TBC Anniversary Black Temple

TBC Anniversary Black Temple is the raid every Outland veteran has been waiting for. This 9-boss instance sits inside Illidan Stormrage’s fortress in Shadowmoon Valley and headlines Phase 3 of The Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary. In this Black Temple guide, we will cover the raid release date, attunement, bosses, and loot. Read also our The Burning Crusade Anniversary Phase 3 Overview to learn more about the upcoming phase.

TBC Anniversary Black Temple Key Takeaways:

• TBC Anniversary Black Temple is located inside the Black Temple zone in Shadowmoon Valley and is designed for level 70 players.
• The raid launches with Phase 3 of The Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary on August 27, 2026.
• Black Temple features 9 bosses, ending with Illidan Stormrage as the final encounter.
• Black Temple loot includes Tier 6 armor tokens, epic weapons, and the legendary Warglaives of Azzinoth.
• Players need to complete a long attunement chain spanning Karazhan, Serpentshrine Cavern, Tempest Keep, and Hyjal Summit to enter the raid.

TBC Anniversary Black Temple Overview

The Burning Crusade Anniversary Black Temple is the headline raid of Phase 3, alongside the Battle for Mount Hyjal. It takes place inside the Black Temple in Shadowmoon Valley and is designed for 25 level 70 players. This massive citadel once carried the name Temple of Karabor, back when it served as a sacred Draenei site, long before Illidan Stormrage claimed it as his fortress.

Here are some quick facts about the WoW TBC Anniversary Black Temple raid:

• Location: Black Temple, Shadowmoon Valley;
• Raid Bosses: 9;
• Raid Size: 25 Players;
• Rewards ilvl: 141-154;
• Level Requirement: 70;
• Final Boss: Illidan Stormrage.

TBC Anniversary Black Temple Release Date

WoW TBC Anniversary Black Temple releases on August 27, 2026, at 3:00 PM PDT, alongside Phase 3 content. Blizzard confirmed this date after an earlier customer-support leak had pointed to August 13, so treat any earlier date you may have seen as outdated. The patch opens both Black Temple and the Battle for Mount Hyjal at the same time, and it also kicks off Netherwing reputation, Epic Gems, and Arena Season 3.

✏️ Black Temple is one of the most demanding raids in TBC Anniversary because it drops Tier 6 gear, the legendary Warglaives of Azzinoth, and some of the best pre-Sunwell items in the game.

Most guilds spend the last weeks of Phase 2 finishing their attunement so they can walk in on day one instead of questing on launch night. If you would rather skip the long attunement grind and jump straight into progression, you can check out our Black Temple service.

TBC Anniversary Black Temple Location

In The Burning Crusade Anniversary, Black Temple sits at the eastern end of Shadowmoon Valley, inside Illidan Stormrage’s fortress. Unlike most raid entrances, the way in is not a grand gate but a crack in the wall leading down into the Karabor Sewers.

The entrance to Black Temple is located around /way 71, 46 in Shadowmoon Valley. You will be guided here automatically as part of the attunement chain, and once you have upgraded your key to the Medallion of Karabor, using it will teleport you directly to this entrance.

TBC Anniversary Black Temple Attunement

To enter Black Temple in TBC Anniversary, you need to complete a lengthy multi-raid attunement chain. It requires being level 70, having declared for either The Aldor or The Scryers, holding access to The Arcatraz, and being attuned for Hyjal Summit, Serpentshrine Cavern, and The Eye. To complete Black Temple attunement in The Burning Crusade Anniversary, players must:

• Pick up the opening quest from Anchorite Ceyla (Aldor) or Arcanist Thelis (Scryer) in Shadowmoon Valley;
• Gather 12 Baa’ri Tablet Fragments and kill Oronu the Elder inside the Ruins of Baa’ri;
• Kill four named NPCs across Shadowmoon Valley for The Ashtongue Corruptors, then interrogate Sanoru inside Warden’s Cage;
• Defeat Zandras and speak with Akama to open the Ashtongue Deathsworn faction;
• Enter The Arcatraz and locate Seer Udalo in the room before the final boss;
• Gather a group of five, clear the Ata’mal Terrace, and defeat Shadowlord Deathwail for the Heart of Fury;
• Return the Medallion of Karabor quest item to A’dal in Shattrath City;
• Defeat Fathom-Lord Karathress in Serpentshrine Cavern and speak with Seer Olum;
• Defeat Al’ar in Tempest Keep: The Eye while wearing the Ashtongue Cowl disguise;
• Defeat Rage Winterchill in Battle of Mount Hyjal for the Time-Phased Phylactery;
• Complete the final Shadowmoon Valley questline, including the scripted event with Akama and Xi’ri, to receive the Medallion of Karabor.

