WoW Forever Zones, Dungeons & Raids

World of Warcraft: Forever is Blizzard's new level 60 branch of the game, and most of what sets it apart from Classic Era is new places to go: four new or rebuilt zones, nine new five-player dungeons spread from level 13 to 60, and a first raid tier with three raids of different sizes. Players moving over from Classic Era or the Anniversary realms will know Stranglethorn and Dustwallow Marsh, but not Riverglades, Alcaz Prison or Barrow Deeps. This glossary explains each of those names: where it is, which levels it is built for, and what players mean when they mention it in group chat.

It reflects the game as announced on 1 November 2026, three days before launch. Forever goes live on 4 November 2026 (23:00 UTC), and its raids open on 9 December 2026, so details below come from Blizzard's announcements and the beta and may still shift after release. Rulesets, mega-realms and the launch basics are covered in the WoW Forever section of our realm types glossary, so they are not repeated here.

Term	In short	Where you meet it
Zephras Isle	Skyborne starting zone, levels 1 to 12	Character creation, first hours
Riverglades	New mid-level zone in the Eastern Kingdoms	Leveling from the mid 30s
Shen'dralas	New Kalimdor region south of Desolace	Leveling, Highborne story
Mount Hyjal	Level 60 zone with two raid entrances	Endgame
New dungeons	Nine five-player instances, levels 13 to 60	Leveling and Legacy Challenges
City of Dalaran	Attuned dungeon for levels 28 to 33	Alterac Mountains
Blackmaw Hold	Max-level furbolg dungeon in Azshara	Level 55 to 60 groups
Raids	First raid tier, open from 9 December 2026	Level 60 guilds and PUGs
Barrow Deeps	10-player raid, 8 bosses	Below Kalimdor
Hyjal Summit	20-player raid, 13 bosses	Peak of Mount Hyjal
Onyxia's Lair	40-player raid, needs the Drakefire Amulet	Dustwallow Marsh

New zones

Blizzard lists four new destinations for launch: Zephras Isle, the Riverglades, Shen'dralas and Mount Hyjal. Together with reworked older zones they carry more than 1,000 new quests across the 1 to 60 journey. Two design rules shape how you use them: Forever has no level scaling and no flying mounts, so each zone has a fixed level band and you reach it on foot, by boat or by flight path, exactly as in 2004. For a guided tour of each region with routes, see our new zones guide.

Zephras Isle and the Skyborne

Zephras Isle is the starting zone of the Skyborne, the new playable race of Forever, and covers levels 1 to 12. Blizzard describes it as an elemental, sky-bound island whose architecture borrows from Skywall, the home of the air elementals. Other races start in their classic zones and never need to go there.

The Skyborne pick a faction at character creation. Horde Skyborne (Blizzard calls them Windshapers) can be Shamans, Alliance Skyborne of the High Order can be Mages, and both sides can play Warrior, Hunter, Rogue and Druid, with their own druid forms. The race is not part of the base subscription: it requires the Skyborne Heroic Pack or a higher upgrade. Beta guides also list a Skyborne racial mount line called Galestriders, sold from level 40.

Example: "Rolling a Skyborne shaman, see you on Zephras" means the player will spend the first dozen levels on the isle before joining the Horde mainland. Lore and racial details are in our Skyborne race guide.

Riverglades

The Riverglades is a new contested zone in south-eastern Khaz Modan, on land that was blocked off in the original game. It sits between Redridge Mountains, the Badlands, the Swamp of Sorrows and the Burning Steppes. Blizzard places it in the mid 30s to mid 40s and says it holds more than 150 new quests; warcraft.wiki.gg lists it as 35 to 45.

You can walk in from Redridge or the Badlands, or take the neutral boat from Steamwheedle Port in Tanaris to Powderfuse Port, the goblin town on its coast. The Alliance base is Farholde Keep and the Horde uses Rog'mar for flight paths. The zone also holds Krol'dok Stronghold, an ogre fortress dungeon for levels 40 to 45.

In practice the Riverglades gives players in their late 30s a fresh alternative to Stranglethorn Vale and Desolace. A typical leveling plan in chat: "STV to 37, then Riverglades and Krol'dok until 44." Powderfuse Port is also home to Powderfuse, a Steamwheedle Cartel faction found in the beta client.

Shen'dralas

Shen'dralas is a new region in central Kalimdor, south-east of Desolace and between Feralas and Mulgore. You reach it on foot from Desolace through the Valley of Bones. Its story ties into the Shen'dralar, the Highborne who stayed hidden in Eldre'Thalas (the city players know as Dire Maul), and into the centaur tribes of the area.

