14 DAY TRIAL // Blizzard seems to be really trying to add value to their Battle.net desktop app which has replaced game launchers for World of Warcraft, Diablo and StarCraft, as well as the newly-released card game Hearthstone.
The company has revealed that players can now chat with their Battle.net friends directly through the Battle.net desktop app. Doing it is as easy as looking for the Friends icon in the upper right portion of the app, clicking on the icon to open up the Battle.net friends list and then selecting one of the handy communication tools.
Players will be able to open a chat window on their desktop, with messages showing up in any Blizzard game their friends are currently playing. Additionally, users will also be able to send and accept friend requests by clicking the Add a Friend button and then inserting the appropriate Battle Tag or email address to send a friend request, and even make use of the People You May Know feature.
Right-clicking on a friend's name will also open up more handy options, such as the option to drag a friend's name to the Favorites section of your friends list, and from the Settings > Friends & Chat menu item gamers will be able to set which of their friends' activities trigger pop-up notifications (toasts), as well as how chat messages appear and many more.
Moreover, unwanted friend requests can be reported and/or blocked with the press of a button, and players will also be able to set up a custom status (online, busy, away etc.). If a friend is playing multiple games at the same time, any message sent via the Battle.net desktop app will appear in the app along with any game that a particular friend is playing at the time, making sure that he will get it no matter what he's doing at the time.
However, chatting via the Battle.net app will not work both ways, as although friends will be able to receive messages sent through the app in whichever game they might be playing, if a character friend within Diablo of World of Warcraft messages you in-game, no notification will appear in the desktop app.
It is nonetheless a very welcome addition, and a useful way to unite a set of games that share a fair portion of their audience between them, and will enable users to embark on all kinds of glorious adventures, such as setting up a quick round of Hearthstone while getting ready for the raid.