TBC Anniversary Attunements Guide (2026): Karazhan to Black Temple

Attunements were The Burning Crusade's gatekeepers: long quest chains, heroic keys and raid kills you needed before a raid would let you in. The Anniversary realms kept them, made them account-wide and, with the Zul'Aman update, dropped the last two. This guide walks through every chain — Karazhan to Black Temple — and says plainly what still applies on 31 October 2026, after the Zul'Aman update.

Where attunements stand in October 2026

The Anniversary realms took the pre-patch on 13 January 2026, opened Outland and Phase 1 (Karazhan, Gruul and Magtheridon) in February, moved to Phase 2 (Serpentshrine and Tempest Keep) on 14 May 2026, Phase 3 (Hyjal and Black Temple) on 27 August 2026, and added Zul'Aman — ten players, six bosses, a three-day lockout and no attunement — in October 2026. Two Anniversary changes apply to everything:

• Raid attunements are account-wide. When one character finishes a raid's attunement, that raid unlocks for every character on the Battle.net account.
• Heroic keys work through a bag. Your first character earns the faction reputation, then buys a bag holding an account-bound key to mail to alts; an alt needs at least Friendly with the faction to use it.

Several fan sites report that Phase 3 also lifted the entry requirement for Karazhan, Serpentshrine Cavern and Tempest Keep, as Burning Crusade Classic did in 2021–22. We couldn't find that in Blizzard's own posts, so we list those three as unconfirmed — check at the raid portal, and finish the chain on one character if it asks.

Karazhan: the Master's Key

Karazhan's chain is the longest of the early ones because it sends you through four dungeons. It starts with Archmage Alturus outside the tower in Deadwind Pass:

1. Arcane Disturbances and Restless Activity.

   Take water readings with the Violet Scrying Crystal and collect ten Ghostly Essences around the tower. Solo.

2. The Contact from Dalaran, then Khadgar.

   Report to Archmage Cedric in Alterac Mountains, then to Khadgar on the Terrace of Light in Shattrath.

3. Entry Into Karazhan.

   The first key fragment waits near Murmur in Shadow Labyrinth.

4. The Second and Third Fragments.

   One in the Steamvault, one in the Arcatraz — the Arcatraz needs its own key or a group member who has it.

5. The Master's Touch.

   Clear the Opening of the Dark Portal (Black Morass) and speak to Medivh; you need Escape from Durnholde Keep done first. Return to Khadgar for the Master's Key.

Heroic keys

Every Outland heroic needs the key from its faction's quartermaster, and every member of the group needs one. The Zul'Aman update cut the requirement from Revered — the original Classic rule the Anniversary realms started with — to Honored, and set every heroic to its final, easier tuning.

Heroics matter more than ever: they drop Badges of Justice, and since the Zul'Aman update so does every boss in Karazhan, Gruul, Magtheridon, Serpentshrine, Tempest Keep and Zul'Aman — with G'eras in Shattrath selling stronger items for them.

Serpentshrine Cavern: the Cudgel of Kar'desh

Serpentshrine's chain is short but needs two raids. In heroic Slave Pens (Reservoir Key), find Skar'this the Heretic in a cage past Mennu the Betrayer and take The Cudgel of Kar'desh. It wants two signets: the Earthen Signet from Gruul in Gruul's Lair and the Blazing Signet from Nightbane in Karazhan. Nightbane has to be summoned with the Blackened Urn, which is its own quest chain, so make sure someone in the raid has one.

Tempest Keep: the Tempest Key

The Eye's key is the most demanding of the five. It starts in Shadowmoon Valley with Earthmender Sophurus (Alliance) or Earthmender Splinthoof (Horde) and the long Cipher of Damnation chain, which includes elite group quests. At level 70, a letter from Khadgar sends you to A'dal in Shattrath for the Trials of the Naaru, all on heroic:

The last trial is a raid kill: Magtheridon. Finishing all four gives the Tempest Key and the Phoenix-Fire Band ring.

Mount Hyjal and Black Temple

Both were attunement-gated when Phase 3 opened on 27 August 2026. The Zul'Aman update removed both requirements, so any level-70 character can walk in. For reference, this is what they used to ask:

• Mount Hyjal — The Vials of Eternity. From Soridormi in the Caverns of Time: a vial remnant from Lady Vashj in Serpentshrine and one from Kael'thas in Tempest Keep.
• Black Temple — The Medallion of Karabor. A sixteen-step chain from the Aldor or Scryers through Akama in Shadowmoon Valley: the Ashtongue Corruptors, Seer Udalo's body in the Arcatraz, the Ata'mal Terrace, Seer Olum after Fathom-Lord Karathress in Serpentshrine, killing Al'ar in the Ashtongue Cowl, and the Time-Phased Phylactery from Rage Winterchill in Hyjal.

The Medallion chain is still worth doing on a main. Its steps hand out rewards — Akama's Promise offers a choice of weapon or gear — and its last quests continue inside the temple, where the Ashtongue Deathsworn reputation has rewards of its own from Okuno.

A plan for a fresh 70

1. Run normal dungeons for reputation.

   Honored with the five key factions opens every heroic — and every alt after that needs only Friendly.

2. Do Karazhan's chain early.

   Its four dungeons are ones you'll run for gear anyway, and the chain is account-wide once it's done.

3. Gear through badges.

   Heroics and every raid boss through Zul'Aman now drop Badges of Justice; G'eras turns them into pre-raid epics.

4. Join a raid where you are.

   With Hyjal, Black Temple and Zul'Aman open to all, gear decides what you can raid, not quests.

Help with attunements and raids

• Attunements: Karazhan, the heroic keys and the raid chains, done on your main — account-wide afterwards.
• Raids: Karazhan to Black Temple and Zul'Aman with your character in the group.
• Heroics: heroic dungeon runs for badges and pre-raid gear. Piloted orders mean someone logs in to your account, which is against Blizzard's terms — read the risks; in-group raid runs keep the login with you.