Karazhan, Gruul's Lair, and Magtheridon's Lair officially opened on February 19th, kicking off Phase 1 raiding in the Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary. All three raids are available now, bringing Tier 4 gear and some of early TBC's most memorable boss fights to the Anniversary server.
The trio covers both raid sizes and represents the full scope of Phase 1 endgame content. Karazhan is the 10-player entry point with 12 bosses and a full attunement chain, while Gruul's Lair and Magtheridon's Lair are 25-player raids that round out the Tier 4 set. Players will need to run all three on a regular basis, since each raid holds specific token slots that can't be obtained anywhere else this phase.
Tier 4 Token Distribution
Phase 1 moves away from class-specific loot drops. Instead, bosses drop shared tokens that can be exchanged for Tier 4 set pieces in Shattrath City. Each token is shared between three classes, keeping loot distribution broader across raid groups.
The token groups break down as follows: Hero tokens cover Hunter, Mage, and Warlock. Champion tokens go to Paladin, Rogue, and Shaman. Defender tokens serve Warrior, Priest, and Druid.
Where players turn in their tokens depends on their Shattrath faction choice. Aldor members visit Asuur at Aldor's Rise, while Scryer members head to Arodis Sunblade at Scryer's Tier.
Each of the five Tier 4 slots drops from a specific boss spread across the three raids. Karazhan covers gloves (The Curator) and helm (Prince Malchezaar). Gruul's Lair provides shoulders (High King Maulgar) and legs (Gruul the Dragonkiller). Magtheridon's Lair supplies the final piece with the chest token. Completing a full Tier 4 set means running all three raids consistently.
Karazhan
Karazhan is the biggest and most involved raid of the phase. Twelve encounters wind through the haunted tower of Medivh, the raid resets weekly, and it requires a full attunement chain before players can zone in. It's also the only raid this phase that drops loot at three different item level tiers.
Location and Travel
The raid sits at the southern end of Deadwind Pass, a zone wedged between Duskwood and Swamp of Sorrows. Since Deadwind Pass is in Azeroth, flying mounts won't work here. Ground mounts are the only option.
Alliance players have the shortest ride from Darkshire in Duskwood, heading northeast into the pass. Horde players should fly to Stonard in Swamp of Sorrows and take the western path uphill. Anyone carrying Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian can bypass the trip entirely with Portal: Karazhan.
Karazhan Attunement
Karazhan is the only Phase 1 raid that requires attunement. Entry depends on obtaining The Master's Key, earned through a quest chain that starts with Archmage Alturus outside the raid entrance. The chain sends players through Shadow Labyrinth, The Steamvault, and The Arcatraz. It's a solid time investment, but there's no shortcut around it.
Boss Encounters
Karazhan doesn't follow a traditional wing structure. The tower is more open-ended, and several bosses are entirely optional. Four encounters must be killed in a specific order to progress through the raid: Moroes, the Opera Event, The Curator, and the Chess Event. Everything else can be skipped if the group chooses.
The full roster includes: Servant Quarters, Attumen the Huntsman, Moroes, Maiden of Virtue, the Opera Event, The Curator, Terestian Illhoof, Shade of Aran, Netherspite, the Chess Event, Prince Malchezaar, and Nightbane (a summoned boss with its own unlock quest).
Twelve bosses is a lot of content for a single 10-player raid, and groups should expect a full evening to clear everything, especially in the early weeks.
Loot and Item Levels
Item levels in Karazhan vary depending on the source, creating a clear gear hierarchy within the raid itself. Standard boss drops and trash epics come in at item level 115. Tier 4 tokens redeem for item level 120 gear, putting them a step above most of the raid's drops.
Prince Malchezaar, the final boss, sits at the top with item level 125 loot. His drops match the item level of gear from both 25-player raids, so he's the most rewarding encounter in Karazhan for raw gear quality.
Fiery Warhorse's Reins
Attumen the Huntsman, the raid's first boss, has a rare chance to drop Fiery Warhorse's Reins. The mount is Midnight, the horse Attumen rides into battle during the encounter. It remains one of the rarest and most sought-after mounts in the game, and plenty of groups will be farming this boss every week even after the rest of their Karazhan gear is sorted.
Nightbane Summoning Chain
Nightbane stands apart from every other boss in the raid. Players can't just walk up and pull him. A separate quest chain must be completed first, and it's one of the longer side chains in Phase 1.
The process starts with Archmage Alturus, but the first quest only appears at Honored reputation with The Violet Eye. From there, the chain involves speaking with a series of NPCs inside Karazhan's Guardian's Library, looting Medivh's Journal from the Shade of Aran encounter, reading the journal on the Master's Terrace, and then heading outside the raid to recover a Charred Bone Fragment from the mountains south of Karazhan in Deadwind Pass.
