Quick answer: To enter Onyxia's Lair in WoW Forever, every raider needs the Drakefire Amulet in their bags. You earn it through a faction-specific attunement chain that Blizzard published on October 20, 2026. Alliance starts with "Dragonkin Menace" from Helendis Riverhorn in the Burning Steppes, works through Blackrock Depths, and finishes by killing General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire. Horde starts with "Blood and Thunder" from Warlord Goretooth in Kargath, Badlands, runs Lower Blackrock Spire, proves itself to the drake Emberstrife in Dustwallow Marsh by bringing back the skulls of four named dragons, and also finishes on Drakkisath. The amulet does not need to be equipped. All three launch raids unlock on December 9, 2026, and Onyxia's Lair is the only one with a listed attunement.
Blizzard dropped its full WoW Forever raid overview yesterday, and the attunement section is the part that matters most for your first five weeks at 60. You can't buy your way past it or skip it with a summon. Every one of the 40 people in your Onyxia raid has to finish it on their own character.
Below is the full chain for both factions in order, the dungeons each step sends you into, and a prep plan that gets you attuned before December 9. Everything is taken from Blizzard's raid overview. Where Blizzard hasn't said something yet, we say so.
What are the WoW Forever raids and when do they open?
Three level 60 raids unlock together on December 9, 2026, five weeks after the November 4 launch. Blizzard's overview gives the location, size and boss count for each:
| Raid | Size | Bosses | Location | Attunement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Barrow Deeps | 10 players | 8 | Under Mount Hyjal (entrances via Mount Hyjal, Winterspring, Blackmaw Hold) | None listed |
| Hyjal Summit | 20 players | 13 | Peak of Mount Hyjal, near Nordrassil | None listed |
| Onyxia's Lair | 40 players | Onyxia (3 phases) | Dustwallow Marsh | Drakefire Amulet |
Blizzard also says that "all raids [are] currently planned to reset each week," so you get one lockout per raid per week. That makes the attunement more urgent. Every week a raider isn't attuned is a week of Onyxia loot they miss.
Our earlier WoW Forever raids guide covered the roadmap before this article existed. The boss counts and attunement details in this post come from the new official overview.
Do you need an attunement for every WoW Forever raid?
No. Of the three raids, only Onyxia's Lair lists an attunement in Blizzard's overview. Its wording is direct: "Designed for level 60 players, Onyxia's Lair requires each member of the raid to carry the Drakefire Amulet to enter."
The overview doesn't mention a key, quest or amulet for The Barrow Deeps or Hyjal Summit. They also aren't listed among the dungeons with attunement notes. Treat them as open to any level 60 group unless Blizzard says otherwise.
The overview puts it this way:
"Start early, bring a few friends for the elite quests, and leave plenty of time for several trips into high-level dungeons." — Blizzard Entertainment, World of Warcraft: Forever Raid Overview
That's good advice. Most of the chain takes place inside Blackrock Mountain, so the attunement is mostly a dungeon schedule with a few quest hand-ins between runs.
How do you get the Drakefire Amulet as Alliance?
The Alliance chain follows Marshal Windsor through Blackrock Depths and the "Great Masquerade" in Stormwind, then ends on General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire. Here are the steps in the order Blizzard lists them:
- "Dragonkin Menace": pick it up from Helendis Riverhorn in the Burning Steppes.
- "The True Masters" (×6): a series of six quests, all named "The True Masters," about the Black Dragonflight's hold over the Blackrock orcs. The chain ends with Marshal Maxwell at Morgan's Vigil.
- "Marshal Windsor": Maxwell sends you into Blackrock Depths to find Marshal Windsor, or proof that he's dead.
- "Abandoned Hope": Windsor sends you back to Maxwell.
- "A Crumpled Up Note": this item drops from enemies inside Blackrock Depths and starts its own quest. Take it to Windsor in his cell.
- "A Shred of Hope": get Windsor's lost information from Golem Lord Argelmach and General Angerforge in Blackrock Depths.
- "Jail Break!": escort Windsor out of Blackrock Depths, then go back to Maxwell.
- "Stormwind Rendezvous": meet Squire Rowe at the Stormwind city gates and talk to him to call Marshal Windsor.
- "The Great Masquerade": bring allies and finish the event in Stormwind. If Windsor isn't there, talk to Squire Rowe again.
- "The Dragon's Eye": Highlord Bolvar Fordragon sends you across Azeroth to find someone who can help. Blizzard's guide doesn't name the NPC. In original Classic, this step went to Haleh in Winterspring.
