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The Burning Crusade Anniversary Phase 3 Overview
Phase 3 is the patch every Outland veteran had been circling on the calendar, and it went live on August 27, 2026. This is where The Burning Crusade Anniversary finally shifts into the Tier 6 era and cracks open the doors to Illidan Stormrage himself. If the earlier phases were about finding your footing in Serpentshrine Cavern and Tempest Keep, this one is the payoff — the endgame you actually came back to Outland for.
The headline additions are two brand-new 25-player raids: the Black Temple with its nine bosses, and the Battle for Mount Hyjal with five, for a combined fourteen fresh encounters to grind through. On top of the raids, Phase 3 stacks in the Netherwing reputation grind and its collection of drake mounts, the long-awaited Epic Gems for your best sockets, and a whole new Arena Season 3 for the PvP crowd. Whether you live for progression raiding, mount collecting, or ladder climbing, there is something here with your name on it.
Below we will walk through everything Phase 3 brings, when it went live, how the attunements worked while they were required, and how to get ready for the raids.
Note: As of 22 October 2026, The Battle for Mount Hyjal and The Black Temple no longer require attunement, so the attunement chains described below were required only until that date. The same patch launches Zul’Aman, a 10-player level 70 raid in the Ghostlands with no attunement, and changes Badge of Justice and Heroic loot (see the Heroic Loot Update row and FAQ below).
Key Takeaways
Short on time? Here is the whole phase in a handful of bullets before we dig into the details.
- Two new raids, 14 bosses. Black Temple (9 bosses) and Battle for Mount Hyjal (5 bosses) went live together on August 27, 2026.
- Illidan at last. Black Temple ends with Illidan Stormrage, who drops the legendary Warglaives of Azzinoth.
- Tier 6 arrives. The first five T6 slots come from Hyjal and Black Temple bosses.
- Attunements are gone. They were account-wide, and since 22 October 2026 neither Hyjal nor Black Temple requires one.
- Netherwing drakes. A full reputation grind that pays out up to six drake colors.
- Epic Gems. The best sockets in the game finally open up, and 375 Mining makes them far easier to get.
- Arena Season 3. Vengeful Gladiator gear plus a fresh rating reset.
- Release date. Phase 3 went live on August 27, 2026 at 3:00 PM PDT.
Phase 3 Release Date
Phase 3 went live on August 27, 2026 at 3:00 PM PDT, with the Black Temple and the Battle for Mount Hyjal opening together. An earlier rumor pointing at August 13, 2026 turned out to be wrong, so ignore any older reference to that date.
Arena Season 3 started on September 1, 2026. On 22 October 2026 a further patch launches Zul’Aman and removes the Hyjal and Black Temple attunements (see the note at the top of this guide).
Phase 3 Features at a Glance
Phase 3 is a lot more than two raids bolted on. Here is the full slate of what unlocked when the patch went live.
| Content | Type | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Black Temple | 25-player raid | Nine bosses ending in Illidan Stormrage; the flagship raid of the phase. |
| Battle for Mount Hyjal | 25-player raid | Five bosses fought across defensive trash waves inside the Caverns of Time. |
| Tier 6 Armor | Gear set | The first five T6 slots, bought with class tokens from both new raids. |
| Netherwing | Reputation grind | Daily quests that lead to up to six Netherwing Drake mounts. |
| Epic Gems | Itemization | Top-tier prismatic gems for your best gear sockets. |
| Arena Season 3 | PvP season | Vengeful Gladiator sets and a fresh rating reset. |
| Heroic Loot Update | Loot refresh | The 22 October 2026 patch lets Badges of Justice drop in more raids, upgrades the G’eras vendor in Shattrath and lowers the Heroic key reputation requirement to Honored. |
The New Raids: Black Temple and Mount Hyjal
Two raids dropped on day one, and together they define the phase. Both are 25-player, and most guilds will run them side by side for the full Tier 6 experience.
Black Temple
Perched in the eastern hills of Shadowmoon Valley, the Black Temple is Illidan’s fortress and the centerpiece of Phase 3. It is a nine-boss gauntlet that runs from High Warlord Naj’entus through Supremus, Shade of Akama, Teron Gorefiend, Gurtogg Bloodboil, the Reliquary of Souls, Mother Shahraz, and The Illidari Council before you finally face Illidan Stormrage himself. Every boss you clear here builds your Ashtongue Deathsworn reputation, which unlocks a class trinket you will absolutely want (more on that below). If you want a pull-by-pull breakdown before you step inside, read our full Black Temple raid guide.
Battle for Mount Hyjal
Tucked inside the Caverns of Time, the Battle for Mount Hyjal is a very different beast. It is a five-boss raid — Rage Winterchill, Anetheron, Kaz’rogal, Azgalor, and Archimonde — but the first four are each gated behind eight waves of trash you have to survive before the boss even shows up. It is an endurance test as much as a DPS check, and it rewards Scale of the Sands reputation, which feeds into a set of rings and gem rewards. Hyjal is generally the more forgiving of the two raids to start on, so plenty of guilds cut their Tier 6 teeth here first before committing to the Temple.
