Patch 36.6 is live, with expansion prep and events front and center

Blizzard has pushed Hearthstone Patch 36.6 live, positioning it as the start of the countdown to the game’s next expansion, Reign of the Black Empire. For Mac players who keep Hearthstone in their regular rotation, this update is less about a single headline feature and more about a packed schedule of time-limited progression, new shop offerings, and a Battlegrounds shake-up that’s set to land shortly after via a point patch.

According to Blizzard, Reign of the Black Empire launches on October 20 and will include 135 new collectible cards, along with the new Assemble keyword and an Old Gods-focused theme.

Pre-purchase details and what Blizzard says is included

Blizzard is selling multiple pre-purchase options for Reign of the Black Empire, including standard and mega bundles (and additional bonuses for buying more than one). Blizzard also highlights that the Mega Bundle includes 90 packs, a Golden Legendary C’Thun, Eye of the Empire, cosmetics, and is led by Signature Legendary Drest’agath.

As always with Hearthstone bundle decisions, MacGaming.com readers will want to weigh value around how much you play at launch: bundle cosmetics are nice, but the practical upside is early collection depth for day-one deckbuilding.

Free login Legendary: M.O.T.H.E.R.

One of the most immediate reasons to boot the game after the patch is a free card. Blizzard says players can log in now to receive the Legendary card M.O.T.H.E.R. (one per account). Blizzard also notes that after Patch 37.6, M.O.T.H.E.R. will no longer be tied to login and instead will be granted upon owning a Reign of the Black Empire pack.

The Black Market event: earn Bloodstones in Ranked, spend them before they vanish

Patch 36.6 introduces Blizzard’s new limited-time event shop, the Black Market. Blizzard says it runs from September 15 to October 13 and uses a temporary currency called Bloodstones, earned by playing Ranked Hearthstone. Bloodstones can then be spent on packs and cosmetics, with Blizzard emphasizing that prices can change and that the inventory is time-sensitive.

Key timing detail: Blizzard says that during the final week (October 6–13), you’ll no longer be able to earn Bloodstones, but the shop stays open so you can spend what you’ve banked. Blizzard also states Bloodstones do not carry over to future Black Market events, so the practical advice is simple: plan to spend before the event closes.

Blizzard’s listed Black Market offerings include a capped stock of Reign of the Black Empire packs and several cosmetics such as Taelan Fordring (Signature Legendary), Broxigar hero skin (Demon Hunter), Yogg-Ramen hero skin (Mage), Champion Tyrande hero skin (Priest), and the Fireside card back. Blizzard adds that if you already own an item, it will be replaced with Golden Standard packs of equivalent value.

Event rewards: free preview cards before the expansion

Blizzard also outlines an event called The War of Old & New running from October 6 to October 20. By completing event quests, Blizzard says you can earn multiple rewards including three Reign of the Black Empire cards usable before the expansion launches: Arrival of the Old Gods, Arrival of the Titans, and Dark Terraforming (each with regular and Golden versions listed). Additional rewards include Tavern Tickets and a Zek’voz hero skin for Priest.

Legendary Quest Chain (updated by Blizzard on 9/29)

In the version of the notes updated on September 29, Blizzard highlights a Legendary Quest Chain running from September 29 to October 20 that revolves around playing Ranked games. Rewards listed by Blizzard are:

Step 1: 1x Escape from Violet Hold Pack
Step 2: 1x Reign of the Black Empire Pack

Battlegrounds: Aberrations arrive in Patch 36.6.1

If your Hearthstone time is mostly in Battlegrounds, Blizzard’s biggest gameplay addition is the new minion type: Aberrations. Blizzard says the Battlegrounds changes go live with Patch 36.6.1 on September 22 and describes Aberrations as built around discard synergies and “awakening” a Deity.

Blizzard’s summary of the Deity mechanic: each time a friendly Aberration dies, it advances Deity progress. One of two Deities—C’Thun or Y’Shaarj—is selected at random at the start of each game. After three sacrifices, the Deity joins for that combat with a major effect. Blizzard also says Aberrations will appear in every lobby for the first two weeks after debut.

Rotation note: Blizzard says Naga will be temporarily rotated out of the minion pool while Aberrations are in, and Naga-specific heroes/cards will be unavailable during that period.

Shop freebies, Darkmoon Faire Treasures, and the Mr. Bigglesworth pet

Blizzard also mentions weekly freebies: from September 15 to October 13, the Battle.net Shop will offer a free Escape from Violet Hold gift each week, with new rewards rotating every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. PDT (per Blizzard).

On the cosmetics side, Blizzard is adding Mr. Bigglesworth as a Hearthstone Pet to Darkmoon Faire Treasures from September 18 to October 13, including a new interaction when paired with the Lich Lord Kel’Thuzad Mythic Hero Skin. Blizzard reiterates that Darkmoon Faire Treasures is a random pull system, with a free first pull and subsequent pulls requiring Runestones.

Bug fixes and housekeeping

Patch 36.6 also includes a long list of bug fixes spanning core Hearthstone, Battlegrounds, and cosmetics—ranging from end-of-turn trigger order and card generation/copying issues to Battlegrounds scaling interactions and various visual glitches. If you’ve run into edge-case rules weirdness lately, this is one of those “read the fine print” updates that may quietly improve day-to-day stability.

Source and where to read everything

This report is based on Blizzard’s official Patch 36.6 notes published on Blizzard News.

For Blizzard’s full breakdown—along with the complete fix list and all the event details—see the original post here: https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/article/24294373/updated-9-29-2026-36-6-patch-notes.

Read the full announcement on Blizzard News