- "Drakefire Amulet": go into Upper Blackrock Spire, take the Blood of the Black Dragon Champion from General Drakkisath, and turn it in for the amulet.
Counting each "True Masters" step separately, that's 16 quests. It includes at least four Blackrock Depths objectives and one Upper Blackrock Spire kill. BRD is the main time sink. Try to collect the Crumpled Up Note, Argelmach, Angerforge and the Jail Break escort in as few runs as you can.
How do you get the Drakefire Amulet as Horde?
The Horde chain is longer and covers more of the map. It runs through Thrall and Rexxar, and Emberstrife in Dustwallow Marsh sends you after four named dragons:
- "Blood and Thunder": start with Warlord Goretooth in Kargath, Badlands.
- "Warlord's Command": this leads straight into Lower Blackrock Spire.
- Report to Eitrigg, then Thrall: Goretooth sends you to Eitrigg in Orgrimmar and then to Thrall.
- "For the Horde!": go back into Blackrock Spire for the head of Warchief Rend Blackhand. Blizzard's guide says Lower Blackrock Spire. In original Classic, Rend was an Upper Blackrock Spire boss, so check your quest log when the chain goes live.
- "What the Wind Carries": listen to Thrall's findings.
- "The Champion of the Horde": find Rexxar, who travels the roads of Desolace.
- "The Testament of Rexxar": take Rexxar's testament to Myranda the Hag in the Western Plaguelands.
- "Oculus Illusions": collect Black Dragonspawn Eyes for Myranda.
- "Emberstrife": use your Amulet of Draconic Subversion to find the ancient drake Emberstrife in Dustwallow Marsh.
- "The Test of Skulls" (×4): bring Emberstrife the skulls of four named dragons: Scryer, Somnus, Chronalis and Axtroz. Blizzard's guide doesn't give their locations. In original Classic they were spread across the map: Scryer in Winterspring, Somnus in the Swamp of Sorrows, Chronalis in Tanaris and Axtroz at Grim Batol in the Wetlands, and Axtroz only opened up after the first three skulls were turned in.
- "Ascension...": Emberstrife gives you the Dull Drakefire Amulet. Take it back to Rexxar in Desolace.
- "Blood of the Black Dragon Champion": Rexxar sends you to Upper Blackrock Spire to take the blood from General Drakkisath. Go back to Rexxar for the Drakefire Amulet.
The four Test of Skulls dragons are where Blizzard's "bring a few friends for the elite quests" advice matters most for Horde. Don't plan to solo them. If Forever keeps the Classic locations, line up Scryer, Somnus and Chronalis as one group session, hand them in to Emberstrife, then do Axtroz as a separate trip.
Which dungeons do you need to run for Onyxia attunement?
This is the part that determines how long the chain takes:
| Faction | Dungeons in the chain | Key kills / objectives |
|---|---|---|
| Alliance | Blackrock Depths, Upper Blackrock Spire | Marshal Windsor, A Crumpled Up Note, Golem Lord Argelmach, General Angerforge, Jail Break! escort, General Drakkisath |
| Horde | Lower Blackrock Spire, Upper Blackrock Spire (per Blizzard: Rend in LBRS) | Warlord's Command objectives, Warchief Rend Blackhand, General Drakkisath |
Both factions finish on General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire. That makes UBRS the bottleneck on every ruleset in the first weeks. Every guild planning a full 40-player Onyxia raid needs its whole roster through it before the first pull.
Blizzard's raid overview doesn't say whether Upper Blackrock Spire needs its own entry key in Forever. Original Classic required the Seal of Ascension. Wait for Blizzard to confirm before you plan around either answer.
Is the Drakefire Amulet account-wide in WoW Forever?
Blizzard hasn't said. The overview says "each player will need to earn the Drakefire Amulet," and it doesn't mention an account-wide unlock.
Classic players will remember that Season of Discovery added an account-wide version of the attunement in a July 2024 hotfix, and r/classicwow celebrated it as a big quality-of-life win for alts. Forever's article describes nothing like that. Plan to attune every character you want to raid with until Blizzard says otherwise.
What Blizzard did confirm: "Make sure the Drakefire Amulet is in your inventory. It does not need to be equipped to enter Onyxia's Lair." Keep it in your bags and keep wearing your best neck item.
What else does Onyxia's Lair require besides the amulet?
The overview lists three things:
- Level 60. Onyxia's Lair is "a level 60 raid for 40 players."
