Patch 37.0: Release Schedule and Expansion Overview
Hearthstone Patch 37.0 arrives on October 13, bringing a new Arena season, an updated Pre-Release Tavern Brawl, and the Journal’s Journey campaign ahead of Reign of the Black Empire.
- October 13: Patch 37.0 launches, Arena resets, and the Pre-Release Tavern Brawl opens at 10:00 a.m. PDT.
- October 20: Reign of the Black Empire launches, the Rewards Track refreshes, and Tavern Rewards becomes available.
Reign of the Black Empire
The expansion releases on October 20 with 135 cards, the four Old Gods, and the new Assemble keyword for creating custom minions. Pre-Purchase bundles are available ahead of launch.
Rewards Track and Deck Recipes
- The expansion launch introduces a new Rewards Track containing XP boosts, cards, Gold, card packs, and other rewards.
- Players who acquire the Tavern Pass and reach level 100 can claim the Diamond Rajh Card.
Each class receives a new Deck Recipe featuring Reign of the Black Empire cards. The other two recipes offer a ready-to-play Core deck and a deck built around Escape from Violet Hold.
Shop Rewards and Weekly Free Gifts
Tavern Rewards Starts October 20
Tavern Rewards adds bonus rewards to eligible purchases made through the Hearthstone Battle.net Shop, which offers packs, bundles, cosmetics, Tavern Passes, and more.
- Earn: Eligible purchases award Tavern Tender at no additional cost.
- Redeem: Spend Tavern Tender in the Tavern Rewards Vault on Battle.net.
- Vault contents: A rotating selection of packs, Signature cards, card backs, hero skins, and other content, including returning items and new additions.
- Availability: Starting October 20 in all Hearthstone regions except Mainland China.
Blizzard will share further details, including the Vault’s reward selection, later.
Weekly Free Shop Reward
A free weekly reward can be claimed in the Battle.net Shop starting every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. PDT.
Journal, Journey, and Expansion Progression
Journey is now live in the Hearthstone Journal. It brings the expansion’s story, Journey Quests, rewards, events, and seasonal activities together in a campaign that develops over the expansion.
- Journey: Watch voiced vignettes and read expansion lore.
- Quests: Complete Journey Quests for progress and rewards.
- Rewards: Claim rewards earned through Journey and expansion activities.
- Feats: Achievements have been renamed Feats; their challenges and rewards remain.
- Profile: Check account information and progression.
- Bookmarks: Find events, Tavern Brawls, and limited-time activities. Select “Go To” to open an activity.
Chapter 1: The Road to Ny’alotha
- Availability: October 13 until Patch 38.0.
- A new part unlocks each week for 7 weeks. Previously unlocked parts remain available until Patch 38.0.
- Completing each part awards 1x Reign of the Black Empire Pack, for a total of 7 packs.
Pre-Release Tavern Brawl: Rules, Entry, and Rewards
The updated Pre-Release Tavern Brawl runs from October 13 at 10:00 a.m. PDT to October 20 at 10:00 a.m. PDT. Players can open their Reign of the Black Empire packs early, build a deck, and compete for rewards.
Deckbuilding Rules
- Decks may contain only Reign of the Black Empire cards.
- All players receive temporary trial copies of every Common and Rare card from the expansion.
- Choose a predefined multi-class combination before building your deck. Most combinations contain three classes; one two-class option provides enhanced C'Thun synergies.
- Card Generation Pool: Reign of the Black Empire, Standard.
Trial cards are restricted to this Brawl and are removed when it ends. They are not permanently added to your collection; permanent copies can be obtained from Reign of the Black Empire packs.
Pre-Release Feats
- Reign of the Black Empire Pre-Release Champion: Finish a run with 6 wins.
- Rewards: 2x Tavern Tickets and 1x Reign of the Black Empire Pack.
- Reign of the Black Empire Pre-Release Pro: Finish a run undefeated, 6-0.
- Rewards: Godlike Brawler Card Back and 2x Tavern Tickets.
Entry Costs and Run Length
- Every player receives one free entry.
- Additional entries cost 2 Tavern Tickets, 300 Gold, or 400 Runestones.
- Lock in a deck for each run and play until reaching 6 wins or 3 losses. Card rewards depend on the run’s result.
- Community Days offers 2 additional Tavern Tickets.
Community Days
Community Days lets players watch creators try new decks and earn additional packs for the Pre-Release Tavern Brawl.
