The raids at raid launch
| Raid | Size | Opens | Data status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onyxia’s Lair | 40 players | Dec 9, 2026 according to roadmap reports | Unchanged from Classic Era in the beta client: one boss. Our 23 items come from Classic and are not yet confirmed for Forever. |
| Hyjal Summit | 20 players | Dec 9, 2026 | Not in the beta client. Bosses and loot are unknown. |
| Barrow Deeps | 10 players | Dec 9, 2026 | Not in the beta client. Bosses and loot are unknown. |
Some third-party sites already list boss counts, such as 13 for Hyjal Summit and 8 for Barrow Deeps, or even boss names. Blizzard has not confirmed them. We only add such details once they are confirmed in game.
What Blizzard has announced about loot
- A developer interview mentioned especially strong items with a low drop chance for each raid boss. Blizzard has not officially confirmed this.
- New tier sets are coming, as well as a legendary item from Hyjal Summit.
- Item stats stay hidden until an item has been found on your own server for the first time. There will be no public test realm (PTR) for the raids.
According to an Icy Veins analysis of Sep 30, more than 12,000 items are still hidden. Concrete raid loot lists will therefore only exist from December 9.
Until then: dungeons
There are five weeks between launch and the raid opening. In that time the new dungeons are the main source of gear. Testable in the beta so far are Hall of Thanes (level 13–18), Ruins of Lordaeron (15–20), the Wetlands excavation site (26–31) and City of Dalaran. According to the beta notes, bonus experience from dungeon quests has been cut by 50% since Oct 1, and since Oct 8 dungeon mobs give about 20% more experience. Confirmed boss drops are listed under dungeon loot in WoW Forever (in German).
How the loot database is filled
The Forever loot database and the raid overview only show what is confirmed. From December 9 we add bosses, order and loot of Hyjal Summit and Barrow Deeps from the game. Guilds can contribute finds with the GuildLoot add-on for Forever, which is still in beta (data processing: privacy).
Roadmap for raiding guilds
| Period | What to do |
|---|---|
| until Nov 4 | Decide on game style, faction and loot system |
| Nov 4 to Dec 9 | Leveling, dungeons, professions, roster planning for 10, 20 and 40 players |
| from Dec 9 | First kills; fill loot lists from the first drops |
How to pick a loot system that works even while the loot is unknown is covered in Guild preparation.