Onyxia’s Lair Raid Guide for WoW Classic Hardcore

Overview

Onyxia’s Lair is a single boss: the black dragon Onyxia, in her cave in the Wyrmbog of Dustwallow Marsh. It’s a 40-player raid that a well-geared group can do with fewer, and it resets every five days. She drops the Tier 2 helms, which makes her worth killing for the whole raiding career.

The fight has three phases. On the ground she’s an ordinary dragon fight; in the air she rains fireballs, breathes across the cave and sends whelps; back on the ground she fears the raid while the floor erupts. On a Hardcore realm, Deep Breath and the third phase’s fears are what kill people.

Getting in

• The lair is in the Wyrmbog, in the south of Dustwallow Marsh. You need the Drakefire Amulet in your bags to enter.
• Alliance: the amulet chain starts with Dragonkin Menace from Helendis Riverhorn at Morgan’s Vigil in the Burning Steppes and runs through Reginald Windsor’s story in Stormwind. Its last step needs the Blood of the Black Dragon Champion, from General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire, taken to Haleh in Winterspring.
• Horde: the chain starts with Warlord’s Command from Warlord Goretooth in Kargath (Badlands), which sends you through Lower Blackrock Spire, then on to Rexxar. It also ends with General Drakkisath’s blood.
• Both chains need a full Upper Blackrock Spire run, so plan the attunement together with your raid.

Preparation, role by role

What each class brings

Priest

Fear Ward on the main tank just before she lands for the third phase, and again whenever it’s ready.

Shaman

Tremor Totem near the main tank and the melee in the third phase (Horde).

Warrior

Berserker Rage makes you immune to fear for 10 seconds: time it for her Bellowing Roar.

Mage

Area spells on the whelps in the second phase (Arcane Explosion, Blizzard), then back on Onyxia.

Warlock

Your damage matters most in the second phase. Hand out healthstones before the pull.

Hunter

Strong in the second phase; keep your pet away from the whelp caves.

Consumables

• Greater Fire Protection Potions: one makes Deep Breath and the fireballs survivable for a few seconds.
• Major Healing Potions and healthstones for the third phase.
• Fire resistance gear helps everyone here, healers and ranged too.

Dangerous trash

On Hardcore, the trash between the bosses kills more raiders than the bosses do.

Onyxian Warders

A few dragonkin guards in the tunnel down to her. They hit hard and use fire spells around them: pull them one at a time, away from the cave.

Whelp eggs

The side caves are full of eggs. Don’t walk into them: they hatch into whelps, and those join the fight.

The fight

The boss

Onyxia

Phase 1 (100–65%): on the ground. Phase 2 (65–40%): in the air, with fireballs, Deep Breath and whelps. Phase 3 (40–0%): back on the ground, fearing the raid while the floor erupts.

Abilities

Flame Breath

A cone of fire in front of her. Only the tank stands there.

Tail Sweep

Hits and knocks back everyone behind her.

Wing Buffet

Knocks back everyone in front of her.

Cleave

Hits the tank and anyone next to them.

Fireball

In the air: a fireball at a random player that splashes onto everyone near them.

Deep Breath

In the air: she flies to one side and breathes fire across the whole cave. Anyone in its path takes massive damage.

Bellowing Roar

On the ground again: fears everyone nearby, and lava erupts from the cracks in the floor.

Onyxian Whelps

In the air: whelps pour out of the side caves in waves.

Your job

Tanks

Phase 1: pull her and turn her so she faces a wall, away from the raid. Phase 2: two tanks pick up the whelps as they come out of the caves. Phase 3: take her back as she lands, facing away, and stay unfeared with Fear Ward, a Tremor Totem or Berserker Rage.

Healers

Phase 1: keep the tank up; it’s steady damage. Phase 2: spread out along the walls and heal fireball damage and the whelp tanks. Phase 3: heal through the fears; the raid takes damage from the eruptions.

Melee damage

Phase 1: at her sides, never in front or behind. Phase 2: kill the whelps. Phase 3: back to her sides; if you’re feared, you can run over cracks in the floor, so stand where the run takes you somewhere safe.

Ranged damage

Phase 1: wait for the tank to build threat. Phase 2: spread out under her and do your damage, and move out of her path when she starts a Deep Breath. Near 40%, ease off so the tank can take her back when she lands.

Class jobs

Priest

Fear Ward the main tank right before she lands, and again when it comes back.

Shaman

Tremor Totem by the tank and melee in phase 3 (Horde).

Warrior

Berserker Rage against Bellowing Roar; the main tank can swap stances for it.

Mage

Arcane Explosion and Blizzard on the whelp packs in phase 2.

Paladin

Blessing of Protection on a player caught by whelps.

What gets people killed

• Standing in the path of Deep Breath. When she flies to one side of the cave, move to the sides of the room; the breath goes straight across.
• Standing in front of her (Flame Breath) or behind her (Tail Sweep) in phases 1 and 3.
• Being feared into whelps or across erupting floor in phase 3.
• Ranged pulling her off the tank as she lands at 40%.
• Walking into the side caves and hatching more whelps.

Onyxia’s loot, with your upgrades marked →

Staying alive on Hardcore

There are no resurrections on a Hardcore realm: a soulstone, a battle resurrection or a spirit healer won’t bring anyone back. These habits keep a raid alive here.

• Pull the Onyxian Warders one at a time, and stay out of the egg caves.
• Treat Deep Breath like an instant death: always know which side she’s on in phase 2.
• Have a fear answer for the main tank in phase 3. If the tank is feared, Onyxia turns on the raid.
• Pop a Greater Fire Protection Potion before phase 2 if you’re low on health.

Frequently asked questions