WoW Forever Raids: Tier 1 Split Across All 3 Raids, No World Buffs, One Difficulty

To finish your Tier 1 set, you'll need runs in a 10, a 20 and a 40-player raid. If your guild only fields one raid size, find the other two groups before December 9. Save world buffs for dungeons: their in-game tooltips say they do nothing in a raid.

Raids for a full Tier 1 set

3

Difficulty per raid

1

Raids open

Dec 9

Do you need all three raids to finish your Tier 1 set?

Yes. Tier 1 is the first raid armor set for your class, and its pieces are split across all three raids. A guild that runs only one will never complete it.

Here is what each of the three raids asks of your group:

A bigger raid doesn't drop stronger gear. Item level stays about the same in all three, and the size only makes the raid harder to organize.

Which slot drops where isn't known yet. Item data stays out of the game files until a player finds the item.

Onyxia is one boss with a lot of loot. Every player also needs the Drakefire Amulet in their bags to enter. It comes from Onyxia's attunement, a long quest chain for your faction.

Do world buffs and class buffs work inside raids?

World buffs stop working inside a raid. These are the big timed buffs you pick up out in the world. In the November 10 client build, their tooltips end with "No effect while in a raid instance."

This comes from the game files, not an announcement. No one can test it before raids open.

Every buff in this table carries that line:

Outside raids they still work. Keep them for dungeon farming, where they speed up every pull.

Class buffs went the other way and got easier to cover:

• Shaman in your raid: most buff totems now reach the whole raid, not just one party.
• Paladin in your raid: blessings, like every raid buff, now last 1 hour. Blessing of Salvation is gone, and tanks hold that threat on their own.
• Building a 20-player raid: about 10 players cover every required buff. Fill the other 10 spots with whoever you like.

So one paladin and one shaman matter a lot. A second of each is nice, not required.

Still picking a main? See which WoW Forever classes most players run.

How hard are WoW Forever raids, with only one difficulty?

Each raid has one difficulty: no Normal, no Heroic. A casual guild and a top guild fight the same bosses.

Raid difficulty targets a typical Naxxramas boss, not the hardest ones like Four Horsemen. That's harder than Molten Core, but you won't need addons to read the fights.

What that means for your group:

• Average guild: Blizzard's target is about 2 to 3 weeks of progress to clear.
• Pickup group: Barrow Deeps should open up to pugs (pickup groups of strangers) a few weeks or months in.
• Group chasing secrets: raids can hide secret bosses and secret phases, so explore every corner.

Hyjal Summit opens with one boss, then splits into three wings. You have to clear all three to reach the last part of the raid.

When do the raids open, and what should you do before December 9?

Raids open on December 9 at the same moment in every region, but no hour is announced yet. They're planned to reset once a week.

Onyxia's attunement takes longest, so start it now:

Every raider needs that amulet, so check your whole 40 before the pull.

Thinking past Tier 1? Keep clearing Hyjal. A couple of patches in, you'll likely go back there for a legendary staff.

The December raids are only Tier 1. Two more raids follow in spring 2027 and two in summer.

The lime row is the tier that opens on December 9. Its gear is tuned to carry you into the spring raids.

Plan a weekly night for each of the three raids now, and save your world buffs for dungeons.