WoW Forever Zul’Gurub Guide: Entrance, Bosses, Loot and Comp

WoW Forever Zul’Gurub is a 20-player raid for level 60 characters, entered at roughly /way 53 17 in northeastern Stranglethorn Vale, with no attunement, a short lockout and ten encounters. Kill the five High Priests before Hakkar the Soulflayer, bring three tanks and five healers, and farm the two rare mounts, the Zandalar rings and the class trinkets until someone quits.

Everything below is built for the Forever run. The raid itself is old, the bosses are old, and the strategies that killed them twenty years ago still kill them now. New talents change your buttons, not the fact that a troll with a gaze debuff will delete you for moving.

Zul’Gurub in the Forever Timeline

Forever launches on November 4, 2026, keeps the level cap at 60 permanently, and opens its first raids on December 9: Barrow Deeps for 10 players, Hyjal Summit for 20 and Onyxia’s Lair for 40. That mix of sizes is the whole pitch of World of Warcraft Forever raids, and a 20-player jungle raid slots into it without any explanation needed.

Blizzard has not published Forever-specific tuning, drop rates or lockout rules for Zul’Gurub. The roadmap promises a reworked iconic raid in summer 2027 and rebuilt itemization overall, so treat every number here as the tested baseline and patch notes as the final word. Mechanics do not care about your new talent tree.

Parameter	Baseline value
Raid size	20 players
Entry level	58, realistic minimum 60
Attunement	None
Lockout	3 days
Encounters	10, of which 6 are required for the intended Hakkar kill
Mounts inside	Allowed, the city counts as outdoors
Reputation	Zandalar Tribe

Entrance Location and Waypoints

The WoW Forever ZG entrance sits just east of Lake Nazferiti in the northeastern corner of Stranglethorn Vale. Type /way 53 17 if your addon supports it, then walk into the stone gate and pray nobody from the other faction is camping it.

Faction	Nearest flight path	Route
Horde	Grom’gol Base Camp	Ride east past Lake Nazferiti to the gate at 53, 17.
Alliance	Darkshire in Duskwood	Ride south into Stranglethorn, then turn east at the lake.
Both	Yojamba Isle (quest hub)	The Zandalar camp sits on the far northwestern coast, which is where coins, bijous and quests get turned in.

Hand-ins happen outside the instance. Vinchaxa takes coins and bijou quests on Yojamba Isle, Rin'wosho the Trader sells recipes and token rewards, and Zanza the Restless waits inside the raid on the pyramid past Venoxis with head and leg enchants.

Best Raid Composition

The baseline WoW Forever raid comp is 3 tanks, 5 healers and 12 damage dealers, weighted toward ranged. Forever adds combinations like the dwarf shaman and the Forsaken paladin, so both factions can now fill paladin and shaman slots without swapping realms or morals.

Role	Count	Best picks	Why they matter here
Main tank	1	Warrior, Feral Druid	Druid bears cannot be Hexed on Jin’do, which saves a tank swap.
Off tanks	2	Warrior, Paladin, Druid	Mandokir, Thekal and Hakkar all need tank swaps or split targets.
Healers	5	Priest x2, Paladin or Shaman x2, Druid x1	Priests and paladins dispel Hex, shamans and druids clean poison.
Melee DPS	6	Warrior x3, Rogue x3	Interrupt rotations on Jeklik, Mar’li and Lor’Khan.
Ranged DPS	6	Mage x3, Warlock x2, Hunter x1	Mages clear the skeleton pit, the hunter baits charges and pulls adds.

A few slots are not optional. Skip them and you learn why the old raiders wrote them down.

• At least one Hunter baits Jeklik and Mandokir charges and drags a Son of Hakkar to the platform.
• At least one Mage uses Polymorph on trash, Venoxis cobras and mind-controlled tanks.
• At least two dispellers remove Hex from the Jin’do tank within a second.
• At least one poison cleanser, ideally a shaman with Poison Cleansing Totem, covers Venoxis clouds and Mar’li volleys.
• Every Warrior and Priest keeps AoE fears on cooldown before mind control fights so their controlled body cannot fear the raid.

