Guide ·
WoW Forever Raid Prep Checklist: What to Do Before Dec 9
To prepare for the first WoW Forever raids, reach level 60, decide which raid fits your group (10, 20 or 40 players), start the Onyxia's Lair attunement early, and build fire resistance before you enter it. Blizzard says all three raids unlock on December 9; its raid overview is the main official source, as of November 6, 2026.
Quick answer: Blizzard's own advice is short: reach level 60, choose the raid that fits your group, start the Drakefire Amulet attunement early with friends, and build fire resistance for Onyxia. Consumables and gear advice below comes from third-party guides.
Related: raids, Onyxia attunement, endgame progression, tier sets.
Key facts
- Unlock date: December 9, for level 60 players (Blizzard)
- Barrow Deeps: 10 players, eight bosses; entrances in Mount Hyjal, Winterspring and Blackmaw Hold (Blizzard)
- Hyjal Summit: 20 players, 13 bosses, near the World Tree Nordrassil (Blizzard)
- Onyxia's Lair: 40 players, Dustwallow Marsh, Drakefire Amulet in your inventory (Blizzard)
- Reset: planned weekly for all raids (Blizzard)
What should I do before the raids open?
- Reach level 60. The level cap is 60 and all three raids are level 60 (Blizzard). See how long it takes.
- Choose a raid that fits your group. Blizzard's wording is to "choose the raid that fits your group": 10, 20 or 40 players.
- Start the Onyxia attunement now. Blizzard says to start early, bring a few friends for the elite quests, and leave time for several trips into high-level dungeons.
- Build fire resistance before Onyxia's Lair, which Blizzard says can punish an unprepared raid with fire attacks.
- Put gold aside. Blizzard's development notes put training class abilities from level 1 to 60 at 206 to 207 gold; raid costs are not published.
- Check consumables and gear against your class guide (see below).
How does the Drakefire Amulet attunement work?
Blizzard's overview gives a step-by-step guide to the questline. The Alliance chain it lists starts in the Burning Steppes with "Dragonkin Menace" from Helendis Riverhorn and runs through Blackrock Depths and Stormwind. Horde players should follow the Horde column on Blizzard's page. Blizzard says the Drakefire Amulet only needs to be in your inventory, not equipped, and the chain it lists ends with General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire. More detail: attunement guide.
What consumables and gear do the guides suggest?
No Blizzard page lists raid consumables for WoW Forever. Third-party guides fill the gap and are labelled as such:
- Mobalytics' Survival Hunter guide (by Feor, November 2) lists flasks, elixirs, potions and runes by name and expects raid-only flasks in Forever. Names come from that guide, not from a Blizzard list.
- Warcraft Tavern's Hunter guide warns that ammunition and pet food crowd Hunter bags, so check stock before leaving town.
- Dving's pre-raid guide (September, from a company that sells boosting services) says level 60 does not make a character raid-ready, and suggests repairing gear, clearing bag space and travelling to the entrance early.
Blizzard's development notes say it does not plan big tuning changes before the raids open, apart from bugs and serious outliers.
Do I need a full group first?
Blizzard says to bring friends for the elite attunement quests, and Onyxia's Lair is 40 players. For the smaller raids it says only to pick the size that fits your group. See guilds and looking for group.
What is not confirmed yet
- Whether the attunement quests can be done before December 9: Blizzard's overview does not say.
- Consumable lists and fire resistance numbers: none published for Forever.
- Loot rules and lockouts: Blizzard says weekly resets are planned, nothing more.
- Gear targets: any level 60 list is a projection; the beta ended at level 30.
Can the Lore Forever add-on and Willo help with this?
The free Lore Forever add-on puts a Lore button on quests, so attunement quests can show their story, and it links dungeon primers. Willo is a separate companion app for Windows 10 or 11 and Apple Silicon Macs (macOS 12 or later), per her page; her FAQ and the Lore Forever FAQ say Windows and Mac, though CurseForge still calls her a Windows app. Ask her out loud "what is the next step of my attunement" while you play. She is free to start with 50 answers a day and can be wrong, so check the quest text and Blizzard's pages. The add-on has no internet access and uses generated voices. Both are fan-made, not affiliated with Blizzard.
Frequently asked questions
When do WoW Forever raids open?
December 9, for level 60 players, per Blizzard.
What do I need for Onyxia's Lair?
The Drakefire Amulet in your inventory, earned through a faction questline, per Blizzard.
How big are the first raids?
Barrow Deeps 10 players, Hyjal Summit 20, Onyxia's Lair 40, per Blizzard.
Do I need fire resistance?
Blizzard says Onyxia uses powerful fire attacks and advises building it first.
Is there an official raid gear list?
No. Treat any list as provisional.
Sources
Reviewed November 6, 2026. Lore Forever and Willo are fan-made and are not affiliated with Blizzard Entertainment.