WoW: Forever's first raids open December 9, 2026, for level 60 players. The launch tier includes the 10-player Barrow Deeps, 20-player Hyjal Summit and 40-player Onyxia's Lair. Onyxia requires the Drakefire Amulet in each player's inventory. That makes attunement progress a useful project before opening week, not a problem to discover at the cave entrance.
The November 6 developer interview with Crix adds a reason to plan beyond one raid size: according to Wowhead's interview summary, Tier 1 is spread across all three raids. A group that only runs the 10-player raid can earn substantial rewards, but not every piece of the full set.
This guide covers the practical gap between leveling and your first raid night: which entrance and roster you need, how to organize the long Onyxia quest chains, and what the new reward information does and does not mean. The primary reference for raid access and quest order is Blizzard's official raid overview, published October 20 and rechecked for this November 7 guide. Interview claims below are explicitly attributed to Wowhead's report, not presented as a firsthand transcript.
The Three-Raid Plan at a Glance
Blizzard's overview establishes these concrete targets:
- Barrow Deeps: level 60, 10 players, eight bosses, beneath Mount Hyjal. Entrances connect through Mount Hyjal, Winterspring and Blackmaw Hold.
- Hyjal Summit: level 60, 20 players, 13 bosses, at the summit near Nordrassil.
- Onyxia's Lair: level 60, 40 players, in Dustwallow Marsh. Each player needs the Drakefire Amulet to enter.
- Opening date: December 9 for all three.
- Reset plan: Blizzard says the raids are currently planned to reset weekly.
A ten-person guild can begin with an appropriately sized raid. It does not need to recruit directly to forty just to have a progression target. However, if individual members want the complete first tier set, the interview report suggests they should also plan access to the larger raids through an alliance, a broader guild roster or organized outside groups.
What the November 6 Reward Discussion Changes
Wowhead reports that Kris Zierhut and Tim Jones described Tier 1 pieces as divided among all three raids. It also reports their intention that item level be even across the raid formats, rather than awarding better item level simply because a raid requires more people.
These are two different ideas. Equal item-level intent does not mean identical items. A smaller raid can offer meaningful gear while still lacking some pieces found in another instance. Nor does this make the three raid sizes selectable difficulty modes of the same dungeon. Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia's Lair are separate places with separate encounters.
For planning, split your goals:
- Reliable progression: choose an instance your roster can actually support.
- Full set completion: expect to visit more than one raid, based on the interview report.
- Individual upgrades: do not assume every desirable item comes from the largest roster size.
- Collection goals: reserve judgment on exact acquisition until item and boss distributions are confirmed.
Barrow Deeps: Choose a Meeting Point Before Choosing a Route
Blizzard describes Barrow Deeps as the prison that held Illidan Stormrage for 10,000 years. Its eight-boss layout sits beneath Kalimdor, with access connected through Mount Hyjal, Winterspring and Blackmaw Hold.
The multiple entrances are useful, but they introduce a predictable organizational mistake: ten players saying they are “at the entrance” while standing at different approaches. Establish the intended entrance in your event notes and have the organizer identify the actual route. A player arriving through Blackmaw Hold should not assume the rest of the group is approaching from the same side.
The official overview confirms the connections but does not provide a complete interior route, travel time, shortcut key list or safe trash skip. The November 6 interview summary says the three entrances lead to different sections. Use that as a reason to be explicit about the plan, not as permission to invent an optimized clear path before live evidence exists.
A sensible first-run brief includes the entrance, who is leading navigation, how long the group intends to explore and what happens if someone arrives late. Those are organizational recommendations, not hidden game requirements.
Hyjal Summit: Thirteen Bosses, Not a Single Straight Corridor
Blizzard places Hyjal Summit near the World Tree Nordrassil and says the raid begins with an ancient guardian. After that, groups choose among multiple paths, exploring ruins above and below ground before reaching the final encounters.
That gives a raid leader enough information to set expectations without pretending to know every boss. Budget for exploration and route decisions. Do not advertise a guaranteed short clear based only on the name Hyjal or on memories of another version of that location.
Wowhead's November 6 interview summary mentions a first boss opening three paths and completing three wings before the final section, but the heading “Upcoming Raids” does not clearly assign every structural detail to a named instance. Blizzard's own overview is clearer about Hyjal's guardian and multiple paths. This guide does not silently attach an ambiguous interview bullet to a specific raid.