Best Routes Through the Raid

Two routes exist, the fast one and the greedy one. The WoW Forever ZG route most groups start with is the efficient clear, because only the five High Priests empower Hakkar.

Efficient Clear

1. Cross the first bridge, turn right up the hill and kill High Priestess Jeklik.
2. Cross the second bridge and kill High Priest Venoxis in the snake temple on the left.
3. Take the spider-webbed path and kill High Priestess Mar'li.
4. Go down to the tiger arena and kill High Priest Thekal.
5. Enter the pyramid and ring the gong for High Priestess Arlokk.
6. Cross to the central temple and kill Hakkar.

Full Clear

1. Kill Jeklik, Venoxis and Mar’li in the same order as above.
2. Climb to Mandokir’s Domain and kill Bloodlord Mandokir and his raptor Ohgan.
3. Return down the hill and summon the Edge of Madness boss at the brazier.
4. Kill Thekal in his arena.
5. Fish up Gahz'ranka at Pagle’s Pointe west of Thekal.
6. Kill Arlokk inside the pyramid.
7. Continue up the path and kill Jin'do the Hexxer.
8. Reverse down the ramp, cross the bridge and kill Hakkar.

Trash Mobs and Their Abilities

Trash in Zul’Gurub is mostly polite. The exceptions below have wiped more pickup raids than any boss, usually because melee thought standing still was a strategy.

Mob	Dangerous ability	Answer
Gurubashi Bat Rider	Explodes on death near the Jeklik path.	Melee step away before the killing blow.
Gurubashi Axe Thrower	AoE axe spin.	Polymorph interrupts the spin, melee watch for it.
Gurubashi Blood Drinker	Drains life from everything nearby.	Tank it alone and let ranged kill it.
Gurubashi Champion	Knockback into extra packs.	Tank with the back to a wall.
Razzashi Cobra (Venoxis add)	Four adds that Venoxis can heal.	Crowd control three and kill them one by one away from the boss.
Son of Hakkar	Leaves a poison cloud on death.	Pull one to Hakkar and kill it before Blood Siphon.
Shade of Jin'do	Invisible attacks that interrupt casts.	Only players cursed with Delusions can see and kill it.

Clear every pack near a boss room. Half of these fights involve running, and running into a fresh pull is how a 20-player raid becomes a 20-player graveyard.

Boss Abilities and Strategies

Every High Priest left alive gives Hakkar the Soulflayer an extra ability. Leaving Venoxis alive grants a stacking poison volley, leaving Mar’li alive grants a stun that resets threat, and the other three are equally rude. Kill all five.

High Priestess Jeklik, Aspect of the Bat

• Phase one in bat form charges the nearest ranged player, so park one hunter between the raid and the tank as bait.
• Sonic Burst silences anyone close, which is why ranged and healers stand about 35 yards out.
• Bat adds spawn roughly every minute and mages AoE them while the off tank collects them.
• At 50 percent she becomes a troll and casts Great Heal and Mind Flay, both of which must be interrupted.
• Flying bat riders drop fire on the raid in phase two, so move out and keep the boss moving if needed.
• She also casts an AoE fear and Shadow Word: Pain, so bring Fear Ward or Tremor Totem and dispel the pain.

High Priest Venoxis, Aspect of the Snake

• Venoxis engages with four Razzashi Cobras, which the off tank drags away while crowd control holds three.
• Holy Wrath chains between nearby players, so nobody but the tank stands within about 25 yards in phase one.
• Ranged burn him to 50 percent while melee kill cobras, and mana drains from hunters and warlocks shorten this phase.
• At 50 percent he turns into a snake and drops poison clouds, so the tank kites in a slow circle.
• Healers remove poison from the tank constantly, because the snake phase is where main tanks die.

