Blizzard Watch WeeklyJul 27, 2026 9:00 am CT

Blizzard Watch Weekly: Gearing up (to wait) for BlizzCon

By Elizabeth Harper

We’re gearing up for some big news days, I just know it. BlizzCon is approaching, and we’re starting to get news of our next big release dates, with The Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary phase 3 launching just a couple of weeks before BlizzCon, and WoW patch 12.1 likely launching about a month before BlizzCon (we still don’t have a confirmed date). That spells news on the horizon.

But it’s possible, too, that I’m being optimistic, and after getting a few more release dates we’ll be dead in the water waiting for BlizzCon announcements. Well, I’m sure we’ll find something to do in the meantime — I’ve been putting time into indie games while we wait (more on that in a minute). But for now, let’s catch up on what’s been going on in the world of Blizzard games, and what’s coming up this week.

What happened last week?

BlizzCon is almost here, which means Blizzard is trying to sell us stuff: new digital bundles of goodies are available for all Blizzard games, individually or in a big bundle. The single game bundles are all priced a little high, but the big bundle is a good deal if you want items from at least two games. (Well, a good deal compared to store prices for what you’re getting.)
Surprise! Decor Duels is being removed from World of Warcraft in patch 12.1, though Blizzard has added some improvements that will help you collect rewards faster… or you can wait and buy (most of) them for Voidlight Marl after the patch.
Fish? In my Player Housing? It’s more likely than you think!
Old WoW, new UI: Blizzard has been updating Classic realms to use new UI elements. I think this increases usability, but it does tarnish that vanilla feel, so your mileage may vary.
Blizzard announced the release date for The Burning Crusade Classic’s next anniversary phase: August 27, which is a little later than we expected. Phase 3 introduces some timeless raids, with Black Temple and Mount Hyjal. It’s a great time to jump into the game, and you have a month to catch up to everyone else before the latest content drops.
Turbulent Timeways continues in World of Warcraft with two more weeks of Timewalking. Classic Timewalking is available through reset, and The Burning Crusade Timewalking starts on Tuesday.
This week’s Hearthstone Tavern Brawl is Too Many Portals, which is very much what it sounds like: your pre-made deck will be packed with Unstable Portals that will give you random minions. In fact, the deck is mostly Unstable Portals, so you may need to say a prayer or two to the RNG gods so you get a good selection of minions.

What’s happening this week (and beyond)

Through July 31: Overwatch Summer Games brings back Lucioball (and more) for another year
Through August 11: Turbulent Timeways running in Midnight
August 27: The Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary phase 3

Other things we’re playing, watching, and more

We’ve started up a (mostly) Thursday night indie game stream on Twitch, where we’re currently playing Desktop Explorer. It’s a surreal puzzle game in which you’re going through your uncle’s old computer… and unraveling an unsettling mystery along the way. It includes big Windows 95 vibes and a Clippy-like companion to offer advice (though the value of this advice varies). Catch us live Thursday at 8pm eastern (follow us on Twitch to get notifications of this and any one-off streams), or watch on YouTube later. You can watch the first two episodes now:

And, while it’s just me (Liz) streaming, I did ask Matt for some dinosaur advice which I’ll be using in our next episode, so you’ve got that to look forward to in episode 3. I don’t know if it will help, but I felt like I had a moral obligation to ask.

Plus, this week’s Epic Games Store freebie is Foretales, which seems to be trying to win at game genre bingo with a hand-animated wholesome cozy fantasy turn-based narrative card game. But I don’t mean that negatively, because the art is highly reminiscent of Disney’s golden age of animation and this game has all the right vibes.