WoW: Forever’s first three raids open December 9 for level-60 characters: Barrow Deeps for 10 players, Hyjal Summit for 20, and Onyxia for 40. The immediate planning job is choosing a realistic roster target and checking access requirements, not importing an old raid guide because a name sounds familiar.
This article covers Blizzard’s official Forever, now live worldwide, not the WotLK 3.3.5a private server featured in older site articles. It is for guild organizers and players preparing for the announced raid opening. Scheduling recommendations are editorial advice; confirmed access details come from Blizzard’s raid overview.
The December 9 lineup and what it means
| Raid | Raid size | Character level | Opening date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barrow Deeps | 10 players | 60 | December 9 |
| Hyjal Summit | 20 players | 60 | December 9 |
| Onyxia | 40 players | 60 | December 9 |
These sizes create different organizational commitments. A group that can reliably gather 10 people should not advertise a guaranteed 40-player opening-night run merely because both raids share a release date. Start with attendance you can reasonably coordinate.
The date is the useful confirmed planning anchor. This guide does not attach an exact opening hour, time zone, lockout schedule or reset cadence to it. Those details should not be filled in from habits learned in another version of Warcraft.
Likewise, a familiar name is not a complete encounter specification. Forever’s Hyjal Summit and Onyxia should not be treated as permission to copy a TBC or WotLK walkthrough, boss script or loot table.
Build a roster before promising a clear
Choose a first raid target, then ask prospective attendees for their intended character, availability and progress toward level 60. Friends must share a ruleset and faction to raid together. Our ruleset guide is a better recruitment reference than an assumption that account-wide features allow cross-ruleset parties.
Our editorial recommendation is to maintain an attendance list separately from an access checklist. A player may be available on December 9 but still need attunement work. Another may have completed access requirements but be unable to attend the group’s chosen evening.
Do not publish rigid class quotas or mandatory item lists as if Blizzard’s overview established them. At this stage, reliable communication and an honest roster are more defensible preparations than a fabricated optimal composition.
Onyxia: every member needs the amulet
Onyxia has a specific individual requirement: each raid member needs a Drakefire Amulet in their bags. It does not have to be equipped. A raid leader possessing one does not satisfy the requirement for everyone else.
That distinction makes attunement tracking practical rather than bureaucratic. Record whether each player has obtained the amulet, then remind attendees to carry it when they travel to the raid. Possession somewhere else is not the same as having it in the character’s bags.
The faction outlines below identify major landmarks in the process. They are not a complete, step-by-step quest walkthrough, and they should not be read as permission to skip intermediate objectives or dialogue.
Alliance attunement: the major landmarks
Alliance players begin with Helendis Riverhorn in the Burning Steppes. The opening progression includes Dragonkin Menace and The True Masters, followed by the story involving Marshal Windsor.
Later landmarks include Stormwind Rendezvous, The Great Masquerade, and The Dragon’s Eye. The chain ultimately involves obtaining Blood of the Black Dragon Champion from General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire to secure the Drakefire Amulet.
For organizers, those names are useful progress labels. Ask whether someone is at the Windsor portion, the Stormwind events, or the Drakkisath requirement instead of accepting an ambiguous “almost done.” Let each player’s quest log determine their exact next step.
Horde attunement: the major landmarks
Horde players start with Warlord Goretooth in Kargath, Badlands. The route includes a Lower Blackrock Spire assignment and subsequent steps involving Rexxar, Myranda the Hag, and Emberstrife.
The broader chain includes four Test of Skulls tasks. It also requires blood from General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire, with the return to Rexxar leading to the amulet. These are the confirmed structural landmarks, not an exhaustive sequence of every pickup and hand-in.
As editorial planning advice, cluster help requests by the actual quest objective. Two players both saying “Onyxia attunement” may need different destinations, and grouping them without checking can waste the session they hoped to use for progress.
Use the launch interval for practical preparation
Leveling remains the first requirement for these level-60 raids. The new dungeon guide offers published ranges for group outings along that journey, including Blackmaw Hold and Shaper’s Terrace near the cap. It does not establish a mandatory pre-raid gear route.
A useful guild checklist is straightforward:
- Confirm the first intended raid and its actual roster size.
- Verify matching ruleset and faction for every attendee.
- Track progress toward level 60 without inventing a required leveling pace.
- Track individual Drakefire Amulet completion for Onyxia.
- Recheck official announcements before finalizing the event.
Players interested in parallel account goals can consult the Legacy system guide. Keep those goals separate from confirmed raid entry requirements rather than turning every account reward into a compulsory preparation task.
Frequently asked questions
Do the raids open with the worldwide launch?
No. Forever is live worldwide, but the announced opening date for these three raids is December 9. All three are level-60 raids. No precise opening hour is supplied here.
Which raid has the smallest roster?
Barrow Deeps uses 10 players. Hyjal Summit uses 20, and Onyxia uses 40. Choose your initial target around a roster you can organize rather than assuming every guild must begin with the largest option.
Must I equip the Drakefire Amulet?
No. For Onyxia, every member must carry their own Drakefire Amulet in their bags. It is an individual access requirement, but equipping it is not necessary.
Can I reuse an older Onyxia or Hyjal guide unchanged?
Do not assume so. Familiar names do not verify Forever’s encounter mechanics, loot, lockouts or tuning. Use the official Forever overview for confirmed launch planning and avoid presenting another edition’s details as established facts.
Sources
- Blizzard: World of Warcraft: Forever Raid Overview—Locations, Raid Sizes, and Attunement — December 9 opening, roster sizes and attunement outlines.
- Blizzard: Choose Your Ruleset in World of Warcraft: Forever — faction and ruleset grouping requirements.
- Blizzard: World of Warcraft: Forever Now Live! — worldwide launch context.