Blizzard Watch Week in Review: Waiting for patch 7.2.5

Hello, fellow watchers of Blizzard! If you’ve had a busy week, we understand, because it’s been a busy week for us too. But before we head into a weekend of playing video games rather than reading (or writing) about them, let’s take a look at all the news from the last week.

Coming up

• Patch day is just around the corner! Blizzard has now confirmed WoW patch 7.2.5 will launch next week, on Tuesday, June 13 (or Wednesday, June 14 for European realms).
• Get playing, people! Overwatch’s double XP event is running this weekend, from June 8-12.
• This weekend (Sunday, June 10), WoW players can join the Running of the Trolls to benefit the Trevor Project. Roll a Troll on Feathermoon or Scarlet Crusade (both NA) to join the run or, if you can’t make it, donate directly to the cause.
• Get ready to play some Heroes of the Storm, because new hero Malthael is arriving next week, alongside the Malthael’s Bargain event (arriving alongside the game’s latest patch) will give you rewards for both Heroes and Diablo.

The best of social media

• Balloon Reinhardt? Balloon Reinhardt.
• This whole thread started by Quel’fabulous is… well… pretty fabulous.
• Ben Brode gives us a glimpse of the original Hearthstone Naxxramas design, in which the cards seemed much more similar to their World of Warcraft inspiration.

Everything you need to know about lore

• Know Your Lore talks about Natalie Seline, who unraveled the secrets of the Void just to see them destroy her.
• We know it’s the savior of the Nightfallen, but just what is the Arcan’dor?

World of Warcraft

• The patch 7.2.5 patch notes are here!
• Here’s what you need to do before the patch lands on Tuesday.
• Check out our guide to the Deadmines pet battle dungeon in patch 7.2.5.
• Go back in time to the Black Temple with WoW Archivist — just in time for Black Temple Timewalking!
• Officers’ Quarters discusses how to keep your guildmates motivated.

Overwatch

• Jeff from the Overwatch team talks about Blizzard’s efforts to keep players who behave badly (i.e. AFK) out of the game and why the “Rate This Match” option went away.
• Sorry, everyone, but Overwatch’s new dance emotes are going away when the anniversary event ends next week.
• The Overwatch voice actors are completely adorable, but you probably already knew that.

Heroes of the Storm

• Malthael and a Thrall rework will be hitting Heroes of the Storm next week — check out the patch notes for all the details.
• Which songs best represent your favorite Heroes of the Storm characters? Here’s what Blizzard thinks.

Hearthstone

• Matticus teaches us how to play the Jade Druid deck in Hearthstone.

And that’s all from team Blizzard Watch this week, folks. We’ll see you on Discord and the forums over the weekend — and, of course, in game.