WoW Forever Onyxia Attunement: Drakefire Amulet Guide
WoW Forever Onyxia attunement: every Alliance and Horde step to the Drakefire Amulet, the dungeons you need, raid size, location and what changed.
In this guide 11 sections
To enter Onyxia's Lair in WoW Forever, every raid member needs the Drakefire Amulet in their bags, earned from a faction quest chain that ends with General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire (Blizzard). The raid itself is a 40-player, level 60, single-boss instance in Dustwallow Marsh that opens on December 9, 2026. This WoW Forever Onyxia attunement guide walks through the Alliance and Horde chains step by step, lists the dungeons each one sends you into, and sets out what is and isn't known about changes from Classic.
The steps below follow Blizzard's raid overview, which lists both chains. Where we add a detail from the original game, such as where a dragon lived in Classic, it's labeled as Classic so you can verify it in Forever. Raid data from the game files comes from The Forever Era.
Quick summary
- You need the Drakefire Amulet in your inventory. It doesn't have to be equipped, and every raid member needs one (Blizzard).
- Alliance: start with "Dragonkin Menace" from Helendis Riverhorn in the Burning Steppes. The chain runs through Blackrock Depths and Stormwind.
- Horde: start with "Blood and Thunder" from Warlord Goretooth at Kargath in the Badlands. The chain runs through Lower Blackrock Spire, Orgrimmar, Desolace and four dragon kills.
- Both end in Upper Blackrock Spire, where General Drakkisath drops the Blood of the Black Dragon Champion.
- Onyxia's Lair is a 40-player raid in Dustwallow Marsh with a weekly reset planned, and defeating Onyxia awards 1 account-wide Legacy Point (Blizzard).
Onyxia's Lair at a glance
| Detail | WoW Forever | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Raid size | 40 players | Blizzard |
| Level | 60 | Blizzard |
| Bosses | 1, Onyxia | Blizzard |
| Location | Dustwallow Marsh. The client's map pin is in the Wyrmbog, as in Classic | Blizzard; The Forever Era |
| Opens | December 9, 2026, time not announced | Blizzard |
| Reset | Weekly, "currently planned" | Blizzard |
| Entry requirement | Drakefire Amulet in your bags | Blizzard |
Onyxia is the only returning Classic raid among the three that open on December 9. The other two, the Barrow Deeps and Hyjal Summit, are new, and Blizzard hasn't listed an attunement for either. Our raids overview compares all three.
Alliance Onyxia attunement, step by step
| Step | Quest | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dragonkin Menace | Start with Helendis Riverhorn in the Burning Steppes |
| 2 | The True Masters (six quests) | Follow Helendis's chain into the Black Dragonflight's hold over the Blackrock orcs |
| 3 | Marshal Windsor | Speak with Marshal Maxwell at Morgan's Vigil, then look for Marshal Windsor, or proof of his death, in Blackrock Depths |
| 4 | Abandoned Hope | Report back to Maxwell |
| 5 | A Crumpled Up Note | Loot the note from enemies in Blackrock Depths and take it to Windsor in his cell |
| 6 | A Shred of Hope | Recover Windsor's lost information from Golem Lord Argelmach and General Angerforge in Blackrock Depths |
| 7 | Jail Break! | Help Windsor escape Blackrock Depths, then return to Maxwell |
| 8 | Stormwind Rendezvous | Travel to Stormwind and call Windsor through his squire at the city gates |
| 9 | The Great Masquerade | Gather allies and walk Windsor through Stormwind |
| 10 | The Dragon's Eye | Highlord Bolvar Fordragon sends you to find someone who can help with the eye |
| 11 | Drakefire Amulet | Take the Blood of the Black Dragon Champion from General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire and receive the amulet |
Source: Blizzard's raid overview. Notes from Classic that are worth checking as you go:
- Blackrock Depths does most of the work. Steps 3 to 7 all happen there. In Classic this took most players more than one run, because "Jail Break!" is an escort that starts from Windsor's cell after you have both drops from step 6.
- "The Dragon's Eye" was a long trip in Classic. It sent you to Haleh in the Mazthoril caves of Winterspring. Blizzard's Forever overview says only that you look for help "across Azeroth".
- "The Great Masquerade" is a scripted event through Stormwind. Bring a few friends so it doesn't stall.
Horde Onyxia attunement, step by step
| Step | Quest | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blood and Thunder | Start with Warlord Goretooth at Kargath in the Badlands |
| 2 | Warlord's Command | Fight through Lower Blackrock Spire |
| 3 | Not named in the overview | Report to Eitrigg in Orgrimmar, then seek counsel from Thrall |
| 4 | For the Horde! | Return to Blackrock Spire and bring Thrall the head of Warchief Rend Blackhand |
| 5 | What the Wind Carries | Hear what Thrall has learned |
| 6 | The Champion of the Horde | Find Rexxar in Desolace |
| 7 | The Testament of Rexxar | Carry his testament to Myranda the Hag in the Western Plaguelands |
| 8 | Oculus Illusions | Collect Black Dragonspawn Eyes for Myranda |
| 9 | Emberstrife | Use the Amulet of Draconic Subversion to reach the old drake Emberstrife in Dustwallow Marsh |
| 10 | The Test of Skulls (four quests) | Bring Emberstrife the skulls of Scryer, Somnus, Chronalis and Axtroz |
| 11 | Ascension... | Receive the Dull Drakefire Amulet and take it to Rexxar |
| 12 | Blood of the Black Dragon Champion | Take the blood from General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire, then return to Rexxar for the Drakefire Amulet |
Source: Blizzard's raid overview, which doesn't give a quest name for step 3. Notes from Classic:
- Blizzard's overview places "For the Horde!" in Lower Blackrock Spire. In Classic, Rend Blackhand was fought in the upper half of the spire. Check the quest text in Forever before you plan the run.
