Raids in World of Warcraft: Forever open on December 9, 2026, about five weeks after the November 4 launch. Three raids unlock together that day for level 60 characters: Barrow Deeps for 10 players, Hyjal Summit for 20 and Onyxia’s Lair for 40.
Until then the game has no raids at all, only five-player dungeons. Below is what each launch raid asks of you, the attunement you can start now, how lockouts work, and every raid Blizzard has put on its roadmap after December 9. Everything is checked against Blizzard’s October 20 raid overview, its What’s Next panel recap and its 2026 to 2027 roadmap, as of November 13.
The Three Raids That Open on December 9
| Raid | Players | Bosses | Where it is | Needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrow Deeps | 10 | 8 | Under Mount Hyjal, with entrances through Mount Hyjal, Winterspring and Blackmaw Hold | Level 60 |
| Hyjal Summit | 20 | 13 | The summit of Mount Hyjal, near the World Tree Nordrassil | Level 60 |
| Onyxia’s Lair | 40 | 1 | Dustwallow Marsh | Level 60 and the Drakefire Amulet |
Barrow Deeps is new to Forever. Blizzard’s raid overview describes it as a prison hidden beneath Kalimdor that held Illidan Stormrage for 10,000 years, with eight bosses built for a group of 10.
Hyjal Summit is also new, and it is the biggest of the three: 13 bosses. Blizzard says it opens with a battle against an ancient guardian, and that groups can choose between several paths across the mountain, through ruins above and below ground. Mount Hyjal itself is a level 60 zone, as our zone level ranges show, and you reach it on foot from Winterspring through the Darkwhisper Gorge.
Onyxia’s Lair is the one raid players of the original game will know: a single dragon fight in three phases, at the end of a long attunement chain. Blizzard’s own advice is to build up fire resistance before you go.
Blizzard’s panel recap adds that the launch raids bring “new tier sets, and a legendary reward” it has not shown in full yet.
What Time Raids Unlock
Blizzard has given the day but not the hour. Its posts say the raids unlock on December 9 and nothing more, so do not plan a raid night around a specific time until Blizzard announces one. WoW Forever launched worldwide at the same moment (3:00 p.m. PST on November 4), but Blizzard has not said whether raids will follow that pattern or each region’s weekly reset.
Blizzard has confirmed one more timing rule: “all raids currently planned to reset each week,” so each lockout clears once a week.
How to Get Into Onyxia’s Lair
Every raid member needs the Drakefire Amulet in their bags to enter Onyxia’s Lair. Blizzard notes it “does not need to be equipped,” so it never takes a neck slot. The amulet comes from a faction quest chain, and it is long, so a 40-player guild needs most of its raiders to start well before December 9.
| Alliance | Horde | |
|---|---|---|
| First quest | Dragonkin Menace | Blood and Thunder |
| Quest giver | Helendis Riverhorn, Burning Steppes | Warlord Goretooth, Kargath (Badlands) |
| Dungeons on the way | Blackrock Depths, Upper Blackrock Spire | Lower Blackrock Spire, Upper Blackrock Spire |
| Last fight | General Drakkisath, Upper Blackrock Spire | General Drakkisath, Upper Blackrock Spire |
Alliance characters run The True Masters chain to Marshal Maxwell at Morgan’s Vigil, rescue Marshal Windsor from Blackrock Depths, unmask the plot in Stormwind and finish with The Dragon’s Eye for Highlord Bolvar Fordragon. Horde characters work for Rexxar in Desolace, track the drake Emberstrife in Dustwallow Marsh, pass four Test of Skulls quests against the dragons Scryer, Somnus, Chronalis and Axtroz, and take the Dull Drakefire Amulet back to Rexxar. Both chains end with the Blood of the Black Dragon Champion from General Drakkisath. Our dungeon level ranges show where those Blackrock dungeons sit.
What to Do Before December 9
- Reach level 60. All three raids are level 60 content. Our guide to how long it takes to reach level 60 has the hours, and the class tier list covers which roles groups want.
- Find a guild on your ruleset and faction. Characters can raid only with players on the same ruleset and faction, and there is no Raid Finder, so groups come from guilds and Group Finder listings. Our guides to grouping across rulesets and the Dungeon Finder explain both limits.
- Start the Drakefire Amulet chain if your guild plans to run Onyxia’s Lair.
- Gear up in dungeons. Blizzard’s raid overview tells Onyxia raiders to bring fire resistance, and the level 46 to 60 dungeons, Blackrock Spire among them, are where a fresh 60 finds better gear.
- Stock up on consumables. Our guide to the best professions for making gold explains why flasks, elixirs and potions sell well in raid week.
Raids also count toward the Legacy system: Blizzard lists one Legacy Point each for defeating Onyxia, all 13 Hyjal Summit bosses and all 8 Barrow Deeps bosses. Our guide to getting Legacy Points lists the rest.
Raids Blizzard Has Planned After December 9
Blizzard’s 2026 to 2027 roadmap, shown at BlizzCon in September, plans two major updates after the launch raids:
| When | Raids | Other content on the roadmap |
|---|---|---|
| Spring 2027 | Two new raids, one for 10 players and one for 20 | Two new dungeons, new quests and a playable area, a new legendary questline, a PvP season refresh |
| Summer 2027 | A revamped iconic raid and a new raid | Expanded world content, two new dungeons, a PvP season refresh, profession and Legacy updates |
The roadmap’s own fine print says “content and timing subject to change,” so read the seasons as plans, not dates. Principal game designer Kris Zierhut told IGN in October that the team’s intent is “about four months” between raid tiers, with smaller unlocks in between, and said the original game’s raids will come later and more slowly: “We’re not starting with Molten Core.” The same interview explains the mix of sizes: 10-, 20- and 40-player raids side by side, so a short-handed group can borrow a player from another raid night.
Blizzard has not said what the revamped iconic raid is, or how gear from a new raid tier will compare with the launch raids. Zierhut told IGN the team is aware that raids will pile up over time and has plans for it that it is not ready to share. Our guide to when the level cap goes up explains why Blizzard is adding content inside the 60 levels instead of past them. Every WoW guide we have is on our World of Warcraft hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do raids open in WoW Forever? December 9, 2026. Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia’s Lair all unlock that day for level 60 characters.
What time do WoW Forever raids unlock? Blizzard has not announced an hour, only the date.
Are there any raids in WoW Forever right now? No. Until December 9 the hardest group content is the five-player dungeons.
Is Molten Core in WoW Forever? Not at launch. Blizzard says it will get to the original game’s raids later and more slowly, and that it is not starting with Molten Core.
How many players do WoW Forever raids need? Barrow Deeps takes 10, Hyjal Summit 20 and Onyxia’s Lair 40.
Do raid lockouts reset weekly? Yes. Blizzard says all the raids it has planned reset each week.