World of Warcraft: Forever opens its first raids on December 9, 2026: the new Barrow Deeps and Hyjal Summit, and the original Onyxia’s Lair. Here is what each raid is, how Blizzard is designing raids for Forever, what the 2027 roadmap adds and what is still unknown.
From Blizzard’s What’s Next panel and recap, the Deep Dive recap and developer interviews. Boss names from the BlizzCon demo and tier sets from the beta client are labeled as demo or datamined; both can change. Last reviewed: .
Raids open
Dec 9
5 weeks after launch
Raid sizes
10/20/40
fixed, no flex raiding
New raids
2
plus the original Onyxia’s Lair
Tier 1 sets
18
datamined, not linked to a raid yet
The first WoW Forever raids
All three raids unlock on the same day, Dec 9: 5 weeks after Forever launches on Nov 4. Blizzard’s recap says the two new raids bring new tier sets and a legendary reward it will reveal in full later.
The Barrow Deeps
Deep below the night elves’ barrow dens
10 players
Max level
New raid
A place sacred to the night elves. Barrow dens are scattered across the land, and their winding tunnels are said to lead to one pivotal place, the Barrow Deeps; no one knows how far or how deep they run. The night elves keep some of their most dangerous prisoners here, and rumor has it an infamous demon hunter was once held here. Blizzard teased that you might get to see his prison.
The night elves are wary of letting anyone in, allies included, and like the furbolgs of Blackmaw Hold they may be dealing with some kind of corruption. Blizzard plans it as a max-level raid for 10 players.
Three entrances. One is on Mount Hyjal; Blizzard hasn’t named the others, but hinted that the deep tunnels of Blackmaw Hold lead there.
Hyjal Summit
Mount Hyjal
20 players
New raid
At the Battle of Mount Hyjal, Malfurion Stormrage gave up the power behind the night elves’ immortality to defeat Archimonde. Now someone or something is draining the power from the land around Hyjal Summit, and Blizzard hinted that not every night elf agreed with Malfurion’s choice.
Blizzard calls it “by far our largest raid in WoW Forever” without saying by what measure: it is built for 20 players, fewer than Onyxia’s Lair’s 40. The panel described snowy peaks, a raging river through ancient elven ruins and the whispers of ghosts from the Third War. There is “legendary power” to be had, Blizzard says, though it hasn’t shown the legendary yet.
The raid sits on Mount Hyjal, which Forever opens as a new zone: see WoW Forever zones.
Onyxia’s Lair
Dustwallow Marsh
40 players
Original raid
The original 40-player raid opens on the same day as the two new ones. Blizzard hasn’t announced changes to it, and in the BlizzCon demo’s Legacy Challenges Onyxia was still its only boss.
It is the only original raid in the first unlock. Blizzard says Forever starts at the beginning of World of Warcraft, so the iconic raids players know haven’t opened yet and will be rediscovered later; in an interview with The Sun it said Molten Core will open someday, but not now.
Mount Hyjal, home of the Hyjal Summit raid and one of the ways into the Barrow Deeps. Image: Blizzard Entertainment.
How Blizzard is designing raids for Forever
Sizes
Fixed sizes, no flex raiding
Mike Nuthals told Kotaku there will be no flex raiding: each raid is built for a set number of players. Every raid tier will have at least one 10-player and one 20-player raid, and some tiers a 40-player raid as well.
Small groups
A 10-player raid in every tier
Tim Jones told Kotaku there will always be a 10-player raid in every tier, with its own challenge and rewards, so a group that doesn’t want 20-player raids can keep raiding.
Tier
Tier pieces across all three raids
In an interview with The Sun, Blizzard said raids come in 10, 20 and 40 players, it wants to encourage different raid sizes, and you can get your tier pieces across all three raids. The goal is to help players find a social group, then grow it.
Loot
A chase item on every boss
Also from The Sun interview: every boss loot table has a chase item with a low drop chance that is “very, very strong”, on the level of The Burning Crusade’s Dragonspine Trophy, so gear at 60 stays relevant.
Progression
Slower gear upgrades
Blizzard wants older raids to stay worth running. Tim Jones told IGN later raids will have better gear, but not with Season of Discovery’s jumps in power, and gear from earlier raids, such as the Onslaught Girdle, should stay useful.
