WoW Forever Raids: Release Date, Sizes and Onyxia Attunement

WoW Forever’s first raids open on December 9, Blizzard said on October 20: Barrow Deeps for 10 players, Hyjal Summit for 20 and Onyxia’s Lair for 40. All three are level 60 raids, and all are planned to reset each week. That’s five weeks after the November 4 launch, time to reach 60 and get attuned.

The three WoW Forever raids at a glance

Raid	Players	Bosses	Where
Barrow Deeps	10	8	Under Kalimdor, with entrances from Mount Hyjal, Winterspring and Blackmaw Hold
Hyjal Summit	20	13	The peak of Mount Hyjal, by the World Tree Nordrassil
Onyxia’s Lair	40	1	Dustwallow Marsh

Barrow Deeps is the prison that held Illidan for 10,000 years, now opened. It’s new in WoW Forever, and so is Hyjal Summit.
Hyjal Summit opens with a fight against an ancient guardian, then lets the raid pick its paths across the mountain, above and below ground, before the last encounters.
Onyxia’s Lair is Classic’s three-phase dragon fight. Blizzard advises fire resistance, and every raider needs the Drakefire Amulet in their bags.

Where’s Molten Core?

Not in the first raids. A developer said Molten Core isn’t available at launch, and the new 10- and 20-player raids come first (Solheim’s interview, 26:00). The beta’s game files still hold Molten Core, Blackwing Lair, Zul’Gurub, Ahn’Qiraj and Naxxramas as they were in Classic, but Blizzard hasn’t dated any of them.

Spoiler: the bosses in the game files

The beta’s files name every boss through its achievement and encounter records, in order. The new raids’ maps and loot are still encrypted.

Barrow Deeps: Chillhowl, Elder Tangleclaw, Khalith the Dreadspinner, Well of Sorrow, Amethrax, Del’lynar Songwood, Ravus and Darlissa, Sonya Darkhallow.
Hyjal Summit: Bandalar, Ancient of Decay, Time-Lost Battalion, Sylvestris Dusksong, Old Gloomlurker, Gharalis the Abyssal, Kathris the Haunted, Anara Chillwind, Elder Minderel, Tracker Stillwind, Council of Thorns, Nythus the Dreambound, The Wild King.

The first boss fights, from Blizzard’s encounter designer

On the Oct 22 podcast, lead encounter designer Michael Nuthals said the two new raids hold more than 20 new bosses, and that 10- and 20-player content will come patch after patch, so a group of ten can plan on it. The aim is fights a prepared group with its potions and flasks can beat, and in the Classic style, a missed mechanic kills you, not the whole raid.

▶ 1:13:40 ▶ 1:14:23 ▶ 1:29:56

Spoiler: three of the new fights

Barrow Deeps: a fight where you build up a buff for more damage, at a cost, so pushing the damage meter can get you killed.
Barrow Deeps: a fight against a pair of spiders.
Hyjal Summit: an undead crocolisk Wild God. The ghost possessing it leaves the body, and the fight goes back and forth between killing the husk and damaging the ghost.

▶ 1:35:35 ▶ 1:36:21

The rest of the episode is in our podcast 5 recap.

Onyxia attunement in WoW Forever: the Alliance chain

Each raider earns their own Drakefire Amulet. The chain is Classic’s, with quests from level 48 to 60, and several trips into Blackrock Depths and Blackrock Spire, so bring friends for the elite quests.

In the Burning Steppes, take Dragonkin Menace from Helendis Riverhorn, then the six quests named The True Masters.
At Morgan’s Vigil, Marshal Maxwell sends you into Blackrock Depths after Marshal Windsor (Marshal Windsor, then Abandoned Hope).
A Crumpled Up Note drops from enemies in Blackrock Depths. Bring it to Windsor in his cell, recover his notes from Golem Lord Argelmach and General Angerforge in A Shred of Hope, and get him out in Jail Break!
Stormwind Rendezvous and The Great Masquerade take you and your allies to Stormwind, where Highlord Bolvar Fordragon sends you on The Dragon’s Eye.
Drakefire Amulet: take the Blood of the Black Dragon Champion from General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire, and you have the amulet.

Onyxia attunement in WoW Forever: the Horde chain

In Kargath, Badlands, take Blood and Thunder from Warlord Goretooth, then Warlord’s Command through Lower Blackrock Spire.
Report to Eitrigg and Thrall in Orgrimmar, then bring back Warchief Rend Blackhand’s head in For the Horde!
What the Wind Carries and The Champion of the Horde send you to Rexxar, who roams the roads of Desolace, and The Testament of Rexxar to Myranda the Hag in the Western Plaguelands.
Oculus Illusions, then Emberstrife: find the drake Emberstrife in Dustwallow Marsh and pass his four Test of Skulls quests (Scryer, Somnus, Chronalis and Axtroz).
Ascension gives you the Dull Drakefire Amulet. Rexxar then sends you to General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire for Blood of the Black Dragon Champion, and gives you the Drakefire Amulet.

The amulet doesn’t need to be equipped, only carried.

Getting ready

The road to 60 runs through the new zones past 30, covered in leveling past 30: Riverglades and Mount Hyjal, and through the nine new dungeons, Blackmaw Hold among them. Every date to launch and after is on what’s new. The BoF Guide, Bind on Forever’s free WoW Forever in-game leveling guide, covers levels 1 to 30, with 30 to 60 as an import.

Questions

When do raids open in WoW Forever?

December 9, 2026, about five weeks after the November 4 launch, Blizzard said on October 20. Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia's Lair all open that day, for level 60 characters.

What raids are in WoW Forever at launch?

Three open on December 9: Barrow Deeps (10 players, 8 bosses), Hyjal Summit (20 players, 13 bosses) and Onyxia's Lair (40 players). Molten Core is not among them; a developer said it isn't available at launch.

How big are WoW Forever raids?

Barrow Deeps is a 10-player raid, Hyjal Summit 20 and Onyxia's Lair 40, by Blizzard's October 20 raid overview. All three are level 60 and reset weekly.

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

Every raider needs the Drakefire Amulet in their bags. Alliance players start with Dragonkin Menace from Helendis Riverhorn in the Burning Steppes; Horde players start with Blood and Thunder from Warlord Goretooth in Kargath, Badlands. Both chains end with General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire.

Does the Drakefire Amulet need to be equipped?

No. Blizzard says it only has to be in your inventory to enter Onyxia's Lair.

Do WoW Forever raids reset weekly?

Yes. Blizzard says all raids are currently planned to reset each week. In Classic Era, Onyxia's Lair reset every five days.

WoW Forever raids open December 9: Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia's Lair, with the Onyxia attunement