- Rexxar wandered. In Classic he walked a long patrol through Desolace instead of standing in one spot.
- The four dragons were spread across the world in Classic: Scryer in Winterspring, Somnus in the Swamp of Sorrows, Chronalis in Tanaris and Axtroz in the Wetlands. They were elite, so bring a small group. Blizzard's Forever overview doesn't give their locations.
- The Horde chain has more travel and more steps, 12 against the Alliance's 11, but spends less time inside Blackrock Depths.
Dungeons you need for the attunement
| Dungeon | Alliance | Horde | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackrock Depths | Yes, several visits | No | Marshal Windsor's quests, steps 3 to 7 |
| Lower Blackrock Spire | No | Yes | "Warlord's Command" |
| Upper Blackrock Spire | Yes | Yes | General Drakkisath's blood, plus Rend Blackhand for Horde if he is where he was in Classic |
In Classic, opening Upper Blackrock Spire required one group member to carry the Seal of Ascension. Blizzard's overview doesn't say whether Forever keeps that key, so ask in your guild before you form a group. Blizzard's own advice is to start early, bring friends for the elite quests, and expect several trips into high-level dungeons.
Example: an Alliance player who is already running Blackrock Depths for pre-raid gear can fold steps 3 to 7 into those runs. Pick up "Marshal Windsor" before your first visit, and you can work through to "Jail Break!" over your next few runs without a dedicated attunement night.
Is the Onyxia attunement account-wide?
Plan for one chain per character. Blizzard's wording is that each raid member must carry the Drakefire Amulet, and nothing in the overview or in the Legacy system article makes attunements account-wide. Legacy Points are shared across your account, so the point for defeating Onyxia only has to be earned once, but the amulet is an item in one character's bags.
What changed from Classic
| Topic | Classic | WoW Forever | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raid size and level | 40 players, level 60 | Same | Blizzard |
| Attunement | Drakefire Amulet chain | Same chain structure for both factions | Blizzard |
| Encounter | One boss, three phases | Three phases with heavy fire damage | Blizzard |
| Loot table | 17 drops in the Classic table The Forever Era compares | None of those 17 items had changed in the beta data | The Forever Era |
| Legacy achievement | None | "Conqueror of the Lair", worth 1 Legacy Point | The Forever Era; Blizzard |
| World buff from her head | Yes, in Classic | Not stated. MythicSim's notes say world buffs don't work in Forever raids, and Blizzard hasn't published a rule | MythicSim |
Blizzard hasn't confirmed Onyxia's Forever loot. In Classic she dropped the Onyxia Hide Backpack every kill, the Tier 2 helms, and items such as Deathbringer and Vis'kag the Bloodletter. The Forever Era's comparison found those items unchanged in the beta files, which tells you the data hasn't been edited, not that the drops are final. Method's preview expects the rewards to change, which is its guess. Blizzard also hasn't said whether Onyxia drops any of the new Tier 1 pieces covered in our Tier 1 sets guide.
Getting ready for the fight
Blizzard gives two pieces of advice for the encounter: build fire resistance before you enter, and be ready to reposition during the fight. It describes three phases with powerful fire attacks. It doesn't publish abilities or a resistance target for Forever, so we won't invent one.
For Classic veterans, the shape should be familiar: a ground phase, an air phase with whelps, and a final ground phase. Treat any Classic number, from health to breath damage, as unverified until the raid opens. Forever's classes have new abilities, and Blizzard raised both class damage and the health of higher-level creatures before launch (Blizzard's November 2 notes, via Warcraft Tavern).
Filling 40 spots is the practical challenge. Our raid preparation checklist covers rosters, consumables and fire resistance in more detail, and remember that you can only raid with your own faction on your own ruleset (Blizzard).
Want a hand with this?
If you would rather not grind this part yourself, an Onyxia's Lair attunement service and other WoW Forever raid services are listed on FullBoosts. Read the publisher's rules before you buy any service from anyone, FullBoosts included. A marketplace listing isn't publisher permission.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need an attunement for Onyxia in WoW Forever? Yes. Every raid member needs the Drakefire Amulet in their inventory to enter Onyxia's Lair (Blizzard). It doesn't need to be equipped.
Where does the Onyxia attunement start for Alliance? With "Dragonkin Menace" from Helendis Riverhorn in the Burning Steppes. The chain continues through Blackrock Depths and Stormwind and ends in Upper Blackrock Spire.
Where does the Onyxia attunement start for Horde? With "Blood and Thunder" from Warlord Goretooth at Kargath in the Badlands. It continues through Blackrock Spire, Orgrimmar, Desolace, the Western Plaguelands and Dustwallow Marsh.
How many players is Onyxia's Lair in WoW Forever? Forty. It's a level 60 raid with one boss, in Dustwallow Marsh.
When does Onyxia's Lair open in WoW Forever? December 9, 2026, with the Barrow Deeps and Hyjal Summit. You can work on the attunement before then.
Is the Drakefire Amulet account-wide in WoW Forever? Nothing Blizzard has published says so. Each raid member must carry the amulet, so plan to complete the chain on every character you want to bring.
Do you need fire resistance for Onyxia in WoW Forever? Blizzard recommends building fire resistance before entering. It hasn't given a target value.
