On Sunday, September 13, the presentation "Hearthstone: The Journey Ahead" took place on stage at BlizzCon. Core Hearthstone developers took the stage to introduce upcoming update plans. They revealed new cards and mechanics for the new expansion, Reign of the Black Empire, scheduled to launch on October 21, and presented a roadmap featuring various upcoming content including The Journey, the Black Market, 2v2 Tavern Brawls, and Boss Fights.
The Old Gods Have Returned! Reign of the Black Empire Detailed Card Reveals
The Old Gods who featured prominently in 2016's Whispers of the Old Gods return 10 years later in Reign of the Black Empire. While inheriting the characteristics of past Old Gods, they feature new playstyles suited for modern Hearthstone.
The new Old Gods each possess four powerful one-time abilities. On the board, instead of attacking directly, you can use two of these abilities per turn, and you can only attack directly after all four abilities have been used. You can include only one Old God in a deck, with each Old God supporting different deck archetypes that highlight their distinct identities, such as N'Zoth for Deathrattles and C'Thun for random damage. Players can acquire the new card 'MOTHER' for free by adding it to their collection alongside Patch 36.6.
The new keyword 'Assemble' is an effect that expands Discover in a bolder way. While combining cards existed in the past with cards like Kazakus or Deathstalker Rexxar, Assemble differentiates itself by directly combining card effects. Assemble takes a minion into your hand and then replaces a portion of its card text with text from another minion drawn from a predetermined pool of cards. It is an effect where you Discover two cards from a curated pool of over 250 cards, assemble them, and merge them onto a designated card. The developers mentioned that Assemble underwent extensive testing and highlighted that there are numerous interactions based around the mechanic.
In fact, during the live broadcast demonstration, Doomsayer—which originally reads "At the start of your turn, destroy ALL minions"—was dramatically altered through Assemble into "Battlecry: Discover a 5-Cost card. Destroy ALL minions."
From 2v2 Battles to the Boss Black Market! Summary of New Updates
- Journal Overhaul and 'The Journey' Added
Hearthstone's existing Journal will be overhauled, and a new feature called 'The Journey' will be added inside it. The Journey is a space designed to deliver an expansion's story and characters in greater depth, with content unlocking on a weekly basis. Entering the Journal from the updated main interface allows players to view not only existing achievements and progress, but also quests, stories, cutscenes and dialogue, boss fights, and limited-time events.
- Black Market
The Black Market is an event launching alongside the Reign of the Black Empire expansion. It is completely free content where players can use "Bloodstones," a currency earned through ranked play, to exchange for useful rewards such as card packs, card backs, Signature cards, and hero skins. Items offered in the Black Market are previously sold cosmetics and items. True to the name "Black Market," prices update at specific intervals and can be discounted or increased. Depending on the situation, engaging interactions exist, such as negotiating with black market vendors while prices are completely hidden or dealing with shifting item stock.
The Black Market will be open for a limited time from September 15 to October 13, and is scheduled to return in Update 37.4.
- 2v2 Tavern Brawl Revealed
Detailed information about the 2v2 mode was also revealed. A total of four players compete in a match, and similar to Battlegrounds, players can view their teammate's board state while playing. Cooperative elements are also present, allowing players to pass cards from their hand to their teammate. Interactive options allow players to request cards or ask whether a card can be passed. The 2v2 Tavern Brawl will run for one week with pre-made decks and one week with custom decks.
- New Tavern Brawl 'Warlords', New Event 'Boss Fights'
Although concrete gameplay footage was not shown, additional modes were also revealed. The Hearthstone Warlords Tavern Brawl calls to mind MTG's Commander format or the former Mercenaries mode. It is described as a mode where players play their own Warlord to battle. As for Boss Fights, it is a new event type where players battle against powerful bosses.
- The Old Gods Come to Battlegrounds! New Heroes and Cards Revealed
The Old Gods are coming to Battlegrounds as well. Mutants and Old Gods arrive as new minion types in Battlegrounds. Whenever a Mutant minion dies, an Old God with the "Incarnate" keyword awakens, allowing players to use powerful abilities associated with their manifestation. Each Old God is given distinct traits fitting their identity—such as N'Zoth resurrecting minions and C'Thun distributing Attack power. Mutants feature mechanics related to "Discard," allowing players to buff minions by gaining and discarding cards from their hand.
Full Hearthstone Roadmap Revealed
The full roadmap was also revealed. The Reign of the Black Empire expansion will launch on October 21 (KST). Following that, Patch 37.2 will add Battlegrounds Season 14 content, the Winter Veil event, and 2v2 Tavern Brawls. In Patch 37.4, Class Sets replacing traditional Mini-Sets as well as the return of the Black Market event are planned. Then in March 2027, the new 'Monk' class will join the game, accompanied by a Core Set overhaul and set rotation.
