A new Hearthstone battle pass that adds a separate rewards track for Battlegrounds season 2 has been slammed by some prominent players of the card game for rewards included in its paid tier that they describe as “pay to win.” The change means that players can no longer get Battlegrounds Perks with their earned in-game gold, leaving some free-to-play players are feeling left out in the cold. The new update also introduces Runestones, an intermediary currency, which has also been met with generally negative reception.

The Battlegrounds season 2 update introduces a distinct progression track to its battle pass, which includes the usual mix of rewards for free and paid tiers. Usually everything in the Hearthstone battle pass is cosmetic, and most of the rewards included in the Battlegrounds tier also fall into that same category. However, it also notably locks the ability to choose from four heroes instead of two behind a real-money paywall.

Previously, players would be offered a choice of four heroes at the start of a run instead of the usual two if they had access to Battlegrounds Perks – these were previously included in the Tavern Pass, which was available for 2500 in-game gold or $19.99 USD. Now, players no longer have a way to access this benefit as a completely free player, instead having to buy them with real money through Hearthstone’s new ‘Runestones’ – an intermediary currency being introduced to the game that can be purchased with real money.

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