- Fire resistance. Blizzard warns that Onyxia's "three-phase encounter turns up the heat with powerful fire attacks that can punish an unprepared raid. Players should build their fire resistance before entering." No fire resistance numbers have been published for Forever yet, so ignore anyone claiming a "required FR" figure.
- A 40-player raid group. Onyxia's Lair is designed for 40, and Blizzard hasn't announced a raid finder for Forever, so plan on your guild or community putting the group together. Our LFG and dungeon finder explainer covers what grouping tools exist.
Onyxia also has lore attached in Blizzard's description: "a dragon of the Black Dragonflight and the younger sister of Nefarian." That's why both attunement chains revolve around the Black Dragonflight's influence in Blackrock Mountain.
Are there other attunements in WoW Forever?
There's one more on the leveling side: the City of Dalaran dungeon (levels 28–33, Alterac Mountains). According to Blizzard's new dungeons article, it needs its own attunement questline:
- Alliance: "An Alarming Request" from Emissary Jacques in Southshore.
- Horde: "Key to the City" and "Prison Break-In" from Magus Wordeen Voidglare in Tarren Mill.
Dalaran is one of nine new five-player dungeons in Forever, which cover levels 13 to 60. The max-level ones are Blackmaw Hold (55–60, Azshara) and Shaper's Terrace (58–60, Un'Goro Crater). Blackmaw Hold also connects to one of the Barrow Deeps raid entrances. For the early ones, see our Hall of Thanes and Ruins of Lordaeron guide and the level 30 beta dungeon breakdown.
How do you get attuned before December 9?
You have 35 days between launch on November 4 and raid unlock on December 9. Here's a realistic order:
- Level fast. Your raid spot depends on leveling speed more than anything else. See our fastest legit path to 60 and the best class to level.
- Pick up the chain as soon as it's available to you in the Burning Steppes or Badlands. Blizzard hasn't published the minimum quest level. Getting the opener early means the Blackrock trips fit around your dungeon gearing runs.
- Do the attunement steps in the same runs as your gear runs. Your first BRD, LBRS and UBRS runs are also pre-raid gear runs, so do both jobs at once.
- Organize UBRS as a guild night. Everyone needs Drakkisath. Blizzard hasn't said how the Blood of the Black Dragon Champion drops in Forever (one per raider or per group), so plan for more than one run if your whole roster needs it.
- Collect fire resistance gear as you go. Blizzard tells raiders to build fire resistance before entering, so pick up pieces during your dungeon and crafting runs and make it a focus in the first week of December.
- Save gold for consumables and repairs. A 40-player progression night is expensive. Our mount cost guide and gold farming guide show how quickly a fresh-economy budget runs out.
Coming from Classic Era or Anniversary? Forever is set before Molten Core in the timeline, and Classic Era's raids stay as they are. Our Forever vs Classic vs SoD comparison and the older Classic+ vs SoD vs Era breakdown explain how the versions differ.
Short on time before December 9? If leveling, Blackrock runs and gold are all piling up, timesaver.gg can take some of the grind off your schedule.
- WoW Forever Dungeon Boost: Blackrock Depths and Blackrock Spire runs for attunement steps and pre-raid gear.
- WoW Forever Raid Carry: Onyxia's Lair, Barrow Deeps and Hyjal Summit once they open on December 9.
- WoW Forever Gold: pay for fire resistance gear, consumables and repairs on a fresh economy.
FAQ
Do you need the Onyxia attunement in WoW Forever? Yes. Blizzard says Onyxia's Lair "requires each member of the raid to carry the Drakefire Amulet to enter," so all 40 raiders need it.
Does the Drakefire Amulet need to be equipped? No. Blizzard says it "does not need to be equipped to enter Onyxia's Lair." It only has to be in your inventory.
Is Onyxia attunement account-wide in WoW Forever? Blizzard hasn't said so. The raid overview says "each player will need to earn" the amulet. Plan to attune every raiding character until Blizzard confirms an account-wide option.
Where does the Onyxia attunement start? Alliance starts with "Dragonkin Menace" from Helendis Riverhorn in the Burning Steppes. Horde starts with "Blood and Thunder" from Warlord Goretooth in Kargath, Badlands.
Do Barrow Deeps and Hyjal Summit need an attunement? Blizzard's raid overview lists no attunement for either one. Only Onyxia's Lair needs the Drakefire Amulet.
When can you enter Onyxia's Lair in WoW Forever? Onyxia's Lair, Barrow Deeps and Hyjal Summit all unlock on December 9, 2026. All three are planned to reset weekly.