High Priestess Mar’li, Aspect of the Spider

• Mar’li opens with four Spawn of Mar’li that grow stronger every few seconds and must die immediately.
• Poison Bolt Volley hits everyone within 30 yards, so ranged stay out and healers dispel melee.
• Drain Life heals her for a huge amount and needs a set melee interrupt rotation.
• In spider form she casts Enveloping Webs, roots melee, drops threat and runs at the ranged group.
• The off tank waits inside the ranged stack, taunts her and walks her back to melee.

Bloodlord Mandokir and Ohgan

• Threatening Gaze targets a player who must stop moving, casting and attacking until it ends or die instantly.
• Charge hits the farthest isolated player and drops threat, so a hunter stands 40 yards away and uses Feign Death.
• Whirlwind, Cleave and an AoE fear hit melee, so the tank faces him away from the raid.
• Ohgan applies a stacking sunder, and two off tanks swap at three or four stacks.
• Dead players are resurrected by Chained Spirits, but every three deaths Mandokir levels up and hits harder.
• Killing Ohgan first sends Mandokir into a one-minute enrage, so save healing cooldowns for that minute.

High Priest Thekal, Aspect of the Tiger

• Phase one pits three tanks against Thekal, Zealot Lor’Khan and Zealot Zath, with tigers killed on pull.
• All three trolls must die within 10 seconds of each other or they resurrect, so bring them to 10 percent and AoE them together.
• Lor’Khan casts Great Heal and must be interrupted every single time.
• Zath uses Blind and Gouge on his tank, so another tank or a threat-capped warrior picks him up.
• Thekal silences raiders, and healers dispel it.
• Phase two turns Thekal into a tiger who uses Force Punch to knock the raid back and reset threat, so fight against a wall.
• He enrages at 20 percent, which is when tanks remember their cooldowns exist.

High Priestess Arlokk, Aspect of the Panther

• Ringing the gong in the back of the temple starts the encounter.
• Mark of Arlokk sends panthers after a marked player, and tanks grab them because the mark is threat, not a fixate.
• She Gouges her tank, which triggers a tank swap.
• Vanish removes her from combat, and the raid kills panthers during that window.
• She reappears behind a player with a heavy Whirlwind, so ranged and healers stand with their backs to the wooden fence.

Jin’do the Hexxer

• Kill order is Shade of Jin’do, then Powerful Healing Ward, then Brain Wash Totem, then Jin’do himself.
• Hex polymorphs the tank and must be dispelled at once, unless the tank is a druid in bear form.
• Delusions of Jin'do is a curse that lets players see the shades, and removing it is sabotage.
• Powerful Healing Ward heals Jin’do heavily and dies before anything except shades.
• Brain Wash Totem mind controls the nearest player until it dies.
• Jin’do teleports players into a skeleton pit, and an assigned mage or warlock AoEs the skeletons while the victim climbs out.

Hakkar the Soulflayer

The WoW Forever Hakkar fight is one mechanic wearing a big hat. Everything else is spread positioning and a tank swap that the boss performs for you.

• Blood Siphon stuns the raid for about 8 seconds roughly every 90 seconds and drains everyone’s health.
• If every player carries Poisonous Blood from a dead Son of Hakkar, Blood Siphon damages Hakkar instead of healing him.
• A hunter pulls one Son of Hakkar to the platform early, the raid kills it seconds before the siphon and everyone stands in the cloud.
• Corrupted Blood jumps between nearby players, so ranged and healers spread whenever there is no siphon pending.
• Cause Insanity mind controls the tank for 10 seconds, and the off tank must already be second on threat because Hakkar is taunt immune.
• Warrior tanks burn Intimidating Shout on cooldown so their controlled body cannot fear the raid.

Three rules decide most Zul’Gurub wipes. Nobody moves under Threatening Gaze, nobody dispels Delusions of Jin’do, and nobody pulls Hakkar with a High Priest still breathing. Break any of them and the Blood God thanks you personally.

Edge of Madness

The Edge of Madness brazier summons one of four bosses, rotating every two weeks on the baseline schedule. Extinguishing it requires a Gurubashi Mojo Madness, which an alchemist with 300 skill learns from the tablet next to the brazier.

