Sign inRagnaros
Ragnaros the Firelord is the elemental lord of fire and the final boss of Molten Core, the first 40-player raid in World of Warcraft. Dragged into Azeroth by a Dark Iron dwarf summoning gone wrong, he rules the burning heart of Blackrock Mountain. For many players in 2004 and 2005, killing him was the moment a guild became a real raiding guild, and his hammer, Sulfuras, is one of the game's best-known legendary weapons.
Biography
Ragnaros is one of four elemental lords who served the Old Gods in the ancient past. When the Titans defeated the Old Gods, they sealed the elementals away in the Elemental Plane, and Ragnaros was confined to his own realm, the Firelands.
He returned to the physical world during the War of the Three Hammers, a civil war among the dwarves. Facing defeat, Sorcerer-Thane Thaurissan of the Dark Iron Dwarves performed a ritual to call up an elemental ally. What answered was Ragnaros himself. His arrival killed Thaurissan, tore open the land and raised Blackrock Mountain, and turned the surrounding country into what are now Searing Gorge and Burning Steppes. The surviving Dark Irons became his slaves.
Ragnaros made the mountain's lowest caverns his domain, the Molten Core. The Dark Iron capital above it, Shadowforge City in Blackrock Depths, is ruled by Emperor Dagran Thaurissan, a descendant of Thaurissan who still serves the Firelord. The upper half of the mountain belongs to the Blackrock Clan and the black dragon Nefarian, and the two powers are at war with each other.
In World of Warcraft
Reaching the Core
The Molten Core is entered through Blackrock Depths. Every raider has to complete Attunement to the Core for Lothos Riftwaker, who stands at the mountain's center: the quest asks you to touch a [Core Fragment] found deep in Blackrock Depths. Once attuned, Lothos can teleport you straight to the instance.
Ragnaros does not appear on his own. His servant Majordomo Executus guards his chamber, and Executus only shows up once the raid has doused all seven Runes of the Firelord found around the instance. The water elemental Duke Hydraxis at Azshara's Hydraxian camp provides the [Aqual Quintessence] used to put them out, and his quest Hands of the Enemy sends players after the Core's lieutenants. After Executus surrenders, he summons his master, who erupts from the lava with the famous complaint that he has been awakened too soon.
The fight
Ragnaros is a level 63 boss who never leaves his lava pool. He hits the main tank very hard and uses Wrath of Ragnaros, a fire blast that knocks back everyone in melee range. If no one is within reach, he hurls Magma Blast, which does 6,000 fire damage. Raids stacked fire resistance gear for him, and swapping tanks after each knockback was standard.
After about three minutes, if he is still alive, Ragnaros submerges and eight Sons of Flame climb out of the lava. The raid has to kill them before he resurfaces. Most early guilds needed several attempts just to survive the first submerge.
Loot
Ragnaros drops the Tier 2 legs for every class ([Legplates of Wrath], [Leggings of Transcendence], [Stormrage Legguards] and the rest) along with some of the strongest items of their phase:
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| [Eye of Sulfuras] | About 3% drop; half of Sulfuras |
| [Essence of the Firelord] | Quest item for Thunderfury |
| [Bonereaver's Edge] | Two-handed sword whose proc lets attacks ignore part of the target's armor |
| [Band of Accuria] | Rogue and warrior ring |
| [Perdition's Blade] | Dagger |
| [Crown of Destruction] | Shaman and hunter helm |
| [Choker of the Fire Lord] | Caster necklace |
To build Sulfuras, a player combines the Eye of Sulfuras with a [Sulfuron Hammer] forged by a blacksmith who has [Plans: Sulfuron Hammer] from the Thorium Brotherhood (bought after A Binding Contract). The hammer needs a [Sulfuron Ingot], which drops from Golemagg the Incinerator. The result is [Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros], a level 60 legendary two-handed mace.
The Essence of the Firelord is required by Thunderaan the Windseeker, one step in the chain that turns the Bindings of the Windseeker into Thunderfury.
Later history
Killing Ragnaros in the Molten Core only banished him to the Firelands. In Cataclysm he returned: players fought his forces on Mount Hyjal, and in patch 4.2 (2011) the Firelands raid took them into his home plane, where he is the final boss.
The Firelord has since appeared in Hearthstone as a legendary minion and in Heroes of the Storm as a playable hero. When World of Warcraft Classic opened in 2019, the Molten Core was available from the first day, and Ragnaros was the first raid boss many new players ever killed.
Trivia
- His shouts, including "BY FIRE BE PURGED!" and "DIE, INSECT!", are some of the most quoted lines in the game.
- Like other raid bosses, Ragnaros is listed as level 63, so players at level 60 see a skull in place of his level.
- His lair sits directly under Blackrock Depths, which in turn sits under Blackrock Spire. In Classic, Blackrock Mountain holds five instances: Blackrock Depths, Lower and Upper Blackrock Spire, Molten Core and Blackwing Lair.
Sources
Categories: Characters
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