Fans of Blizzard’s Warcraft-themed CCG are having a rough start to 2024 as Hearthstone announced that it’s discontinuing Duels. This is the second game mode to cease operation in the space of 12 months.
In an article on the official Hearthstone website, Blizzard announced plans to discontinue support for its popular Duels mode. Unlike the Hearthstone Mercenaries final update from early 2023, this decision doesn’t simply put the mode into maintenance mode, but instead, the company plans to entirely remove the mode from the game client. Players online have speculated that this is due to Duels making use of standard Hearthstone cards, whereas Mercenaries uses entirely unique assets.
Blizzard’s post says, “We do not have plans for any further scheduled updates for Duels… This change will allow us to shift our resources to where we feel they will have the most impact, including Traditional Hearthstone, Battlegrounds, and more. We want to thank all our passionate Duels fans for every pile of loot, treasure, and hard-fought victory you’ve collected along the way. It’s been a heroic run, and we couldn’t have done it without you.”
When is Hearthstone discontinuing Duels?
The Duels Mode will leave the Hearthstone client in April 2024, according to Blizzard’s statement. We assume this will also remove any associated achievements, so get grinding while you still can to unlock all of those bonuses.
In more positive news, Blizzard’s statement also confirms that Battleground Duos, a cooperative mode first showcased at Blizzcon 2023, is “scheduled for an upcoming Battlegrounds patch”. Some of the Treasures from Duels may also live on in Hearthstone’s Arena Mode next season.
That’s everything we know so far about Hearthstone discontinuing Duels. While you’re here, check out our guide to the best Hearthstone decks for the current meta. For something completely different, take a look at our Honor of Kings tier list and Honor of Kings codes guides.