Arena Season Reset and Underground Rewards
On October 13, Patch 37.0 ends all ongoing Arena runs and starts a new season. Reign of the Black Empire enters the Arena card pool that day, one week before the expansion’s October 20 launch.
Season Card Pool
- Reign of the Black Empire
- Across the Timeways
- TITANS
- Showdown in the Badlands
- Perils in Paradise
- Core Set
- Event Set
12-Win Reward and Pack Changes
- Starting October 13, the Il'gynoth Hero Skin for Demon Hunter replaces the previous Underground 12-win hero skin reward.
- After unlocking Il'gynoth, subsequent 12-win runs award 2 Golden Reign of the Black Empire packs instead.
On October 20, all Arena and Underground pack rewards switch from Escape from Violet Hold to Reign of the Black Empire.
Five New Arena Feats
For each feat, finish Part 1 before attempting Part 2. Every feat awards 2x Tavern Tickets.
- Empire Combatant:
- Part 1: Open 5 Reign of the Black Empire packs.
- Part 2: Finish an Underground run with 6+ wins.
- Empire Challenger:
- Part 1: Open 10 Reign of the Black Empire packs.
- Part 2: Finish an Underground run with 6+ wins.
- Empire Rival:
- Part 1: Open 20 Reign of the Black Empire packs.
- Part 2: Finish an Underground run with 6+ wins.
- Empire Duelist:
- Part 1: Open 35 Reign of the Black Empire packs.
- Part 2: Finish an Underground run with 6+ wins.
- Empire Gladiator:
- Part 1: Open 50 Reign of the Black Empire packs.
- Part 2: Finish an Underground run with 6+ wins.
Expansion Event: Reign of the Black Empire
From October 20 – November 10, complete Event Quests and earn Event XP to unlock the following rewards:
- 5x Reign of the Black Empire Packs
- 5x Escape from Violet Hold Packs
- 2x Golden Escape from Violet Hold Packs
- Ritual N'Zoth Hero Skin for Warlock Class
30 Years of Terror: Diablo Event and Tavern Brawl
The Diablo crossover includes an in-game event, the returning Dark Wanderer Tavern Brawl, and themed shop content.
Event Rewards: November 10 – December 1
Complete Event Quests and earn Event XP during 30 Years of Terror for these rewards:
- 2x Treasure Fiend (regular and Golden versions)
- 1x Golden Reign of the Black Empire Pack
- 1x Reign of the Black Empire Pack
- 1x Random Rare Card
- 1x Random Epic Card
- Dark Wanderer Hero Skin for Warlock Class
The Dark Wanderer Tavern Brawl: November 10 – 18
- Build a Wild deck to challenge the Dark Wanderer. The encounter becomes more dangerous as you attack, eventually revealing Diablo.
- Progress carries over between attempts.
- Completion reward: 1x Reign of the Black Empire Pack.
Diablo Bundle: November 10 – December 8
The bundle contains:
- Diamond Diablo, Lord of Terror Hero Skin for Warrior Class
- 3x Warrior Packs
- 5x Golden Standard Packs
- 2x Signature Epic Treasure Fiend Cards
Ranked Standard Legendary Quest Chain
From October 23 – November 3, play Ranked Standard games to complete a two-part Legendary Quest Chain:
- Part 1: 1x Reign of the Black Empire Pack.
- Part 2: 1x Golden Reign of the Black Empire Pack.
Darkmoon Faire Treasures: Old Gods Cosmetics
C'Thun Signature Bundle: October 20 – December 1
This Darkmoon Faire Treasures lineup consists entirely of Reign of the Black Empire Signature cards. Its grand prize bundle includes:
- Signature C'Thun, Eye of the Empire
- 2x Signature Spawn of C'Thun
- 2x Signature Tentacle Lash
- 2x Signature Floating Lessons
Y'Shaarj Mythic Hero Skin: October 23 – December 1
Y'Shaarj, the Titan Bane is a transforming Mythic Hero Skin for Priest and Shaman, available through Darkmoon Faire Treasures. The skin includes custom visual effects and animations, and the first pull is free.
After you play 30 Mana worth of minions, Y'Shaarj changes into a Sha-infused form with updated visual effects.
N'Zoth Pet: November 3 – December 1
N'Zoth, the Corruptor reacts to gameplay with animations and changing moods. Pet interactions include a Murloc plushie and a fishing rod toy that opens a fishing mini-game.
Level up N'Zoth with XP to unlock skins including Fish N’Zoth, Brain Jelly N’Zoth, and Deep Sea N’Zoth.
N'Zoth earns XP from the following actions:
- Damage the enemy hero.
