Onyxia's Lair in WoW Forever: Raid Guide
What Blizzard has said about the 40-player raid, what to prepare and what is still unknown about her fight and loot.
By HarenilPublished Updated
Onyxia's Lair opens December 9 in Dustwallow Marsh as a level 60 raid for 40 players. Every raider must carry the Drakefire Amulet, and Blizzard says to build fire resistance first.
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The Evidence, 3 Facts, Where the Lair Is, How to Get Ready, Loot and Rewards & More
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TL;DR
Onyxia's Lair opens December 9 for 40 level 60 players. Carry the Drakefire Amulet and build fire resistance.
- LocationDustwallow Marsh.
- Size and level40 players, level 60.
- OpensDecember 9, with Barrow Deeps and Hyjal Summit.
The Evidence, 3 facts
- LockoutAll raids are "currently planned to reset each week."
- EntryEach raider carries the Drakefire Amulet.
- EncountersOne encounter row, Onyxia, on map 249.
On This Page
Where the Lair Is
Onyxia's Lair is in the south of Dustwallow Marsh. The client stores a map marker for it that converts to about 52.3, 76.1 on the Dustwallow Marsh map, and Classic Era stores the same position.Confirmed, a first-party sourceSource: Wago Tools: AreaPOI, build 1.60.1.70862, row 1094, converted with UiMapAssignment bounds for map 1445; compared with Classic Era AreaPOI; checked Nov 8, 2026.
The client also lists one flight point per faction in the zone. Distances are straight lines to the marker, so expect a longer ride.Confirmed, a first-party sourceSource: Wago Tools: TaxiNodes, build 1.60.1.70862, rows for Theramore and Brackenwall Village, checked Nov 8, 2026.
Swipe sideways to see all columns.
| Flight point | Side | Position | Distance to marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theramore | Alliance | 67.5, 51.2 | About 1,180 yards |
| Brackenwall Village | Horde | 35.6, 31.8 | About 1,780 yards |
What Blizzard Has Said About the Fight
Blizzard's description is short. It calls this a "three-phase encounter" with "powerful fire attacks that can punish an unprepared raid," and tells players to "build their fire resistance before entering, then be ready to reposition and work together as the battle shifts around them."Confirmed, a first-party sourceSource: Blizzard: Raid Overview, Face the Flames in Onyxia's Lair, checked Nov 8, 2026.
Blizzard's Raid Overview and the guides cited here give no Forever phase timings, health thresholds or add counts, so this page prints no timers. The raid opens on December 9, and Classic Era numbers would not be evidence for Forever.
How to Get Ready
Four things to settle before December 9:
- Earn the Drakefire Amulet on every raider.
- Collect fire resistance gear.
- Recruit to 40, or partner with another guild.
- Plan your weekly raid night.
The amulet is the long job.
More detailLess detailEach player must earn it through a faction quest chain with several…1 paragraph, 85 words
Each player must earn it through a faction quest chain with several high-level dungeon trips, and our Onyxia attunement guide lists every Alliance and Horde step.Confirmed, a first-party sourceSource: Blizzard: Raid Overview, Get Attuned to Onyxia's Lair, checked Nov 8, 2026. Warcraft Tavern reports from Blizzard's podcast that the attunement won't be account wide, "at least not at launch."Reported, press or datamine, not confirmedSource: Warcraft Tavern: Onyxia's Lair Raid Will Still Require Attunement, checked Nov 8, 2026.
The amulet helps with the fire part too. ForeverChanges shows it with +10 Stamina and +15 Fire Resistance, the same tooltip in both clients.Reported, press or datamine, not confirmedSource: ForeverChanges: Drakefire Amulet, client comparison, checked Nov 8, 2026.
Fire Resistance You Can Already Plan Around
Blizzard's Raid Overview gives no resistance target. These are the fire protection sources we could confirm in Forever data, and our camping guide explains how camp objects work.Reported, press or datamine, not confirmedSource: ForeverChanges: Drakefire Amulet, Enchanted Lute, Greater Fire Protection Potion and Fire Protection Potion, Forever tooltips, checked Nov 8, 2026.
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| Source | Protection | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Drakefire Amulet | +15 Fire Resistance | Neck slot; item level 63 |
| Enchanted Lute | 22 to all resistances at level 60 | Camp object; not with Mark of the Wild |
| Greater Fire Protection Potion | Absorbs 1,950 to 3,250 fire damage | Requires level 48; lasts 2 min |
| Fire Protection Potion | Absorbs 975 to 1,625 fire damage | Requires level 23; lasts 2 min |
The Greater potion is an Alchemy skill 290 recipe, and ForeverChanges lists its recipe as a drop from Firebrand Invokers in Blackrock Spire. The smaller potion is skill 165, with its recipe sold by Nandar Branson in Hillsbrad Foothills for Alliance and Jeeda in Stonetalon Mountains for Horde.Reported, press or datamine, not confirmedSource: ForeverChanges: Greater Fire Protection Potion and Fire Protection Potion, How to make it, checked Nov 8, 2026.
For raid sizing and how the three launch raids fit together, see WoW Forever raids and First Raid Prep. Characters still short of 60 can lean on RestedXP for the route, or compare it in our Zygor vs RestedXP guide.