The chain then takes players to Area 52 in Netherstorm to speak with Kalynna Lathred, who sends them into two Heroic dungeons: Shattered Halls in Hellfire Citadel to retrieve the Tome of Dusk from Grand Warlock Nethekurse, and Sethekk Halls in Auchindoun to collect the Book of Forgotten Names from Darkweaver Syth.
Once all of that is done, players can summon Nightbane at the Master's Terrace on every lockout by touching the Blackened Urn. Completing the chain also awards one of three gems: Pulsing Amethyst, Infused Amethyst, or Soothing Amethyst. Nightbane's loot table has several strong pieces, so getting this chain done early pays off.
Raid Shortcuts and Vendors
Repeated clears get smoother over time thanks to several built-in shortcuts. After the Opera Event is down, a side entrance opens up. Players can reach it by heading right from the main entrance, crossing the creek, and climbing stairs that lead to a bridge and eventually a door. This lets groups skip a large chunk of the raid on subsequent weeks.
The servant entrance in the mezzanine above the ballroom also shaves time off the path to deeper bosses. Killing Shade of Aran unlocks a teleport to his room through Berthold the Doorman, found near the stairs just inside the raid entrance.
Two vendors also operate inside Karazhan, saving groups from having to leave for repairs. Koren the Blacksmith, located near Attumen the Huntsman, offers gear repairs for anyone at Honored with The Violet Eye and sells epic Blacksmithing recipes. Ythyar, a reagent vendor tied to Consortium reputation rewards, handles repairs in the room just before the Chess Event.
Violet Eye Reputation
Karazhan comes with its own reputation faction: The Violet Eye. Trash mobs inside the raid award roughly 15 reputation each, with bosses granting more. The attunement quest chain also contributes, and reputation progress runs from Neutral all the way to Exalted.
Players can pick up the quest Down the Violet Path from Archmage Leryda at Neutral to get started. At Friendly, players receive a ring from one of four paths: Path of the Violet Assassin, Path of the Violet Mage, Path of the Violet Protector, or Path of the Violet Restorer.
The ring upgrades as reputation increases. Each tier from Friendly through Revered bumps the item level, and hitting Exalted transforms it into its final version: Violet Signet of the Master Assassin, Violet Signet of the Archmage, Violet Signet of the Great Protector, or Violet Signet of the Grand Restorer. These final rings are best-in-slot for many classes and specs, which keeps Karazhan clears relevant even after players have grabbed everything else they need from the raid.
Gruul's Lair
Gruul's Lair is the first of the two 25-player raids this phase, located in the north of Blade's Edge Mountains. The nearest flight point is Fhyn Leafshadow, a neutral Flight Master found at Evergrove in Ruuan Weald. No attunement is needed, and the only entry requirement is level 65.
The raid itself is short and linear. A few packs of trash lead into the first encounter, High King Maulgar and his council, followed by the final boss, Gruul the Dragonkiller. Two bosses, no branching paths, and a much faster clear than Karazhan.
High King Maulgar drops Tier 4 shoulder tokens, and Gruul the Dragonkiller drops Tier 4 leg tokens along with some of the strongest gear available in Phase 1. Tier 4 tokens from this raid redeem for item level 120, while direct boss drops come in at item level 125. It won't take long to clear each week, but the tokens and drops here are essential for Tier 4 progression.
Magtheridon's Lair
Magtheridon's Lair rounds out the Phase 1 raid lineup. It's a raid wing of Hellfire Citadel, located in the center of Hellfire Peninsula. Horde players fly to Barley at Thrallmar, and Alliance players head to Flightmaster Krill Bitterhue at Honor Hold. Like Gruul's Lair, no attunement is required and the level floor is 65.
The raid follows the Onyxia's Lair model from Classic: a single boss in a single room. Magtheridon is held captive by groups of Hellfire Channelers, and the raid must interrupt their channeling ritual to release him before engaging the fight directly. Simple in concept, but the channeler interrupts and phase transitions demand tight raid coordination.
Magtheridon drops Tier 4 chest tokens, the final slot needed for a complete set. Token gear redeems at item level 120, and his direct drops sit at item level 125, matching the loot quality from Gruul's Lair.
Tier 4 Token Map
For quick reference, here's where every Tier 4 slot drops across the Phase 1 raids:
| Tier 4 Slot | Boss | Raid |
|---|---|---|
| Helm | Prince Malchezaar | Karazhan |
| Gloves | The Curator | Karazhan |
| Shoulders | High King Maulgar | Gruul's Lair |
| Legs | Gruul the Dragonkiller | Gruul's Lair |
| Chest | Magtheridon | Magtheridon's Lair |
All three raids are live now. Phase 1 Tier 4 progression is officially underway in the Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary.