This chain touches four separate raids on top of a lengthy Shadowmoon Valley questline, making it the longest attunement in The Burning Crusade Anniversary. A large chunk of the early steps can be finished during Phase 1 and Phase 2, well before Black Temple itself unlocks, so there is no reason to wait until launch day to start. If you want a full breakdown of every step for this and other TBC raids, check out our dedicated Black Temple Attunement service here at Overgear.

✏️ Because raid attunements are account-wide on Anniversary realms, you only need to grind through this chain once per account, though progress made before finishing a stage still won’t carry over retroactively.

TBC Anniversary Black Temple Loot

Black Temple in TBC Anniversary drops strong ilvl 141-154 loot, capped off by items from Illidan Stormrage that sit above the rest of the raid. The raid is the primary source of Tier 6 armor, epic weapons, and the two-piece legendary Warglaives of Azzinoth during Phase 3 progression.

Illidan Stormrage drops higher item level gear than any other boss in the instance, on top of the prestigious Warglaives of Azzinoth main-hand and off-hand. All TBC Phase 3 Raids hand out some of the pre-Sunwell BiS Gear in the game, and our professional team can get you through both of them and get the gear easily.

High Warlord Naj’entus Loot

Here we have prepared a full list of TBC Anniversary High Warlord Naj’entus loot, showing all items that can drop from this boss in The Burning Crusade Anniversary Black Temple raid:

Supremus Loot

In this Supremus loot table, you can see all the items that you can obtain by killing this boss in The Burning Crusade Anniversary Black Temple:

Shade of Akama Loot

Shade of Akama loot includes some of the earliest caster and tank upgrades available in TBC Anniversary Classic Black Temple. Here is the full list:

Teron Gorefiend Loot

Teron Gorefiend loot in The Burning Crusade Anniversary rewards players who survive the Shadow of Death mechanic with strong upgrades across every armor type. Here is the full list:

Gurtogg Bloodboil Loot

TBC Anniversary Gurtogg Bloodboil loot list will help you navigate the rewards you can receive from this heavily healing-intensive Black Temple boss:

Reliquary of the Lost Loot

Reliquary of the Lost drops the following items after all three Essences are defeated in The Burning Crusade Anniversary Black Temple:

Mother Shahraz Loot

Mother Shahraz is the first Black Temple boss to drop Tier 6 tokens, alongside the following items:

The Illidari Council Loot

The Illidari Council loot includes the Tier 6 leg tokens, plus the following rewards from this four-member council fight:

Illidan Stormrage Loot

Illidan Stormrage loot is the reason most guilds push through nine bosses of Black Temple, as it includes the Tier 6 chest tokens and the legendary warglaives. Here is the full list of items you can obtain from this fight:

Trash Mob Loot

Nearly every trash mob in Black Temple carries a chance to drop epic Bind-on-Pickup gear, on top of profession patterns from Blacksmithing, Leatherworking, and Tailoring. Here is the full list of Trash Mob Loot in TBC Anniversary Black Temple:

TBC Anniversary Black Temple Tier Sets

In TBC Anniversary Black Temple, players collect Tier 6 tokens alongside normal raid loot, and this raid covers the entire set on its own, unlike the split system used by Serpentshrine Cavern and Tempest Keep.

The Burning Crusade Anniversary Black Temple provides three Tier 6 armor slots:

Tier 6 tokens are split into the same three class groups used throughout Anniversary raiding:

• Forgotten Protector: Warrior, Hunter, Shaman;
• Forgotten Vanquisher: Rogue, Mage, Druid;
• Forgotten Conqueror: Paladin, Priest, Warlock.

✏️ Tokens are traded in for set pieces by Tydormu, stationed at the entrance to Hyjal Summit, so keep that in mind if you are farming Black Temple purely for Tier 6.

Full Tier 6 is one of the strongest gearing paths in Phase 3, but it takes several clears to piece together every slot on top of the raid’s own attunement demands. If you don’t have the time to grind out a Tier 6 Set yourself, we can do it for you instead.

TBC Anniversary Black Temple Bosses

Black Temple in The Burning Crusade Anniversary has nine bosses that you fight through in a linear order, since almost every boss kill unlocks access to the next boss:

• High Warlord Naj’entus;
• Supremus;
• Shade of Akama;
• Teron Gorefiend;
• Gurtogg Bloodboil;
• Reliquary of the Lost;
• Mother Shahraz;
• The Illidari Council;
• Illidan Stormrage.

