Claim Free Hearthstone Packs Before Reign of the Black Empire Launches October 20

Blizzard Entertainment is giving Hearthstone players a way to earn free card packs ahead of the Reign of the Black Empire expansion, which launches on October 20.

The free packs are available through Twitch and YouTube streams. Players who watch the official streams with a linked Battle.net account can unlock card pack rewards simply by tuning in.

The main opportunity comes during theorycrafting streams on October 6 and 7 for North America, Latin America, and Europe/Middle East/Africa regions. Players need to watch at least 60 minutes of these streams to maximize their free packs. The Asia-Pacific region's theorycrafting stream runs October 7, while China's stream is scheduled for October 8.

Specific stream times are: NA/LATAM/EMEA Theorycrafting Day 1 on October 6 from 11 AM to 4 PM EST; Day 2 on October 7 from 3 PM to 9 PM EST; APAC on October 7 from 5 AM to 11 AM EST; and China on October 8 from 7 PM to 11 PM EST. The full schedule is available on the PlayHearthstone Twitch channel.

After the developer-backed streams conclude, community members can host their own streams with drops from October 13 to 17, providing additional opportunities to earn packs leading up to launch.

Players looking to maximize their rewards should hold unopened packs until after October 20. Cards pulled from packs opened after the expansion launches will include cards from Reign of the Black Empire, making the timing strategy worthwhile for players building new decks.

Additionally, players who log in before October 20 will receive the M.O.T.H.E.R. legendary card for free. Free card packs are also available in the Battle.net shop, though those are tied to the Escape from Violet Hold expansion.