For the first group, preparation means knowing your role and utility, carrying ordinary supplies and agreeing on how to handle unfamiliar encounters. It does not mean memorizing an invented boss order. The raid overview provides no complete ability list, damage table or mandatory composition.
Onyxia: Every Player Needs Their Own Amulet
Onyxia's Lair is the raid where the entry requirement is explicit. Every member must carry the Drakefire Amulet. It does not need to be equipped.
That is a more important roster check than a vague statement that the guild is “attuned.” One player holding the item does not satisfy the whole raid. Before opening week, record who has completed the chain, who is midway through it and who has not started.
Blizzard describes a three-phase fight with punishing fire attacks and advises building fire resistance before entering. It does not publish a mandatory resistance number in this overview. Avoid treating a specific cap, consumable package or expensive crafted set as an official requirement when the source gives none.
The long quest chain is the concrete preparation project. Both factions have different routes, but both end with Blood of the Black Dragon Champion from General Drakkisath and the award of the amulet.
Alliance Attunement: Organize It Around the Blackrock Depths Stages
Blizzard's published Alliance sequence starts in the Burning Steppes and repeatedly returns to the Blackrock story. Group it into stages rather than treating it as one continuous dungeon run.
Stage One: Dragonkin Menace and The True Masters
Begin Dragonkin Menace with Helendis Riverhorn in the Burning Steppes. The chain proceeds through a series of six quests named The True Masters, investigating the Black Dragonflight's influence over the Blackrock orcs.
The practical trap is assuming another player with the same broad chain name is at your exact step. With repeated quest titles, compare the current objective and turn-in NPC, not merely the words “The True Masters” in your log.
Stage Two: Find Marshal Windsor
The investigation reaches Marshal Maxwell at Morgan's Vigil. He sends you into Blackrock Depths for Marshal Windsor, seeking Windsor or proof of his fate. Windsor then sends you back to Maxwell with Abandoned Hope.
That return is part of the published chain. A group arranging dungeon objectives should verify that everyone has reached the appropriate stage before heading inside. Someone who only just began the outdoor investigation may not be able to do the same objective as a player already talking to Windsor.
Stage Three: The Note and the Lost Information
Enemies in Blackrock Depths can drop A Crumpled Up Note, which starts the quest of the same name. Bring it to Windsor in his cell. For A Shred of Hope, recover his information from Golem Lord Argelmach and General Angerforge.
Blizzard does not give a drop percentage for the note or promise that it appears after a fixed number of kills. Do not sell a group on a guaranteed five-minute pickup. Tell members exactly whether the trip is for the note, the two named targets or a later escort.
Stage Four: Jail Break and the Stormwind Event
Help Windsor escape in Jail Break!, then return to Marshal Maxwell. Stormwind Rendezvous sends you to the city gates to summon Windsor through the squire. The Great Masquerade follows in Stormwind; Blizzard advises gathering allies and speaking to Squire Rowe if Windsor is absent.
The overview spells the squire's name inconsistently across its steps. Use the event NPC and quest text in the game rather than assuming a slightly different spelling means a different chain. Before starting the event, confirm the participants actually have the correct step.
Stage Five: The Dragon's Eye and Drakkisath
Highlord Bolvar Fordragon sends you on The Dragon's Eye, looking for someone who can help. The chain eventually sends you into Upper Blackrock Spire for Drakefire Amulet, taking Blood of the Black Dragon Champion from General Drakkisath.
Blizzard's overview deliberately does not spell out every intermediate conversation in The Dragon's Eye. This article will not invent coordinates or an NPC location to fill that gap. Follow the quest text, then organize the Drakkisath trip with others who are at the blood stage. Finish the turn-in and verify that the amulet is actually in your bags.
Horde Attunement: Plan for Both Dungeon Trips and Outdoor Travel
The Horde chain combines Blackrock objectives, conversations in Orgrimmar, Rexxar's roaming location and a sequence of dragon challenges.
Stage One: Goretooth, Eitrigg and Thrall
Blizzard's guide begins with Blood and Thunder from Warlord Goretooth in Kargath, Badlands, leading to Warlord's Command in Lower Blackrock Spire. Goretooth then sends you to Eitrigg in Orgrimmar and onward to Thrall.
Check what Goretooth actually offers and the chain state in your log. The overview is the source for this named sequence, not evidence that every character can skip directly to Thrall or bypass the early dungeon objectives.
