WoW Forever Onyxia attunement is a character-specific quest chain that rewards the Drakefire Amulet, the required entry item for Onyxia's Lair. Alliance and Horde follow different routes, but both eventually reach Upper Blackrock Spire and General Drakkisath.
Blizzard has now officially confirmed the Forever version of the chain. Every player in the 40-player raid needs their own Drakefire Amulet in their inventory. The amulet does not need to be equipped.
Onyxia Attunement — quick answer:
- Raid: Onyxia's Lair
- Location: Dustwallow Marsh
- Raid size: 40 players
- Raid level: 60
- Unlock: December 9, 2026
- Entry requirement: Drakefire Amulet in every raider's inventory
- Alliance dungeons: Blackrock Depths + Upper Blackrock Spire
- Horde dungeons: Lower Blackrock Spire + Upper Blackrock Spire
What Is the Onyxia Attunement in WoW Forever?
Attunement is the access requirement that must be completed before your character can enter Onyxia's Lair. Unlike a raid-wide key held by one player, Onyxia's requirement is individual: every member must finish the appropriate faction chain and carry the resulting Drakefire Amulet.
The Drakefire Amulet currently appears in the Forever database as an item-level 63 necklace with +10 Stamina and +15 Fire Resistance. Its most important function, however, is access to the raid.
Blizzard also recommends preparing Fire Resistance for Onyxia's encounter because the fight uses heavy fire damage. Fire Resistance is a raid-preparation recommendation, not an additional entry requirement: the only access item Blizzard names is the Drakefire Amulet.
Want the access chain completed for your character? Our WoW Forever Onyxia Attunement Boost covers the faction-specific questline and Drakefire Amulet requirement. This guide remains the full do-it-yourself walkthrough.
Alliance vs Horde Onyxia Attunement
| Step | Alliance | Horde |
|---|---|---|
| Starting zone | Burning Steppes | Kargath, Badlands |
| First confirmed quest | Dragonkin Menace | Blood and Thunder |
| Main story | Marshal Windsor and Lady Katrana Prestor | Thrall, Rexxar, Myranda and Emberstrife |
| Main dungeon work | Blackrock Depths | Lower Blackrock Spire |
| Final dungeon | Upper Blackrock Spire | Upper Blackrock Spire |
| Final target | General Drakkisath | |
| Final item | Drakefire Amulet | |
The Horde chain has considerably more open-world travel. The Alliance path spends more time around Blackrock Depths and Stormwind, while Horde players travel between Blackrock Spire, Orgrimmar, Desolace, Western Plaguelands, Dustwallow Marsh and four dragon locations across Azeroth.
Alliance Onyxia Attunement Quest Chain
1. Dragonkin Menace — Burning Steppes
Start with Dragonkin Menace from Helendis Riverhorn at Morgan's Vigil in the Burning Steppes. The quest sends you against Black Dragonflight creatures in the zone.
This is the beginning of the Alliance investigation into the Black Dragonflight's influence over the Blackrock clan. Blizzard recommends bringing help for elite quest objectives instead of assuming every outdoor step will be comfortably soloable.
2. Complete the Six The True Masters Steps
After Dragonkin Menace, Helendis begins a sequence of six quests named The True Masters. The chain moves between the Burning Steppes, Lakeshire in Redridge Mountains and Stormwind.
The route ultimately brings you back to Marshal Maxwell at Morgan's Vigil after investigating Lady Katrana Prestor and speaking with Ragged John.
Efficiency tip: do not hearth randomly during this section. The chain intentionally sends you between Redridge, Stormwind and the Burning Steppes several times. Set your travel plan before beginning rather than treating each quest as an isolated objective.
3. Marshal Windsor — Enter Blackrock Depths
Marshal Maxwell gives Marshal Windsor, sending you into Blackrock Depths to find the missing marshal. Windsor is held in the prison section of BRD.
After finding him, accept Abandoned Hope and report back to Marshal Maxwell. This looks like a dead end, but it is not.
4. Find A Crumpled Up Note
Once the Windsor progression reaches this point, return to Blackrock Depths and obtain A Crumpled Up Note from enemies associated with the BRD area.
The item starts the quest of the same name. Bring it back to Marshal Windsor in his cell.
Do not waste time farming the note before reaching the correct point in the chain. The note is the bridge between Abandoned Hope and the next Windsor objectives. Finish the earlier quests first, then return for it.
5. A Shred of Hope — Angerforge and Argelmach
Marshal Windsor asks you to recover two pieces of his lost information. They come from:
- General Angerforge — Marshal Windsor's Lost Information
- Golem Lord Argelmach — Marshal Windsor's Lost Information
Both targets are deeper inside Blackrock Depths. Coordinate this with any other BRD quests your group needs rather than running the dungeon solely for one objective.
6. Jail Break!
Return the recovered information to Windsor and begin Jail Break!. This is an escort sequence through the prison and surrounding areas of Blackrock Depths.
