Hearthstone Reign of the Black Empire and Monk Class Revealed

September 13, 2026

Blizzard Entertainment has outlined the next stage of Hearthstone during the BlizzCon 2026 opening ceremony. The collectible card game’s next expansion, Reign of the Black Empire, will place an increased focus on storytelling, while a new class is scheduled to arrive in 2027.

Reign of the Black Empire reaches into Warcraft’s ancient past

The expansion is set tens of thousands of years ago, when Warcraft’s Old Gods were at the height of their power. Its narrative content will be supported by an overhaul to the Journal, which is being turned into a hub for story vignettes and limited-time events.

One of those planned events is a 2v2 mode. Blizzard has not provided further details about how that mode will work, but its inclusion gives the expansion a broader scope beyond standard card battles.

Players can also expect new cards and a new minion type called Aberrations. Blizzard has teased that the death of each Aberration may awaken the gods, suggesting that these cards will connect directly to the expansion’s Old Gods theme.

Assemble introduces a new deck-building tool

Assemble is the expansion’s new keyword. It allows players to combine the text of two minions, producing a new text box for the resulting card.

That mechanic could create unusual combinations and deck strategies that were not previously possible in Hearthstone. Reign of the Black Empire is scheduled to launch on 20 October.

Monk becomes Hearthstone’s next class

Blizzard also confirmed that Hearthstone will receive its first new card class in several years. The Monk, based on World of Warcraft’s class, is planned for March 2027.

The announcement did not include details about the Monk’s cards, abilities or gameplay identity. Blizzard also shared no plans to add the Evoker class, although its arrival remains a possibility that fans may continue to discuss.

Free-to-play on mobile and PC

Hearthstone remains free-to-play on Android, iOS and Windows PC. For more gaming news, browse RETROCADE’s arcade blog, or explore the range of arcade machines and compact bartop arcades.