Event track reward milestones
The Old Gods are back, and this time they mean business. Hearthstone's Reign of the Black Empire expansion launched October 20, bringing four fully reworked Old Gods as legendary neutral minions, a brand-new Assemble keyword, Titan Watcher legendaries, and a limited-time in-game event running through November 10. Whether you're grinding the event track for the Ritual N'Zoth Hero Skin or trying to figure out which Day 1 deck to queue with, here's everything you need.
What is the Reign of the Black Empire event?
The in-game event runs from October 20 to November 10 and operates through a quest-based reward track. Complete daily and weekly quests to earn XP gems, then cash those in for packs and cosmetics at four milestone tiers.
Event reward track breakdown
| XP Gems Required | Rewards |
|---|---|
| 400 | 2x Escape from Violet Hold Pack |
| 1,200 | 1x Reign of the Black Empire Pack, 2x Escape from Violet Hold Pack |
| 2,400 | 2x Reign of the Black Empire Pack, 1x Escape from Violet Hold Pack |
| 4,000 | 1x Ritual N'Zoth Hero Skin, 2x Reign of the Black Empire Pack, 2x Golden Escape from Violet Hold Pack |
The 4,000 XP milestone is the one worth targeting. The Ritual N'Zoth Hero Skin is the headline cosmetic reward, and the Golden Escape from Violet Hold Packs are a solid bonus. Three weekly quests (Whisper to the Old Gods, Bend Them to Your Will, and Reign in Darkness) stack on top of 14 rotating daily quests, so the path to 4,000 XP is achievable without playing every waking hour.
How do the Old Gods work in Reign of the Black Empire?
Here's the short answer: each Old God is a legendary neutral minion with four distinct abilities. You can invoke two of those abilities per turn. Once all four have been used, the Old God itself can attack.
The four Old Gods in this expansion are:
- C'Thun, Eye of the Empire
- N'Zoth, Dream's End
- Mastermind Yogg-Saron
- Y'Shaarj, Titan Bane
The design philosophy here is deliberate. These are the Old Gods at their peak power, set 10,000 years in Azeroth's past. N'Zoth still leans into Deathrattle synergies, which will feel familiar, but the raw power level has been scaled up to match modern Hearthstone. Each Old God's ability set reflects their identity while expanding on what past versions could do.
What is the Assemble keyword?
Assemble is the new keyword for this expansion. When you play an Assemble card, it adds a minion to your hand and replaces part of that minion's card text with text from another minion. The result is a hybrid minion with mixed abilities.
Confirmed Assemble cards include Shadow Sculpt, Shadowcrafter, Attentive Tender, Fleshshape, F3TCH3R, Mismatcher, Sandcrafter, Darkest Depths, and Chisel. During pre-launch testing, the Mech'Zoth Hunter deck made heavy use of Assemble to customize Crystalline Golem and F3TCH3R, showing how flexible the mechanic can be when you have the right support cards.
The mistake most players make with Assemble is treating it like a random generator. The mechanic rewards knowing which minion text combinations are actually useful for your game plan, so think about what you need before committing to an Assemble outcome.
What are Titan Watchers?
Titan Watchers are a category of legendary minions tied to the expansion's setting. Isiset is the Mage-specific Titan Watcher: a 6-mana 5/5 with a Battlecry that summons two 10/10 Constructs, which remain frozen until the player spends 15 mana on spells. That payoff is massive if you can build around it.
M.O.T.H.E.R. is the neutral Titan Watcher and was available as a free legendary for players who logged in during the pre-release window. Unlike Isiset, M.O.T.H.E.R. can be included in any class's deck, making it one of the more accessible early-expansion legendaries to build around.
Day 1 deck codes for every class
These deck codes were tested during the pre-launch theorycrafting event. They represent solid starting points, not solved lists, since the meta is still forming as of launch day. Copy the code directly into the Hearthstone deck import screen.