The raid is a genuinely large instance, with considerable stretches of Beast, Humanoid, Demon, Mechanical, and Undead trash separating each encounter, so budget extra clear time beyond just the boss pulls themselves.

High Warlord Naj’entus

High Warlord Naj’entus is the first boss players face in TBC Anniversary Black Temple, located inside the Karabor Sewers right after the entrance. The fight is a straightforward gear check built around raid-wide damage and one key interaction: freeing impaled players and using the spine you loot to break the boss’s shield.

Here is a quick TBC Anniversary High Warlord Naj’entus strategy breakdown:

• Clear all of the trash in the room before pulling, since the two Aqueous Lords standing near Naj’entus will not aggro on their own.
• Buff for extra Stamina beforehand — raid members want roughly 8,500 to 10,000 buffed health to survive the AoE damage in this fight.
• Have a Hunter Misdirect the main tank onto Naj’entus, then pull him out and face him away from the raid.
• Spread out at least 6 yards from other players to reduce the damage from Needle Spine.
• When Naj’entus fires Impaling Spine at a random player, have someone loot the Naj’entus Spine from that player to free them from the stun.
• Throw the looted Naj’entus Spine at the boss whenever he casts Tidal Shield, since he becomes immune to damage and heals until the shield is broken.
• Keep healers spread out as well, since Needle Spine hits regardless of role.
• Repeat the spine-and-shield cycle until Naj’entus is dead — there is no enrage timer to worry about.

Supremus

Supremus guards the Sanctuary of Shadows and becomes available once Naj’entus falls, and it’s the TBC Anniversary Black Temple’s second boss. This is a two-tank fight that alternates between a tank-and-spank phase and a kiting phase filled with lethal volcanoes.

Here is an easy version of the Supremus strategy in Black Temple:

• Bring two tanks — one holds threat on Supremus, the other stands in melee range to soak Hateful Strike, which one-shots most non-tanks.
• During Phase 1, dodge Molten Flame, the trail of fire that spreads out from Supremus toward a random target.
• After 60 seconds, Supremus centers Phase 2 and fixates on a random player, slowly walking toward them.
• The fixated player should kite Supremus at roughly 30 yards — too close, and he knocks you back; too far, and he charges.
• Avoid every Volcanic Geyser that spawns during this phase, since they can kill a player in two or three ticks.
• Everyone should carry a Master Healthstone and consider Fire Resistance gear or potions, since volcano deaths are the most common wipe cause here.
• When Phase 2 ends, threat resets — give the tanks a moment to reacquire Supremus before DPS ramps back up.
• Repeat the two phases until the boss is dead, being careful never to let Supremus get stuck on the pillars in the room, which can cause him to evade while still spawning volcanoes.

Shade of Akama

Shade of Akama is widely considered the easiest fight in the entire Black Temple, and it is the third boss. The encounter is an escort mission: help Akama’s ally kill enough Ashtongue Channelers so his shade can reach Akama himself.

Here is an easy version of the Shade of Akama strategy in Black Temple:

• Talk to Akama to start the encounter, which spawns six Ashtongue Channelers restraining the Shade around the room.
• Assign melee and ranged DPS to burn down the Channelers as quickly as possible, since they slow Akama’s shade the longer they survive.
• Kill any Ashtongue Sorcerers that spawn to replace dead Channelers — treat them with the same priority.
• Have one tank pick up Ashtongue Defenders in the center of the room while the other tank handles Spiritbinders, Rogues, and Elementalists spawning at the doorways.
• Interrupt the Ashtongue Elementalist’s casts whenever possible, and use Crowd Control on adds if your tanks are overwhelmed.
• Once all Channelers and Sorcerers are dead, the Shade of Akama moves toward Akama, and Phase 2 begins — you have about one minute to kill it before Akama dies.
• Save all raid cooldowns for this phase and focus every ounce of damage onto the Shade itself.
• If a random player is hit with Shadow of Death here, run to a corner away from the raid before turning into a Vengeful Spirit.

Teron Gorefiend

Teron Gorefiend is the fourth boss of TBC Anniversary and can be accessed once Gorefiend’s Vigil has ended. It is a single-phase DPS race that revolves solely around one mechanic.

Below is a simple explanation of the strategy for Teron Gorefiend in the Black Temple:

• Clearing the Hand of Gorefiend makes sure that there is space for the raid to set up.
• Teron has to be pulled and tanked close to where he spawned, while the raid has to stack at maximum range.
• Every 30 seconds, Teron casts Shadow of Death on a random player, killing them after 55 seconds.
• A Warlock should Soulstone the target in advance to be able to resurrect them after the debuff fades out.
• When about 15-20 seconds are remaining before the debuff ends, the player has to go to the end of the room and stand there until the debuff ends.
• After the debuff ends, the player dies and turns into Vengeful Spirit for 60 seconds with four Shadowy Constructs spawning next to them.
• The player who turns into a Ghost should use his unique pet-bar abilities to kill his own Constructs and help other Ghosts kill theirs or damage Teron.
• The Incinerate debuff on players should be dispelled right away, while healers have to be prepared for consistent raid damage.