Loot and Rewards
Method expects the rewards to "likely change considerably," which is its opinion and not a list.Reported, press or datamine, not confirmedSource: Method: WoW Forever Raids, Onyxia's Lair section, checked Nov 8, 2026.
Two things are on record:
- Legacy: "Defeat Onyxia" is a Legacy raid challenge.Confirmed, a first-party sourceSource: Blizzard: Get to Know the Legacy System, Raids, checked Nov 8, 2026.
- Head of Onyxia: the item exists in the client.Confirmed, a first-party sourceSource: Wago Tools: ItemSparse, build 1.60.1.70862, row 18422, checked Nov 8, 2026.
The head starts a turn-in for each faction on ForeverChanges' records.Reported, press or datamine, not confirmedSource: ForeverChanges: Victory for the Alliance and Victory for the Horde, Objectives, Rewards and status lines, checked Nov 8, 2026.
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| Quest | Turn in at | XP | Reputation | Forever change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victory for the Alliance | Highlord Bolvar Fordragon, Stormwind, 80.2, 38.3 | 9,950 | +200 Stormwind | Requires level 60 instead of 50 |
| Victory for the Horde | Thrall, Orgrimmar, 31.7, 37.8 | 9,950 | +200 Orgrimmar | 9,950 XP instead of 13,250 |
What the Client Shows
The client carries the raid's map and its single boss. Onyxia's Lair is map 249, a raid map with 40 players, and the same values appear in Classic Era. Only the encounter row's flags differ, 1028 in Forever against 4 in Classic Era, and that number alone does not tell us what changed in the fight.Confirmed, a first-party sourceSource: Wago Tools: Map, build 1.60.1.70862, row 249; DungeonEncounter, row 1084; compared with Classic Era 1.15.9.70576 Map and DungeonEncounter; checked Nov 8, 2026.
Not Announced or Unresolved
- Loot tableThe sources cited here list no Forever loot.
Onyxia's Lair Questions
Is Onyxia the same fight as in Classic?
Blizzard describes a three-phase encounter with fire attacks and repositioning, but the sources cited here give no Forever numbers for it. The client's encounter flag differs from Classic Era and its meaning is unknown, so treat the fight as unconfirmed until it opens.
Does every raider need the amulet?
Yes. Blizzard says the raid "requires each member of the raid to carry the Drakefire Amulet to enter," and it only needs to be in your inventory.
Do you get anything for the first kill?
"Defeat Onyxia" is one of three Legacy raid challenges, which are worth a total of 3 points between them. Blizzard's Legacy article lists it under Raids.
Onyxia Source Notes
- The AreaPOI marker is row 1094, x -4698.06, y -3720.58; map 1445 bounds are -5533.33 to -2033.33 and -6225 to -975.
- Flight point sides come from the client's mount columns for each node.
- ForeverChanges flags both fire protection potions as changed from Classic and does not say which tooltip line matters for raiding.
- Blizzard calls Onyxia "a dragon of the Black Dragonflight and the younger sister of Nefarian."
- Method calls Onyxia "the only returning raid at launch."
- Warcraft Tavern calls it a vanilla raid with one boss.
Every row carries an evidence icon: Confirmed, Planned, Reported, Unverified or Not announced. Hover, focus or tap one for its source. Where sources disagree, both stay on the page. How we verify
Sources
- Blizzard: World of Warcraft: Forever Raid OverviewBlizzard
- Blizzard: Get to Know the World of Warcraft: Forever Legacy SystemBlizzard
- Warcraft Tavern: Onyxia's Lair Raid Will Still Require Attunement in WoW ForeverWarcraft Tavern
- Warcraft Tavern: WoW Forever raidsWarcraft Tavern
- Method: WoW Forever RaidsMethod
- ForeverChanges: Drakefire AmuletForeverChanges
- ForeverChanges: Victory for the AllianceForeverChanges
- ForeverChanges: Victory for the HordeForeverChanges
- Wago Tools: AreaPOI, build 1.60.1.70862Wago Tools
- Wago Tools: AreaPOI, Classic Era 1.15.9.70576Wago Tools
- Wago Tools: UiMapAssignment, build 1.60.1.70862Wago Tools
- Wago Tools: TaxiNodes, build 1.60.1.70862Wago Tools
- ForeverChanges: Enchanted LuteForeverChanges
- ForeverChanges: Greater Fire Protection PotionForeverChanges
- ForeverChanges: Fire Protection PotionForeverChanges
- Wago Tools: DungeonEncounter, build 1.60.1.70862Wago Tools
- Wago Tools: DungeonEncounter, Classic Era 1.15.9.70576Wago Tools
- Wago Tools: Map, build 1.60.1.70862Wago Tools
- Wago Tools: Map, Classic Era 1.15.9.70576Wago Tools
- Wago Tools: ItemSparse, build 1.60.1.70862Wago Tools
Confirmed, a first-party source
Planned, first-party, in the future tense
Confirmed, a first-party source
Press · Wago Tools: DungeonEncounter, build 1.60.1.70862
Not announced, nothing on record