Stage Two: For the Horde and a Source Inconsistency
For the Horde! requires Warchief Rend Blackhand's head for Thrall. Blizzard's overview calls this a return to Lower Blackrock Spire, whereas Rend is traditionally associated with Upper Blackrock Spire. The quest reference page confirms the quest ID exists in the Forever client, but explicitly warns that its quest text is Classic 1.12 data, not verified Forever data.
We are flagging the discrepancy rather than silently treating either source as a fully verified live route. Upper Blackrock Spire is the traditional Rend destination, but check the current Forever quest and group route before departure. The earlier Warlord's Command stage is the Lower Blackrock Spire portion in Blizzard's overview. Do not combine the two in a vague request for “an LBRS attunement run.”
After What the Wind Carries, Thrall sends you toward Rexxar for The Champion of the Horde. Blizzard describes Rexxar as wandering the roads of Desolace, so coordinate your party's travel rather than assuming he is a stationary capital-city NPC.
Stage Three: Myranda, the Illusion and Emberstrife
Rexxar directs you to Myranda the Hag in the Western Plaguelands through The Testament of Rexxar. Oculus Illusions requires Black Dragonspawn Eyes. The resulting Amulet of Draconic Subversion is used during Emberstrife to approach the ancient drake in Dustwallow Marsh.
Keep the quest item and read the transformation step before traveling. Blizzard does not describe an alternate way to bypass the illusion in this overview. A player missing the item or holding the wrong chain step may not be able to join the same interaction as everyone else.
Stage Four: The Tests of Skulls
Emberstrife gives four tests involving Scryer, Somnus, Chronalis and Axtroz. The quest names begin with The Test of Skulls.
This is a good stage for an organized outdoor group. Compare who needs which dragon before setting off. The official overview names the targets but does not provide their coordinates, respawn timers or a mandatory order for a speed route. Treat a travel plan as your group's plan, not a hidden requirement we can verify from the announcement.
Stage Five: Ascension and the Final Blood
After the tests, Ascension... gives a Dull Drakefire Amulet to return to Rexxar. He then sends you to Upper Blackrock Spire for Blood of the Black Dragon Champion, requiring General Drakkisath's blood. Return to Rexxar for the finished Drakefire Amulet.
Do not stop at the dull version and mark yourself ready. The final turn-in and completed item are what the published chain points toward. Put the finished amulet in your inventory before going to Onyxia's Lair.
A Useful First-Week Guild Checklist
You do not need to force every player to 60 immediately to make progress toward December 9. Use the first week to establish a reliable plan.
- Choose a primary roster target: 10, 20 or 40 players.
- Ask who wants full Tier 1 coverage rather than only the raid your core group can field.
- Track Onyxia chain stages with specific objectives, not a single “in progress” label.
- Group compatible Blackrock objectives together where players' quest states allow it.
- Select an entrance and meeting point for each planned raid.
- Leave unknown boss mechanics, item distributions and exact unlock hours marked unknown.
The reward of planning early is fewer failed travel nights and fewer players excluded by an unfinished chain. It is not a guarantee of a particular drop or a complete clear. Keep the distinction between published access requirements, interview-reported design intent and your own organizational choices visible all the way to opening week.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do WoW Forever's first raids open?
Blizzard lists December 9, 2026. Its overview does not give a precise opening hour, so no CST unlock time is asserted here.
What sizes are Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia's Lair?
Barrow Deeps is for 10 players, Hyjal Summit for 20 and Onyxia's Lair for 40. All three are level 60 raids.
Can I finish Tier 1 by only running Barrow Deeps?
According to Wowhead's November 6 developer-interview summary, no. The set is spread across all three raids, although the 10-player raid offers substantial rewards.
Does the Drakefire Amulet need to be equipped?
No. Blizzard says it must be in your inventory. Each player needs their own amulet to enter Onyxia's Lair.
Where is Rend Blackhand for the Horde attunement?
Traditionally, Rend is in Upper Blackrock Spire, but Blizzard's Forever overview calls this step Lower Blackrock Spire. The linked quest database warns its text is legacy data, so verify the live route rather than treating that discrepancy as conclusively resolved.
How much fire resistance does Blizzard require for Onyxia?
The overview advises building fire resistance but provides no required numerical threshold. This guide does not invent one.
Do the raids reset weekly?
Blizzard says all three are currently planned to reset weekly. Confirm the live lockout schedule when the raids open.
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