WoW Raid Guide: Every Raid up to Midnight Season 2
Raids are the biggest group content in World of Warcraft. A full group of players fights a chain of bosses for the best gear, mounts and achievements of the season. This guide is up to date for Midnight Season 2 and patch 12.1.5 and lists all 64 raids, from Molten Core in 2004 to The Unbinding of Kith’ix in October 2026.
Season 2 raids at a glance
What is a raid in WoW?
A raid is a large instance built for a big group, with several bosses and a final boss that usually ends a chapter of the story. A dungeon takes five players; a raid takes ten or more. Every boss has mechanics the whole group has to handle together.
Modern raids come in several difficulties, and each one drops gear at a higher item level:
- Story Mode shows the raid’s story at a relaxed difficulty. It doesn’t count for the Great Vault.
- Raid Finder (LFR) forms a group for you and opens the raid wing by wing.
- Normal and Heroic need a group you build yourself, usually through the Premade Group Finder or a guild. The group size is flexible.
- Mythic is the hardest difficulty and the one guilds race on for world firsts. In Sporefall, Kith’ix and the Tidebound Grotto the Mythic group can have 15 to 25 players.
Raids in Midnight Season 2 (patch 12.1.5)
Season 2 started in the week of August 18, 2026 in the US and August 19 in Europe. Patch 12.1.5 went live on October 13 (US) and October 14 (EU). Two raids give current-season gear, and a new kind of world boss sits next to them.
The Venomous Abyss: the main raid
The Venomous Abyss has eight bosses on the Coiled Isle and ends with Ula’tek. All four Raid Finder wings are open, and Raid Finder needs item level 273. Item levels rise through the raid in steps:
| Difficulty | Bosses 1–6 | Bosses 7–8 |
|---|---|---|
| Raid Finder | 279–285 | 289 |
| Normal | 292–298 | 302 |
| Heroic | 305–311 | 315 |
| Mythic | 318–324 | 344 |
The 344 drops from The Coiled Altar and Ula’tek on Mythic are above the usual upgrade cap of 334, so those two bosses are the season’s best loot. Bosses two to six drop the tier tokens. Heroic Ula’tek gives Ahead of the Curve, Mythic Ula’tek gives Cutting Edge, and each Mythic kill drops three Primeval Skyfriend mounts for the whole raid.
The Unbinding of Kith’ix: the new raid of 12.1.5
Patch 12.1.5 added a separate raid with a single boss, Kith’ix, fought next to Lady Liadrin. It runs in Story Mode, Raid Finder, Normal, Heroic and Mythic. Drops are 285, 298, 311 and 324, and there are no tier tokens. The kill counts toward the raid row of the Great Vault. Boss tactics and the full loot table are in our Kith’ix raid guide.
The Tidebound Grotto: a world boss with difficulties
Nymrissa Wavecaller lives in her own Lair on the Coiled Isle, next to the raid. Open world groups of 5 to 40 players fight her for item level 279. Organized groups pick Normal (292), Heroic (305) or Mythic (318), and Mythic is flexible from 15 to 25 players. It isn’t part of The Venomous Abyss.
Raids and the Great Vault
Raid bosses open the raid row of the Great Vault at 2, 4 and 6 kills a week. On Mythic the vault offers 334, and 344 if the slot comes from The Coiled Altar or Ula’tek. Heroic gives 318 and Normal gives 305.
What happened to the Season 1 raids?
The Voidspire, The Dreamrift, March on Quel’Danas and Sporefall are still in the game, but they aren’t part of the Season 2 raid tier, so their gear falls behind. Players now run them for achievements, transmog and mounts. Their bosses are in the Midnight boss table below.
Every Midnight raid boss
Midnight has six raids so far. The Voidspire has six bosses and The Venomous Abyss has eight, while the other four are short raids with one or two. The last name in each row is the boss that ends the raid.
| Raid | Bosses |
|---|---|
| The Voidspire Season 1 | Imperator Averzian · Vorasius · Fallen-King Salhadaar · Vaelgor & Ezzorak · Lightblinded Vanguard · Crown of the Cosmos |
| The Dreamrift Season 1 | Chimaerus, the Undreamt God |
| March on Quel’Danas Season 1 | Belo’ren, Child of Al’ar · Midnight Falls |
| Sporefall Patch 12.0.7 | Rotmire |
| The Venomous Abyss Season 2 | Nek’zali the Soulcoiler · The Twin Fangs · Entombed Sentinels · Vashnik the Malignant · The Lost Explorers · Sszorak · The Coiled Altar · Ula’tek |
| The Unbinding of Kith’ix Patch 12.1.5 | Kith’ix |
WoW raids by expansion, in release order
The dates below are the first US opening of each raid, the same dates as in our raid release dates timeline. Dates in Europe can differ.