As of 1 November 2026 Blizzard has not published a level range for Shen'dralas, and the community wiki still marks it as unknown. Known settlements include Evenshade Overlook, Bristleback Retreat and Outcast Hideaway, and the zone is contested territory, so on the PvP ruleset expect the other faction there too.

Do not confuse the zone, Shen'dralas, with the faction, the Shen'dralar, whose library in Dire Maul already existed in the original game. Players often mix the two spellings in chat. Example: "Anyone know what level Shen'dralas is? Planning my route after Desolace."

Mount Hyjal

Mount Hyjal is the level 60 zone of Forever, set after the defeat of Archimonde. It is not the Cataclysm version with level scaling: in Forever it is a contested max-level area reached on foot from Winterspring through Darkwhisper Gorge. Beta group finder data put the zone at 55 to 60.

Hyjal matters for endgame because two of the three launch raids start there: Hyjal Summit on the peak near the World Tree Nordrassil, and one entrance to Barrow Deeps. Subzones on the community wiki include Summit of Eternity, Shrine of Aviana and Malorne's Retreat. The beta client also lists a new faction named after the mountain, the Guardians of Hyjal.

Example: "Hyjal before raids open" in a guild post means doing the zone's quests and reputation at 60 during the five weeks between launch and 9 December.

New dungeons

Forever adds nine new five-player dungeons for levels 13 to 60, six in the Eastern Kingdoms and three in Kalimdor. They sit alongside the classic dungeons, which all remain. Blizzard's level ranges:

Dungeon	Levels	Location
Hall of Thanes	13 to 18	Beneath Ironforge, Dun Morogh
Ruins of Lordaeron	15 to 20	Above the Undercity, Tirisfal Glades
Excavation Site	24 to 29	Wetlands, past Whelgar's Excavation
City of Dalaran	28 to 33	Alterac Mountains
The Drowned City	35 to 40	Off Stranglethorn Vale, west of Grom'gol
Krol'dok Stronghold	40 to 45	Riverglades
Alcaz Prison	48 to 53	Alcaz Island, Dustwallow Marsh
Blackmaw Hold	55 to 60	Azshara
The Shaper's Terrace	58 to 60	Northern Un'Goro Crater

The new dungeons also count toward the dungeon Legacy Challenges explained in our Legacy and progression glossary. Runs of each one are available in our WoW Forever dungeons category.

City of Dalaran

The City of Dalaran dungeon takes place in a restored Dalaran in the Alterac Mountains, years before the city floats away in later expansions. Inside, the mages' enchantments have backfired and arcane constructs run loose. It is built for levels 28 to 33.

It is the only new dungeon that Blizzard says needs an attunement questline before you can enter, so a level 30 character cannot simply walk in with a group. Its place in the level curve makes it an alternative to Scarlet Monastery and Razorfen Kraul.

Example: "LF tank Dalaran, all attuned" tells applicants that everyone in the group has finished the access quests, so nobody has to break off to do them.

The Drowned City

The Drowned City is a sunken troll city that has risen from the sea off the coast of Stranglethorn Vale, west of the Horde camp at Grom'gol. Trolls and naga hold it, and a storm builds over the final encounter. Blizzard rates it for levels 35 to 40.

It was the only new Forever dungeon playable at BlizzCon 2026, so it is the one with the most early footage and boss knowledge. Its entrance lies west of Grom'gol, the Horde camp with the zeppelin tower, so it fits naturally into a Stranglethorn leveling stretch for both factions.

Example: "DC runs at 36" in LFG chat means The Drowned City, not a city capital. Do not confuse it with Zul'Gurub, the troll raid elsewhere in the same zone.

Alcaz Prison

Alcaz Prison is on Alcaz Island off the coast of Dustwallow Marsh, near Theramore. Blizzard's story: Defias and naga are fighting over the prison, and rumours say it holds important captives, King Varian Wrynn among them. It is tuned for levels 48 to 53.

That range puts it between the late classic dungeons such as Zul'Farrak and Maraudon and the level 55 to 60 content, so it fills a gap many Classic players used to cover with quests alone. Because Onyxia's Lair is also in Dustwallow, raiders who reach 60 often pass the island again later.

Example: "Alcaz at 49, need healer" is a typical call in a Dustwallow or Theramore channel.

Blackmaw Hold

Blackmaw Hold is a furbolg city in northern Azshara, behind a gate that has been sealed for a long time. Blizzard calls it a substantial max-level adventure for levels 55 to 60, with several routes and bosses and a path that leads deeper below Azeroth. It was not open in the public beta.

