As a battle-hardened New World veteran with over 400 hours played, I was shaking with anticipation reading the Winter Convergence update patch notes. A new end-game dungeon with valuable loot? Fiery themes matching my all-time favorite Great Axe skill, Gravity Well? I knew I had to be the first to uncover all its secrets – starting with locating the highly coveted Flame Core Forge.
In this extensive guide, I’ll share everything I’ve uncovered about navigating to the Forge along withoptimal strategies to farm its precious flaming treasure.
A Bit of Lore on the Molten Scar
As I approached the ominous opening described in rumors, an eerie red glow beckoned from within. Slain adventurers lined the path, but their sacrifice wasn‘t in vain. Beyond swirling ash and scattered bones lied danger and glory for those brave enough to continue.
This unnamed complex was carved from an ancient volcano, now flowing with rivers of fire instead of magma. Dryads and Angry Earth elementals stand as fiery guardians, protecting something…but what?
Felled trees scatter the floor with charred bark. Judging from axe-shaped wounds, early expeditions faced some calamity while harvesting wood. Had they broken some seal, enraging elementals who previously left well enough alone? Such questions fueled my desire to press ever deeper into the Molten Scar.
Harnessing the Power of Flame Cores
After testing various weapons and kiting past patrols, an expansive cavern opened before me. On the far side stood a rock-hewn forge glowing orange, its purpose unclear. Surrounding platforms and bridges were crawling with imposing guardians; I readied my battleaxe for the fight of my life!
The Forge construct itself appears tied to elemental powers from below. Once awakened, it synthesizes raw energies into Flame Cores – pyromantic materials crucial for enhancing armor runes and housing trophies.
Let me emphasize this: FLAME CORES ARE NOT FOR WASTING ON LOW-TIER GEAR! I recommend saving them for at least 590 Gear Score items, ideally 600+. This requires patience, but maximizes their value dramatically. Don‘t blow such hard-fought treasures on temporary trinkets!
Speaking economically, prices for Flame Cores, Runestones, and Heart Runes peaked at over 100 gold when introduced. As more players unlock the Forge, market supply steadily increases. If trends continue as-is, costs may dip below 50 gold over the next month.
For perspective though, major trophies still require hundreds of Runestones and tons of Gold for a single upgrade! So despite availability rising, Flame Cores should remain highly lucrative for those running the Molten Scar regularly. Even stockpiling them to upgrade future high-level gear makes perfect sense.
Navigating to the Forge
Now that I’ve set expectations on Flame Cores‘ instrumental role in build optimization, let’s get to the real prize: the Forge itself! Here is an annotated map of the intricate dungeon layout:
[Insert map with labels for optimal paths, enemy locations, boss arena, etc]While winding pathways allow some flexibility on the exact route, certain gaps require lengthy detours to navigate around. Based on my success rate in 20+ full runs, I would highly recommend these specific waypoints:
- Enter via the Northwest path (avoiding the flame geyser outside the East entrance)
- After crossing the initial bridges, take the roots up to the platform on the right
- Clear out the mini-boss Dryad before looping left across the fallen tree trunks
- Use ranged attacks to pull small groups of Angry Earths around each bend
- Before jumping down to the final lava arena, there is a ledge that’s perfect for taking potion breaks!
With these hard-earned tricks, you’ll conserve health and stagger difficult packs with ease. Constant movement and area attacks make fighting through dense squads more manageable. Just don‘t get cornered or they WILL overwhelm you!
Toppling the Molten Watcher
All that remains between you and the Flame Forge is a formidable rock beast known as the Molten Watcher. Towering boulders form its body, held together by fiery energies. It wields massive fists crashing down in endless attacks and causing eruption spells around the arena.
This hulking monstrosity has rapidly become my favorite boss fight in all of Aeternum! I’ve analyzed its moveset extensively and broken out the four key attacking phases:
Molten watcher standard attacks:
- Double fist slam – Roll through the gap between hands
- Lava pillar eruption – Move away when the ground rumbles
- Spinning backhand – Keep distance since it can’t turn quickly while spinning
Enraged Slam Combo – Occurs at 75%/50%/25% boss health:
- Frontal cone eruption – Get behind or far away!
- 4x Lava bombs – Strafe perpendicular to launch paths
- Triple ground pound – I Frame through these or tank 2 hits max
The enrage combo is by far its most lethal chain. Expect it multiple times in the fight! Fortunately there are clear audio and visual tells preceding massive attacks. Watch carefully and time dodges well. Stay moving and wear it down with focused DPS when openings appear.
For maximum survivability and damage, I charge my Ice Gauntlet heavy attacks in between combos. The Frostbite status plus 100 INT gem bonus even the playing field. My final gravity wells execute flawless takedowns. Repeat this cycle patiently and soon an eruption of epic loot will flood forth!
[Insert screenshot of character loadout that defeats Watcher consistently]Gearing Up and Maximizing Farm Efficiency
Based on results from over 50 Molten Scar completions, here are empirical drop rates for Flame Cores:
| Loot Source | # of Cores (Avg) |
|---|---|
| Huge Cache x1 | 20 cores |
| Huge Cache x2 | 34 cores |
| Boss Drop | 0-3 cores |
So realistically you can obtain around 30 cores per 20-25 minute run. Of course luck varies widely, with my best run hitting nearly 60 cores!
After the final boss falls, don‘t just dash straight for the forge. Take a minute clearing residual enemies to maximize chances for bonus chests. I’ve scored some insane armor pieces and jewelry this way.
To enable extended farming sessions, stockpile weapon coatings, honing stones/oils and plenty of health potions. Refilling at Monarch’s Bluffs or Everfall keeps you battling longer. I’m eyeing ways to further improve my route timing too – cutting just 1-2 minutes per cycle really adds up!
Let’s crunch the numbers around potential profits. Selling Flame Cores for 40 gold apiece yields approx 1,200 coins per hour. Combine worthwhile equipment drops, salvage returns and coin purses…you get the idea right? This is how players like me afford to juice up BIS builds and flex at the Trading Post!
Juicing Up Your Best Gear
The whole reason for repeatedly braving the depths comes down to this last section: turning Flame Cores into statistically superior equipment. To demonstrate their immense power, check out these big gains I recently unlocked:
| Game Item | Upgrade Process | Benefit Gained |
|---|---|---|
| Chain of Embers Necklace | Used 15 cores to improve Gear Score 590 > 600 | +30 INT, +20% Fire damage |
| Keen Critical Chance Rune | Invested 7 cores reaching tier V | +15% crit chance for all attacks |
| Major Trophy | Core cost reduced by 53% vs Runestones needed | Unlocked 301 Strength bonus in house |
After compiling data across all armor slots and weapon mastery tracks, a pattern emerges. On average, Flame Cores provide a 2-3 times greater stat boost over coin costs compared to alternative upgrade methods. This immense potential continues driving the high demand.
If you’re wondering what activities are most rewarding, target named item quest chains, elite zones and Genesis/Lazarus dungeon runs. These best accelerate raising expertise levels to scale up drops entering the 590+ range. Some may prefer just buying or trading for pieces from there.
Either way, treasure those Cores once acquired! Study markets regionally and have patience selling them for maximum value if desired. With this guide‘s detailed walkthrough, you now hold the keys to conquering New World’s most coveted dungeon reward. Stay tuned for even more bleeding-edge tips and build analysis once I uncover them in future expeditions! Let the flames guide your way to glory.