TheWoWDBBlizzCon 2026 · Day 1 · Opening ceremony
Hearthstone's next expansion is Reign of the Black Empire, out October 20, with the Assemble keyword
Hearthstone
Blizzard announced Reign of the Black Empire for Hearthstone, launching October 20: the Old Gods at the height of their power, the Titans, and a new Assemble keyword that merges cards. Battlegrounds adds Aberrations as a minion type.
Hearthstone's Nathan Lyons-Smith and Brenden Sewell announced Reign of the Black Empire at the BlizzCon 2026 opening ceremony. The expansion launches on October 20 and stars C'Thun, Y'Shaarj and N'Zoth alongside the Titans.
For the first time Hearthstone travels tens of thousands of years into the past, to the point when the Old Gods were at the peak of their power. Blizzard promised corruption, madness and tentacles, and a new keyword, Assemble, which can merge multiple cards into one.
Battlegrounds gets a new minion type, Aberrations. Card reveals and further detail are due across the show's Hearthstone panels.