This TBC Classic Anniversary attunement roadmap connects every major raid gate from Tier 4 through Tier 6 without turning each questline into an isolated project. Use it to identify the character or account milestone that actually blocks entry, accept every required quest before a weekly boss kill, and schedule dungeon and raid steps in an order that does not waste lockouts.
Phase 3 is scheduled to open Black Temple and the Battle for Mount Hyjal on August 27, 2026. The practical preparation route is therefore no longer just Karazhan followed by Tier 5. Your account should complete the required Tier 4 and Tier 5 access work, collect both vial remnants for Hyjal, advance the Black Temple chain through its available SSC and Tempest Keep checkpoints, and be ready to finish the Rage Winterchill step as soon as Hyjal opens.
How Raid Attunements Work in TBC Anniversary
An attunement may combine reputation, dungeon access, quest items, and boss kills from several raids. Progress only counts when the correct quest is active and the required objective is completed, so killing the right boss before accepting the relevant quest can still cost an additional reset. Track the exact quest stage rather than reducing every player to a simple attuned or not attuned status.
TBC Anniversary makes raid access significantly friendlier to alts. The first character on a Battle.net account must complete each raid attunement, after which that raid unlocks for the other characters on the same account. This shared access does not complete quests, award quest rewards, grant reputation, or prepare an alt for the encounters. An alt that wants the Medallion of Karabor, Hand of A'dal eligibility, Scale of the Sands reputation, or another chain reward must still complete the relevant objectives on that character.
Heroic dungeon access uses a different shortcut. After a character reaches Revered with a key faction and buys its normal key, a Bind-on-Battle.net-Account Communal key can be sent to an alt. The receiving alt must still be at least Friendly with the corresponding faction and use the key. Raid access may be shared, but individual Heroic keys and normal door keys should still be checked before organizing a dungeon group.
Attunement Roadmap Overview
The table below shows the permanent structure of the route. Tier 4 creates the dungeon and raid foundation, Tier 5 supplies both its own access chains and the boss checkpoints needed for Tier 6, and Tier 6 links Hyjal and Black Temple into one progression sequence.
| Raid | Access route | Main blocker | Planning priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karazhan | The Master's Key | Shadow Labyrinth, The Steamvault, The Arcatraz, and The Black Morass | Finish the account unlock early and keep a key holder available for the entrance |
| Gruul's Lair | No entry attunement | No personal access gate | Use Gruul for Tier 4 gearing and the SSC Earthen Signet objective |
| Magtheridon's Lair | No entry attunement | No personal access gate | Use Magtheridon as the final Tempest Key checkpoint when required |
| Serpentshrine Cavern | The Cudgel of Kar'desh | Heroic Slave Pens start, Nightbane, and Gruul | Complete access before relying on Lady Vashj for the Hyjal vial |
| Tempest Keep The Eye | Trial of the Naaru and the Tempest Key | Heroic trials followed by Magtheridon | Complete access before scheduling Kael'thas and the BT Al'ar objective |
| Battle for Mount Hyjal | The Vials of Eternity | Revered Keepers of Time, Lady Vashj, and Kael'thas | Unlock Hyjal first because Black Temple later requires Rage Winterchill |
| Black Temple | Medallion of Karabor chain | Aldor or Scryer start, Karathress, Al'ar, and Rage Winterchill | Advance to the Hyjal gate before Phase 3 and finish after the first Hyjal boss |
| Sunwell Plateau | No personal entry attunement | Content release and raid readiness | Build gear, professions, consumables, and roster depth throughout Tier 6 |
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Tier 4 Roadmap for Karazhan Gruul and Magtheridon
Tier 4 is the access and gearing foundation for the rest of the roadmap. Gruul's Lair and Magtheridon's Lair have no personal entry chains, while Karazhan requires The Master's Key. Anniversary account-wide raid access means the long Karazhan chain only needs to unlock the raid once per Battle.net account, although keeping a character with the physical key available remains useful for opening the entrance.
