Hearthstone is going back further than it ever has. Reign of the Black Empire drops players into ancient Azeroth roughly 10,000 years in the past, when C'Thun, N'Zoth, Yogg-Saron, and Y'Shaarj ruled the world at their absolute peak and the Titan-forged rose to challenge them. It's the final expansion of the Year of the Scarab, and it arrives with 135 new collectible cards, the brand-new Assemble keyword, and a packed pre-launch event calendar that's already been running since mid-September.
When does Reign of the Black Empire release?
Reign of the Black Empire launches October 20, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. PDT. The expansion goes live at the same moment worldwide, so the table below covers every major time zone.
| Time Zone | Release Date and Time |
|---|---|
| Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) | Oct. 20 at 10:00 a.m. |
| Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) | Oct. 20 at 11:00 a.m. |
| Central Daylight Time (CDT) | Oct. 20 at 12:00 p.m. |
| Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) | Oct. 20 at 1:00 p.m. |
| Brasilia Time (BRT) | Oct. 20 at 2:00 p.m. |
| Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) | Oct. 20 at 5:00 p.m. |
| British Summer Time (BST) | Oct. 20 at 6:00 p.m. |
| Central European Summer Time (CEST) | Oct. 20 at 7:00 p.m. |
| Eastern European Summer Time (EEST) | Oct. 20 at 8:00 p.m. |
| China Standard Time (CST) | Oct. 21 at 1:00 a.m. |
| Japan/Korea Standard Time (JST/KST) | Oct. 21 at 2:00 a.m. |
| Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) | Oct. 21 at 4:00 a.m. |
What is the Assemble keyword?
Assemble is the headline new mechanic for Reign of the Black Empire. Cards with the Assemble keyword add a minion to your hand and replace part of that minion's card text with text pulled from a different minion. The combination pool contains over 250 cards, which means the range of possible fusions is enormous.
Known Assemble cards confirmed so far include Shadow Sculpt, Shadowcrafter, Attentive Tender, Fleshshape, F3TCH3R, Mismatcher, Sandcrafter, Darkest Depths, and Chisel. Shadow Sculpt is the cleanest example to understand the mechanic: it lets you Assemble a minion by combining two card text fragments into a single new unit.
Assemble card selection pool
Who are the Old Gods in this expansion?
The four Old Gods return as legendary neutral minions, but Blizzard has significantly upgraded their power level to match the lore setting. These are gods at the height of their dominion, not the diminished versions players have faced before.
The confirmed Old Gods are:
- C'Thun, Eye of the Empire
- N'Zoth, Dream's End
- Mastermind Yogg-Saron
- Y'Shaarj, Titan Bane
Each Old God has four distinct abilities. Players can invoke two of those abilities per turn. Once all four have been used, the Old God itself can attack. Senior design manager Brenden Sewell described the design intent at BlizzCon 2026: these are the "highest power versions" of the Old Gods, and Blizzard wanted the impact each one has in play to feel "appropriately dramatic." N'Zoth still leans into Deathrattle synergies as you'd expect, but expanded to match the current power level of the game.
What are Titan Watchers?
Titan Watchers are a separate legendary minion category in the set. Isiset is the clearest example: a 6-mana 5/5 Mage legendary with a Battlecry that summons two 10/10 Constructs. The catch is those Constructs are frozen until you spend 15 mana on spells. That's a significant payoff condition, but 10/10 bodies are 10/10 bodies.
M.O.T.H.E.R. is also a Titan Watcher, and unlike Isiset it's usable by every class. More on how to get it for free below.
Full pre-launch event calendar
The lead-up to Reign of the Black Empire has been running since mid-September. Here's the complete timeline:
- September 15 — Patch 36.6 goes live. Log in to claim a free M.O.T.H.E.R. legendary. The Black Market opens and pre-purchase bundles become available in-game.
- September 22 — Patch 36.6.1 launches, adding Aberrations to Battlegrounds.
- September 29 — The Legendary Quest Chain begins, running through October 20.
- October 6 — Bloodstone earning ends for the Black Market. The War of Old & New event begins.
- October 13 — The Black Market closes and the Pre-Release Tavern Brawl begins. Open your pre-purchased packs early and build decks using only Black Empire cards (Commons and Rares are free trial cards for the event). One free entry, then 2 Tavern Tickets, 300 Gold, or 400 Runestones per additional entry.
- October 20 — Reign of the Black Empire launches.
How do you get the free M.O.T.H.E.R. legendary?
Log in to Hearthstone after Patch 36.6 went live on September 15 and M.O.T.H.E.R. is granted automatically, one copy per account. If you missed the login window, Blizzard confirmed that after Patch 37.6, M.O.T.H.E.R. is granted by owning a Reign of the Black Empire pack instead, so there's still a path to get it.
