36.6 Patch Notes

Patch 36.6, launching today, starts the countdown to Hearthstone's next expansion, Reign of the Black Empire, and brings the new Black Market, a new Battlegrounds minion type, balance updates, and more!

Be sure to check out our Reign of the Black Empire Cinematic Trailer featuring the Old Gods at the peak of their power and the Titan-forged rising to challenge their dominion:

Pre-Purchase Reign of the Black Empire

Prepare to embrace corruption and command ancient powers when Reign of the Black Empire launches on October 20! Step back into ancient Azeroth, when the Old Gods ruled the world and waged war against the Titan-forged armies sent to stop them. Command the most powerful Old Gods Hearthstone has ever seen, create custom minions with the new Assemble keyword, and decide the fate of Azeroth in Hearthstone's next expansion.

Reign of the Black Empire has 135 new collectible cards. You can learn more about the new Old Gods mechanic, the new Assemble keyword, and more in the Reign of the Black Empire announcement blog. Start your reign early with pre-purchase bundles, available now!

Pre-purchase

Choose the Pre-Purchase Bundle, the Pre-Purchase Mega Bundle, or pick up both to receive a free Random Golden Legendary Card from Reign of the Black Empire. Acquiring both bundles also unlocks the option to purchase the Pre-Purchase Sequence Bundle, featuring the exclusive Diamond Isiset. Get all three pre-purchase bundles and receive the Way of the Monk Coin, your first taste of Hearthstone's next class before Monk arrives in 2027!

The Reign of the Black Empire Mega Bundle includes 90 packs, the Golden Legendary C'Thun, Eye of the Empire, and a host of cosmetics. It's also headlined by the Signature Legendary Drest'agath. This ancient aberration serves as a harbinger of the Old Gods, drawing an Old God from your deck or, if none remain, granting a random one instead.

Log in and Get M.O.T.H.E.R. for Free!

Log in to Hearthstone now to get the M.O.T.H.E.R. Legendary card for free!*

* Limit one per account. After Patch 37.6, M.O.T.H.E.R. will be granted upon owning a Reign of the Black Empire pack, instead of upon login.

Introducing: The Black Market

From September 15 - October 13, step into the Black Market, a makeshift bazaar run by mysterious vendors who play by their own rules, deal in unusual currency, and change their prices whenever it suits them. Play Ranked Hearthstone to earn a limited-time currency called Bloodstones and spend them on packs and a variety of new and returning cosmetics at the Black Market. Check back often because today's bargain could become tomorrow's luxury.

During the final week of the Black Market from October 6 - 13, you'll no longer be able to earn Bloodstones, but the market will remain open so you can spend any you've saved up before they disappear at the end of the event. Your Black Market currency does not carry over between Black Market events, so make sure to spend any you've saved up before the event ends. If you're just a few Bloodstones short of that last item, you'll be able to haggle with vendors during the final week of the event for a chance to lower its price and score a better deal.

Spend your Bloodstones on the following Black Market offerings:

• 1x Reign of the Black Empire Pack (Stock: 4)
• Taelan Fordring Signature Legendary Card
• Broxigar Hero Skin & Card Back for Demon Hunter Class
• Yogg-Ramen Hero Skin for Mage Class
• Champion Tyrande Hero Skin for Priest Class
• Fireside Card Back

If you already own an item, that reward slot will be replaced with Golden Standard Packs of equivalent value.

Play Events, Earn Free Rewards

The War of Old & New

From October 6 - 20, the Old Gods stir and madness spreads across ancient Azeroth. Complete event quests to earn these rewards, including three Reign of the Black Empire cards that can be added to your decks and used before the expansion launches on October 20:

• 2x Arrival of the Old Gods (regular and Golden versions)
• 2x Arrival of the Titans (regular and Golden versions)
• 2x Dark Terraforming (regular and Golden versions)
• 2x Tavern Tickets
• Zek'voz Hero Skin for Priest Class

New Legendary Quest Chain

The war between the Old Gods and the Titan-forged draws near. Complete a new Legendary Quest Chain from September 29 - October 20 by playing Ranked games to earn the following rewards:

• Step 1: 1x Reign of the Black Empire Pack
• Step 2: 1x Golden Reign of the Black Empire Pack

Arena Updates

The appearance rates for Azeroth's Most Wanted Class Set cards are now back to normal levels.

Battlegrounds Updates

The following Battlegrounds updates will go live with Patch 36.6.1 on September 22.

New Minion Type: Aberrations

Meet Aberrations, the newest Battlegrounds minion type. Built around discard synergies, Aberrations grow stronger as they work toward awakening their Deity. Different Aberration cards support this strategy in different ways, giving you multiple paths to unlock the power of the Old Gods.

How summoning a Deity works:

• Each time a friendly Aberration dies, it advances your Deity's progress.
• There are two Deities, C'Thun and Y'Shaarj, but only one will answer your call.
• Which Deity answers is chosen at random at the start of each game.
• Once three sacrifices have been made, your Deity joins for that combat with a game-changing effect.

Aberrations will appear in every lobby during the first two weeks following their debut, starting September 22.

With Aberrations joining Battlegrounds as the newest minion type, Naga will be temporarily rotated out of the minion pool. Naga-specific heroes and cards will be unavailable while Naga are out of the pool.

For a complete look at Patch 36.6.1, check out our full Battlegrounds overview.

