Located in the dark recess at the highest peak, Blackwing Lair crowns the small collection of dungeons and raids that form Blackrock Mountain in Classic World of Warcraft. BWL, as it's often nicknamed, is a forty-player raid at the highest point in Blackrock Spire. Enter and slay your enemies for a chance to complete that Tier 2 raid set that you started in MC or with Onyxia.
Beyond those basics, there's not much that people generally know about Blackwing Lair when it comes to lore and other interesting bits of trivia. It's actually one of the oldest and most interesting places in Azeroth, and here are ten things that you didn't know about it.
10 Like Father, Like Son
Every so often, you run across a family in Azeroth that's been led astray and corrupted by evil forces. The Barovs of Scholomance and the Redpaths of Darrowshire come to mind. Most players are surprised to find that the final boss of Blackwing Lair, the fearsome dragon Nefarian, is the son of none other than Deathwing himself. The leader of the Black Dragonflight, Deathwing is powerful enough to literally destroy the world, so what do you think his son is like? And you thought Onyxia was bad! Speaking of Onyxia, she appears on this list, too.
9 It Runs In The Family
Oh, we're not done analyzing the BWL family tree yet. Like a close-knit dragon mafia, Nefarian's sister is helping them out. In fact, you might say she's really the one in charge. You might have met her already, and you've likely seen her head on display in your faction's capital city. If you're Alliance, you caught her masquerading as the Lady Prestor, a noblewoman of Stormwind, and in the throne room, no less! Onyxia is one of the most powerful and popular villains in Azerothian history, and you probably didn't know that she's Nefarian's younger sister.
8 Attunement Not Required
Similar to the Molten Core, you don't really need to be attuned to enter the dungeon, but it takes a huge chunk out of your travel time. Most players simply assume that you cant enter the dungeon without completing a quest, getting to a certain level of reputation with a particular faction, or having a physical key. Onyxia's Lair requires a special trinket, for example, that's awarded after a long quest chain. If you aren't attuned with the Orb of Command, a shiny ball near the entrance to Blackrock Spire, you have a long trek through the dungeon ahead of you, similar to Molten Core. It's not pretty, but it's possible.
7 No Easy Bosses
To be clear, there are three "easy" bosses in Blackwing Liar while the five others are more difficult. Note the quotes, as these bosses are only less difficult compared to the others. Every boss in this raid will test your group in new, difficult, and exciting ways. The very first boss encounter is with Razorgore. It consists of two different phases and the fight is one of the most brutal in the raid, but it's not the toughest. The following boss, Vaelastrasz the Corrupt, is even harder, crushing raids with a three-minute DPS race that burns mana and life to the ground.
6 Errand Of Mercy
He's nicknamed the Guild Destroyer, just to give you an idea of how tough this boss is. That's not the part that you don't know, however. His legendary status as a badass raid boss overshadows his tragic backstory, which is an issue with a lot of bosses or famous figures in World of Warcraft. Some of the quotes during the fight give you some idea as to what happened, and his name is also a clue.
When he arrived at the mountain, he was simply Vaelastrasz and he was one of the Black Dragonflight. He had been charged with confronting Nefarian by Alexstrasza herself. He was defeated by Nefarian and corrupted by him. Before his defeat, he appears as Vaelan in Blackrock Spire, and he helps you obtain the Seal of Ascension, a powerful ring that boosts your resistance stats.
5 A Giant Petri Dish
We know where Nefarian is, but why is he there, and why do we want to stop him? Being the son of Deathwing and the dropper of some sweet loot is enough, but there's much more going on here. The eggs that you saw in Blackrock Spire are an important clue, as is the dragon mount ridden by Rend Blackhand. Nefarian is trying to combine the Dragonflights, Red, Bronze, Black, and others into Chromatic Dragons with the powers of all the dragons combined. That wouldn't only defeat Ragnaros, it would help him take over the world. Yet another good reason to venture into his lair and put a stop to his plans.
4 The Mission Of Razorgore
He's the first boss you fight in Blackwing Lair, but do you know why here's here or what his job is? Razorgore is more important than you think. The room where you fight him is officially known as the Dragonmaw Garrison, but its other name is the Egg Chamber. It's his job to guard those experimental Chromatic dragon eggs. It's such a crucial task that Nefarian also gave Razorgore a whole crowd of orcs and dragonkin to help him out. That should give you an idea of how tough this fight is.
3 Common Enemies
Amazingly enough, you and Nefarian have a common acquaintance, Ragnaros. The last boss of Blackwing Lair enjoys the privacy of the penthouse and doesn't like that big fire elemental lurking in his basement any more than you do. You're not the only one killing core hounds and fire elementals. Nefarian and his black Dragonflight are also in a constant battle with Ragnaros and his minions for control of Blackrock Mountain and Burning Steppes. That's one of the main reasons Nefarian is even in the mountain, to defeat Ragnaros.
2 No Rep, No Problem
This is something you'll learn once you actually run the raid, and even then it might come as a surprise for such a tough instance at the level cap. On the other hand, you might be so busy with fight mechanics and mighty purple drops that you never actually notice. The fights in Blackwing Lair will not award rep for any faction, despite the fact you're doing some pretty serious favors for a number of different groups who have suffered under the power of the Black Dragonflight. And who would you grind rep with anyway, Ragnaros?
1 It's The Journey, Not The Boss
Sure, the bosses are tough, but Blackwing Lair is just as deadly outside of the boss fights. You don't get a lot of time to stop for bandages or mana between bosses, either. A good example is the path to one of the so-called "easier" bosses, the Broodlord Lashlayer. Even though this boss is considered fairly straightforward, you have to move through several Suppression Rooms to get to him. A Suppression Room is exactly what it sounds like. It's filled with a series of traps that slow you down but have no effect on their enemies. Rogues can Disarm these, but they and the adds protecting them respawn fast.