Molten Core was where most of us learned to raid: forty players, Fire Resistance gear, and Ragnaros at the bottom of the mountain. Anyone who has played Classic since 2019 knows every pull by heart. In WoW: Forever, that won't be enough - Blizzard has confirmed the raid is being revamped, with new mechanics that neither the 2004 original nor Classic ever had.
Here's what the developers said, what we still don't know, and what it means for your first months at level 60.
The short version
- Confirmed: Molten Core will have new mechanics that players didn't see in 2004 or in 2019's Classic.
- Blizzard's word for it is "revamped" - the same word the team used at BlizzCon.
- No release date yet. Molten Core isn't one of Forever's first raids.
- First up on December 9: Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia's Lair.
What Blizzard said
The news comes from the latest episode of the official WoW: Forever Podcast, an end-of-beta special on the World of Warcraft YouTube channel. According to Wowhead, Senior Game Designer Josh "Aggrend" Greenfield made it clear that the old strategies won't carry the raid:
I think it's probably safe to say you're not just going to stand there and tank and spank Golemagg, for example— Josh "Aggrend" Greenfield, WoW: Forever Podcast (via Wowhead)
Golemagg the Incinerator is a good example to pick. In the original, he was one of the simplest fights in the raid: tanks on the boss and his two Core Ragers, everyone else hits the boss. If even he is getting new mechanics, it's a fair bet the rest of the raid is too.
The developers also went back to the word they used at BlizzCon. GameFragger reports the exchange on the podcast: "What was the word we used at BlizzCon? I believe we used the word revamped." When asked whether players should expect a simple raid, another developer added: "There might be a little more to it."
According to Wowhead, Blizzard also wants to avoid a jarring gap between the new Hyjal raid content and Molten Core - one reason the old raid can't simply come back unchanged.
When does Molten Core open?
Blizzard hasn't said. On the podcast, the developers kept it short: "We'll have to talk about the future of Molten Core when we start to talk about the future of Molten Core."
What we do know is that Molten Core isn't part of launch. Back in September, Blizzard said in a BlizzCon interview that the raid would stay closed for now and return later, as fan site wowforever.ninja summarised. Forever launches on November 4, and its first raids open on December 9: Barrow Deeps for 10 players, Hyjal Summit for 20 and Onyxia's Lair for 40 - see our raid schedule article for the details.
What we still don't know
- The release date - or even the season.
- The raid size. Classic's Molten Core was 40 players; Forever's first raids come in 10, 20 and 40.
- Which bosses change, and how. Golemagg is the only boss Blizzard has named.
- The loot. Nothing has been said about new or changed rewards, the Tier 1 sets or Fire Resistance.
- Attunement. Whether the old Molten Core attunement (and the Aqual Quintessence for Majordomo) returns.
What it means for you
For now, nothing changes: Molten Core won't be there at launch, so your first raid goals are Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia. Get your character ready with our Pre-Raid BiS lists - every spec's best rare and epic gear outside raids, with where to get each item - and check what your current gear is worth with Find Upgrades.