WoW Forever Raids Open December 9: Locations, Raid Sizes and Onyxia Attunement

For ten thousand years, the Barrow Deeps held Illidan Stormrage. Now its dark passages stand open, and on December 9 the first raid groups of WoW: Forever will walk into them.

Blizzard has confirmed the launch raid lineup: Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia’s Lair, all unlocking together for level 60 players. Here’s where each one is, how many players it takes, and every step of the Onyxia attunement you’ll want finished before the doors open. For the September reveal of these raids, see our overview of every new raid in WoW Forever.

When WoW Forever Raids Open

All three raids unlock on December 9 for level 60 players. Blizzard currently plans for all three to reset weekly. That gives you just over a month after the November 4 launch to reach level 60, gear up in dungeons and finish your attunement.

Raid	Location	Raid Size	Bosses
Barrow Deeps	Beneath Mount Hyjal; entrances via Mount Hyjal, Winterspring and Blackmaw Hold	10 players	8
Hyjal Summit	The summit of Mount Hyjal, near the World Tree Nordrassil	20 players	13
Onyxia’s Lair	Dustwallow Marsh	40 players	Onyxia

Barrow Deeps (10 Players)

Hidden beneath Kalimdor, the Barrow Deeps was the prison that held Illidan Stormrage for ten thousand years. Blizzard says its dark passages have now been opened, and the raid explores what became of those left behind and how the wardens plan to contain the danger below.

It’s a 10-player raid with eight bosses. You can reach it through several entrances connected to Mount Hyjal, Winterspring and Blackmaw Hold. Blizzard’s overview lists no attunement for it.

Hyjal Summit (20 Players)

Hyjal Summit sits at the top of Mount Hyjal, close to the World Tree Nordrassil. It’s the largest of the three by boss count, with 13 encounters for 20 players.

Your first fight is against an ancient guardian. From there, raid groups choose between several routes across the mountain, including ruins above and below ground, before reaching the final encounters. Blizzard’s overview lists no attunement for it.

Onyxia’s Lair (40 Players)

Onyxia’s Lair in Dustwallow Marsh is the only 40-player raid of the three. Onyxia, a black dragon and younger sister of Nefarian, guards her brood and manipulates Azeroth’s mortal races from the shadows.

The encounter has three phases and leans heavily on fire. Blizzard advises building fire resistance before you go in. It’s also the one raid with an attunement: every raid member must carry the Drakefire Amulet. It doesn’t need to be equipped, only in your bags.

Alliance Onyxia Attunement

The Alliance chain starts in the Burning Steppes and runs through Blackrock Depths, Stormwind and Upper Blackrock Spire.

Step	Quest	What You Do
1	Dragonkin Menace	Start with Helendis Riverhorn in the Burning Steppes
2	The True Masters (six quests)	Investigate the black dragonflight’s influence over the Blackrock orcs
3	Marshal Windsor	Marshal Maxwell at Morgan’s Vigil sends you into Blackrock Depths to find Windsor or proof of his death
4	Abandoned Hope	Return to Marshal Maxwell
5	A Crumpled Up Note	Take the note from enemies in Blackrock Depths to Windsor in his cell
6	A Shred of Hope	Recover Windsor’s information from Golem Lord Argelmach and General Angerforge in Blackrock Depths
7	Jail Break!	Help Windsor escape Blackrock Depths, then report to Maxwell
8	Stormwind Rendezvous	Meet the squire at the Stormwind city gates to summon Windsor
9	The Great Masquerade	Gather allies in Stormwind
10	The Dragon’s Eye	Highlord Bolvar Fordragon sends you across Azeroth to find help
11	Drakefire Amulet	Take the Blood of the Black Dragon Champion from General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire

Horde Onyxia Attunement

The Horde chain starts in the Badlands and travels through Blackrock Spire, Orgrimmar, Desolace, the Western Plaguelands and Dustwallow Marsh.

Step	Quest	What You Do
1	Blood and Thunder	Start with Warlord Goretooth in Kargath, Badlands
2	Warlord’s Command	Complete objectives throughout Lower Blackrock Spire
3	—	Goretooth sends you to Eitrigg in Orgrimmar, then on to Thrall
4	For the Horde!	Return to Lower Blackrock Spire and claim the head of Warchief Rend Blackhand for Thrall
5	What the Wind Carries / The Champion of the Horde	Hear Thrall’s findings, then find Rexxar on the roads of Desolace
6	The Testament of Rexxar	Deliver Rexxar’s testament to Myranda the Hag in the Western Plaguelands
7	Oculus Illusions	Collect Black Dragonspawn Eyes for Myranda
8	Emberstrife	Use the Amulet of Draconic Subversion to find Emberstrife in Dustwallow Marsh
9	The Test of Skulls (four quests)	Bring Emberstrife the skulls of Scryer, Somnus, Chronalis and Axtroz
10	Ascension…	Take the Dull Drakefire Amulet back to Rexxar in Desolace
11	Blood of the Black Dragon Champion	Take the blood from General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire, then return to Rexxar for the Drakefire Amulet

Tips & Tricks

Start the attunement as soon as you can. Blizzard recommends getting going early and planning for several trips into high-level dungeons.

Bring friends for the elite quests. Both chains send you into Blackrock Depths or Blackrock Spire more than once.

Remind your whole raid about the amulet. All 40 players need it in their bags, so one missing attunement can hold up the night.

Start collecting fire resistance gear before December 9. Onyxia’s fire attacks punish groups that skip it.

With a weekly reset on all three raids, plan your week so your 10-player, 20-player and 40-player groups don’t clash.