| Class | Deck Name | Deck Code |
|---|---|---|
| Warlock | C'Thunic Rituals | AAECAf0GBsODB4OEB63ZB9vgB6D2B/OJCAznoATfggex2Qe32QeN3AfX6QeB9geM9gfp+Qf6iQj7iQinkggAAA== |
| Death Knight | Old Gods' Blood | AAECAfHhBAbQvwfqyQeb1Aed2wel+geLhggMh/YEsvcE1J4G/fwGgf0GupUHmsUH0MUHi/oH2/oH+/sHvYwIAAA= |
| Demon Hunter | Charge Hour | AAECAea5Awbo5gaKqgeSqgeTqgfF+Afb/AcM4fgFtJcHtpcHtZgH550H4rEHlb8Hz/IH2PsH+PwHqf0H0f0HAAA= |
| Druid | Beast Architect | AAECAZICBK6fBK+HB6PaB5H3Bw2hiQeqrwetrwe+sgfk2QfH5ge85wfK5weW9get9gfl9geggQjagggAAA== |
| Mage | Disc Mastermind | AAECAf0EBuSyB5HbB//fB9jwB7v2B8OLCAySxAeT2geU2wf53gf79Qf89QeJ9geT9gfh9geJ+weAgQi/jAgAAA== |
| Paladin | Holy Keeper | AAECAZ8FApf6B4GKCA6cnwTunwTP/gbDjwfpjwfLqQfErge+sgfmxQfx8Aev9geW+gfx/AeygAgAAA== |
| Hunter | Mech'Zoth | AAECAR8EqIoE8b8HhesHqYcIDamfBITmBtfaB9vaB9bbB/zuB4D2B5z2B532B572B5/2B8v9B9GICAAA |
| Priest | Blade of C'thun | AAECAa0GAuL6B/OJCA6g+waG/QavyQfV4Af04AfX6Qfo8Qfh+gfj+gfk+geAgwj7iQj8iQjBjAgAAA== |
| Rogue | Unknowable Combo Swarm | AAECAaIHBuylB4aoB4eoB4ioB4jZB8r4Bwz3nwSQgwfBlweMrQfWrwfZrweY9wfA+AfB+AfD+AfG+AfH+AcAAA== |
| Shaman | C'Therazane | AAECAaoIBP2fBMODB8L/B/OJCA3mlgfwqge8sQf3wAf5wwe3/gee/we//wfw/wfz/wf1/wedggj7iQgAAA== |
| Warrior | Iron & Brass | AAECAQcC3fEHj/cHDo7UBLaUB8uYB+qnB/yvB8XXB7jtB5L3B5b3B5r3B5v3B+f5B4f8B53/BwAA |
For a deeper look at which of these archetypes are performing on ladder right now, the top Hearthstone meta decks and Arena guide covers the current Standard standings.
Pre-Release Tavern Brawl: what you need to know
The Pre-Release Tavern Brawl ran from October 13 through the early hours of October 20 and introduced a new format. Decks could only contain Reign of the Black Empire cards, and players chose from predefined multi-class combinations before building. Most combinations used three classes, with one special two-class option built around enhanced C'Thun synergies.
All Reign of the Black Empire Common and Rare cards were available as free Trial Cards during the event, meaning you could test the full pool without owning the packs. Those trial cards do not carry over to your collection after the event ends.
Entry was free for the first run. After that, each additional run cost 2 Tavern Tickets, 300 Gold, or 400 Runestones.
Theorycrafting streams and community events
Ahead of launch, Blizzard ran a full week of theorycrafting streams (October 6 through 9) with a Devs vs. Streamers format. Every five wins earned by Team Streamer unlocked surprise rewards for randomly selected viewers. Watch time drops were also active: 60 minutes of watching any Hearthstone stream on October 6 or October 7 each earned 1x Reign of the Black Empire Pack.
Community Days ran from October 13 to October 17, offering up to 3x Standard Packs and 2x Tavern Tickets for watching participating streams.
What's coming in Patch 37.0?
Patch 37.0 brings several additions beyond the expansion itself. The new Journal replaces the old event hub and serves as a single destination for story content, Tavern Brawls, Arena seasons, and free rewards. A Diablo crossover event is also confirmed, featuring a themed in-game event, a returning Tavern Brawl, and Shop cosmetics celebrating 30 years of the franchise.
On the cosmetics side, Patch 37.0 adds the Y'Shaarj Mythic Hero Skin, N'Zoth Pet, C'Thun Signature Card, and a new Old God Card Back featuring all four Old Gods, unlockable through a collector Achievement. Full details are in the patch notes.
For context on how this expansion fits into the broader patch cycle, the Hearthstone Patch 35.0 rundown covers earlier free card opportunities and meta context that still applies to Wild and Arena.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the Reign of the Black Empire event run? October 20 through November 10. You have three weeks to hit the 4,000 XP milestone for the Ritual N'Zoth Hero Skin.
Can I still get M.O.T.H.E.R. for free? M.O.T.H.E.R. was the free legendary for players who logged in during the pre-release window. If you missed that window, you will need to open Reign of the Black Empire packs or craft it.
Do I need to build around a specific Old God? No. Since all four Old Gods are neutral legendaries, you can slot them into any class. That said, some classes have class-specific cards that synergize more tightly with individual Old Gods, such as Warlock's C'Thun ritual package.
What happens to Assemble trial cards from the Tavern Brawl? They expire when the Tavern Brawl ends. To keep them permanently, you need to open Reign of the Black Empire packs.
For the full collection of Hearthstone strategy content, including updated deck guides as the meta develops, visit the Hearthstone guides hub.
