TBC Classic has some of the lengthiest and most complicated raid attunements found in World of Warcraft. Or any MMORPG for that matter. Unlocking a Burning Crusade raid requires you to go on an epic journey across Outland and Azeroth where you complete quests, dungeons, and gather various keys along the way. It may seem like this is the sort of thing you’ll be required to do in the later stages of TBC Classic but that’s actually not the case. In fact, the very first raid, Karazhan, has a very long attunement you’ll have to complete before you can get in. If that sounds a bit intimidating don’t worry because this Karazhan attunement guide will walk you through the entire process.

Before you start working on the attunement itself, you’ll need to make a few preparations. The first and most obvious step is to level up a character all the way to 70. Next up, some of the quests will require you to have a flying mount so make sure you unlock that before doing anything else. You will need quite a bit of gold to unlock flying and get a mount. If you don’t feel like farming for it, you can simply buy WoW TBC gold directly and skip that part. We strongly recommend doing so to speed up the process. Once that’s been taken care of, you can start working on your Karazhan attunement.

Archmage Alturus

Your journey starts in Deadwind Pass near the entrance to the raid. There, you can find an NPC called Archmage Alturus who will give you two quests – Arcane Disturbances and Restless Activity. Both quests involve doing some activities nearby so finish them quickly and return to the NPC. Turn them in and Alturus will have a new quest for you called Contact from Dalaran that involves finding Archmage Cedric in Alterac Mountains. The NPC will send you to find Khadgar in Shattrath, so make your way there as soon as possible. 

Shadow Labyrinth

This is where the Karazhan attunement really kicks in. Upon meeting Khadgar you will receive the quest Entry Into Karazhan, which involves acquiring a key fragment from the Shadow Labyrinth. But since nothing is simple in TBC Classic, you’ll first need to complete the dungeon Sethekk Halls and loot the chest that spawns after killing the final boss, Talon King Ikiss. This chest contains the key you’ll need to unlock the Shadow Labyrinth. Luckily, both dungeons are located inside Auchindoun in Terokkar Forest so at least you won’t have to travel far.

With the Shadow Labyrinth key now in hand it’s time to enter the dungeon. Once again, you’ll need to battle your way until the end and kill the final boss, Murmur. Once Murmur is dead, interact with the Arcane Container to spawn a new elite mob known as the First Fragment Guardian. Defeat the guardian and make sure to loot the First Key Fragment from it before exiting the dungeon. Now it’s time to head back to Khadgar for the next part of the Karazhan attunement. 

The Steamvault

Khadgar will send you to recover the two remaining key fragments – one from The Steamvault and one from The Arcatraz. Acquiring the Second Key Fragment is arguably the easiest part of the Karazhan attunement since you can access The Steamvault without any hassle, which isn’t the case with The Arcatraz. But more on that in a minute. For now, find a group and head over to the Coilfang Reservoir in Zangarmarsh. Enter The Steamvault and make your way to the first boss, Hydromancer Thespia. Look for the Arcane Container found underwater close to the boss and interact with the item. Defeat the guardian once it spawns and then loot it to acquire the Second Key Fragment. You can also kill the boss if you want, but it’s not actually required for the attunement. 

The Arcatraz

This is where things get interesting, and somewhat annoying. Just as its name indicates, The Arcatraz is the WoW TBC Classic equivalent to The Alcatraz, the infamous real-world maximum security prison located on a small island near the San Francisco Bay. Getting in will be very difficult but it’s mandatory for completing the Karazhan attunement chain.

Your first order of business is to head over to Area 52 in Netherstorm and talk to an NPC called Nether-Stalker Khay’ji. He will give you a series of quests that need to be completed, starting with Consortium Crystal Collection. Complete the quest by acquiring an Arklon Crystal Artifact from demons around Arklon Ruins and go back to the NPC for the next quest, A Heap of Ethereals. This second quest is pretty similar as it involves looting a Zaxxis Insignia from Zaxxis Raiders found south of Area 52. Once that’s done, go back to the NPC and pick up his third quest, Warp-Raider Nesaad. This quest involves killing a pretty powerful mob so don’t hesitate to bring some friends along.

With Warp-Raider Nesaad dead, the NPC will send you to a different location to speak to Gahruj, another member of The Consortium. It’s time to head over to the Eco-Dome Midrealm in the center of Netherstom for the next part of the Karazhan attunement. Gahruj will only give you a simple fetch quest that involves picking up an item from the Eco-Dome before sending you up north to the Stormspire to speak with the Image of Nexus-Prince Haramad. The Nexus-Price will give you two similar quests called Triangulation Point One and Triangulation Point Two before sending you to the nearby Ruins of Farahlon for his final quest, Full Triangle. For this quest you will need to kill an elite demon called Culuthas and loot the Ata’mal Crystal from his corpse.

Once your business with the Nexus-Price is concluded you’ll need to return to Shattrath and speak with A’dal, the Naaru standing in the very center of the city. Accept the quest How to Break Into the Arcatraz, which starts the final leg of the quest chain. In order to complete to quest you’ll need to defeat both Panthaleon the Calculator in The Mechanar and Warp Splinter in The Botanica. Loot the two halves of The Arcatraz key from the bosses and give them to A’dal in exchange for the Key to the Arcatraz. After finally unlocking the dungeon make your way to the first boss, Zereketh the Unbound. Check the room near the boss for the Arcane Container and interact with it to summon the guardian. Kill it to acquire the Third Key Fragment. 

Old Hillsbrad Foothills

With all three key fragments in your inventory you’re now one step closer to completing the Karazhan attunement, however, you’re not there just yet. Head back to Khadgar to pick up The Master’s Touch, which sends you to The Caverns of Time in Tanaris. Locate the Steward of Time and follow the quest chain that eventually sends you to Old Hillsbrad Foothills. Gather a group for the dungeon and make sure to complete the quests Taretha’s Diversion and Escape from Durnholde while you’re inside. You’ll need to rescue Thrall and defeat the final boss to finish the dungeon but make sure to turn in the last quest to Erozion inside before exiting. This will lead to another quest that sends you to Andormu back in the Caverns of Time. 

The Black Morass

Andormu will send you to another dungeon called The Black Morass for the final leg of your journey. Once inside, turn in your current quest and pick up the follow up from Sa’at. This next quest involves defending Medivh as he is attempting to open the Dark Portal. Make sure he succeeds and then speak with both Medivh and Sa’at once the dungeon is complete. Don’t forget to pick up the quest Return to Khadgar before leaving The Black Morass.

Speak to Khadgar and have him give you The Master’s Key to complete your Karazhan attunement. In addition to the key, Khadgar also gives you an extra quest called The Violet Eye, which sends you back to Archmage Alturus in front of Karazhan where it all began. You are now free to enter the raid as you please. Congratulations!

Final Thoughts

As mentioned at the start of the guide, TBC Classic has some very complicated attunement chains and this is arguably the best example of that. Subsequent raids also have some pretty steep requirements but many of them are easier to complete than the Karazhan attunement, in part because you already know what to expect. If you want to make sure you’re following all the attunement steps correctly you may want to grab an addon like Attune to help you out. The addon keeps track of your progress and works for both WoW Classic and TBC Classic.