How to activate Elemental Rune Dungeons in Cataclysm Classic

Elemental Rune Dungeons finally arrive on October 29, 2024 in the Rage of the Firelands content drop of Cataclysm Classic‘s staggered Phase 3 release. These dungeons are a continuation of the Titan Rune Dungeons introduced in Wrath of the Lich King Classic Phase 2 and will function as an optional difficulty mode players can choose to do to earn for higher level rewards as well as currency to purchase with a specific vendor. When Rage of the Firelands launches, Elemental Rune Dungeons will be available in all Cataclysm Classic dungeons except for Zul’Aman and Zul’Gurub, which just had heroic modes added in Phase 2.

The dungeons are currently being tested on the Phase 3 PTR so everything we know about the enemies, mechanics, and gear rewards are based on what’s in the PTR and thus subject to change, so keep that in mind. Here’s what we know about how to activate Elemental Rune Dungeons!

How to activate Elemental Rune Dungeons

The difficulty modifiers for Elemental Rune Dungeons are called “Protocols,” just the like the Titan Rune Dungeons, and each Protocol adds different mechanics or abilities to the enemies in the dungeon. To activate these Protocols, players need to interact with a floating hourglass titled “Mysterious Elemental Device” which be near the dungeon entrance after your group has entered the instance, well before the first group of enemies.

Once you interact with the device, a dialogue box will appear and ask you to choose the Protocol to activate. When you make your choice, another floating obelisk will appear next to the Mysterious Elemental Device. Interact with this object and a beam of light will shine over the Mysterious Elemental Device, signifying the Protocol is active.

Right now, the following Protocols can be activated in the Rage of the Firelands update:

• Protocol Inferno — Fury of the Firelord: Damage increased by 25%. Health increased by 100%.

As Cataclysm Classic continues, we may see more Protocols added, but we don’t know for sure yet. If you don’t have a group, you can join Elemental Rune Dungeons through the dungeon finder, just make note of the recommended 346 ilvl for your character before jumping in. If you join through the dungeon finder, you won’t need to interact with the Mysterious Elemental Device as Protocol Inferno will already be active when your group enters the instance.

Rewards from Elemental Rune Dungeons

On the PTR, the main reward for beating dungeon bosses with Protocol Inferno active is a new currency called Fissure Stone Fragments. Each dungeon boss drops two Fissure Stone Fragments by default, but final dungeon bosses will drop three Fragments if all of the other dungeon bosses have been killed.

Fissure Stone Fragments can be exchanged with a new vendor, Kyanite Stonetender, for Normal and Heroic Tier 11 gear, trinkets, and jewelry.