Attunements Explained
Good news first: as of 22 October 2026 neither The Battle for Mount Hyjal nor The Black Temple requires attunement, so you can skip the chains below. They are kept for reference, since this is what was required until that date. On the Anniversary realms these attunements were account-wide: you did the work on one character and every alt on the account walked straight in.
| Raid | Requirements (until 22 October 2026) | Final reward |
|---|---|---|
| Battle for Mount Hyjal | Reach Revered with the Keepers of Time, then complete The Vials of Eternity, which requires killing Lady Vashj in Serpentshrine Cavern and Kael’thas in Tempest Keep. | Access to the Hyjal Summit portal (no longer needed). |
| Black Temple | Complete the Akama questline out in Shadowmoon Valley, and be able to clear both Serpentshrine Cavern and Mount Hyjal. | The Medallion of Karabor, which used to be the key into the Black Temple. |
Notice the old dependency chain: Black Temple sat on top of Mount Hyjal, which itself sat on top of Vashj and Kael’thas. Since 22 October 2026 you no longer have to walk that chain to enter either raid.
Rewards and Loot
This is the part you actually care about. Phase 3 brings four big reward tracks: Tier 6 armor, the Warglaives, the Ashtongue trinkets, and the Scale of the Sands rings.
Tier 6 Armor
Phase 3 opens the first five slots of your Tier 6 set. Bosses drop class tokens — Forgotten Conqueror, Forgotten Protector, and Forgotten Vanquisher — which you hand to Tydormu at the Caverns of Time in exchange for the actual armor piece. Here is where each early slot comes from.
| Slot | Boss | Raid |
|---|---|---|
| Gloves | Azgalor | Battle for Mount Hyjal |
| Helm | Archimonde | Battle for Mount Hyjal |
| Shoulders | Mother Shahraz | Black Temple |
| Legs | The Illidari Council | Black Temple |
| Chest | Illidan Stormrage | Black Temple |
Warglaives of Azzinoth
The crown jewel of the entire phase. Illidan Stormrage drops the two halves of the Warglaives of Azzinoth — the main hand and off hand roll separately, so you will usually need multiple kills before one lucky rogue or warrior completes the set. Equipping both grants a legendary dual-wield loadout that is still one of the most iconic looks in the game, and being the first on your realm to swing them is a serious flex.
Ashtongue Deathsworn Rewards
Grinding Black Temple builds your Ashtongue Deathsworn reputation, and at Exalted you can pick up your class-specific Ashtongue Talisman trinket for a token 28g 81s 56b. There is exactly one per class, so grab the right one.
| Class | Trinket |
|---|---|
| Warrior | Ashtongue Talisman of Valor |
| Druid | Ashtongue Talisman of Equilibrium |
| Hunter | Ashtongue Talisman of Swiftness |
| Shaman | Ashtongue Talisman of Insight |
| Paladin | Ashtongue Talisman of Zeal |
| Priest | Ashtongue Talisman of Acumen |
| Warlock | Ashtongue Talisman of Vision |
| Rogue | Ashtongue Talisman of Lethality |
| Mage | Ashtongue Talisman of Shadows |
Scale of the Sands Rewards
Mount Hyjal feeds your Scale of the Sands reputation, and the payoff here is the Band of Eternity ring line sold by Indormi. As you climb from Honored to Revered to Exalted, the ring options improve — and they come in role-specific flavors for tanks, healers, and damage dealers. Pick your path deliberately, because you are choosing based on your main spec and re-grinding for a different variant is a genuine slog.
Chasing every token, trinket, and ring at once is a serious time commitment. If you would rather spend your evenings actually raiding instead of grinding reputation on the side, our WoW boosting and gear services can help you close the gap.
Netherwing Reputation and Drakes
If raiding is not your only love, the Netherwing grind is the collector’s headline of Phase 3. It is a pure reputation chain that ends in one of the most sought-after mount lines in TBC — the Netherwing Drakes, in up to six different colors.
The grind kicks off with Mordenai out in the Netherwing Fields of Shadowmoon Valley. You will want to be level 70 with Artisan Riding before you get serious, because epic flight is what lets you push past Neutral and actually keep pace with the daily quests. From there it is a steady rhythm of dailies and egg turn-ins until you hit Exalted.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1. Start the chain | Find Mordenai in the Netherwing Fields and complete his intro quests to reach the Dragonmaw camp. |
| 2. Sort out flying | Train Artisan Riding — you need real flight speed to pass Neutral, reach the mines, and keep up with the dailies. |
| 3. Grind the dailies | Run the rotating Netherwing daily quests every day; this is the bulk of your reputation. |
| 4. Turn in eggs | Hand in Netherwing Eggs you find (or buy) around the Ledge for chunky reputation boosts. |
| 5. Hit Exalted | Claim your first Netherwing Drake for free, then buy the remaining colors — six in total. |
Netherwing Eggs can sell for a small fortune on the auction house when everyone is racing to Exalted, and the daily grind quietly eats a lot of hours. If you want the drakes without the daily-quest marathon, our WoW Classic Anniversary gold and services can bankroll the eggs or handle the grind for you.