Karazhan and The Master's Key
Begin with Archmage Alturus outside Karazhan in Deadwind Pass and follow the chain through Khadgar in Shattrath. Complete the three key-fragment objectives in Shadow Labyrinth, The Steamvault, and The Arcatraz, then take the restored key to Medivh in The Black Morass for The Master's Touch. Because The Arcatraz has its own normal door access requirement, confirm that someone in the party can open it before the Tempest Keep dungeon session.
- Complete Arcane Disturbances and Restless Activity outside Karazhan, then continue through Contact from Dalaran and Khadgar.
- Loot the First Key Fragment after Murmur in Shadow Labyrinth.
- Loot the Second Key Fragment in The Steamvault and the Third Key Fragment in The Arcatraz.
- Complete The Black Morass prerequisite chain if needed, enter the dungeon, and speak with Medivh after the event for The Master's Touch.
- Return to Khadgar and finish the chain so Karazhan is unlocked for the account.
Gruul and Magtheridon should remain on the weekly calendar while access work continues. Gruul supplies the Earthen Signet for The Cudgel of Kar'desh, and Magtheridon is the final raid objective in the Trial of the Naaru route. Checking quest stages before both kills turns normal Tier 4 farm runs into Tier 5 access progress.
Tier 5 Roadmap for Serpentshrine Cavern and Tempest Keep
Tier 5 is both a raid tier and the bridge into Tier 6. A player may need SSC and TK access before reaching Lady Vashj, Kael'thas, Fathom-Lord Karathress, or Al'ar. Those four bosses feed directly into the Hyjal and Black Temple chains, so Tier 5 attunements should be finished before the roster is ready to defeat the end bosses rather than after the first successful clear.
Serpentshrine Cavern Access
Enter The Slave Pens on Heroic difficulty and speak with Skar'this the Heretic to accept The Cudgel of Kar'desh. The quest requires the Blazing Signet from Nightbane in Karazhan and the Earthen Signet from Gruul. Confirm that the Karazhan group can summon Nightbane, that the quest is active before both boss kills, and that every player loots the required quest item before leaving the instance. Return to Skar'this to complete the chain and unlock SSC for the account.
Tempest Keep Access
The Tempest Key path begins with the Shadowmoon Valley questline that leads through The Cipher of Damnation and then continues through Khadgar and A'dal. The Trial of the Naaru sequence requires Heroic dungeon objectives in The Shattered Halls, The Steamvault, Shadow Labyrinth, and The Arcatraz, followed by Magtheridon. Audit the group's Heroic keys and normal access to The Shattered Halls and The Arcatraz before setting a dungeon night, then confirm the final quest is active before the Magtheridon kill.
Once SSC and TK are open, protect boss checkpoints rather than farming the instances without a plan. Lady Vashj and Kael'thas complete The Vials of Eternity, Fathom-Lord Karathress opens the raid portion of the Black Temple chain through Seer Olum, and Al'ar completes Ruse of the Ashtongue. A single Tier 5 reset can advance both Tier 6 access lines when the roster has prepared the correct quest stages.
Tier 6 Roadmap for Mount Hyjal and Black Temple
Black Temple and the Battle for Mount Hyjal open on August 27, 2026, but their access work begins in content that is already available. Hyjal is the first dependency: The Vials of Eternity requires the Tier 5 end bosses, and the Black Temple chain later sends the player into Hyjal to defeat Rage Winterchill. Treating the raids as separate unlocks creates unnecessary delays; the efficient route prepares both chains together and completes Hyjal before the final BT steps.
| Checkpoint | Hyjal chain | Black Temple chain |
|---|---|---|
| Shadowmoon Valley | No direct objective | Start with Anchorite Ceyla for Aldor or Arcanist Thelis for Scryers and reach Akama |
| Serpentshrine Cavern | Defeat Lady Vashj for Vashj's Vial Remnant | Defeat Fathom-Lord Karathress, then accept The Secret Compromised from Seer Olum |
| Tempest Keep The Eye | Defeat Kael'thas for Kael's Vial Remnant | Wear the Ashtongue Cowl and defeat Al'ar for Ruse of the Ashtongue |
| Battle for Mount Hyjal | Turn in both remnants to Soridormi to unlock entry | Defeat Rage Winterchill for An Artifact From the Past |
| Black Temple entrance | No further access objective | Complete Entry Into the Black Temple and A Distraction for Akama to receive the Medallion of Karabor |
Mount Hyjal Attunement Checklist
Soridormi is the starting NPC for The Vials of Eternity. She is inside the Caverns of Time in Tanaris, and the character accepting the quest must be level 70 and Revered with the Keepers of Time. Old Hillsbrad Foothills and The Black Morass are the main dungeon sources for that reputation and should be completed before the guild reaches its Tier 5 end-boss schedule.