Legendary
A legendary reward
Blizzard’s recap says the new raids bring a legendary reward it will reveal in full later, and the What’s Next panel mentioned “our first new legendary” without details. The spring 2027 update adds a new legendary questline.
Transmog
Raid epics: the look is the looter’s
An epic raid drop grants its appearance only to the player it binds to, so loot decisions stay with the raid group. Dungeon greens and blues, by contrast, share their look with everyone eligible to loot them.
Groups
Same ruleset, same faction
You raid with players who chose the same ruleset: there is no grouping across rulesets, and Horde and Alliance can’t group. Meeting stones don’t summon, so without a warlock you travel to the raid yourself.
WoW Forever raid roadmap for 2026 and 2027
Nov 4, 2026
Forever launches
No raids yet on launch day.
Dec 9, 2026
First raids unlock
The Barrow Deeps (10 players), Hyjal Summit (20) and Onyxia’s Lair (40).
Spring 2027
Major update: two new raids
One for 10 players and one for 20, with two new dungeons, a new legendary questline, new quests and a playable area, and a PvP season refresh.
Summer 2027
Major update: a new raid and a revamped iconic raid
Blizzard hasn’t named either raid. The update also brings two new dungeons, more world content, a PvP season refresh and profession and Legacy updates.
From Blizzard’s roadmap graphic, which notes that content and timing can change. Every other date, from the beta to Hardcore, is on the WoW Forever release date page.
WoW Forever tier sets (datamined)
Blizzard’s recap promises new tier sets with the new raids but hasn’t announced their names, bonuses or which raid drops them (Wowhead says a few of the looks were previewed at BlizzCon as Hyjal raid gear). The beta client already holds 18 sets whose bonus spells are named “Tier 1”, found by the community datamine maf2414 and listed by Wowhead as well. Several classes get separate sets by talent tree or role, each set has 6 items, and bonuses come at 2, 3, 4 and 5 pieces.
Datamined, not linked to a raid yet. No set record says which raid drops it, and the items have no stats or drop source in the client data. Wowhead expects them to come from the Hyjal raids, because the armor models it found are tagged Hyjal, and it has also found more than forty new weapon models it links to those raids. Names and bonuses can change during the beta.
The datamined bonuses follow one pattern: 2 pieces add a basic stat (hit, haste, spirit or defense); 3 pieces improve a utility spell such as Counterspell, Banish or Barkskin; 4 pieces add damage against one creature type for damage roles, healing for healers or expertise for tanks; and 5 pieces improve a core spell or ability of the class.
The 18 Tier 1 sets in the beta client, by class, with their client names. Datamined, not linked to a raid yet.
Class
Sets (talent tree, role)
Warrior
Battlegear of Glory (Arms, Fury), Battleplate of Glory (Protection)
Blizzard hasn’t announced a boss list or loot table for any of the three raids. Replying to a player worried the beta would spoil the game, designer Josh Greenfield (Aggrend) said the team has “a few new tricks” to preserve more of the surprise, without saying what they are or whether raids are part of it. The community datamine maf2414 found no raid map or boss records for Hyjal Summit or the Barrow Deeps in the beta client tables it checked (build 1.60.1.69876), though it notes that empty journal tables and partial NPC data limit that search, so the real bosses and their loot may not be known until the raids open on Dec 9.
The only boss names so far come from the BlizzCon demo, where Blizzard Watch read the raid challenges in the Legacy Challenges window. Onyxia was still the only boss listed for Onyxia’s Lair; the names for the two new raids are below.
Boss names in the BlizzCon demo’s Legacy Challenges, as Blizzard Watch listed them. Demo names, not an official roster.
Raid
Names in the demo
The Barrow Deeps
Deepscar Matriarch, Elder Tangleclaw, Khalith the Dreadspinner, Well of Sorrow, Amethrax, Del’lynar Songwood, Ravus and Darlissa, Sonya Darkhallow
Hyjal Summit
Bandalar, Ancient of Decay, Time-Lost Battalion, Sylvestris Dusksong, Old Gloomlurker, Gharalis the Abyssal, Kathris the Haunted, Anara Chillwind, Elder Minderel, Tracker Stillwind, Council of Thorns, Nythus the Dreadmbound (sic), The Wild King
WoW Forever raids FAQ
When do WoW Forever raids open?