Gurtogg Bloodboil

Gurtogg Bloodboil sits inside the Chamber of Command and is the fifth boss in TBC Anniversary Black Temple. The fight is a heavy healing and threat check split across two very different phases.

Here is an easy version of the Gurtogg Bloodboil strategy in Black Temple:

• Pull Gurtogg in normal fashion and allow tanks to build threat properly, letting DPS get off when they start gaining a full threat lead — this encounter is extremely punishing for opening early.
• During Phase 1, divide the ranged DPS and healers into three groups of five, who will swap into place to absorb Bloodboil stacks at maximum distance.
• Around 90 seconds later, Phase 2 starts, with Gurtogg placing a Fel Rage debuff on a random raid member, providing massive buffs.
• Gurtogg will fixate solely on the Fel Rage recipient — the rest of the raid members need to make sure not to stand in front of him.
• Focus as much of your healing on the Fel Rage recipient as possible, because he will be taking massive amounts of damage here.
• The Fel Rage recipient should use all available cooldowns to stay alive.
• Insignificance debuff is placed on the entire raid during Phase 2, making the raid immune to threat — this is a good opportunity for every cooldown you have.

Reliquary of Souls

The Reliquary of the Lost, also known as Reliquary of Souls, awaits the player at the end of the Shrine of Lost Souls and is usually the fifth or sixth boss to be slain. This encounter is the first challenging one in the raid and has three phases.

Here is a quick Reliquary of the Lost strategy for Black Temple:

• Engaging the boss near the bottom of the ramp triggers the encounter automatically, so ensure your raid is prepared beforehand.
• The first phase is against the Essence of Suffering, whose aura prevents all healing and regen of any kind — this will require avoidance-heavy armor for the tank.
• Quickly dispel Soul Drain when it happens during the first phase, watching the health of tanks who can’t be topped off by healers.
• The second phase pits you against Essence of Desire, whose aura penalizes you for harming yourself — be careful about self-mechanics and DoTs.
• In phase 3, the raid battles the Essence of Anger, which is the hardest DPS race ever — the more time passes in this phase, the more Shadow damage will hit the raid.
• Have an off-tank taunt Anger initially, because the tank gets a threat bonus after the debuff falls off him.
• Low-health ghostly Enslaved Souls appear between the Essences, but killing them heals players nearby — this will give your raid some respite.
• Use personal and raid abilities only on the final Essence of Anger, as its damage will define raid punishment.

Mother Shahraz

Mother Shahraz guards the Den of Mortal Delights and becomes the seventh boss faced in the TBC Anniversary Black Temple. She is largely a tank-and-spank encounter, but the fight demands serious Shadow Resistance investment from the whole raid.

Here is a quick Mother Shahraz strategy for Black Temple:

• Have Stack Shadow Resistance gear on non-tanks; the goal is around 174 points on gear and 70 from a Priest’s Shadow Protection buff.
• Use three tanks to share the soaking of Saber Lash that is the frontal cone attack of Shahraz.
• Avoid getting close to Shahraz if you are a caster because Silencing Shriek is an 18-yard AoE silence effect centered on Shahraz.
• Every 30 seconds, Shahraz will use one of four rotating Beams aimed at players around her, and the healers should be prepared to cover that damage.
• As soon as Fatal Attraction teleports three random players together, they should get separated to break the beam connecting them.
• Do not move toward the tanks or other members of your raid while breaking the Fatal Attraction beam, since it will deal damage to all nearby players.
• Be ready for the spell Prismatic Shield that changes the schools of magic resisted by Shahraz and those to which she deals increased damage every 15 seconds.
• When Shahraz‘s health reaches 10%, she enrages.

The Illidari Council

The Illidari Council is a four-boss encounter that opens once Mother Shahraz is defeated, and it must fall before Illidan Stormrage becomes accessible. Each council member needs a different tanking approach, making this one of the most coordination-heavy fights in the raid.