What is the Black Market and how do Bloodstones work?
The Black Market is a limited-time shop running September 15 through October 13. The currency is Bloodstones, earned by playing Ranked Hearthstone during that window.
Current Black Market inventory includes:
- 4x Reign of the Black Empire Packs
- Taelan Fordring Signature Legendary card
- Broxigar Hero Skin and Card Back (Demon Hunter)
- Yogg-Ramen Hero Skin (Mage)
- Champion Tyrande Hero Skin (Priest)
- Fireside Card Back
If you already own a cosmetic item, that slot converts to Golden Standard Packs of equivalent value. For most players, the four Reign packs are the priority buy. Cosmetics are optional. Packs become cards you'll actually use on October 20.
Black Market Bloodstone shop
What is the War of Old & New event?
Running October 6 through October 20, the War of Old & New event rewards early-access Reign cards you can put into decks before the expansion officially launches. Complete the event quests to earn:
- 2x Arrival of the Old Gods (regular and Golden)
- 2x Arrival of the Titans (regular and Golden)
- 2x Dark Terraforming (regular and Golden)
- 2x Tavern Tickets
- Zek'voz Hero Skin for Priest
This overlaps with the final Black Market spend window, so October 6 through 13 is the busiest stretch of the pre-launch calendar.
What's new in Battlegrounds: Aberrations explained
Aberrations are a new minion type built around discard synergies and awakening an Old God Deity. They went live in Battlegrounds with Patch 36.6.1 on September 22 and are guaranteed to appear in every lobby for the first two weeks.
How do Deities work?
Two Deities exist: C'Thun and Y'Shaarj. Only one answers per game, chosen at random at the start. Every time a friendly Aberration dies, it advances your Deity's progress. After three Aberration deaths, your Deity joins that combat.
- C'Thun (Tier 3 Deity): on awakening, splits its stats among your other minions
- Y'Shaarj (Tier 3 Deity): Deathrattle that summons your first two Aberrations that died in that combat at maximum stats (Deities excluded)
The strategic implication is clear: you want to be trading, not protecting a pristine board. Discard synergies, Tentacles, and Tavern spells that benefit from being discarded are core to the archetype. Sludge Corrosion, Corrupted Coin, and Energizing Chamber are the Tavern spells Blizzard highlighted as key tools.
Two new heroes debut alongside Aberrations:
- Drest'agath with Hero Power Incubate (1 Cost): Discard a card to get a random Aberration
- Kith'ix with Hero Power Dark Ritual (2 Cost): Get 2 random minions; when you play one, discard the other
Pre-purchase bundles: what do you get?
Three pre-purchase options are available before October 20:
- Pre-Purchase Bundle — standard pack bundle
- Pre-Purchase Mega Bundle — 90 packs, Golden Legendary C'Thun, Eye of the Empire, cosmetics, and Signature Legendary Drest'agath
- Pre-Purchase Sequence Bundle — unlocked by buying both the standard and Mega bundles, includes Diamond Isiset
Owning all three bundles grants the Way of the Monk Coin, a teaser for the Monk class arriving in March 2027. Acquiring both main pre-purchase bundles also grants a free Random Golden Legendary from Reign.
Drest'agath is worth noting specifically: it's described as an ancient Aberration that draws an Old God from your deck, or grants a random one if none remain. That's a Constructed card with direct Old God synergy, not a Battlegrounds mechanic.
What else was announced at BlizzCon 2026?
Blizzard used the Reign announcement to tease several bigger changes coming to Hearthstone beyond this expansion:
- Monk class is confirmed and arrives in March 2027. No Hero Power or class keyword has been detailed yet.
- 2v2 Tavern Brawls are coming.
- The Journal has been redesigned as a narrative wrapper connecting expansion quests, achievements, and events.
- The main menu has been rebuilt with a new navigation tray.
For the full picture of what's currently performing on ladder, check the top Hearthstone meta decks guide to see what you're walking into on day one.
Frequently asked questions
When does Reign of the Black Empire launch? October 20, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. PDT. Every region gets it at the same moment.
How many cards are in the set? 135 new collectible cards.
Can I open packs before launch? Yes, during the Pre-Release Tavern Brawl running October 13 through 20.
Is the Monk class in this expansion? No. Monk was announced at BlizzCon but is planned for March 2027.
What happens to my Bloodstones after October 13? They disappear. Bloodstones do not carry over between Black Market events.
Are Aberrations permanent in Battlegrounds? Yes, but the guarantee of every lobby only lasts the first two weeks from September 22. After that, normal type rotation rules apply.
For a deeper look at what Patch 35.0 changed before all of this kicked off, the Hearthstone Patch 35.0 rundown covers the Arena Access changes and earlier meta shifts that set the stage. For everything else, the full Hearthstone strategy guides collection has you covered heading into launch day.
