What to expect from BlizzCon 2018

Content Provided by  

Are you eagerly anticipating the next Diablo game? Can’t wait for the next Overwatch hero to drop? Are you enjoying World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth and wondering what’s in store next for the MMO? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should circle November 2-3 on your calendar. BlizzCon 2018, Blizzard Entertainment’s annual event, is the one-stop shop for all the news on your favorite Blizzard franchises. No matter if you’re attending in person, watching from home via the Virtual Ticket, or simply want to follow our coverage for updates, you’ll want to know a breakdown of what to expect from the show.

How to attend BlizzCon 2018

Unfortunately, tickets for BlizzCon 2018 are sold out, and a record number of patrons are expected to be in attendance. Blizzard has opened up ticket sales three times over the past few months, with each round of passes promptly selling out.

However, you can attend the event virtually. Blizzard offers a Virtual Ticket that grants viewers access to everything at the show besides hands-on demos of course. Virtual Tickets cost $50. Yes, it’s a bit pricey, but the two-day event is jam-packed with awesome presentations, panels, and esports events.

What to expect

BlizzCon 2018 kicks off Friday, November 2 and runs into the evening on November 3. You can expect news on Overwatch, Diablo, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and StarCraft. Before we provide a detailed schedule of the events, let’s go over what we expect to see at BlizzCon.

With Battle for Azeroth still fresh in the air, we anticipate hearing a status update about World of Warcraft and what will arrive in the coming months in-game.

For Overwatch, we wouldn’t be surprised if Blizzard debuts a new hero, limited time event, or even an animated short.

While it’s been a long wait for Diablo news, Blizzard has issued a bit of a warning to fans not to expect a huge announcement (i.e. Diablo 4). “We know what many of you are hoping for and we can only say that ‘good things come to those who wait,’ but evil things often take longer.” That said, Blizzard has multiple Diablo projects in the works. Even just vague mentions of those will surely stir up excitement.

We also anticipate that Blizzard will reveal new content for Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and StarCraft II. Hearthstone just launched a new expansion in August, so it’d be surprising to hear about anything substantial. If we had to guess, StarCraft II could see another set of commanders, and Heroes of the Storm could receive a new hero, but we doubt major news for either franchise will be revealed.

Events at BlizzCon 2018

Below you’ll find the major events for each day. For a full schedule of panels and community events, check here. Beware that besides the opening ceremony and eSports competitions, you’ll need the Virtual Ticket to watch the following presentations.

November 2

• Opening ceremony (November 2 at 2 p.m. ET): A multi-stage event that can be streamed for free. This is where Blizzard discusses all of its franchises and delivers the major announcements.
• What’s next for Diablo: 3:30 p.m. ET
• What’s next for Overwatch: 4:30 p.m. ET
• What’s next for Hearthstone: 5:30 p.m. ET
• What’s next for World of Warcraft: 6:30 p.m. ET)
• What’s next for Heroes of the Storm: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Overwatch World Cup: 3:15 to 11:15 p.m. ET
• Hearthstone tournament: 3:15 p.m. to 12:15 a.m. ET
• World of Warcraft Arena World Championship: 3:15 to 12:15 a.m. ET
• Heroes of the Storm Global Championship: 3 to 11 p.m. ET
• StarCraft II WCS Global Finals: 3:30 to 11:15 p.m. ET

November 3

• Heroes of the Storm Deep Dive: 1 p.m. ET
• What’s next for StarCraft II: 3:30 p.m. ET
• Creating World of Warcraft: 4:30 p.m. ET
• Overwatch: Building a Hero: 5:30 p.m. ET
• World of Warcraft Q&A: 6:30 p.m. ET
• Overwatch World Cup: 12:30 to 9:30 p.m. ET
• Hearthstone tournament: 12:45 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. ET
• World of Warcraft Mythic Dungeon Invitational: 12:30 to 5 p.m. ET
• World of Warcraft Arena World Championship: 5:15 to 10:45 p.m. ET
• Heroes of the Storm Global Championship: 12:30 to 10:15 p.m. ET
• StarCraft II WCS Global Finals: 5 to 11 p.m. ET

Who’s going to be there?

Each of Blizzard’s franchises will have representatives on hand. Like last year, expect senior development staff such as Overwatch‘s lead designer Jeff Kaplan to present during the show. Since there will be eSports events across five Blizzard games, you can also expect tons of prominent pro gamers in the house. While BlizzCon isn’t as flashy as some other conventions in terms of famous attendees, everyone and anyone who plays a huge role in Blizzard’s success will be in attendance.

• How to watch BlizzCon 2018
• Esports to watch at BlizzCon 2018
• The best free-to-play games of 2018

  helps readers keep tabs on the fast-paced world of tech with all the latest news, fun product reviews, insightful editorials, and one-of-a-kind sneak peeks.