Black Temple The Black Temple is the fortress - citadel of Illidan Stormrage , Lord of Outland . It was once known as the Temple of Karabor , and has changed hands many times over the generations . It is a level 70 raid instance in Outland , containing tier 6 drops and . The entrance to the Black Temple does not appear to be its main gates , but rather an instance portal set in a breach in the southern battlement , below the ruins of Karabor . It no longer has a required attunement . Attunement . Though the attunement is no longer required to gain entrance to the Temple , you can still complete it . Below is a short guide on how to . First you have to complete . Then players adventuring in the Serpentshrine Cavern will have access to a quest from a Broken NPC named Seer Olum in Fathom - Lord Karathress ' s room ( the quest is entitled ) . After delivering a message to Akama , he informs Illidan of Kael ' thas ' treachery in order to attempt to prove his loyalty ( Illidan believes him , but is still suspicious ) . You will then need to slay Al ' ar in the Eye of Tempest Keep so that Akama can convince Illidan he is still loyal . The next part of the attunement involves killing Rage Winterchill , a lich boss , which is also the first boss in the Battle of Mount Hyjal instance . After this you are sent to Xi ' ri outside the gates of Black Temple . You must slay the demonic Illidari forces outside the Temple in order to provide a distraction for Akama and Maiev to slip into the Temple undetected . After that Xi ' ri rewards you with the . History . Before the shattering of Draenor , the Black Temple was once called the Temple of Karabor , a sacred site to the draenei which served as the refuge of the Prophet Velen . Shortly after the formation of the Horde , Gul ' dan ordered the temple conquered and transformed it into the headquarters for the Shadow Council , renaming it the Black Temple in the process . It was later used as a fortress for the then - mortal Ner ' zhul . In the trailer for the Black Temple , it shows the scene where Gul ' dan ' s troops attack the temple . Sometime after the destruction of Draenor it was taken over by the Burning Legion . Renamed the Black Citadel , it was used as a " prime staging ground for the Burning Legion ' s campaign of destruction . " After Illidan conquered much of Outland , including the Black Temple , and following his defeat at the hands of Arthas Menethil , Illidan returned to the Black Temple where he resides to this day . Neither his activities nor mental state are known at this time . While Malfurion has stated that Illidan has become mad and delusional , believing that he killed Arthas and accomplished the mission Kil ' jaeden had sent him on , it said on the Burning Crusade website that " Illidan lives in fear that he will be discovered by his powerful enemies — most notably Arthas , the new Lich King , and the remaining Lords of the Burning Legion . " If Illidan has descended into madness and believes he accomplished his mission it would make no sense for him to worry about Arthas or Kil ' jaeden coming after him ; he would believe the former dead , and the latter appeased . But then again , those afflicted by madness rarely make sense . Former Black Citadel . It has been confirmed that the Black Citadel was renamed to Black Temple , although it is unclear why it was moved from the Hellfire Peninsula to Shadowmoon Valley . For a full analysis of this issue , please see Black Citadel and Temple . Official Info . From The Black Temple in Under Development : The Black Temple . Originally founded as a Draenei temple , this plot has been conquered and despoiled many times throughout the history of Outland , removing any spiritual grace it may have once held . The Black Temple has been the stage of the Orc Horde ' s blood curse , fortress for the then - mortal Ner ' zhul , and a prime staging ground for the Burning Legion ' s campaign of destruction . . . Most recently , it has been claimed as home by Illidan , where he and his minions make their bid for power over the remnants of the shattered planet . Now , it is up to you to face the malefic forces of Illidan and his minions in hopes of freeing Outland from chaos and tyranny . Black Temple is a 25 - person raid dungeon located in Shadowmoon Valley . From Black Temple Preview in Under Development : Long ago on Draenor , the Temple of Karabor was the center of draenei worship . But the devout priests who prayed there are long dead , slaughtered by marauding , demoniacally corrupted orcs . In the massacre ' s aftermath the warlocks of the Shadow Council seized the structure and bestowed upon it a new name : the Black Temple . For years the Shadow Council bloodied the Black Temple with foul demonic rituals , but after the Second War the dark spellcasters fell to the Alliance ' s devastating invasion of Draenor . The shaman Ner ' zhul hastily opened several dimensional portals in order to stage a retreat , and the resulting magical backlash ripped the world apart . In what had become the fractured realm of Outland , Ner ' zhul ' s portals were a strategic advantage that appealed to the demon general Magtheridon , who quickly seized the Black Temple as his seat of power . Magtheridon commanded many of the orcs remaining in Outland and bolstered his army with Legion forces streaming in through the portals . The pit lord ' s might remained unchallenged until Illidan the Betrayer decided to claim the Black Temple for himself . Illidan and Magtheridon fought a desperate battle on the temple walls , but in the end the pit lord proved no match for the wielder of the Twin Blades of Azzinoth . Illidan battered Magtheridon to the point of death , but the thrill of victory was short - lived . . . The skies of Outland darkened as Kil ' jaeden himself appeared before Illidan , furious at Illidan ' s failure to destroy the Lich King . The Betrayer was forced back to Azeroth for a disastrous attack on Icecrown Glacier . Bloodied by the death knight Arthas but not fully beaten , Illidan returned to Outland and established his throne within the Black Temple . And yet , despite Illidan ' s efforts to seal Ner ' zhul ' s portals , Kil ' jaeden ' s wrath will not be denied . Even now the merciless Doomwalker batters at the temple gates . Akama and Maiev : Involvement in the Temple . It ' s now known that Akama is involved in the battle against Illidan . Until the defeat of Illidan , the question as to the involvement of his " prisoner " , the Warden Maiev Shadowsong , remained unclear . At the end of the quest , Akama states that when the time comes for the players to battle Illidan , he would be at their side . Also , the vision from A ' dal at the end of that quest describes Akama and Maiev battling through the Temple with a shadowy figure , which is said to be the player who turned in the quest . The final quest for the Medallion of Karabor involves battling Illidari demons ( see " Attunement " above ) in order to allow Maiev and Akama time to sneak into the Temple . Akama initially helps players in the final battle against Illidan , with Maiev replacing him towards the end of the fight in order to kill her nemesis . As Illidan dies , he tells Maiev , " the huntress is nothing without the hunt . . . you are nothing without me . " Loot . See Black Temple loot . Trivia . April Fools Joke . The following quest line was published on the 1st of April 2007 . This was a reference to the Hyjal attunement quest that technically requires players to complete most of the high - level dungeons in the game . Hyjal attunement was also a step in Black Temple attunement . See Azeroth in space . The planet Azeroth is visible in the southern sky from the courtyard where you fight Supremus . It is also visible from the Temple Summit , although the view is cloudy . There is some speculation on just how far Azeroth is away from Outland . Maps . Note : After killing Gorefiend , you ' ll head back to the Refectory and head towards the top right of the atrium into the Halls and Shrine .