Blackwing Lair Attunement
Plan Blackwing Lair access for Forever: the inherited Blackhand's Command chain, both orbs and the entry rules still to verify.
Researched from public sources, not tested in game. Some details come from Classic and may differ in Forever.
In this guide
Attunement checklist
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At a glance
Forever planning status: Blackwing Lair's release and shortcut rules have not been confirmed for WoW: Forever. This guide prepares possible access work using the inherited Classic chain. The personal flag, UBRS route and orb behavior below still need Forever confirmation.
Inherited Classic baseline:
Blackhand's Command unlocks the Orb of Command shortcut into Blackwing Lair. The quest is available from level 55 and is completed once per character. Both factions follow the same route: get the letter outside Blackrock Spire, then reach General Drakkisath inside Upper Blackrock Spire.
The shortcut flag is personal. One attuned player cannot use the outside orb to bring an unattuned friend through. Physical raid entry through the portal inside UBRS is a separate, slower option; the portal is reached after Rend's arena, rather than by using the outside shortcut.
Steps in order
- Find the Scarshield Quartermaster. From the Blackrock Spire entrance ledge inside Blackrock Mountain, take the side corridor to the right of the dungeon entrance toward the Orb of Command. Clear his nearby Scarshield guards safely, then kill the Quartermaster.
- Loot and read Blackhand's Command. Take the letter and use it to accept the quest. Every player who wants the shortcut needs the quest active. Check the log before entering UBRS; merely killing the Quartermaster is not the attunement.
- Form an UBRS group. In the Classic baseline, this is a ten-player dungeon. Someone must open the upper gate with the Seal of Ascension. That person can be anyone in the group; every participant does not need their own ring.
- Reach and kill General Drakkisath. Continue through UBRS to its final boss. Arrange the Drakkisath and guard assignments before pulling.
- Touch Drakkisath's Brand. After the kill, each quest holder clicks the glowing orb behind him, also known as the Orb of Ascension. This completes the quest on that player. Killing Drakkisath without clicking the orb does not finish it.
- Use the outside Orb of Command. Return to the side corridor outside the Blackrock Spire instance and interact with that orb while in a raid group. It now sends the attuned character into Blackwing Lair.
Keep the two orbs straight
| Object | Where | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Drakkisath's Brand / Orb of Ascension | Behind General Drakkisath inside UBRS | Completes Blackhand's Command |
| Orb of Command | Outside the instance, in the Quartermaster's side corridor | Teleports a completed character into BWL |
If something goes wrong
- The outside orb will not admit you: check that Blackhand's Command was completed by touching the inside orb, not just that Drakkisath died.
- Someone forgot the letter: they must accept the quest before interacting with the brand. Check this before the group leaves the mountain.
- UBRS gate is closed: recruit a Seal of Ascension holder. BWL attunement does not itself open that gate.
- Already killed Drakkisath in this run: return to his room while that instance is still accessible and use the brand with the quest active.
Tips
Combine the final UBRS visit with Blood of the Black Dragon Champion if your Onyxia chain has reached it, and Eye of the Emberseer if your Hydraxis chain needs it. Molten Core's Core Fragment is in BRD, not UBRS; sharing travel is useful, but these objectives are not in the same dungeon.