Here is an easy version of The Illidari Council strategy in Black Temple:

• Split the raid across four assignments: Gathios, Zerevor, Veras, and Malande.
• Have a Warrior or Paladin tank Gathios away from the others, moving out of his Consecration pools as they drop.
• Assign a Mage to tank Zerevor at range — Spellsteal his Dampen Magic buff and stay outside 10 yards to avoid Arcane Explosion.
• Have a Druid or Paladin handle Veras Darkshadow, ready to reapply a snare or taunt immediately after each Vanish.
• Assign dedicated interrupters, both physical and magical, to Lady Malande — she can cast Circle of Healing for a huge shared heal on the whole council.
• Keep a Rogue applying Mind-Numbing Poison or a Warlock applying Curse of Tongues to Malande if interrupts are scarce.
• Use as many Hunter Misdirections as you have available, prioritizing Zerevor, Malande, Gathios, then Veras.
• Focus DPS onto whichever council member your raid leader calls, since the four share independent health pools rather than one combined pool.

Illidan Stormrage

Illidan Stormrage is the final encounter of TBC Anniversary Black Temple, a five-phase fight that tests every role in the raid. The most memorable mechanic in this fight is the Flames of Azzinoth that spawn once Illidan takes flight partway through.

Here is a quick Illidan Stormrage strategy for Black Temple:

• Bring at least three tanks — one Protection Warrior or Paladin for the main fight, and two more with Fire Resistance for the Flames of Azzinoth.
• Phase 1 is a standard tank-and-spank while Illidan infects random players with Parasitic Shadowfiend, which needs to be killed off before it detonates.
• At 65% health, Illidan takes flight and throws his warglaives to the ground, each spawning a Flame of Azzinoth that must die to bring him back down.
• Never let a Flame of Azzinoth wander more than 25 yards from its blade, and keep the whole raid within 25 yards of the Flames, or Uncaged Wrath wipes the group.
• Once both Flames are dead, Illidan lands and Phase 3 begins, repeating Phase 1’s mechanics plus Agonizing Flames, a stacking damage-over-time effect that requires spreading out.
• Roughly every 60 seconds, Illidan shifts into Demon Form for Phase 4, gaining a massive damage boost that only a Shadow Resistance tank should hold.
• Stay at least 20 yards from the Demon Form tank during this phase to avoid Shadow Blast splash damage, and kill Shadow Demons quickly before they reach the raid.
• At 30% health, Maiev Shadowsong arrives and drops Cage Traps — walk Illidan onto one to stun him and skip his next Demon Form transition entirely.
• Push every remaining cooldown once Illidan reaches this final phase, since the fight carries a 25-minute hard enrage.

This is the longest and most demanding fight in TBC Anniversary so far, so having BiS gear, like Madness of the Betrayer, going into the pull can be the difference between finally seeing Illidan collapse and wiping on repeat.

TBC Anniversary Black Temple FAQ

In this section, we will answer some of the most commonly asked questions about Black Temple in The Burning Crusade Anniversary.

What Is Black Temple in TBC Anniversary?

Black Temple is a 25-player raid in Shadowmoon Valley with nine bosses. You need to be a Level 70 character to fight inside Illidan Stormrage’s fortress.

When Does Black Temple Release in The Burning Crusade Anniversary?

Black Temple opens on August 27, 2026, at 3:00 PM PDT, together with Phase 3 content and the Battle for Mount Hyjal.

Where Is Black Temple Located in TBC Anniversary?

The raid is at the eastern end of Shadowmoon Valley. The entrance sits around /way 71, 46 and leads down through a crack in the wall into the Karabor Sewers.

How Many Bosses Are in Black Temple in TBC Anniversary?

There are nine bosses: High Warlord Naj’entus, Supremus, Shade of Akama, Teron Gorefiend, Gurtogg Bloodboil, Reliquary of the Lost, Mother Shahraz, The Illidari Council, and Illidan Stormrage.

How Long Does the Black Temple Attunement Take?

The Black Temple attunement chain spans Karazhan, The Arcatraz, Serpentshrine Cavern, Tempest Keep, and Hyjal Summit, making it the longest attunement in TBC Anniversary — expect it to take several weeks even with a dedicated group.

What Loot Drops in Black Temple in The Burning Crusade Anniversary?

The raid drops Tier 6 tokens, epic weapons, caster gear, and the legendary Warglaives of Azzinoth from Illidan Stormrage.

What Tier 6 Pieces Drop from Black Temple in TBC Anniversary?

Black Temple provides all three Tier 6 tokens on its own — Shoulder from Mother Shahraz, Legs from The Illidari Council, and Chest from Illidan Stormrage.

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TBC Anniversary Black Temple closes out one of the longest chapters of Phase 3 progression, and reaching Illidan himself is a genuine milestone after everything the attunement demands. With our guide, you should be able to walk into each pull with a clear plan and know exactly which boss to target for the loot you are chasing.