Clear dangerous enemies before Windsor reaches them, stay close to the escort and make sure the whole group is ready before starting. If you are combining several BRD quests, finish anything that could pull the group away from Windsor before triggering the escort.
After the escape, report back to Marshal Maxwell at Morgan's Vigil.
7. Stormwind Rendezvous
Marshal Maxwell sends you to the gates of Stormwind for Stormwind Rendezvous. Speak with Squire Rowe to summon Marshal Windsor.
Blizzard's October raid article spells the NPC once as “Squire Rower” and later as “Squire Rowe.” Current Forever game data uses Squire Rowe, so that is the spelling we use here.
8. The Great Masquerade
Follow Windsor through Stormwind for The Great Masquerade. The quest exposes Lady Katrana Prestor's real identity and leads into the final part of the Alliance chain.
Do not leave Stormwind immediately after the sequence. Continue with Highlord Bolvar Fordragon so you do not break the flow into The Dragon's Eye.
9. The Dragon's Eye — Find Haleh
Highlord Bolvar starts The Dragon's Eye. Blizzard's raid overview says Bolvar sends you across Azeroth to find someone who can help, but does not name that NPC.
The current Wowhead Forever quest data identifies the destination as Haleh in Winterspring. This distinction matters: Haleh is supported by the current game database, while Blizzard's new overview leaves the name out.
10. Drakefire Amulet — General Drakkisath
Haleh gives the final Alliance quest, Drakefire Amulet. Enter Upper Blackrock Spire and defeat General Drakkisath.
Loot the Blood of the Black Dragon Champion, then return to Haleh to receive your Drakefire Amulet.
Your Alliance character is now attuned.
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Horde Onyxia Attunement Quest Chain
1. Blood and Thunder — Kargath
Blizzard's current Forever raid overview says the Horde chain begins with Blood and Thunder from Warlord Goretooth in Kargath, Badlands.
This is important because older Classic walkthroughs usually begin directly with Warlord's Command. Do not skip Blood and Thunder just because an older guide or database does not show it as the first step.
Current database note: Blizzard explicitly names Blood and Thunder, but the Forever Wowhead quest database did not expose a separate matching quest entry when this guide was checked. We therefore follow Blizzard for the starting step and the current Forever database for the detailed objectives that follow.
2. Warlord's Command — Lower Blackrock Spire
Warlord's Command takes you into Lower Blackrock Spire. Current Forever quest data lists four objectives:
- Highlord Omokk
- War Master Voone
- Overlord Wyrmthalak
- Important Blackrock Documents
This is a good point to coordinate an LBRS group around multiple dungeon quests. The Important Blackrock Documents can appear near several of the bosses, so check the relevant areas before leaving.
3. Eitrigg and Thrall
After returning to Goretooth, continue to Orgrimmar and report to Eitrigg, then Thrall. Current Forever quest data retains Eitrigg's Wisdom in this part of the chain, although Blizzard's new raid overview describes the step without giving it a quest title.
4. For The Horde! — Rend Blackhand
Thrall sends you to kill Warchief Rend Blackhand and bring back his head.
Blizzard's new article contains a location conflict here. It says to return to Lower Blackrock Spire, but Warchief Rend Blackhand is an Upper Blackrock Spire boss, and the current Forever dungeon database also lists For The Horde! under UBRS. Follow your live quest log if Blizzard changes the layout, but current game data points to UBRS.
5. What the Wind Carries and The Champion of the Horde
Return to Thrall and complete What the Wind Carries. You are then sent to find Rexxar during The Champion of the Horde.
Rexxar patrols rather than standing permanently at one convenient town hub, so factor travel and search time into the chain.
6. The Testament of Rexxar
Rexxar sends you to Myranda the Hag in the Western Plaguelands. This begins the disguise section of the Horde attunement.
7. Oculus Illusions — Collect 20 Eyes
Myranda gives Oculus Illusions. Current Forever quest data requires 20 Black Dragonspawn Eyes from Blackrock Spire.
Turn them in to receive the Amulet of Draconic Subversion, which disguises you as a member of the Black Dragonflight.
8. Emberstrife — Dustwallow Marsh
Travel to the Wyrmbog in Dustwallow Marsh and enter Emberstrife's den. Use the Amulet of Draconic Subversion inside the den and speak with Emberstrife.
The disguise is part of the quest logic. If Emberstrife is hostile or does not offer the expected progression, check that you are in the correct location and that the amulet effect is active before assuming the quest is bugged.
9. The Test of Skulls
Emberstrife sends you against four drake champions:
| Dragon | Zone | Flight |
|---|---|---|
| Scryer | Winterspring | Blue |
| Somnus | Swamp of Sorrows | Green |
| Chronalis | Tanaris | Bronze |
| Axtroz | Wetlands / Grim Batol area | Red |
Current Forever quest data presents Scryer, Somnus and Chronalis as the initial Test of Skulls set, with Axtroz following afterward. That makes a useful planning difference: organize the first three as one outdoor-group session where possible, return to Emberstrife, then deal with Axtroz.
