WoW TBCDungeons & Raids
TBC Anniversary Phase 3: Black Temple, Mount Hyjal, Netherwing and Arena Season 3
Phase 3 of Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary went live on August 27, 2026. Illidan waits in the Black Temple and Archimonde at Mount Hyjal, both behind attunements until Zul'Aman opens on October 22; the Netherwing faction offers drake mounts, epic gems arrive, and Arena Season 3 began on September 1.
- Announced:
- Takes effect:
- Published:

Two raids, attuned until October 22
| Raid | Where | Bosses | Reputation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Temple | Shadowmoon Valley | High Warlord Naj'entus, Supremus, Shade of Akama, Teron Gorefiend, Gurtogg Bloodboil, Reliquary of Souls, Mother Shahraz, The Illidari Council, Illidan Stormrage | Ashtongue Deathsworn (rewards from Okuno) |
| The Battle for Mount Hyjal | Caverns of Time, Tanaris | Rage Winterchill, Anetheron, Kaz'rogal, Azgalor, Archimonde | Scale of the Sands (rewards from Indormi) |
Both are level 70 raids, and Phase 3 put each behind a quest chain: the Black Temple requires its attunement, and Mount Hyjal requires "The Vials of Eternity" questline. Both requirements end on October 22, when Zul'Aman opens (TBC Anniversary: Zul'Aman Opens October 22, With Badges From Every Raid and No More Attunements). You don't need to be in a raid group to enter Mount Hyjal, so you can reach Indormi and the Scale of the Sands rewards without one.
Our Medallion of Karabor and The Vials of Eternity guides walk through each chain step by step. Their status notes describe the original game, where patch 2.4.0 removed both attunements; on Anniversary realms they apply until October 22.
Netherwing dailies and drake mounts
The Netherwing faction runs daily quests from Netherwing Ledge, a floating outpost above southeastern Shadowmoon Valley that you need a flying mount to reach. Netherwing Eggs found along the way speed up your reputation.
At Exalted, Drake Dealer Hurlunk in the Dragonmaw Base Camp sells six epic Netherwing Drakes (Azure, Cobalt, Onyx, Purple, Veridian and Violet), once you have Artisan Riding and have completed "Blood Oath of the Netherwing".
Epic gems
- Miners with 375 skill can mine epic gems inside the Battle for Mount Hyjal; see the Mining page.
- Epic gems are also rare drops in the Black Temple.
- Indormi, Keeper of Ancient Gem Lore, inside Mount Hyjal sells the Jewelcrafting designs to cut them.
Arena Season 3
- Season 2 ended the week of August 16, at 10 p.m. local time the night before each region's weekly reset.
- Season 3 began on September 1 with each region's weekly reset, with new gear from vendors in Shattrath and Nagrand.
- Unspent Arena Points converted to Honor at 1 to 10.
- Season 2 gear is now sold at a discount by the Area 52 vendors with no rating requirement, and Season 1 gear moved to the Honor vendors in Orgrimmar's Hall of Legends and Stormwind's Champion's Hall.
Getting ready for Illidan
- Attune before October 22 only if you raid before then. Until Zul'Aman opens, neither raid can be entered without its quest chain; after that, no attunement is needed.
- Get a flying mount before Netherwing. The faction's hub can only be reached by air, and the drakes need Artisan Riding.
- Read the boss guides for Black Temple and Mount Hyjal, and plan your gems around the new epic cuts.
- Earlier and later phases: TBC Anniversary Phase 2: Serpentshrine Cavern, The Eye and Arena Season 2, TBC Anniversary Launch: Level 70, Blood Elves, Draenei and the First Outland Raids and TBC Anniversary: Zul'Aman Opens October 22, With Badges From Every Raid and No More Attunements.
On Wowcalc
Sources
Official announcements this article summarizes, in its own words.
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