Blizzard Watch Weekly: Discount Chocolate Day

Valentine’s Day was never really my favorite holiday. I can be romantic, but I’m one of those people who feels more cherished and loved when someone, say, folds my laundry rather than buying me something, or making a grand gesture. As such, discount heart-shaped-box chocolate day is totally up my alley. It’s both thoughtful and budget-savvy.

Anyway, if anyone wants to finish writing this column for me…

Here’s what happened this week, what’s happening next week, and even more stuff.

What Happened This Week?

• This week’s Hearthstone Tavern Brawl: Clockwork Card Dealer (Standard, Constructed)
• Active Twitch Drop campaigns
• Epic Games Store free game of the week: F1 Manager 2024

We got a huge infodump from the Overwatch 2 development team this week, with a bunch of new features and things coming in season 15 and beyond during the Overwatch 2 Spotlight. There was a lot to go over — check out our full post for a lot of details. For season 15, there will be a new Perks system that allows players to make gameplay tweaks and change up certain abilities, and there have been some changes to Competitive including a soft rank reset, and 6v6 coming to Open Queue. In later seasons, we’ll see a new Stadium mode which, among other changes, will allow players to play Overwatch 2 in third person for the first time, and we were shown the next two Heroes: Freja, a crossbow bounty hunter, and a water wielder who has the temporary name Aqua.

Oh, and loot boxes are coming back. Oh, don’t worry, there’s still a battle pass too. Insert cynical petty comment here.

We published a guide to the new Seal of the Dawn and Sanctified gear mechanic in WoW Classic Season of Discovery phase 7. This isn’t the Naxxramas we played through in 2006, man.

A new short from the animators involved in the Netflix movie The Remarkable Life of Ibelin debuted, and it’s cute and features cats so you know we’re there.

Plus, because today is Valentine’s Day, we have an assortment of games we enjoy with a romantic hook or two. Or maybe just keep on playing Balatro, because we are. Also, tomorrow is World Hippo Day, and if you know us you know we’re celebrating that all-important holiday. We’re also celebrating how freakin adorable the baby tapir at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium is (we urge you to watch the videos with your sound on for the cutest surprise ever).

What’s Happening Next Week (and beyond)

• WoW‘s Love is in the Air holiday ends February 17
• Diablo 4 Lunar Awakening ends February 18
• Cataclysm Classic Phase 4 releases February 18
• Plunderstorm ends February 25
• Turbulent Timeways through February 25
• WoW patch 11.1 releases February 25

Last week we got the official release date of patch 11.1: February 25. We also got news that Plunderstorm is ending that same day, so you don’t need to worry about slamming in those last few games for Plunder while 11.1 is already out. We’re starting to ramp up our coverage of all the stuff coming in WoW’s patch 11.1 and the Undermine(d) raid which opens up alongside season 2 of TWW in the weeks following — and remind you of all the stuff you need to wrap up before season 1 concludes. This week we directed you toward the raid entrance of Undermine(d) and critiqued the fashion choices in tier gear. And speaking of fashion in season 2, Brann is confirmed as our companion for season 2 Delves, and he needs us to find him a bunch of fancy hats to wear, and I’ve never related to a WoW NPC more.

We’re lucky Jason Schreier was reporting from D. I. C. E., because otherwise we wouldn’t have known that Diablo 4′s next expansion isn’t coming until 2026. We’re totally fine with that.

If you’re into TTRPGs, you might want to take a look at the Fallen London kickstarter, which most of our staff backed within 10 minutes of finding out that it’s a thing. Both the setting and the gameplay are intriguing and novel, so expect that to hit Tavern Watch shortly. Spoiling us for choice, Kickstarter’s annual Zine Quest highlights a ton of indie RPGs with interesting premises you might want to snag. And speaking of TTRPGs in the future, Daggerheart has a release date: May 20.

Podcasts

• Blizzard Watch Podcast: Player Housing in WoW has no rules! (But our Neighborhood might)
• Tavern Watch Plays Murder on the Eberron Express 2: The murderer among us

This week’s Blizzard Watch podcast started off with the topic we’re all about these days: WoW’s Player Housing. The podcast crew contrasted the philosophy behind the WoW team’s stated approach, and how it works in some other notable MMOs with Player Housing, especially for the things it won’t have — like you won’t be evicted if you can’t make your mortgage. But, can you be evicted if your next door neighbor has lovingly decorated their plot in pastels, and then you post up with a huge tower of bones, you weirdo Death Knight? Ugh.

Tavern Watch continued their playthrough of Eberron Express, and as someone who didn’t get to play this murder mystery one a train I’m in the same spot as you are. I can’t wait for next week’s installment when we find out who the murderer is. This has been a super fun campaign so far, and I’m kinda on the edge of my seat here. I’ll see you next week after we’ve listened to the conclusion.