WoW Forever raids
The first WoW Forever raids open on 9 Dec 2026: Barrow Deeps for 10 players and Hyjal Summit for 20, with Onyxia's Lair for 40 reported alongside them. Every tier gets one 10-player and one 20-player raid, 40-player raids appear in some tiers only, there is no flexible sizing and no heroic mode, groups cannot mix factions, and GDKP runs are banned.
The first WoW Forever raid tier
| Raid | Size | Where | Bosses | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrow Deeps | 10 players | Mount Hyjal | 8 encounters reported | Official |
| Hyjal Summit | 20 players | Mount Hyjal | 13 encounters reported, ending with The Wild King | Official |
| Onyxia's Lair | 40 players | Dustwallow Marsh | Onyxia. Shown on the roadmap slide, not in Blizzard's written recap | Reported |
Boss counts come from the beta client and are Reported until Blizzard confirms them. Both new raids are reached through Mount Hyjal.
WoW Forever raid rules
- Sizes. One 10-player and one 20-player raid per tier. 40-player raids start with Onyxia's Lair and do not come every tier.
- No flex, no heroic. Raid size is fixed and there is a single difficulty for every dungeon and raid.
- No cross-faction grouping. Alliance and Horde raid separately.
- No GDKP. Blizzard said gold-bid raids are not allowed and that gold buying will be punished.
- No summoning stones. Warlock summons bring the raid together.
- Loot. Item stats are hidden until an item first drops, every boss has a chase item, and raid epics unlock their transmog appearance only for the looter.
- Later tiers. The roadmap shows two raids in spring 2027 and a revamped iconic raid plus a new raid in summer 2027. See the timeline and roadmap.
Raid facts, with sources
- Official Two launch raids unlock December 9: Barrow Deeps (10-player, max level) and Hyjal Summit (20-player).Blizzard: What's Next Panel Recap · plus 1 independent report
- Reported Roadmap: two more raids (10 and 20 player) in spring 2027, then a revamped iconic raid plus another new raid in summer 2027. Blizzard itself confirms a revamped iconic raid is coming.1 independent report
- Reported The roadmap slide shown at BlizzCon also lists Onyxia's Lair (40 players) for 9 December 2026. Blizzard's written recap does not mention it.1 independent report
- Reported The roadmap slide lists two raids, two dungeons, a new zone, a Legendary questline and a PvP refresh for spring 2027, then a revamped iconic raid, a new raid and two dungeons for summer 2027.1 independent report
- Official There is no flexible raid sizing. Every tier ships one 10-player and one 20-player raid, and 40-player raids appear in some tiers, starting with Onyxia's Lair.Blizzard: live Q&A broadcast, 2026-09-17 · plus 2 independent reports
- Official Dungeons and raids have a single difficulty, with no heroic modes, and there is no cross-faction grouping.Blizzard: live Q&A broadcast, 2026-09-17 · plus 2 independent reports
- Verified There are no summoning stones, so Warlock summons are the way to bring a group together. Item stats are hidden until an item first drops, and there is no dungeon journal at first.2 independent reports
- Reported Hyjal Summit (20 players) lists 13 encounters in the beta client, ending with The Wild King, and Barrow Deeps (10 players) lists 8. Onyxia's Lair (40 players) appears alongside them for the first raid tier.2 independent reports
- Reported Tier 1 raid sets in the beta client have bonuses at 2, 4 and 5 pieces, with class cooldown reductions at 5 pieces, and dungeon sets gain bonuses up to 6 pieces.1 independent report
WoW Forever raid questions
Is there flexible raid sizing in WoW Forever?
Official No. Each tier has one 10-player and one 20-player raid, with 40-player raids in some tiers starting with Onyxia's Lair. There is a single difficulty and no cross-faction grouping.
Is GDKP allowed in WoW Forever?
Official No. Blizzard said GDKP raids are not allowed and that it will monitor the economy and punish gold buying.
When do the first raids open?
Official Barrow Deeps (10 players) and Hyjal Summit (20 players) open on 9 Dec 2026.