- Reach level 70 and Revered with the Keepers of Time.
- Find Soridormi inside the Caverns of Time and accept The Vials of Eternity.
- Confirm SSC access, defeat Lady Vashj, and loot Vashj's Vial Remnant while the quest is active.
- Confirm Tempest Keep access, defeat Kael'thas Sunstrider, and loot Kael's Vial Remnant while the quest is active.
- Return both remnants to Soridormi and complete The Vials of Eternity.
- After the account unlock is registered, verify entry to the Battle for Mount Hyjal before the scheduled raid.
The turn-in also begins the character's Scale of the Sands progression. Access may be shared with alts after the first account completion, but the quest reputation and character-specific rewards are not automatically copied. For a longer quest explanation and an assisted route through the two weekly raid checkpoints, use the Mount Hyjal Attunement Guide and Boost.
Black Temple Attunement Checklist
The starting NPC depends on the Shattrath faction selected by the character, not on whether the character belongs to Alliance or Horde. Aldor players begin Tablets of Baa'ri with Anchorite Ceyla at the Altar of Sha'tar in Shadowmoon Valley. Scryers players begin the equivalent quest with Arcanist Thelis at the Sanctum of the Stars. The introductory handoff differs, but both versions immediately join the same Akama storyline.
- Speak with Anchorite Ceyla if the character is Aldor or Arcanist Thelis if the character is Scryers, then accept Tablets of Baa'ri.
- Complete Tablets of Baa'ri, Oronu the Elder, The Ashtongue Corruptors, The Warden's Cage, Proof of Allegiance, and Akama.
- Run The Arcatraz for Seer Udalo, then complete A Mysterious Portent, The Ata'mal Terrace, and Akama's Promise.
- In Serpentshrine Cavern, defeat Fathom-Lord Karathress, speak with Seer Olum, and accept The Secret Compromised.
- Return to Akama and continue to Ruse of the Ashtongue. Equip the Ashtongue Cowl before the Al'ar encounter in Tempest Keep and keep it equipped until the objective completes.
- Accept An Artifact From the Past. This is the point where the BT route depends on the Hyjal attunement.
- Complete The Vials of Eternity, enter the Battle for Mount Hyjal, defeat Rage Winterchill, and loot the required quest item.
- Return to Akama and complete The Hostage Soul, then speak with A'dal and continue to Xi'ri outside Black Temple for Entry Into the Black Temple.
- Complete A Distraction for Akama and receive the Medallion of Karabor, the classic Black Temple access item.
- Verify the Black Temple account unlock before the first scheduled raid. Continue the later Akama quests inside the raid only if the character also needs their story or rewards; they are not required for initial entry.
Before August 27, the efficient stopping point is An Artifact From the Past because its Rage Winterchill objective cannot be completed until Hyjal opens. The two Tier 5 raid objectives, Karathress and Al'ar, can be finished in advance. Players who need help coordinating the faction start, dungeon handoffs, and three raid checkpoints can use the Black Temple Attunement Guide and Boost.
How the Hyjal and Black Temple Chains Connect
The direct link is Rage Winterchill. An Artifact From the Past sends the Black Temple candidate to the first boss of the Battle for Mount Hyjal, but Hyjal itself is locked behind The Vials of Eternity. In practice, the BT chain inherits every Hyjal dependency: the character needs Revered Keepers of Time to accept the vial quest, access to SSC and TK, successful Lady Vashj and Kael'thas kills, and the Soridormi turn-in before Rage Winterchill becomes reachable.
