Blizzard Watch Weekly: Festive!

Between the WoW Anniversary and Halloween, we’re still in celebration mode. Now that I’m thinking about it, that also serves as a convenient excuse for any typos I may make. I should use that line more often.

What Happened This Week?

• Halloween Events:
  • World of Warcraft Hallow’s End: Through November 1
  • Overwatch Halloween Terror: Through November 4
  • Warcraft Rumble Hallow’s End: Through November 6
• This week’s Hearthstone Tavern Brawl: Rise of the Zombeasts
• This week’s WoW World Boss: Orta the Broken Mountain
• Active Twitch Drop campaigns.
• World of Warcraft 20th Anniversary Event through January 6, 2025
• Diablo 3 season 33 started October 25

This week saw the launch of World of Warcraft patch 11.0.5, which is mostly wrapped up in the huge 20th Anniversary celebration event which goes on through January. Everything from event-related world bosses to XP and rep buffs to a whole slew of new currency to add up are a part of the celebration — we have a checklist if you need it, too. A part of that event was announced this week, with a big celebration and stream — which may contain demi-BlizzCon information — for November 13.

We talked a bit about tempering gear in Diablo 4 and why it’s important.

Also, a 90 USD mount appeared in the shop — yes, that’s nine-zero-ninety American dollars, with a degree of variance depending on your local human currency. While it does contain both an AH and mailbox, the initial question we had of “but why” was answered pretty swiftly by a stampede of dinosaurs in capital cities answering with a resounding (and slightly shocking) “because we’ll buy it.” It very unfortunately seems to be eclipsing their also-new Reven Pack charity bundle, which is a mere $20, benefits Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and involves adorable baby foxes.

What’s Happening Next Week (and beyond)

• October 29: Cataclysm Classic Rune Dungeons launch
• October 31: Halloween
• October 31: Dragon Age: Veilguard releases
• November 1: Day of the Dead

The Halloween events keep on rolling in this week, and continue though the end of next week. In terms of new stuff, another part of phase 3 of Cata Classic will roll out, with Elemental Rune Dungeons being released October 29. The whole parts of the phase thing is a little confusing (phaselets? Is that anything?) but what’s important to note is that the Firelands raid is still a couple weeks out.

We’re pretty sure Liz is going to call in sick on Thursday so she can binge the new Dragon Age: Veilguard on day one. That’s also coincidentally Halloween, so we’re not sure exactly how many of us will be in the office anyway, because the rest of us will be binging discount fun size Snickers. And the Day of the Dead holiday in WoW is pretty brief, but has a short checklist, so make sure you check those boxes if you’ve neglected to do so in previous years.

Blizzard Watch Podcasts

• Blizzard Watch Podcast #500: WoW’s 20th anniversary and our 500th podcast!
• Lore Watch Podcast: Where can the Diablo 4 story go next?

Liz and the boys look both back and forward as we hit a bunch of milestones at once. Ah, nostalgia. Lore Watch this week was all about Diablo 4, and where the story might go for its second expansion — and beyond.

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Reminders, ICYMIs, and stuff to do this weekend

Have you finished your replay of Dragon Age Inquisition before the launch of Veilguard? Because if not that should probably be toward the top of your list. We also, as always, have a great slate of new releases and older deals for you in our weekly gaming column.

A new documentary (which is a tie-in for that fox charity bundle), The Remarkable Life of Ibelin comes out on Netflix today. It seems to be the type of movie best enjoyed with a huge box of tissues just from the blurb on Netflix alone. Personally, I’m going to be playing through my backlog of scary games to tap into the holiday vibes. I still have a couple games in the Amnesia series to muddle through, and if all else fails, Graveyard Keeper is always a good time.