Molten Core adds three difficulty modes in WoW Classic Season of Discovery Phase 4 — and we have some suggestions on getting enough fire resist to tackle them

The iconic Molten Core raid went live earlier this week on July 25 as part of WoW Classic Season of Discovery Phase 4 and it has a few new twists! Molten Core has a new mechanic called Heat which establishes three toggleable levels of difficulty. At the beginning of Molten Core, you can choose any of these difficulties by speaking to the Hydraxian Waterlords NPC that appears. You can also summon the NPC to change the mode after each encounter by using Aqual Quintessence on the boss rune.

Each mode has different, escalating difficulty modifiers like additional encounter mechanics, additional damage, and an increased need for higher levels of Fire Resistance buffs and gear:

• Level 1 — Sweltering Heat
  • Easier difficulty level — Sweltering Heat is a better access point for groups and players who may be new to raiding or may not have top tier gear or loadouts and with less need for Fire Resistance gear and buffs.
• Level 2 — Blistering Heat
  • Normal mode equivalent — Blistering Heat is the “standard” Molten Core difficulty and experience players can expect from a WoW raid. The gear rewards aren’t too different from Sweltering Heat but most bosses in Blistering Heat will drop an additional piece of loot after being defeated.
  • Recommended Fire Resistance: +96
• Level 3 — Molten Heat
  • Hard mode equivalent — Players who attempt Molten Heat should be adequately prepared with gear, consumables, and coordinated with the rest of their raid group. The gear rewards aren’t drastically different from Blistering Heat but players who beat bosses on Molten Heat can drop unique cosmetics and it sounds like the bosses have an expanded loot pool, allowing certain items to drop sooner.
  • Level 3 also has a not-so-secret 11th boss!
  • Recommended Fire Resistance: +226

Higher levels of Fire Resistance become necessary for progressing through each raid boss and for eventually making the jump to different Heat levels where the need for more Fire Resistance remains as a integral part of your character’s build. Getting gear and tier sets from Molten Core will obviously boost your character’s Fire Resistance but players may be on the low end of when first attempting Molten Core.

Blizzard acknowledged that, while these difficulties and requirements seem and feel punitive upfront, part of capturing the allure of the original World of Warcraft raids was designing activities to have continuous progression to overcome challenges and instilling a habit of (over)preparation. A lot of Phase 4 dungeon gear grants Fire Resistance, but there are also some items out in Azeroth you can find, earn, or create that will boost your Fire Resistance and help you take on Molten Core:

Crafts and Consumables

• Cloak of Fire (requires level 50)
  • Tailoring:  275
  • +6 Fire Resistance
• Greater Fire Protection Potion (requires level 48)
  • Alchemy: 290
  • Absorbs 1950 to 3250 fire damage and lasts 1 hour.
• Smoking Heart of the Mountain (requires level 50)
  • +7 Fire Resistance
  • Enchanting: 265
• Hyper-Radiant Flame Reflector (requires level 53)
  • +18 Fire Resistance
  • Engineering: 290

Vendor Items

• Inferno Cloak (requires Level 20)
  • +5 Fire Resistance
  • Cost: 41 silver, 58 copper
  • Vendors:
    • Jenna Powerseam in Menethil Harbor
    • Halija Whitestrider at The Crossroads
• Fiery Cloak (requires Level 20)
  • +5 Fire Resistance
  • Cost: 45 silver, 12 copper
  • Vendors:
    • Grazlix in Ratchet
    • Vrang Wildgore in The Barrens, north of the Crossroads
    • Robert Aebischer in Southshore, Hillsbrad Foothills
    • Morg Gnarltree in Darkshire, Duskwood
• Fireproof Orb (requires level 23)
  • +6 Fire Resistance
  • Cost: 80 silver, 2 copper
  • Vendors:
    • Kzixx at the border of Duskwood and Redridge Mountains
    • Veeniz located east of Sunrock Retreat, overlooking Windshear Crag
    • Zixil who can be found roaming between Southshore and Tarren Mill in Hillsbrad Foothills
• Staff of Protection (requires Level 34)
  • +6 Fire Resistance
  • Cost: 6 gold, 64 silver, 15 copper
  • Vendor:
    • Zarena Cromwind in Booty Bay
• Water Treads (requires Level 60 and Honored with Hydraxian Waterlods)
  • +20 Fire Resistance
  • Cost: 9 gold
  • Vendor:
    • Duke Hydraxis in Azshara

Enchants

• Flame Mantle of Dawn (requires Revered with the Argent Dawn)
  • Permanently enchant a shoulder item with 5 Fire Resistance
  • Cost: 9 gold
• Hydraxian Coronation (requires Honored with Hydraxian Waterlords)
  • Permanently enchant a cloak with 20 Fire Resistance
  • Cost: 10 gold