Blizzard Watch WeeklyNov 2, 2026 9:00 am CT

Blizzard Watch Weekly: Counting down the days

By Elizabeth Harper

We’ve had some happenings over the last week, but it’s hard to get too excited for anything except WoW: Forever, which launches on Wednesday. The buzzing sound you can hear in the background is the internet’s collective eagerness to log on to Forever, and it should be interesting to see how launch goes after a relatively smooth stress test but a relatively messy early name reservation. I’m just not expecting to play before Thursday, and if I can I’ll consider it a pleasant surprise.

But for now, let’s press pause on WoW: Forever (or try to) so we can catch up on what’s been going on in Blizzard games over the last week, and what’s coming up this week.

What happened last week?

It’s a new month, and that means a new World of Warcraft Trading Post launched, with a combination motorcycle mount/bakery and a pair of chef’s outfit ensembles (though the trim on the chest piece don’t quite match the trim on the legs, which means I’m not buying).
Diablo 4’s patch 3.3.0 PTR went live last week, previewing Season 16 (and other game updates). The season’s secret sauce? More Reapers. But if you want to check it out yourself, be aware that the D4 team runs short PTRs and the test period wraps up on Tuesday.
And on the topic of short PTRs, World of Warcraft tested the Talebound game mode that is coming in patch 12.1.7. The PTR was live for exactly one weekend, which is now over.
This week’s Hearthstone Tavern Brawl is Rise of the Zombeasts, which is heavy on RNG but is at least easy to play. You’re Rexxar with a deck full of beasts, and a zero-cost hero power to craft your very own zombeasts. Jump in and grab your free pack before Wednesday.

What’s happening this week (and beyond)

Through November 2 (10am pacific / 1pm eastern): Hallow’s End in WoW
Through November 3: Day of the Dead in WoW
Through November 3: WoW: Forever early name reservation available
Through November 3: Diablo 4 patch 3.3.0 PTR live
Through November 3: Cuddly Gold-Colored Grrgl WoW Twitch Drop available
November 4 (3pm pacific / 6pm eastern): WoW: Forever launches
Through November 8: Darkmoon Faire is live in WoW
November 17: World of Warcraft D&D book launches

Other things we’re playing, watching, and more

Liz and Mitch are still trying to solve mysteries of Blake Manor in indie game The Séance of Blake Manor, and they made some real progress in the last couple of episodes… though that progress has come with some disturbing revelations about some of the other people who are here for the seance. You can watch the latest episode here, and if you haven’t been following along you can watch all of the episodes of Blake Manor (so far) on YouTube or catch us streaming indie games on Twitch (and follow us to get notifications when we’re live).

This week’s Epic Games Store freebie is Sorry, We’re Closed, which we can only summarize by saying this is what it would be like if Lisa Frank had a nightmare she was trapped in Resident Evil. If that sounds like something you would love, grab the game for free before Thursday.