Classic (2004–2006)
| Raid | Opened | Final boss |
|---|---|---|
| Molten Core | Ragnaros | |
| Onyxia’s Lair | Onyxia | |
| Blackwing Lair | Nefarian | |
| Zul’Gurub | Hakkar the Soulflayer | |
| Ruins of Ahn’Qiraj (AQ20) | Ossirian the Unscarred | |
| Temple of Ahn’Qiraj (AQ40) | C’Thun | |
| Naxxramas | Kel’Thuzad |
The Burning Crusade (2007–2008)
| Raid | Opened | Final boss |
|---|---|---|
| Karazhan | Prince Malchezaar | |
| Gruul’s Lair | Gruul the Dragonkiller | |
| Magtheridon’s Lair | Magtheridon | |
| Serpentshrine Cavern | Lady Vashj | |
| Tempest Keep | Kael’thas Sunstrider | |
| Battle for Mount Hyjal | Archimonde | |
| Black Temple | Illidan Stormrage | |
| Zul’Aman | Zul’jin | |
| Sunwell Plateau | Kil’jaeden |
Wrath of the Lich King (2008–2010)
| Raid | Opened | Final boss |
|---|---|---|
| Naxxramas (new version) | Kel’Thuzad | |
| The Obsidian Sanctum | Sartharion | |
| The Eye of Eternity | Malygos | |
| Vault of Archavon | Toravon the Ice Watcher | |
| Ulduar | Yogg-Saron | |
| Trial of the Crusader | Anub’arak | |
| Onyxia’s Lair (level 80) | Onyxia | |
| Icecrown Citadel | The Lich King | |
| The Ruby Sanctum | Halion |
Cataclysm (2010–2012)
| Raid | Opened | Final boss |
|---|---|---|
| Baradin Hold | Argaloth | |
| Blackwing Descent | Nefarian | |
| The Bastion of Twilight | Cho’gall | |
| Throne of the Four Winds | Al’Akir | |
| Firelands | Ragnaros | |
| Dragon Soul | Deathwing |
Mists of Pandaria (2012–2014)
| Raid | Opened | Final boss |
|---|---|---|
| Mogu’shan Vaults | Will of the Emperor | |
| Heart of Fear | Grand Empress Shek’zeer | |
| Terrace of Endless Spring | Sha of Fear | |
| Throne of Thunder | Lei Shen | |
| Siege of Orgrimmar | Garrosh Hellscream |
Warlords of Draenor (2014–2016)
| Raid | Opened | Final boss |
|---|---|---|
| Highmaul | Imperator Mar’gok | |
| Blackrock Foundry | Blackhand | |
| Hellfire Citadel | Archimonde |
Legion (2016–2018)
| Raid | Opened | Final boss |
|---|---|---|
| The Emerald Nightmare | Xavius | |
| Trial of Valor | Helya | |
| The Nighthold | Gul’dan | |
| Tomb of Sargeras | Kil’jaeden | |
| Antorus, the Burning Throne | Argus the Unmaker |
Battle for Azeroth (2018–2020)
| Raid | Opened | Final boss |
|---|---|---|
| Uldir | G’huun | |
| Battle of Dazar’alor | Jaina Proudmoore | |
| Crucible of Storms | Uu’nat, Harbinger of the Void | |
| The Eternal Palace | Queen Azshara | |
| Ny’alotha, the Waking City | N’Zoth the Corruptor |
Shadowlands (2020–2022)
| Raid | Opened | Final boss |
|---|---|---|
| Castle Nathria | Sire Denathrius | |
| Sanctum of Domination | Sylvanas Windrunner | |
| Sepulcher of the First Ones | The Jailer |
Dragonflight (2022–2024)
| Raid | Opened | Final boss |
|---|---|---|
| Vault of the Incarnates | Raszageth | |
| Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible | Scalecommander Sarkareth | |
| Amirdrassil, the Dream’s Hope | Fyrakk |
The War Within (2024–2026)
| Raid | Opened | Final boss |
|---|---|---|
| Nerub’ar Palace | Queen Ansurek | |
| Liberation of Undermine | Chrome King Gallywix | |
| Manaforge Omega | Dimensius, the All-Devouring |
Midnight (since 2026)
| Raid | Opened | Final boss |
|---|---|---|
| The Voidspire | Crown of the Cosmos | |
| The Dreamrift | Chimaerus | |
| March on Quel’Danas | Midnight Falls | |
| Sporefall | Rotmire | |
| The Venomous Abyss | Ula’tek | |
| The Unbinding of Kith’ix | Kith’ix |
How to start raiding in Midnight
- Reach level 90 and item level 273, then try The Venomous Abyss in Raid Finder to learn the bosses.
- For Normal and Heroic, join a guild or a group from the Premade Group Finder. Read each boss’s mechanics before the pull.
- Kill at least two bosses a week to fill a raid slot of the Great Vault.
- If you are still choosing a class, our WoW class tier list shows which specs are strongest in Midnight Season 2.
If you are short on time, a WoW raid boost gets you the kill and the achievement without weeks of progression.
Frequently asked questions
The Venomous Abyss, an eight-boss raid that ends with Ula’tek. Patch 12.1.5 added a second current raid, The Unbinding of Kith’ix, with a single boss.
Six so far. The Voidspire, The Dreamrift and March on Quel’Danas opened in Season 1 in March 2026, Sporefall came with patch 12.0.7 in June, The Venomous Abyss opened Season 2 in August and The Unbinding of Kith’ix arrived with patch 12.1.5 in October. The Tidebound Grotto is a world boss lair, not a raid.
Item level 273 for The Venomous Abyss. Its Raid Finder loot starts at 279.
The Coiled Altar and Ula’tek on Mythic. They drop item level 344, above the usual upgrade cap of 334. The other Mythic bosses of The Venomous Abyss drop 318 to 324.
Molten Core and Onyxia’s Lair opened with the game on November 23, 2004.
This guide lists 64 raids from 2004 to October 2026, from Molten Core to The Unbinding of Kith’ix. Rebuilt versions such as the level 80 Naxxramas count as separate raids.
Change Log
- November 2, 2026: updated for Midnight Season 2 and patch 12.1.5. Added the Midnight raids with all their bosses, Manaforge Omega and the Season 2 loot, and corrected the release dates.
- March 17, 2025: WoW Raid Guide published.