Ingredient	Amount
Powerful Mojo	6
Massive Mojo	1
Black Lotus	1
Blood of Heroes	1

Boss	Key abilities	Answer	Trinket part
Gri'lek	Grows, drops threat and fixates slowly, roots players.	Kite the fixate and dispel roots.	Gri'lek's Blood
Hazza'rah	AoE sleep, chaining mana burn, illusions that hit hard.	Casters stay out of melee, drain his mana, ranged kill illusions.	Hazza'rah's Dream Thread
Renataki	Gouges nearby targets, vanishes, ambushes a random player.	Keep the raid grouped and break stealth with AoE.	Renataki's Tooth
Wushoolay	Lightning clouds and nature damage aura.	Drain mana, spread ranged, never stand in clouds.	Wushoolay's Mane

Clear the imps before the summon, because each one opens a portal with two voidwalkers that cannot be banished. The warlock who suggested skipping them buys the next Mojo.

Gahz’ranka

• Pick up Nat's Measuring Tape at Pagle’s Pointe and return it to Nat Pagle in Dustwallow Marsh.
• Buy a Mudskunk Lure from Nat Pagle afterward.
• Fish five Zulian Mudskunk from Muddy Churning Waters with an effective fishing skill of about 350.
• Combine them with the lure at Pagle’s Pointe to summon the hydra.
• Fight him in the water, because Massive Geyser throws players into the air and water removes the fall damage.

Loot Table

WoW Forever ZG loot follows three streams: boss drops, Paragons of Power turn-ins, and Edge of Madness trinket parts. Forever rebuilt itemization, so stats may shift, but these are the items the raid is built around.

Boss	Notable drops
Jeklik	Animist's Spaulders, Jeklik's Opaline Talisman, Primalist's Band, Zulian Defender, Jeklik's Crusher
Venoxis	Blooddrenched Footpads, Zanzil's Band, Zulian Stone Axe, Zulian Tigerhide Cloak, Fang of Venoxis, Runed Bloodstained Hauberk
Mar’li	Band of Jin, Bloodstained Greaves, Mar'li's Eye, Talisman of Protection, Flowing Ritual Robes, Mar'li's Touch
Mandokir	Swift Razzashi Raptor, Hakkari Loa Cloak, Bloodlord's Defender, Halberd of Smiting, Mandokir's Sting, Overlord's Crimson Band
Thekal	Swift Zulian Tiger, Seal of Jin, Zulian Slicer, Betrayer's Boots, Thekal's Grasp, Ritualistic Legguards
Arlokk	Arlokk's Hoodoo Stick, Bloodsoaked Greaves, Overlord's Onyx Band, Arlokk's Grasp, Will of Arlokk
Jin’do	Jin'do's Judgement, Jin'do's Hexxer, Jin'do's Bag of Whammies, Jin'do's Evil Eye, The Hexxer's Cover, Overlord's Embrace
Hakkar	Heart of Hakkar, Zin'rokh, Destroyer of Worlds, Fang of the Faceless, Bloodcaller, Ancient Hakkari Manslayer, Aegis of the Blood God, Cloak of Consumption, The Eye of Hakkar, Touch of Chaos, Gurubashi Dwarf Destroyer

The five High Priests also share a loot pool on top of their own tables, which is where the famous rings come from. Seal of the Gurubashi Berserker and Band of Servitude have ended more friendships than any ninja looter. The Warblade of the Hakkari pair (second blade) rounds out the list for melee who enjoy matching swords.

Shared High Priest drop	Slot
Belt of Untapped Power	Waist
Blooddrenched Mask	Head
Cloak of the Hakkari Worshipers	Back
Gloves of the Tormented	Hands
Might of the Tribe	Back
Sacrificial Gauntlets	Hands
Zulian Headdress	Head
Zulian Scepter of Rites	One-hand mace
Band of Servitude	Ring
Seal of the Gurubashi Berserker	Ring

For WoW Forever mounts, the Swift Razzashi Raptor drops from Mandokir and the Swift Zulian Tiger drops from Thekal. Both are rare, both are epic speed, and both will drop for the player who joined the raid ten minutes ago.

