WRITTEN ARTICLE · RAIDS AND REWARDS
WoW Forever raids: release date, sizes, bosses and Onyxia attunement
Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia’s Lair open December 9: group sizes, locations, boss counts, the Drakefire Amulet attunement, weekly resets and datamined Hyjal weapon previews.
When do WoW Forever raids open?
Blizzard’s What’s Next roadmap first scheduled new raids for December 9, 2026, five weeks after the November 4 launch. Blizzard’s October 20 raid overview confirms three raids for level 60 characters that day: Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia’s Lair.
All three are currently planned to reset weekly, so a group can settle into a regular raid night.
| Raid | Players | Location | Bosses | Attunement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrow Deeps | 10 | Within Mount Hyjal, with entrances from Mount Hyjal, Winterspring and Blackmaw Hold | 8 | None listed |
| Hyjal Summit | 20 | The peak of Mount Hyjal, near the World Tree Nordrassil | 13 | None listed |
| Onyxia’s Lair | 40 | Dustwallow Marsh | Onyxia | Drakefire Amulet |
In this article
Game artwork © Blizzard Entertainment; datamined preview via Wowhead.
Where are the WoW Forever raids?
Barrow Deeps is hidden beneath Kalimdor, in the prison that held Illidan Stormrage for 10,000 years. Its entrances connect to Mount Hyjal, Winterspring and Blackmaw Hold, so raiders have more than one way in. Ten-player groups face eight bosses inside.
Hyjal Summit sits at the peak of Mount Hyjal near Nordrassil. It has 13 bosses and opens with a fight against an ancient guardian. After that, groups choose between several paths through ruins above and below ground before the final encounters.
Onyxia’s Lair is in Dustwallow Marsh. Onyxia’s fight has three phases with heavy fire damage, and Blizzard advises building fire resistance before you go in.
Do WoW Forever raids need attunement?
Blizzard’s overview lists an attunement only for Onyxia’s Lair. Every raid member must carry the Drakefire Amulet, earned through a separate Alliance or Horde quest chain that runs through Blackrock Mountain. The amulet only needs to be in your bags.
That matches the But Why Tho interview from September, which reported that the new raids at launch would not need an attunement. Our Onyxia guide lists every step for both factions.
Does Forever have flexible raid sizes?
The But Why Tho developer interview reports fixed group sizes and encounter difficulty, with no current plans for flexible scaling. Its discussion describes players overcoming encounters through better gear and experience, rather than the instance automatically adjusting to attendance.
For a guild organiser, the practical implication is to plan around the stated format. A 10-player group and a 20-player group need different attendance commitments. An encounter becoming manageable with fewer people later would not make its initial roster requirement disappear.
Why would an older raid remain worth running?
Wowhead’s interview notes describe slower item progression and rare, desirable drops on each boss, intended to preserve reasons to revisit raids. They discuss tier pieces across 10-, 20- and 40-player formats. Blizzard’s October 20 overview has since named a raid in each format, with Onyxia’s Lair as the 40-player option.
The useful question for a future loot guide is what an item does for a particular character and encounter. A rare drop is not automatically the best choice for every class. We need actual item details, availability and encounter evidence before publishing best-in-slot lists.
September 17 update: Hyjal raid weapon appearances
Wowhead has published more than forty weapon models associated with the two Hyjal raids. We have selected two views here: the axe-shaped design at the top of the page and the claw-shaped model below.
The wooden surfaces, foliage and carved shapes are visible details of these renders. We are not assigning item names, stats, classes, bosses or difficulty modes to them. Multiple colours in a gallery do not establish multiple raid difficulties.
Use these as an appearance preview while planning your group. A loot priority list still needs actual items, acquisition details and comparisons with attainable alternatives.
Game artwork © Blizzard Entertainment; datamined preview via Wowhead.
September 17 Q&A: GDKP runs will not be allowed
Icy Veins reports this decision in its partial transcription of the developer answer. Agree on loot expectations before organising a run; detailed enforcement rules are outside the scope of that report.
A practical roster checklist before raid release
Our recommendation is to establish the group’s habits before asking everyone to optimise equipment. Write down the nights you can attend, how replacements are arranged and whether your aim is learning encounters or clearing on a tight schedule.
- Choose a raid format that matches realistic attendance.
- Ask each player for a preferred role and a role they are willing to practise.
- Agree on loot expectations before the first raid night.
- If you plan to raid Onyxia’s Lair, start everyone on the Drakefire Amulet chain early.
- Use dungeon sessions to practise communication and identify missing preparation.
- Keep room in the plan for changes after beta and release notes.
What is still missing?
This is a planning overview, not a boss strategy. Exact loot tables, drop percentages and lockout rules beyond the weekly reset still need raid-specific verification. Blizzard describes the weekly reset as currently planned, so it could change before December 9.
Check Blizzard’s patch notes again before scheduling a first clear. Keep the unlock date separate from the date your own group expects to be ready.
Related reading and guides
Sources and review notes
- Blizzard: World of Warcraft: Forever Raid Overview, October 20
- Blizzard: Forever What’s Next panel recap
- But Why Tho: developer interview on class changes and fixed raid difficulty, updated 15 September
- Wowhead: interview notes on XP, raid rewards and the experience curve, 15 September
- Wowhead / Archimtiros: Hyjal raid weapon models
- Icy Veins: September 17 Q&A report and transcribed GDKP answer
Updated October 21 with Blizzard’s October 20 raid overview, which adds Onyxia’s Lair, raid locations, boss counts, the Onyxia attunement and weekly resets. Older interview reports remain dated background. The weapon images are datamined model previews, not verified loot drops or playtest evidence.
