WoW Forever raid prep: what I'm sorting before December 9

I'd rather discover a missing Drakefire Amulet now than at the entrance to Onyxia's Lair.

Forever's first raids unlock on December 9, 2026. That's December 10 in Taiwan, Korea, and mainland China. As of November 14, Blizzard hasn't announced the unlock hour.

Here's the list I'm working through before we get a group together.

Pick a raid before you recruit a group

All three raids are level 60, and all are planned to reset weekly. Their group sizes are different enough that "let's raid together" needs a more specific conversation.

Raid	Players	Bosses	Location	Entry requirement
The Barrow Deeps	10	8	Beneath Mount Hyjal, with entrances through Mount Hyjal, Winterspring, and Blackmaw Hold	Level 60
Hyjal Summit	20	13	Mount Hyjal's summit near Nordrassil, with branching paths	Level 60
Onyxia's Lair	40	1, with three phases	Dustwallow Marsh	Level 60 and a Drakefire Amulet in your bags

The Barrow Deeps is the prison that held Illidan for 10,000 years. It and Hyjal Summit carry new tier sets and a legendary reward. I'm looking forward to seeing those rewards, but first I need to figure out which raid fits our group.

My first planning question is how many people actually want to commit. Ten, 20, and 40 are different conversations. I wouldn't promise an Onyxia group just because enough friends sound interested in raiding generally.

Check the characters before filling the calendar

I'd do these in order:

1. Agree on a target raid and its group size.
2. Confirm everyone's on the same ruleset and faction.
3. Check who's at level 60 and who's still working toward it.
4. If the plan includes Onyxia, ask who has finished attunement.
5. Pick a provisional date, leaving the unlock hour unresolved for now.

Forever only lets characters group, guild, run dungeons, and raid within the same ruleset and faction. There's no point planning a roster around characters that can't join each other.

I'd also keep leveling separate from a deadline someone didn't agree to. The game explicitly treats the journey as important. My raid plans aren't a reason to turn a friend's evenings into a mandatory leveling schedule.

Alliance attunement starts in the Burning Steppes

Onyxia requires the Drakefire Amulet from a faction quest chain. I'd start this early enough to arrange the dungeon runs with friends.

For Alliance, I'd track it like this:

1. Find Helendis Riverhorn in the Burning Steppes and start "Dragonkin Menace".
2. Follow the faction attunement chain through Blackrock Depths and Lower and Upper Blackrock Spire.
3. Complete the chain's ending involving General Drakkisath's blood to obtain the Drakefire Amulet.
4. Keep the amulet in your bags for Onyxia's Lair. You don't need to equip it.

I'd use these milestones to work out who needs the same dungeon, then follow the quest text for the individual objectives and hand-ins. Having people ready for the same part sounds much easier to organize.

Horde attunement starts in Kargath

The starting quest and contact are different. The named dungeon milestones and final blood requirement are shared.

For Horde:

1. Find Warlord Goretooth in Kargath, Badlands, and start "Blood and Thunder".
2. Follow the faction attunement chain through Blackrock Depths and Lower and Upper Blackrock Spire.
3. Finish the chain's ending involving General Drakkisath's blood to obtain the Drakefire Amulet.
4. Bring the amulet in your bags when you head to Onyxia. Equipping it isn't required.

I'd ask about attunement before arranging the raid night, then organize dungeon time with anyone who still needs it. "I've started" and "I've got the amulet" aren't the same answer.

Fire resistance belongs on the Onyxia list

Blizzard's raid information says Onyxia needs fire resistance. The overview doesn't give a target number, so that's still an open question.

I'd put fire resistance on the group's preparation list now and agree on a target when we have more detail. That gives everyone a chance to plan before the raid invite arrives.

For the Barrow Deeps and Hyjal Summit, resistance requirements are still unknown. I'll handle those separately as we learn more about the encounters.

I'd learn how camping works before raid night

×

I'd like to understand what a campsite offers before we're all trying to get ready at once. It's one more thing the group can discuss ahead of time.

A Basic Campfire can become a shared campsite. Nearby players can each add one profession-crafted Camp Feature, with up to three features per camp. Sitting or crafting there for at least one minute grants its buffs.

Camp buffs don't stack with the matching class buffs. I'd check what the group already has before planning around one. Monsters also keep moving while you rest, so a camp isn't a pause button.

Leave room in the calendar until we have an unlock hour

With weekly resets planned, I'd start by asking which night people can usually make. A regular slot gives us something to work toward, even while the first week's schedule is provisional.

I'd check Blizzard's raid overview again before asking people to arrange their evening around a launch-day invite. For now, I'd put the date in the calendar and leave the time open.

I'll revisit the schedule when Blizzard gives us the hour.

• Ted