Blizzard Watch WeeklyMar 2, 2026 9:00 am CT

Blizzard Watch Weekly: Midnight launch day edition

By Elizabeth Harper

It’s Monday, but it’s also Midnight launch day for those that celebrate (which is probably most of us). The latest expansion goes live today at 3pm pacific (6pm eastern), and so we’re playing hurry up and wait while we watch the servers and plan our to-do lists. Of course, early access has been available for a few days and plenty of players have already hit 90, but the leveling is usually the easy part — long-term gearing and end-game systems aren’t available yet.

But while we wait for Midnight to go online for all players, let’s catch up on the news. Here’s what happened last week, and what’s coming up this week.

What happened last week?

Midnight Early Access launched last week, at least for players who pre-ordered the epic edition. Early Access gives players a head start at leveling and professions, but not access to end-game content to get ahead on gearing and other late-game progression. The full game launches today, March 2, at 3pm pacific (6pm eastern), so everyone will be able to jump in soon. Here’s the latest news from the expansion:
- How to unlock steady flight in Midnight, because while you have skyriding immediately, you have to play through the main story quest and then some to unlock steady flight.
- You’ll be able to hold a house party to earn upgrade crests in Midnight, a rare example of player housing providing some player power. You don’t have to own or decorate your own house to earn the rewards, just visit a player’s home in the company of five others (including the homeowner).
- Look for more guides to come this week!
It’s important for your transmog to be on point as you head into a new expansion, but you’re a professional and you’ve probably thought about that. But have you considered the appropriate light-fueled mount to ride towards the Sunwell, pretending you’re a paladin? We have some suggestions.
Speaking of transmog, it’s a new month which means a new WoW Trading Post, packed with things we want but don’t have the Trader’s Tender to afford. Here’s what’s in the March Trading Post.
The Outland Cup is back in modern WoW, and this time it offers some new transmog looks to collect. And, if you aren’t great at skyriding, like me, you can still make a lot of progress towards these new looks by doing the quest to complete all of the Outland races. You don’t have to do them fast, just get them done.
A brand new Twitch Drop is live, letting you pick up two different color murloc plushies as decor for your house by watching four hours of World of Warcraft on Twitch. That only costs time, but if you want to spend you can gift two subs t0 any streamer (while they’re streaming WoW) to get a baby seal pet, too.
The third animated short leading up to Midnight is now live, with a focus on Arator. This one’s lighter on story development than the last two shorts, mostly serving as a reminder of who Arator is. (And to paint Vereesa in a new light when she tells him she’s not a warrior like her sisters, something that feels like a stretch for the self-proclaimed Ranger-General of the Silver Covenant.)
Surprise! Blizzard making a new mobile game: Overwatch Rush is top-down version of Overwatch that looks a lot like Heroes of the Storm to me. After the relatively quick shutdown of Warcraft Rumble, I’m surprised to see Blizzard working on another mobile title, but here we are. There’s no release date for the game yet.
This week’s Hearthstone Tavern Brawl is the Blackrock Mountain Tavern Brawl, which pits Ragnaros against Nefarian in a battle for the mountain. It’s thematically fun, but practically frustrating. Here are tips to win this brawl and collect your free pack this week.

What’s happening this week (and beyond)

March 2: Midnight officially launches at 3pm pacific (6pm eastern)
March 5 (11am pacific / 2pm eastern): Diablo 4 developer livestream with more details on the upcoming Warlock class
March 10: Diablo 4 Season 11 ends and Season 12 begins
March 17: Hearthstone’s Cataclysm expansion launches
April 28: Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred launches
Until they’re gone: BlizzCon 2026 tickets are on sale

Other things we’re playing, watching, and more

This week the Epic Games Store is again giving away two free games: My Night Job, a classic arcade side-scroller, and Boxes: Lost Fragments, a puzzle game similar to The Room. If either sounds interesting, they’re free until Thursday.
Last week’s blizzard was a bummer for anyone who had to shovel snow, but great fun for a lot of critters who enjoy frolicking in the snow.