Which raids unlock on December 9?
| Raid | Size | Bosses | When | What we know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrow Deeps | 10 | 8 | December 9, 2026 | Beneath Mount Hyjal; max level |
| Hyjal Summit | 20 | 13 | December 9, 2026 | In Hyjal; boss names not out yet |
| Onyxia's Lair | 40 | Onyxia | December 9, 2026 | The Classic raid; drops extra tier pieces |
| Two new raids | 10 and 20 | — | Spring 2027 | Names not announced |
| Revamped iconic raid + new raid | Not announced | — | Summer 2027 | Which raid isn't known |
Dates come from Blizzard's 2026–2027 roadmap, which says content and timing can change. The BlizzCon recap's “two new raids” are Barrow Deeps and Hyjal Summit; Onyxia's Lair is the returning Classic raid.
WoW Forever's first raids unlock December 9, 2026 on the roadmap: Barrow Deeps (10 players, 8 bosses) beneath Mount Hyjal, Hyjal Summit (20 players, 13 bosses) and 40-player Onyxia's Lair. Four more raids are planned across spring and summer 2027.
Is Onyxia open at launch on November 4?
Blizzard's September 23 video says Onyxia's Lair is available “at launch”, and the September 17 Q&A also talked about Onyxia “for launch”. The roadmap, though, puts Onyxia in the December 9 raid unlock. Read “at launch” as “part of the launch raid set” and plan around December 9.
Don't expect a 40-player raid every tier either. Most raids are built for 10 or 20 players, and 40-player content will show up now and then alongside the 10- and 20-player updates.
Barrow Deeps
A 10-player raid for max-level characters, with 8 bosses beneath Mount Hyjal. Blizzard pitches it as an expansion of one of Warcraft's most recognizable locations. Boss names and entry requirements haven't been shared.
Hyjal Summit
20 players, 13 bosses. Mount Hyjal is a new zone set after Archimonde's defeat and the finale of leveling, home to both new raids and a mixed Horde and Alliance camp stuck in an uneasy truce.
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Do raids give Legacy points?
Yes, three. Killing Onyxia, clearing all 13 Hyjal Summit bosses and clearing all 8 Barrow Deeps bosses are one Legacy Point each. Dungeon challenges only need the last boss of each level bracket, but raids need every single boss, so a partial clear earns nothing.
Those 3 points matter if you want 16 Legacy points on one character: skip both raids and PvP and you top out at 14. The full breakdown is in our WoW Forever Legacy system guide.
Raid loot: tier sets and a legendary
The new raids bring new tier sets and a legendary reward Blizzard will show in full later. Tier pieces drop from both the 10- and 20-player raid, and dungeons and raids have one difficulty, no heroic. For transmog, raid epic appearances only go to whoever loots the item.
What Blizzard said about raids on video
- Hyjal is the finale of leveling and home to both new raids, with a mixed Horde and Alliance camp inside. 2:07
- Most raids are 10 or 20 players; 40-player Onyxia's Lair is there “at launch”; Barrow Deeps is an 8-boss raid beneath Mount Hyjal. 3:51
- September 17 Q&A: no flex raiding at launch, a 10- and a 20-player raid every tier, tier pieces from both, no cross-faction. 1:23:14
- Onyxia drops extra tier pieces; not every tier gets a 40-player raid. 1:25:58
- One difficulty for dungeons and raids, no heroic. 1:26:49
When is Molten Core coming?
Molten Core isn't on the roadmap by name. Forever's story is set before Molten Core, and the “revamped iconic raid” planned for summer 2027 hasn't been named either. Nothing official says it's Molten Core.
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