Raids & bosses

Onyxia's Lair: How to Kill Onyxia — Phases, Attunement, Loot

Section: Raids & bosses 3 min read Vanilla 1.12.1 · x5 Updated 03.10.2026

Onyxia's Lair is a 40-player raid in Dustwallow Marsh, home to a single boss — Onyxia the black dragon. Despite its simplicity in scope, the fight is mechanically demanding and the attunement chain is long. The loot is iconic, including Tier 2 helmets for all classes. On WoW x5, boosted rates speed up the attunement quests significantly.

Fire Breath
Fire BreathOnyxia's cleave attack
Drakefire Amulet
Drakefire AmuletRequired attunement item
Dustwallow Marsh
Dustwallow MarshRaid location
Contents
  1. Attunement
  2. The Three Phases
  3. Key Loot
  4. Raid Tips
  5. Related Guides

Attunement

The Drakefire Amulet must be in your bags to enter. Both factions complete separate chains. Full walkthrough: Onyxia attunement guide; route to the entrance: how to get to Onyxia's Lair.

Alliance Chain

  1. Dragonkin Menace — Helendis Riverhorn, Burning Steppes → The True Masters (Lakeshire, Stormwind)
  2. Marshal Windsor chain — free Reginald Windsor from Blackrock Depths
  3. The Great Masquerade — Windsor unmasks Lady Prestor in Stormwind Keep
  4. The Dragon's Eye → Blood of the Black Dragon Champion from General Drakkisath (UBRS)
  5. Receive Drakefire Amulet

Horde Chain

  1. Warlord Goretooth in Kargath (Badlands)
  2. Kill Omokk, Voone and Wyrmthalak in LBRS
  3. Thrall → Rend Blackhand (UBRS) → Rexxar → Emberstrife chain in Dustwallow
  4. Blood of the Black Dragon Champion (UBRS)
  5. Receive Drakefire Amulet
Совет

Run UBRS with your guild — multiple attunement steps share the same instance. Knock them all out in one session.

The Three Phases

Phase 1 — Ground (100–65%)

Onyxia stands still. Tank her facing away from the raid. Melee stay behind her. Avoid Flame Breath (cone in front) and Tail Sweep (behind her).

Phase 2 — Air (65–40%)

At 65% HP Onyxia flies and becomes untargetable. Onyxian Whelps spawn from caves on both sides — assign off-tanks and AoE classes to handle them.

Важно

DEEP BREATH — Onyxia channels fire across the entire room in a straight line. When you hear the warning, move immediately to the cave walls. Standing in the path is fatal for most players.

Phase 3 — Ground (Enraged)

Onyxia lands at 40% HP. Phase 1 abilities return plus Bellowing Roar — a raid-wide fear followed by fire erupting from floor cracks (Fear Ward / Tremor Totem help). Full burn — maximize DPS while healers keep the main tank alive.

Key Loot

ItemSlotNotable For
Helm of Wrath (T2)Head (Plate)Warrior Tier 2 helmet
Netherwind Crown (T2)Head (Cloth)Mage Tier 2 helmet
Stormrage Cover (T2)Head (Leather)Druid Tier 2 helmet
Eskhandar's CollarNeckMelee
Shard of the ScaleRingHealers
Onyxia Hide Backpack18-slot bagEveryone
Head of OnyxiaQuest itemChoice reward
Совет

Turn in Head of Onyxia for a choice of Onyxia Tooth Pendant (BiS neck for most physical DPS until Naxxramas), Onyxia Blood Talisman or Dragonslayer's Signet. The turn-in also grants the world buff Rallying Cry of the Dragonslayer. Scale of Onyxia drops too — tailors craft the Onyxia Scale Cloak, required against Shadow Flame in Blackwing Lair.

Raid Tips

  1. Assign 2+ players to wrangle Whelps in Phase 2
  2. Call Deep Breath in raid chat — use /rw macro
  3. Do not run during Deep Breath — stay at walls
  4. After Phase 2, transition cleanly to Phase 3 positioning

Related Guides

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Play on WoW x5 — conquer Onyxia with your guild today!

FAQ

How do I get attuned to Onyxia?

Both factions have separate quest chains. Alliance starts with Helendis Riverhorn in the Burning Steppes; Horde starts with Warlord Goretooth in Kargath (Badlands). Both chains end with the Drakefire Amulet.

What is the Onyxia reset timer?

Onyxia resets every 5 days (120 hours).

How do I survive Deep Breath?

During Phase 2, Onyxia flies across the room in a straight line. Move to the sides of the cave immediately. Never stand in the center during the air phase.

Quest complete: guide read

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