WoW Forever Raids: Release Date, Sizes and Onyxia Attunement

WoW Forever's first three raids open on December 9, 2026: the Barrow Deeps for 10 players, Hyjal Summit for 20 players and Onyxia's Lair for 40 players. All three are for level 60 characters, and Blizzard plans for all of them to reset weekly. Only Onyxia's Lair has an attunement, the Drakefire Amulet, and it takes a while, so it's worth starting before raid day.

Last checked: November 9, 2026.

WoW Forever raids at a glance

Raid	Players	Bosses	Location	Entry requirement
The Barrow Deeps	10	8	Beneath Mount Hyjal, with entrances from Mount Hyjal, Winterspring and Blackmaw Hold	Level 60
Hyjal Summit	20	13	Summit of Mount Hyjal, near the World Tree Nordrassil	Level 60
Onyxia's Lair	40	Onyxia	Dustwallow Marsh	Level 60, Drakefire Amulet for every raid member

Blizzard hasn't announced an attunement for the Barrow Deeps or Hyjal Summit. Molten Core isn't in the opening lineup, and the game's story is set before it.

The Barrow Deeps (10 players)

The Barrow Deeps is the prison where Illidan Stormrage was held for 10,000 years. In Forever, its passages have been opened, and the raid explores what happened to the other prisoners and how the wardens plan to keep the threat below under control.

Size: 10 players
Bosses: 8
How to get there: It sits under Kalimdor with several entrances, through Mount Hyjal, Winterspring and the Blackmaw Hold dungeon in Azshara.

At 10 players, it's the easiest raid to fill, so it's a good first raid for a small guild or a group of friends.

Hyjal Summit (20 players)

Hyjal Summit is at the top of Mount Hyjal, near the World Tree Nordrassil. Mount Hyjal is one of Forever's new zones, set after Archimonde's defeat in Warcraft III.

Size: 20 players
Bosses: 13
Layout: The raid opens with a fight against an ancient guardian. After that, your group can choose between several paths across the mountain, both above and below ground, before the final encounters open up.

With 13 bosses, it has the most encounters of the three raids.

Onyxia's Lair (40 players)

Onyxia is a black dragon and Nefarian's younger sister. Her lair is in Dustwallow Marsh, and it's the only 40-player raid at launch.

Size: 40 players
The fight: Onyxia has three phases with heavy fire damage, and your raid has to move as the fight changes.
Preparation: Blizzard advises building up fire resistance before you go in.
Entry: Every player needs the Drakefire Amulet in their bags. It doesn't have to be equipped.

Onyxia attunement: how to get the Drakefire Amulet

Each faction has its own quest chain. Both send you through Blackrock Depths and Blackrock Spire and include elite quests, so bring friends and set aside a few dungeon runs. Blizzard's overview gives the steps below. Quest names are listed as Blizzard gives them.

Alliance attunement

In the Burning Steppes, get "Dragonkin Menace" from Helendis Riverhorn.
Continue through the six-part chain called "The True Masters," which looks into the Black Dragonflight's hold over the Blackrock orcs.
The chain leads to Marshal Maxwell at Morgan's Vigil, who sends you into Blackrock Depths for "Marshal Windsor."
Windsor sends you back to Maxwell with "Abandoned Hope."
Back in Blackrock Depths, loot A Crumpled Up Note from the enemies there. It starts a quest of the same name, so take it to Marshal Windsor in his cell.
For "A Shred of Hope," get Windsor's lost information from Golem Lord Argelmach and General Angerforge in Blackrock Depths.
Free Windsor in "Jail Break!" and report to Marshal Maxwell.
"Stormwind Rendezvous" sends you to Squire Rowe at the Stormwind city gates, where you call for Windsor.
Gather a group for "The Great Masquerade" in Stormwind.
Highlord Bolvar Fordragon gives you "The Dragon's Eye," which sends you around Azeroth looking for help.
Finish with "Drakefire Amulet": defeat General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire, take the Blood of the Black Dragon Champion, and receive the amulet.

Horde attunement

In Kargath, Badlands, get "Blood and Thunder" from Warlord Goretooth.
"Warlord's Command" takes you through Lower Blackrock Spire.
Goretooth sends you to Eitrigg in Orgrimmar, and then to Thrall.
For "For the Horde!", go back into Blackrock Spire and bring back the head of Warchief Rend Blackhand.
After "What the Wind Carries," find Rexxar walking the roads of Desolace for "The Champion of the Horde."
Take Rexxar's message to Myranda the Hag in the Western Plaguelands ("The Testament of Rexxar").
Myranda gives you "Oculus Illusions," which asks for Black Dragonspawn Eyes.
In "Emberstrife," use the Amulet of Draconic Subversion to approach the drake Emberstrife in Dustwallow Marsh.
Complete four "The Test of Skulls" quests by bringing Emberstrife the skulls of Scryer, Somnus, Chronalis and Axtroz.
Emberstrife gives you the Dull Drakefire Amulet in "Ascension...". Take it to Rexxar.
"Blood of the Black Dragon Champion" sends you to defeat General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire.
Return to Rexxar to receive the Drakefire Amulet.

Both chains end with General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire, so plan a full group run there for the final step.

How to prepare for raid day

Hit level 60 early. The raids open December 9, about five weeks after launch.
Start the Onyxia chain now if you plan to raid her. It needs several trips into Blackrock Depths and Blackrock Spire.
Gather fire resistance for Onyxia.
Pick your raid by group size. A circle of friends can fill the 10-player Barrow Deeps. Hyjal Summit needs 20 players, and Onyxia needs a full 40-player guild raid.
Run the max-level dungeons. Blackmaw Hold and Shaper's Terrace are both for levels 55 to 60. See our WoW Forever dungeons guide for both.
Stay on one ruleset and faction. You can only raid with players on the same ruleset and faction.

Raids and the Legacy System

Each raid is worth one Legacy Point, for a total of three:

Defeat Onyxia
Defeat all 13 Hyjal Summit bosses
Defeat all 8 Barrow Deeps bosses

Legacy Points are shared across your account and spent on perks for each character. One perk, The Quick and the Dead, speeds up your run back after a death and makes party and raid buffs free after you resurrect, which helps when a raid wipes. Our Legacy System guide has the full list.

New to Forever? Start with What is WoW Forever? and work up from there.

Frequently asked questions

When do WoW Forever raids come out?

The first three raids open on December 9, 2026. That's the Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia's Lair, all for level 60 players.

How many players do WoW Forever raids need?

It depends on the raid. The Barrow Deeps is for 10 players, Hyjal Summit for 20 and Onyxia's Lair for 40.

How do you get attuned to Onyxia's Lair in WoW Forever?

You need the Drakefire Amulet, which comes from a faction-specific quest chain. Alliance players start with "Dragonkin Menace" in the Burning Steppes, and Horde players start with "Blood and Thunder" in Kargath, Badlands. Both chains end with General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire.

Do you need to equip the Drakefire Amulet to enter Onyxia's Lair?

No. The Drakefire Amulet only needs to be in your inventory. Every player in the raid must carry one.

How many bosses are in Hyjal Summit and the Barrow Deeps?

Hyjal Summit has 13 bosses and the Barrow Deeps has 8. Defeating all of them in either raid earns a Legacy Point.

Is Molten Core in WoW Forever?

Not at launch. The first raids are the Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia's Lair, and Forever's story is set before Molten Core. Blizzard hasn't announced when or if Molten Core will come.

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