December 9, 2026. The Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia’s Lair all unlock that day, 5 weeks after launch. Blizzard hasn’t given a time of day.
Are there raids at WoW Forever launch?
No. Forever launches on November 4, 2026, and the first raids unlock 5 weeks later, on December 9, 2026.
How many players are WoW Forever raids for?
The Barrow Deeps is for 10 players, Hyjal Summit for 20 and Onyxia’s Lair for 40. Sizes are fixed.
Is there flex raiding in WoW Forever?
No. Mike Nuthals told Kotaku flex raiding is out; each raid has a set size.
Will every raid tier have a 10-player raid?
Yes. In the same Kotaku interview, Blizzard’s designers said every tier gets at least one 10-player and one 20-player raid, and some tiers also a 40-player raid; Tim Jones said there will always be a 10-player raid.
Is Molten Core in WoW Forever?
Not yet. Blizzard says the original iconic raids haven’t opened yet in Forever and players will rediscover them in the future; in The Sun interview it said Molten Core will open someday, but not now. The summer 2027 update has a “revamped iconic raid” Blizzard hasn’t named.
Is Onyxia’s Lair changed in WoW Forever?
Blizzard hasn’t said. It opens as a 40-player raid on Dec 9, and the BlizzCon demo still listed Onyxia as its only boss.
Where is the Barrow Deeps entrance?
It has three entrances. One is on Mount Hyjal. Blizzard hasn’t said where the others are, but hinted that the tunnels of Blackmaw Hold lead there.
What are the WoW Forever tier sets?
Blizzard hasn’t announced them. The beta client has 18 datamined Tier 1 sets of 6 items each, with several classes getting separate sets by talent tree or role, but no record links them to a raid yet and the items have no stats. See the table above.
Can you get tier sets from 10-player raids?
Wowhead’s summary of The Sun interview says you can get your tier pieces across all three raids, which at launch include the 10-player Barrow Deeps. Blizzard hasn’t said which pieces drop where.
What is the legendary in WoW Forever?
Blizzard hasn’t revealed it. Its recap says the new raids bring a legendary reward it will show in full later, and the spring 2027 update adds a new legendary questline.
What are chase items in WoW Forever raids?
Rare, very strong drops on every raid boss, compared to The Burning Crusade’s Dragonspine Trophy, so older raids stay worth running. This comes from an interview with The Sun, not from patch notes.
Who are the raid bosses in WoW Forever?
There is no official list yet. The BlizzCon demo’s Legacy Challenges named 8 bosses for the Barrow Deeps and 13 for Hyjal Summit (table above); treat them as demo names until the raids open.
Do raids give Legacy points?
Blizzard’s Legacy Challenges window has a Raids category. Wowhead datamined one Legacy point each for defeating the Barrow Deeps’ encounters, Hyjal Summit’s encounters and Onyxia. See WoW Forever Legacy.
Does raid loot give transmog to the whole raid?
No. An epic raid drop grants its appearance only to the player it binds to. Shared appearances are for bind-on-pickup greens and blues from dungeons.
Can I raid with friends on another ruleset or faction?
No. You can group, run dungeons and raid only with players on the same ruleset, and Horde and Alliance can’t group together.
Can meeting stones summon you to a raid?
No. Meeting stones open the Looking for Group feature but don’t summon, so you still need a warlock or have to travel, Blizzard’s designers told Kotaku.
Still unconfirmed
Official boss lists and loot for all three raids
What the legendary reward is and where it drops
Which raid drops the datamined Tier 1 sets, and their stats
Raid lockouts and the reset schedule
Whether Onyxia’s Lair changes from Classic
Where the other Barrow Deeps entrances are
Which raids the 2027 updates add, and which iconic raid is revamped
Whether world buffs work in raids (only a streamer’s secondhand report so far)
Warrior Talents
Paladin Talents
Hunter Talents
Rogue Talents
Priest Talents
Shaman Talents
Mage Talents
Warlock Talents
Druid Talents
Human
Dwarf
Night Elf
Gnome
Orc
Undead
Tauren
Troll