Zandalar Tribe Reputation and Paragons of Power

The WoW Forever Zandalar Tribe reputation grind runs on kills, coins, bijous and Primal Hakkari tokens. A full clear gives roughly 3000 reputation between kills and drops, and trash stops granting reputation partway through Revered, which is why veterans hoard coins and bijous until then.

Turn-in	Where	Reputation
Zulian, Razzashi, and Hakkari Coins	Vinchaxa, Yojamba Isle	25 plus a Zandalar Honor Token worth 50
Gurubashi, Vilebranch, and Witherbark Coins	Vinchaxa, Yojamba Isle	25 plus a Zandalar Honor Token worth 50
Sandfury, Skullsplitter, and Bloodscalp Coins	Vinchaxa, Yojamba Isle	25 plus a Zandalar Honor Token worth 50
A Bijou for Zanza	Vinchaxa, once per character	350
Any bijou via Destroy Bijou	Altar of Zanza, Yojamba Isle	75 plus a Zandalar Honor Token worth 50

Coins drop as Zulian, Razzashi, Hakkari, Gurubashi, Vilebranch, Witherbark, Sandfury, Skullsplitter and Bloodscalp. Bijous come in nine colors from Red to Gold, and color no longer matters for destroying them. Every Zandalar Honor Token is also a currency at Rin’wosho.

Primal Hakkari token	Reputation needed	Reward type
Bindings, Armsplint, Stanchion	Friendly	Zandalar set bracers
Girdle, Sash, Shawl	Honored	Zandalar set belt or shoulders
Tabard, Kossack, Aegis	Revered	Zandalar set chest or shoulders

Class trinkets are built from Edge of Madness parts combined through a class Punctured Voodoo Doll, for example Hazza'rah's Charm of Destruction for warlocks. Dolls come from Jinxed Hoodoo Piles inside the raid, which also hold the Blood Scythe herbalists need for Bloodvine.

Class	Head and leg enchant from Zanza	Quest
Warrior	Presence of Might	Presence of Might
Paladin	Syncretist's Sigil	Syncretist's Sigil
Rogue	Death's Embrace	Death's Embrace
Hunter	Falcon's Call	Falcon's Call
Shaman	Vodouisant's Vigilant Embrace	Vodouisant's Vigilant Embrace
Mage	Presence of Sight	Presence of Sight
Warlock	Hoodoo Hex	Hoodoo Hex
Priest	Prophetic Aura	Prophetic Aura
Druid	Animist's Caress	Animist's Caress

Each enchant needs Friendly reputation, a Primal Hakkari Idol from Mandokir or Jin’do, and your class doll. At Exalted, Signets of the Zandalar trades 15 honor tokens for a shoulder enchant: Zandalar Signet of Might, Zandalar Signet of Mojo or Zandalar Signet of Serenity.

Lore of Zul’Gurub

Zul’Gurub was the capital of the Gurubashi Empire, the jungle troll power that worshipped Hakkar the Soulflayer, the Blood God. His priests, the Atal’ai, brought him into Azeroth once, the empire tore itself apart stopping him, and the city rotted in the jungle for centuries.

Then the Atal’ai came back and started the ritual again. The Zandalar Tribe sent High Priests of the primal loa to stop it: Jeklik of Hir’eek the bat, Venoxis of Hethiss the snake, Mar’li of Shadra the spider, Thekal of Shirvallah the tiger and Arlokk of Bethekk the panther.

Jin’do the Hexxer enslaved them, and Hakkar corrupted them into feeding his power. The Zandalar now camp on Yojamba Isle and pay outsiders to kill their own priests, which is the most honest description of raiding ever written into a quest log.

Anyone searching for Classic Plus Zul’Gurub trivia gets one more item: Corrupted Blood once escaped this raid on hunter pets and spread through capital cities, until a patch stopped it from targeting pets. The Blood God has always been good at spreading.

Frequently Asked Questions