Blizzard specifically advises bringing friends for the elite portions of the attunement. These dragon objectives are the clearest Horde example.
10. Ascension...
After completing the skull tests, Emberstrife gives Ascension... together with the Dull Drakefire Amulet.
Take it back to Rexxar.
11. Blood of the Black Dragon Champion
Rexxar sends you to Upper Blackrock Spire. Defeat General Drakkisath and collect the Blood of the Black Dragon Champion.
Return to Rexxar to receive the final Drakefire Amulet.
Your Horde character is now attuned.
Do You Need the Seal of Ascension for UBRS?
Current WoW Forever dungeon data still describes Upper Blackrock Spire access through the Seal of Ascension system and states that at least one player in the group needs the key for entry.
This is separate from the Onyxia attunement. The Drakefire Amulet opens Onyxia's Lair; the Seal of Ascension is associated with entering Upper Blackrock Spire, where both faction chains eventually need to kill General Drakkisath.
Practical advice: before forming the final UBRS group, confirm that someone can open the upper section. Do not reach Blackrock Mountain with the entire attunement group only to discover nobody has the required access.
Fastest Way to Complete the Onyxia Attunement
You cannot remove the faction-specific story steps, but you can reduce wasted travel and duplicate dungeon runs.
| Faction | Best Optimization |
|---|---|
| Alliance | Plan the BRD stages as a connected Windsor session. Bring players who also need Angerforge, Argelmach and Jail Break instead of repeatedly rebuilding the group. |
| Horde | Combine Warlord's Command with other LBRS objectives; group the first three Test of Skulls dragons into one session; arrange UBRS access before Rend and Drakkisath runs. |
| Both | Do not wait until raid night. Blizzard explicitly recommends starting early because the chain contains elite objectives, long travel and several high-level dungeon trips. |
When Should You Start the Onyxia Pre-Quest?
You do not need to wait until Onyxia's Lair opens. The raid opens on December 9, but the purpose of attunement is to prepare the character beforehand.
Blizzard's new raid overview does not publish one universal character level requirement for every individual quest. Current Forever quest data retains different requirements on individual steps. The safe plan is to begin the chain as soon as your character can accept the starting quests and complete the dungeon portions at an appropriate level, then finish the remaining group content by level 60.
Common Onyxia Attunement Mistakes
- Leaving the Drakefire Amulet in the bank instead of your bags.
- Assuming only the raid leader needs the amulet.
- Trying to farm A Crumpled Up Note before reaching the correct Alliance chain state.
- Starting Jail Break before the BRD group is ready.
- Following an old Horde guide that omits Blood and Thunder.
- Following Blizzard's current “Lower Blackrock Spire” wording for Rend without checking the live quest log.
- Forgetting to use the Amulet of Draconic Subversion when meeting Emberstrife.
- Doing long Horde travel legs one at a time instead of grouping objectives by continent.
- Reaching UBRS without anyone prepared to handle its access requirement.
- Waiting until the first Onyxia raid night to begin the chain.
What Happens After You Get the Drakefire Amulet?
Keep the Drakefire Amulet in your character's inventory when entering Onyxia's Lair. You do not have to equip it.
Onyxia's encounter has three phases and heavy Fire damage. Blizzard recommends building Fire Resistance and preparing for frequent repositioning. The attunement only unlocks entry; it does not replace normal raid preparation.
Once your character is attuned, continue with our WoW Forever Onyxia's Lair Raid Boost page for the raid service itself.
Onyxia Attunement Questions
Does every player need the Drakefire Amulet?
Yes. Blizzard explicitly says each member of the raid must carry their own Drakefire Amulet.
Does the Drakefire Amulet need to be equipped?
No. It only needs to be in your inventory.
Is Onyxia attunement account-wide?
Do not plan around account-wide access. Blizzard describes the requirement per player and per earned amulet. Prepare every character you intend to raid Onyxia with unless Blizzard announces a different rule.
Does Alliance need Blackrock Depths?
Yes. The Windsor part of the Alliance chain goes through Blackrock Depths before the final Upper Blackrock Spire step.
Does Horde need Blackrock Depths?
No BRD step is listed in Blizzard's Horde chain. Horde instead uses Lower/Upper Blackrock Spire and a longer open-world quest route.
Where does the chain end?
Both factions ultimately kill General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire and use the Blood of the Black Dragon Champion to finish the Drakefire Amulet.
Sources
- Blizzard — World of Warcraft: Forever Raid Overview
- Wowhead Forever — Drakefire Amulet
- Wowhead Forever — The Dragon's Eye
- Wowhead Forever — Warlord's Command
- Wowhead Forever — Emberstrife
Where Blizzard's October raid overview and current Forever database disagree, this guide identifies the discrepancy instead of silently choosing one version. The live quest log should take priority if the chain changes before launch.
