks. Not to mention all that Shadow school synergy. 

And finally, more or less the usual info to keep in mind - any players who miss out on or skip the event altogether will still have their chance to acquire this Mercenary, just at a later date and at an added cost: 

Quote From Blizzard
C’Thun […] will not initially be obtainable through packs or crafting. C’Thun and its Portraits are part of the C’Thun event. C’Thun and its Portraits will be obtainable through normal means in a patch after its event ends.
 

Guides, Bugs, Tips & Tricks

Unfortunately, it may not be in our power to offer such a detailed set of task guides as for the past few Mercenaries events, seeing as the treacherous Old Gods have managed to launch a successful sneak attack on Avalon's secret hideout. Some of the crucial treasures have been lost in the process, and it's going to take a while to recover from that. If at all possible, we might look into the possibility of a larger single walkthrough down the line. 

Meanwhile, feel free to use the comments below to share anything useful you might stumble upon during your own adventures - like back in the early days of Chi-Ji and Leeroy events, where all the community advice proved to be of great value to us all as we attempted to get through the strange new tasks. We can always update this section with any handy tips and tricks that come up! 

There has been no mention of event-specific bugs so far, as luck would have it. Let's hope it stays this way. Unfortunately for the mobile players among us, the wider general issues still persist: 

Quote From Blizzard
The team is aware of some players having difficulty while trying to edit their Mercenaries Parties on mobile, like being unable select certain Mercs from the Party screen. While the team works on the issue, we have identified some workarounds for this issue:

1) select a selectable Merc on your team and hold down until the U.I wiggles, that will loosen things up and let you select your other Mercs; 2) select a selectable Merc and move it to over the collection area and then back into the Party; or 3) play on desktop–the issues we’re tracking seem to be isolated to mobile.

 

If at any point you get hopelessly stuck with an unresponsive Mercs UI, just know that you are not alone in your suffering.

As some of the tasks will inevitably end up being more demanding than others, there is an ever-growing Village of Hearthstone Mercenaries and potential strategies available to explore. Aside from the most dedicated players with very advanced (if not already maxed) collections, the rest of us will have to make do with whatever we got up until this point. Everyone's mileage may vary ever so slightly as a result. 

Other available resources include our forums, the Out of Cards #Mercenaries Discord channel, and the Party Builder for anyone who would like to showcase their take on successful teams. There is also a reliable subreddit for the game mode with its associated active Discord, if you are looking for a particularly dedicated crowd of players.