Arena Season 3
Phase 3 also flipped the PvP world over to Arena Season 3, which started on September 1, 2026. The season brings the Vengeful Gladiator set — a fresh tier of arena gear with stronger stats — along with the usual rating reset, ladder scramble, and title race. If you have been sitting on Season 2 gear, this is your upgrade path.
The smart move now is simple: keep earning Arena Points and spend them on Vengeful pieces rather than on gear from the previous season.
How to Prepare for Phase 3
Phase 3 is live and the raids are open, so preparation is now mostly about gear and consumables. Here is your checklist, roughly in priority order.
- Skip The Vials of Eternity. This quest needed kills on Lady Vashj and Kael’thas and gated Hyjal access, but since 22 October 2026 Hyjal no longer requires attunement.
- Skip the Black Temple attunement quests. The Akama questline in Shadowmoon Valley took real time, but it is no longer required since 22 October 2026.
- Keepers of Time reputation is no longer needed to enter. Revered used to be required for the Hyjal attunement, which was removed on 22 October 2026.
- Build a Shadow Resistance set for Mother Shahraz. Aim for roughly 174 shadow resistance from gear, and Prayer of Shadow Resistance tops you up by another 70. She blankets the raid in shadow damage, so this is non-negotiable.
- Stock consumables and repair gold. Flasks, food, potions, and a fat repair buffer — progression nights get expensive fast.
- Level Mining to 375. Epic Gems are far easier to source when you can mine the new nodes yourself instead of paying market rates.
- Grind key reputations to Exalted. The Sha’tar, the Cenarion Expedition, and either the Aldor or the Scryers all pay off.
- Train Artisan Riding. Epic flight is basically mandatory for the Netherwing dailies and handy everywhere else.
- Bank Marks of the Illidari. With Exalted standing across the Sha’tar, Cenarion Expedition, and Aldor or Scryers, these unlock discounted raid flasks — a real gold saver over a full tier of progression.
All of that — the flasks, the gems, the repair bills, the egg money — adds up quickly. If your gold reserves are looking thin heading into the raids, topping up with WoW Classic Anniversary gold is the low-stress way to show up raid-ready instead of gold-poor.
Phase 3 FAQ
When does Phase 3 release?
Phase 3 went live on August 27, 2026 at 3:00 PM PDT. An earlier rumor of August 13, 2026 was wrong.
What raids come with Phase 3?
Two: the Black Temple (9 bosses) and the Battle for Mount Hyjal (5 bosses), for fourteen new encounters in total. Both are 25-player.
How do I get Tier 6 gear?
Bosses in Black Temple and Mount Hyjal drop class tokens, which you trade to Tydormu at the Caverns of Time for the armor. Phase 3 opens the first five slots of the set.
How do I get attuned for Black Temple?
You no longer need to: since 22 October 2026 the Black Temple requires no attunement. Until then you had to complete the Akama questline in Shadowmoon Valley and be able to clear both Serpentshrine Cavern and Mount Hyjal. The reward was the Medallion of Karabor, and the attunement was account-wide.
How do I get attuned for Mount Hyjal?
You no longer need to: since 22 October 2026 Mount Hyjal requires no attunement. Until then you had to hit Revered with the Keepers of Time, then finish The Vials of Eternity, which required killing Lady Vashj and Kael’thas. This was account-wide too.
How do I unlock Netherwing?
Start with Mordenai in the Netherwing Fields of Shadowmoon Valley at level 70, then run the daily quests and turn in Netherwing Eggs. Epic flight (Artisan Riding) is strongly recommended before you commit.
What mounts can I get?
Up to six Netherwing Drake colors. The first is free when you reach Exalted, and the rest are purchasable from the Netherwing quartermaster.
When does Arena Season 3 start?
Alongside Phase 3, on September 1, 2026. It brought the Vengeful Gladiator sets and a rating reset.
What are the Heroic loot changes?
The 22 October 2026 patch lets Badges of Justice drop from Doomlord Kazzak, Doomwalker, Karazhan, Gruul’s Lair, Magtheridon’s Lair, Serpentshrine Cavern, Tempest Keep and all Zul’Aman bosses. The G’eras vendor in Shattrath sells better gear, including Nether Vortex, the Heroic dungeon key reputation requirement drops to Honored, and Heroic dungeons move to their final reduced difficulty. Kazzak and Doomwalker loot becomes BoE, and Primal Nether and Nether Vortex are no longer soulbound.
Final Thoughts
Phase 3 is the emotional peak of the whole Anniversary run — the moment TBC has been building toward since launch. Between the Black Temple and Mount Hyjal you get fourteen bosses, your first real taste of Tier 6, the legendary Warglaives, a stable of Netherwing drakes, and Epic Gems to min-max every last socket. That is a mountain of content, and the players who prep — resistance gear, gold, reputations — are the ones who will be standing over Illidan, now that the attunements are gone.
So sort your checklist, bank your gold, and get your raid team on the same page. You will be very glad you did. Good luck out there — Illidan is waiting, and this time you get to be the one who showed up prepared.