The most efficient raid order is to prepare both Tier 6 quests before the weekly reset, complete Karathress and Lady Vashj in SSC, complete Al'ar and Kael'thas in TK, turn in The Vials of Eternity, and then schedule Hyjal before Black Temple. After Rage Winterchill, the player can leave Hyjal with the required BT quest item, finish the Akama and Xi'ri handoffs, and enter Black Temple once A Distraction for Akama is complete.
Guild tracking should therefore use one combined Tier 6 status sheet with separate columns for Keepers of Time reputation, Vashj's remnant, Kael's remnant, Karathress, Al'ar, Rage Winterchill, and Medallion of Karabor. This keeps the existing all-raid roadmap as the single source of truth while the linked dedicated guides provide the detailed quest text for each raid.
Tier 6 Preparation Beyond Attunement
Access is only the first Phase 3 requirement. Hyjal progression rewards Scale of the Sands reputation and the Band of Eternity upgrade path, while Black Temple builds Ashtongue Deathsworn reputation and opens profession recipes tied to Tier 6 materials. Mining at 375 can produce epic gems from deposits in Hyjal, and Black Temple can provide epic gems as rare drops. Jewelcrafters should review the epic gem designs sold by Indormi, while crafters preparing Shadow Resistance equipment should identify the relevant Ashtongue Deathsworn recipes and the Hearts of Darkness needed for raid production.
Do not confuse an account-wide raid unlock with raid readiness. Every character still needs appropriate enchants, gems, consumables, and role-specific gear. A guild planning Mother Shahraz should assign responsibility for Shadow Resistance crafting before Hearts of Darkness begin dropping, and a guild planning Archimonde should prepare Tears of the Goddess handling, individual survival consumables, and reliable communication rather than treating the encounter as a gear check.
Sunwell Plateau Access and Readiness
Sunwell Plateau has no personal attunement chain comparable to Karazhan, Hyjal, or Black Temple. Its real gates are the content schedule, gear quality, profession planning, consumable reserves, and a stable roster. Tier 6 should therefore be used to build repeatable weekly systems rather than merely clear the final boss once.
Continue older raids only when they still produce realistic upgrades, attunement quest progress, or required materials for the roster. Efficient guilds protect Hyjal and Black Temple lockouts first, use selected Tier 5 bosses for remaining high-value items, and keep a trained bench capable of filling essential dispel, resistance, healing, tanking, and group-support assignments.
Weekly Attunement Plan for Mains and Alts
Use the main or designated progression character to complete any raid unlock that is still missing for the Battle.net account. Alts benefit from the shared entry, but they should not consume the group's limited quest-run time unless they need character-specific rewards or the roster plans to raid on them. This distinction keeps account access efficient without pretending that every alt automatically owns quest items, reputation, or physical keys.
- At the start of the reset, audit exact quest stages, raid access, Heroic keys, and normal dungeon door keys.
- Complete repeatable dungeon and reputation work before the scheduled raid nights.
- Protect Tier 5 lockouts for Lady Vashj, Kael'thas, Fathom-Lord Karathress, and Al'ar until the Tier 6 account unlocks are complete.
- Turn in The Vials of Eternity before the first Hyjal raid and verify that the account can enter.
- Run Hyjal before Black Temple whenever anyone still needs Rage Winterchill for An Artifact From the Past.
- Finish the Akama and Xi'ri handoffs immediately after Rage Winterchill instead of postponing them until the BT invite.
- Confirm both Tier 6 unlocks on an alt before relying on that character as a same-night roster replacement.
Conclusion
The complete TBC Anniversary attunement route remains one connected roadmap from Tier 4 to Tier 6. Karazhan establishes the early account unlock, Gruul and Magtheridon support the Tier 5 chains, SSC and Tempest Keep provide the boss checkpoints that lead into Phase 3, and Hyjal must be opened before the Black Temple route can pass Rage Winterchill. Start BT with Anchorite Ceyla for Aldor or Arcanist Thelis for Scryers, start Hyjal with Soridormi at Revered Keepers of Time, and track every raid objective before the corresponding boss dies. With those dependencies handled in the correct order, the roster enters Hyjal and Black Temple without losing a reset to a missed quest stage.