That path matters: Blizzard's raid overview names Blackmaw Hold as one of the three entrances to the Barrow Deeps raid, next to Mount Hyjal and Winterspring. Whether a full clear of the dungeon is ever required for the raid has not been announced.

Example: "Blackmaw full clear, pre-raid" means a group doing every boss for gear before the December raid opening.

The Shaper's Terrace

The Shaper's Terrace (Blizzard also writes just Shaper's Terrace) is a titan facility in the northern hills of Un'Goro Crater, for levels 58 to 60. Players bring power crystals gathered in Un'Goro and use them at consoles inside the dungeon.

It has the highest minimum level of the nine and is the last new dungeon most characters reach, which also makes it one of the last stops for pre-raid gear before December.

Example: "Farm crystals before Shaper's" is advice to collect the power crystals in Un'Goro first so the group does not stall at the consoles.

Raids

The first Forever raids open on 9 December 2026, five weeks after launch, for level 60 characters only. There are three, each with a different group size, and Blizzard plans weekly resets for all of them. Shops and players often call this first tier "Phase 1", although Blizzard's own posts talk about launch and later content releases rather than numbered phases. Blizzard also says Hyjal Summit and Barrow Deeps bring new tier sets. Our Phase 1 raids bundle covers all three.

Barrow Deeps

Barrow Deeps is the 10-player raid of the tier, with 8 bosses. It is hidden beneath Kalimdor in the prison where Illidan Stormrage was held, and it has three entrances: through Mount Hyjal, Winterspring and Blackmaw Hold.

Ten players is a small raid by Classic standards, so a guild can field several teams and a group of friends can clear it without a full roster. No attunement has been announced for it. Defeating all 8 bosses also completes one of the raid Legacy Challenges, often listed as Conqueror of the Deeps.

Example: "BD10 Wednesday, need 2 heals" in a guild channel refers to this raid.

Hyjal Summit

Hyjal Summit is the 20-player raid at the top of Mount Hyjal, near the World Tree Nordrassil, with 13 bosses in Blizzard's count. It opens with a fight against an ancient guardian and then branches into several routes across the mountain.

The name is shared with the Burning Crusade raid "Battle for Mount Hyjal", which players also called Hyjal Summit, but the Forever raid is set after Archimonde's defeat and has its own bosses. No attunement is listed. Clearing all 13 bosses counts for the raid Legacy Challenge often listed as Conqueror of the Wilds.

Example: "Hyjal 20, full clear in two nights" means a raid team expects to spread the 13 bosses over two evenings.

Onyxia's Lair

Onyxia's Lair returns as the 40-player raid of the tier, in Dustwallow Marsh, with Onyxia's three-phase fight. Blizzard advises building fire resistance before you go. It is the one raid of the three with an attunement: you need the Drakefire Amulet in your bags (not equipped) to enter.

The amulet comes from a faction questline. The Alliance chain starts in the Burning Steppes and runs through Blackrock Depths and Upper Blackrock Spire to General Drakkisath. The Horde chain starts in the Badlands with Warlord Goretooth and includes the Test of Skulls in Dustwallow Marsh before it also ends in Upper Blackrock Spire. Both need groups for the elite parts.

Example: "Ony attune run tonight, UBRS" means helping guildmates finish the amulet before raid night. The attunement is also an option on our Onyxia's Lair attunement lot.

FAQ

What are the new zones in WoW Forever?

Zephras Isle (the Skyborne start, levels 1 to 12), the Riverglades (mid 30s to mid 40s), Shen'dralas (south-east of Desolace, level range not yet published) and Mount Hyjal (level 60). Darkwhisper Gorge links Winterspring to Hyjal.

How many new dungeons does WoW Forever have?

Nine new five-player dungeons for levels 13 to 60, from Hall of Thanes at 13 to 18 up to The Shaper's Terrace at 58 to 60. All classic dungeons are still in the game.

When do WoW Forever raids open?

Blizzard has scheduled Barrow Deeps (10 players), Hyjal Summit (20) and Onyxia's Lair (40) for 9 December 2026, for level 60 characters, with weekly resets.

Do WoW Forever raids need attunement?

Only Onyxia's Lair, which needs the Drakefire Amulet. Blizzard lists no attunement for Barrow Deeps or Hyjal Summit. Among dungeons, City of Dalaran needs an attunement questline.

Related terms

• WoW Forever Legacy and progression glossary: Legacy Challenges, camping, Merchant's Favor, Darkspear Islands
• WoW Forever rulesets and mega-realms
• Fresh realm
• Threat and taunt for dungeon and raid tanking
• WoW Forever new zones guide
• How to get gear in WoW Forever
• WoW Forever raids