Onyxia's Lair

Quick answer: Onyxia's Lair is WoW Forever's 40-player raid in Dustwallow Marsh, opening on 9 December 2026. It's a single boss, Onyxia, in a three-phase fight built around heavy fire damage. Every raider needs the Drakefire Amulet in their bags to enter. In the original fight, she's tanked on the ground in phase 1, flies and breathes fire across the room while whelps attack in phase 2, then lands and fears the raid while lava erupts from the floor in phase 3. Blizzard advises building fire resistance before you go in.

Onyxia's Lair at a glance

• Players: 40
• Bosses: 1 (Onyxia), in 3 phases
• Level: 60
• Opens: 9 December 2026, together with the Barrow Deeps and Hyjal Summit
• Location: Wyrmbog, in southern Dustwallow Marsh
• Attunement: the Drakefire Amulet, in your bags (it doesn't need to be equipped)
• Resets: weekly, according to Blizzard's current plan
• Damage type: mostly fire

The Onyxia attunement: Drakefire Amulet

Every member of the raid needs the Drakefire Amulet. It comes from a long, faction-specific quest chain through Blackrock Depths and both halves of Blackrock Spire, and it ends with General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire.

• Alliance: starts with "Dragonkin Menace" from Helendis Riverhorn in the Burning Steppes.
• Horde: starts with "Blood and Thunder" from Warlord Goretooth in Kargath, Badlands.

Every step for both factions is on our raid overview page. Start early: the chain has elite quests and several dungeon runs, so it's much easier with friends.

What's different in WoW Forever?

Blizzard confirms these points:

• Three phases, with powerful fire attacks that punish unprepared raids.
• Build fire resistance before you go in.
• Be ready to reposition as the fight changes.
• The attunement is the Drakefire Amulet, carried in your bags.

Blizzard hasn't said whether her abilities, health or phase timings differ from the original fight. The strategy below follows the original encounter, and we'll update it as soon as players have fought WoW Forever's version.

Onyxia strategy: how the fight works

Based on the original encounter. We'll update this page once WoW Forever's version has been tested.

Before the pull: the entrance and whelp caves

The tunnel into the lair is guarded by Onyxian Warders, big dragonkin that hit hard and burn nearby players. Pull them one at a time.

Inside, the big round room has whelp caves along both sides, full of eggs. Don't walk near them before the fight. Disturbed eggs hatch into whelps that join the fight early.

Phase 1: on the ground (100% to 65% health)

• The main tank pulls Onyxia and turns her so she faces away from the raid, usually towards the back wall.
• Everyone else stands at her sides. Never stand in front of her (Flame Breath and Cleave) or behind her (Tail Sweep knocks you back, sometimes into the whelp caves).
• Wing Buffet knocks back players in front of her. Expect the tank to need re-positioning.
• Damage dealers wait a few seconds for the tank to build threat before going all out.

Phase 2: she takes off (65% to 40% health)

• Onyxia flies up and moves around above the room.
• She throws Fireballs at random players. The blast hits anyone nearby, so spread out.
• Deep Breath is the killer: she flies to one side of the room and breathes fire across it in a straight line. If she turns to face the middle of the room, move to the sides immediately. Fire resistance helps you survive it, but getting out of the line is what saves you.
• Whelps pour out of the side caves. Assign a few players (Warriors, Paladins and area damage casters work well) to pick them up and kill them.
• Ranged damage dealers and Hunters do most of the boss damage in this phase. Melee players help with whelps.

Phase 3: she lands (40% to 0% health)

• She lands, and the main tank picks her up again and faces her away like in phase 1.
• Bellowing Roar fears the whole raid. While players run around in fear, lava erupts from cracks in the floor.
• Keep the main tank from being feared: Fear Ward from a Priest, a Shaman's Tremor Totem, or the Warrior's own Berserker Rage timed just before the roar.
• Keep killing whelps, stay at her sides and burn her down.

Fire resistance for Onyxia

Blizzard hasn't given a target number. In the original fight, fire resistance mattered most for the main tank and for surviving Deep Breath. A sensible starting point:

• Main tank: as much as you can comfortably collect without losing too much armor and health.
• Everyone else: carry whatever fire resistance you can, such as Fire Protection Potions, a Paladin's Fire Resistance Aura and a Shaman's Fire Resistance Totem.
• The Drakefire Amulet itself reportedly gives fire resistance in WoW Forever (+15 in the game data), so equip it if nothing better fills your neck slot.

Best group setup for Onyxia

For 40 players, start with:

• 2-3 tanks: one main tank for Onyxia, the others for whelps and the entrance guards
• 9-11 healers: spread across all eight groups, with extra healers on the main tank
• 26-29 damage dealers: ranged damage matters most in phase 2

Put a Shaman or Paladin in every group if you can, for resistance totems or auras.

Onyxia loot

Blizzard hasn't published WoW Forever's loot table for Onyxia, and new items hide their stats until someone loots them. In the original game she dropped powerful helmets and her head started a quest that rewarded the raid. We'll list her WoW Forever loot once players have seen it.

Best raid builds

Our recommended raid spec for each role, from the class guides. Blizzard says it doesn't plan big class tuning changes before the raids open, so these builds should hold up on 9 December. Click one to open it in the talent calculator.

Tanks

Protection Warrior Protection Paladin Bear Druid

Healers

Holy Priest Discipline Priest Holy Paladin Restoration Shaman Restoration Druid

Melee damage

Fury Warrior Assassination Rogue Survival Hunter

Ranged damage

Fire Mage Arcane Mage Destruction Warlock Marksmanship Hunter Elemental Shaman Balance Druid

Most-voted player raid builds

See every raid build →

How to prepare for Onyxia's Lair

• Finish the Drakefire Amulet chain before 9 December. The whole raid needs it.
• Collect fire resistance gear and Fire Protection Potions.
• Pick your raid spec. Our class guides cover every class.
• Set up raid macros for mouseover heals, focus interrupts and target marking. See our Raiding macros.
• Skyborne players: your Charged and Attuned buffs are removed when you enter a raid.

Frequently asked questions

How do you get into Onyxia's Lair in WoW Forever?

Every raider needs the Drakefire Amulet in their bags. It comes from a faction quest chain that starts in the Burning Steppes (Alliance) or Badlands (Horde) and ends with General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire.

How many phases does Onyxia have?

Three. In the original fight she's on the ground in phase 1, flies and uses Deep Breath while whelps attack in phase 2, then lands and fears the raid while lava erupts in phase 3.

How much fire resistance do you need for Onyxia?

Blizzard hasn't given a number, only advice to build fire resistance before entering. The main tank needs it most, and Fire Protection Potions help everyone survive Deep Breath.

How many players is Onyxia's Lair?

Onyxia's Lair is a 40-player raid for level 60 characters.

Where is Onyxia's Lair?

In the Wyrmbog, in southern Dustwallow Marsh in Kalimdor.

Does the Drakefire Amulet have to be equipped?

No. It only needs to be in your bags when you enter.