- Deal 10+ Damage.
- Fill your board.
- Play 3 minions in one turn.
- Summon a Deathrattle minion.
- A friendly minion dies on your turn.
- In Hearthstone modes, play shadow spells.
- In Hearthstone modes, play a 10-Cost card.
- In Hearthstone modes, summon an Old God.
- In Battlegrounds, sell 3 minions.
- In Battlegrounds, destroy an enemy hero.
- In Battlegrounds, reach Tier 6.
- In Battlegrounds, win a round of combat.
- In Battlegrounds, triple an Aberration.
Darkmoon Faire Treasures uses random pulls for prizes such as Pets, Mythic Skins, Signature cards, and Hero Skins. The first pull is free; further pulls require Runestones. Every pull awards a prize, and prices change as prize collections rotate.
Old Gods Collector Feats
Starting October 13, collecting the expansion’s four Old Gods—C'Thun, Yogg-Saron, N'Zoth, and Y'Shaarj—can unlock these rewards:
- Old Gods Collector: Part 1: Collect all 4 Old Gods from Reign of the Black Empire. Normal, Golden, and Signature versions count.
- Reward: 1x Golden Reign of the Black Empire Pack.
- Old Gods Collector: Part 2: Collect all 4 Signature Old Gods from Reign of the Black Empire.
- Reward: The animated Old God Card Back featuring all four Old Gods.
Known issue: The Old Gods Collector feat incorrectly shows earnable collection points, or Renown. It is cosmetic-only, so leaving it incomplete does not affect collection completion. A future patch will correct the display.
Where to Obtain the Signature Old Gods
- Mastermind Yogg-Saron Signature Card: Claim after acquiring all three Golden Reign of the Black Empire Bundles in the chain offer, available October 20 – December 1.
- C'Thun, Eye of the Empire Signature Card: Available through Eye of the Empire Darkmoon Faire Treasures from October 20 – December 1.
- Y'Shaarj, Titan Bane Signature Card: Available through Y'Shaarj Darkmoon Faire Treasures from October 23 – December 1.
- N'Zoth, Dream's End Signature Card: Available through N'Zoth Darkmoon Faire Treasures from November 3 – December 1.
Additional Free Rewards and Collection Goals
M.O.T.H.E.R. Login Legendary
- The M.O.T.H.E.R. Legendary Card is available by logging in, starting September 15.
- Limited to one per account.
- After Patch 37.6, the card will instead be granted when you own your first Reign of the Black Empire pack.
The War of Old & New: October 6 – 20
Complete this event’s quests to earn:
- 2x Arrival of the Old Gods (regular and Golden version)
- 2x Arrival of the Titans (regular and Golden version)
- 2x Dark Terraforming (regular and Golden version)
- 2x Tavern Ticket
- Zek’voz Hero Skin for Priest Class
Earlier Legendary Quest Chain: September 29 – October 20
- Step 1: 1x Escape from Violet Hold Pack.
- Step 2: 1x Reign of the Black Empire Pack.
Legendary Collector Feats and Chaos Coin
The following collection rewards become available starting October 13:
- Reign of the Black Empire Legendary Collector — 15 different Legendary cards: Earn 2x Signature Tank Regiment Rare Cards.
- Reign of the Black Empire Legendary Collector — 27 different Legendary cards: Earn 2x Signature Blind Harrower Rare Cards and 2x Signature Efflorescence Common Cards.
- Bow Down Mortals: Collect 135 different Reign of the Black Empire cards to earn the Chaos Coin.
Bug Fixes
Hearthstone
- Corrected Flames of Infinity’s end-of-turn ordering: it no longer always triggers first at the end of an opponent’s turn.
- Resolved the incorrect interaction between Shadow of Demise and Cultist Map.
- Beastspeaker Taka can no longer incorrectly Discover Colossal minions.
- Spikeridged Steed now correctly grants Taunt to its target.
- Fixed deck auto-complete generating an invalid deck when the Signature version of Reanimate the Terror was added.
- Resolved Haunt behaving like a persistent Aura effect.
Battlegrounds
- Fixed Deities transformed by Mask of Ancient Ones being summoned with reduced stats.
- Resolved combat stalling when both warbands consisted entirely of Hoarding Hyenas.
- Stormpike Strength and Frostwolf Fervor no longer incorrectly trigger twice in a combat.
Cosmetics
- Fixed some Signature cards briefly displaying their normal versions during animations.
- Restored a missing in-combat voice line for the Dino Cloner Zerek Hero Skin.