Raids · Confirmed
WoW Forever Raids: Barrow Deeps & Hyjal Summit
WoW Forever has Barrow Deeps as a planned max-level 10-player challenge and Hyjal Summit as a 20-player raid, with new raids unlocking December 9.
World of Warcraft: Forever has two new raid locations announced so far: Barrow Deeps and Hyjal Summit. Blizzard plans Barrow Deeps as a maximum-level 10-player challenge, while Hyjal Summit will feature 20-player raid encounters.
Blizzard says the new raids unlock on December 9, 2026, a little over a month after Forever launches.
Confirmed raid structure
| Raid | Confirmed format | What is known |
|---|---|---|
| Barrow Deeps | Planned max-level 10-player challenge | New raid encounters, part of the first Forever raid wave |
| Hyjal Summit | 20-player raid | Major raid content tied to one of Warcraft's most important locations |
The same reveal also mentions new tier sets and a legendary reward that Blizzard plans to reveal in full later.
When do WoW Forever raids open?
The current roadmap says December 9, 2026 for the new raid unlock. Forever itself launches on November 4.
That separation matters for guide planning. A raid strategy written on launch day without encounter access would be speculation, so this page will remain an overview until Blizzard or playable content provides real boss data.
For all timeline milestones, see the WoW Forever Roadmap.
Barrow Deeps
Blizzard describes Barrow Deeps as a planned maximum-level 10-player challenge. The public panel recap does not yet provide a complete boss roster, entrance requirements, attunement chain, lockout system, loot table, or tier-set breakdown.
Those details will be added to a dedicated Barrow Deeps page only when there is enough verified information to avoid creating a thin pre-release shell.
Hyjal Summit
Hyjal Summit is planned as a 20-player raid and connects directly to Forever's renewed focus on Mount Hyjal. Blizzard's zone reveal says players will explore the aftermath of Archimonde's defeat and Darkwhisper Gorge in the outdoor region, while the raid brings organized group content to the same larger setting.
The outdoor Mount Hyjal area and the Hyjal Summit raid are different search intents and will stay on separate pages once the zone page is ready.
What about Onyxia or other classic raids?
Third-party roadmap coverage has discussed additional raid material, but this page only treats the two raids explicitly described in the official Forever panel recap as the currently announced new raid pair.
Blizzard has separately promised a revamped iconic raid later in the evergreen roadmap. Until Blizzard names it in a source we can cite directly, we will not label that future raid as confirmed here.
What beta and later reveals need to verify
Before publishing boss guides, we need:
- boss names and encounter order;
- entrance and attunement requirements;
- loot tables and tier-set sources;
- lockout and reset rules;
- recommended preparation;
- raid-specific quests;
- whether the December 9 unlock is global at one time or region-staggered.
Pre-release note: player counts, the two raid locations, December 9 unlock timing, tier sets, and a future legendary reward are official. Encounter details are not yet final guide material.