Claim Free Rewards and Check Out New Deals in the Battle.net Shop!

From September 15 - October 13, visit the Battle.net Shop each week to claim a free Escape from Violet Hold gift! Check back every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. PDT to see what new reward is waiting for you.

While you're there, be sure to check out the latest Hearthstone special offers available in the Battle.net Shop. Starting September 15, get the Explore with Diamond Explorer Liadrin Bundle one week early at a discounted price, and grab the returning Disruptor's Delight Signature Bundle, available exclusively in the Battle.net Shop.

Mr. Bigglesworth Scurries into Darkmoon Faire Treasures

From September 18 - October 13, Mr. Bigglesworth pads into Darkmoon Faire Treasures as the latest Hearthstone Pet! He's just one of 10 fantastical prizes you can win at the Darkmoon Faire Treasures booth, and don't forget, your first pull is free.

Kel'Thuzad's famous feline companion is ready to curl up beside your game board and react to the action as it unfolds. Mr. Bigglesworth purrs with delight when you make a game-changing play and hisses at your opponent when you take a bad beat. Give him a fish for a tasty treat, or toss him his favorite yarn ball and see how he decides to play with it. He might paw at it, bat it away... or simply disintegrate it with his glowing laser eyes. Packed with unique animations, interactions, and special victory and defeat screens, this mischievous cat is always watching.

For the first time ever, a Hearthstone Pet can interact with a Hero Skin! Equip both Mr. Bigglesworth and the Lich Lord Kel'Thuzad Mythic Hero Skin, and Mr. Bigglesworth will take the place of Kel'Thuzad's phylactery as the source of your Hero Power for both Mage and Death Knight.

Earn XP to level up Mr. Bigglesworth and unlock new skins, including Bandage Bigglesworth, Comfy Kitty Bigglesworth, and Mr. Jigglesworth.

Each Pet earns XP differently, rewarding you for the actions they like. Here's how to earn XP with Mr. Bigglesworth:

• Deal damage to the enemy hero.
• Deal 10 or more damage in a single attack.
• Fill your board.
• Play Kel'Thuzad
• Play a cat
• Play an Undead minion that costs 3 or less.
• Play a Shadow spell.
• Summon a Deathrattle minion.
• Have 3 minions die in a turn.
• Have a friendly character attack and destroy a minion.
• In Battlegrounds, reach Tavern Tier 6.
• In Battlegrounds, win a combat round.
• In Battlegrounds, sell 3 minions.
• In Battlegrounds, Triple an Undead.
• In Battlegrounds, eliminate an enemy hero.

Darkmoon Faire Treasures is our random pull system that rewards Pets, Mythic Skins, Signature cards, Hero Skins, and more. The first pull is free, and subsequent pulls require Runestones to purchase. As the prize collections in the Treasures booth rotate, prices adjust to match the value of the current items. Read more about the current value of Darkmoon Faire Treasures, as well as pull rates and odds.

Bug Fixes

Hearthstone

• Fixed a bug where Flames of Infinity always triggered first at the end of an opponent's turn.
• Fixed a bug where Medivh's Triumph could have an incorrect Cost after Soul Immolation was played.
• Fixed a bug where players could exceed the hand-size limit in certain situations involving Arcane Flow and The Forbidden Sequence.
• Fixed a bug where minions that target cards in hand could not be played without a valid target.
• Fixed a bug where Kazakus Potions generated by Aya, Lotus Kingpin were not copied correctly by Shadow of Demise.
• Fixed a bug where Harsh Sentence could cause issues when attempting to insert minions into a full deck.
• Fixed a bug where The Origin Stone and Sands of Time could interact in a way that caused the game to become stuck.
• Fixed a bug where Gorgonzormu's Delicious Cheese could be played with a full board.
• Fixed a bug where Bone Flurry displayed and dealt inconsistent damage when modified by Prophet Velen.

Battlegrounds

• Fixed a bug where Neutral minions that became All-type minions did not correctly receive Elemental scaling bonuses.
• Fixed a bug where Rot Hide Gnoll could gain Attack from a teammate's minions dying.
• Fixed a bug where Power of the Storm interacted incorrectly with Cosmic Duality.
• Fixed a bug where Timewarped Sea Glass only doubled Attack instead of applying its full effect.
• Fixed a bug where Unforeseen Portal could activate multiple times in a single game.
• Fixed a bug where Sire Denathrius' Kidnap Sack rewarded two Spellcraft spells instead of one.
• Fixed a bug where Valithria Dreamwalker failed to receive buffs when Dragons were summoned during combat.
• Fixed a bug where Pyramad's Hero Power could be used when no Tavern minions remained.
• Fixed a bug where purchasing a Spell incorrectly counted as a Discover while using Magicfin Sticker.
• Fixed a bug where Arch-Villain Rafaam's Hero Power could trigger during the Shop Phase.
• Fixed a bug where Reclaimed Souls could be used after Aureate Laureate died in combat without granting the expected copy.

Cosmetics

• Fixed a visual bug where several Signature cards briefly appeared as their normal versions during animations.
• Fixed a bug where the Dino Cloner Zerek Hero Skin was missing an in-combat voice line.
• Fixed a visual bug where opponent minions could retain a transparent Taunt effect after certain interactions involving Mister Clocksworth and Kayn Sunfury.
• Fixed a visual bug where cards could appear on the wrong layer after canceling a play while Underfel Rift was active.