Developer Insights: Battlegrounds Balance
Blizzard just posted some Developer Insights into the Battlegrounds Meta game, during the Buddies Meta. Read on to learn more!
Quote from BlizzardHello tavern-goers, as we wrap up the current Battlegrounds Buddies patch and prepare for the upcoming Rise of the Naga Battlegrounds Season, I want to share some data from this past patch and explain some of our design philosophies when it comes to designing and balancing heroes.
First, let’s look at the overall active* player mmr distribution right now:
- The top 50% of players have reached 5700 mmr
- The top 25% of players have reached 6500 mmr
- The top 10% of players have reached 7000 mmr
- Congratulations to the top 1% of players who have reached 8300 mmr
I also want to share the top* 10 performing heroes for all players since the last balance patch (in alphabetical order):
- Cariel Roame
- Chenvaala
- Fungalmancer Flurgl
- George the Fallen
- Ini Stormcoil
- Lord Jaraxxus
- Millificent Manastorm
- Patches the Pirate
- Tavish Stormpike
- Ysera
Now, let’s compare that list to the top 10 heroes for our top 1% of players during the same period (again, in alphabetical order):
- Aranna Starseeker
- Fungalmancer Flurgl
- George the Fallen
- King Mukla
- Maiev Shadowsong
- Sir Finley Mrrgglton
- Mutanus the Devourer
- Trade Prince Gallywix
- Vol’jin
- Zephrys, the Great
One of the reasons I am sharing this information is to show that there isn’t a universal hero ranking that applies to all players. Heroes perform differently depending on player skill and engagement with the mode. A lot of players find success with minion-type focused heroes because they provide a clear direction, but those same heroes don’t perform as well for our most competitive players. Even two players of the same skill level will find success with different heroes because they push different playstyles. The takeaway here is that players shouldn’t feel obligated to pick only the heroes that work best for the top 1% of players but should instead experiment with different heroes to see what performs best for their skill bracket, level of engagement with the game, and play style.
One of the goals with hero balance is to keep hero diversity high by making sure that heroes are kept in an appropriate band of power. We look at all skill levels when trying to identify which heroes need a nerf or a buff. That’s why we sometimes adjust a hero that is over- or underperforming for newer players, even if those same issues aren’t seen by our most competitive players.
With this in mind, what happens if a hero is too weak for one group of players but can’t be buffed because then it’d be too strong for other players? This was a design challenge we faced with Shudderwock after the launch of Buddies. Shudderwock repeats all the Battlecries you’ve triggered this game. Most players’ strategy with this hero is to buy lots of Battlecry minions and then use their hero power as late as possible to copy a bunch of Battlecry effects. However, top players use a different strategy. They mostly buy Battlecry minions that summon other minions, then they repeat those effects with the hero power for triple rewards. That strategy is harder to execute, but more powerful. Shudderwock needed a buff for the majority of players, but we didn’t want our changes to have a large impact on top players. Our design change was for the Buddy to give +2/+2 to the Battlecry minions it adds to the shop. This helped keep players alive when they were buying many different types of Battlecry minions, but didn’t have as large of an impact for the players looking to buy the one or two specific Battlecry minions.
I hope that example helps show how, even though not all individual balance changes are for every player, we do balance for every player. As a final note, nerfs are a higher priority than buffs because a hero being too strong warps games more than a hero being too weak.
With Rise of the Naga we expect a big meta shake-up and we’re excited to see what you all make of it! As this new meta develops, we’ll be applying the same balance philosophy when it comes to assessing player feedback and looking at data.
I hope this was informative and I’ll see you in the Tavern,
John McIntyre
Hearthstone Battlegrounds Lead Designer
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Active*: Played at least 5 games in the last 20 days. It is late into the season so mmr is at its highest right now. Since we’re only looking at the last 20 days, this excludes players that play the new content and stop playing after a few weeks, which means this population is more engaged in BGs.
Top*: Simply put, the highest average placements since the most recent balance update.
Top 1% is that low? Wow.
I prefer the old meta with buddies, without them many heroes are unplayable and unviable
Oh heck, I was playing BG just for fun and achievements and here I am in <1% of players damn
I don't understand how could they drop Buddies like that? They developed a whole new system that had UI implications only to drop it a few months later? This was the plan or they changed their mind? I'm intrigued.
I think they are just doing it to focus on balance levels with the new tribe and to shake things up for a bit. I'm sure they will be back.
My only problem with buddies was the small board space. You usually need 1 kind of empty space to play new stuff each turn, then another for your buddy. That leaves just 5 slots for your main squad.
They had said previously that its a time-limited event like Darkmoon Prizes.
It seems odd to me to use the best heroes for the top 1% as a reference, since that isn't relevant for 99% of the player base. I'd be more interested in seeing if there are any large differences between, for example, the bottom and top 50%.
The use both in different cases. Read it better next time.
"That’s why we sometimes adjust a hero that is over- or underperforming for newer players, even if those same issues aren’t seen by our most competitive players."
"With this in mind, what happens if a hero is too weak for one group of players but can’t be buffed because then it’d be too strong for other players?"
So, you're telling me that my 'seasoned' experience with a hero will probably be different than a new player? RNG is based off experience?
Why not balance the hero or completely rework them instead of me having to wait till turn three to see my first elemental in the tavern when using Chenvaala, or getting a Tier 1 minion on turn 11 for my last dig with Captain Eudora...
What?
yes,rng can be based of experience,a good example is how and when you play yogg saron,his effects are completly random,but knowing how to use him will swing the rng in your favour
theres a reason yogg saw such high degree of use in tornuments
Its like any game of chance, the better you are at understanding that random factor the better player you will be
Lol you totally misread what John said. If you read further down to his Shudderwock example, you would understand what kind of balance adjustments he was talking about.