Magmashell: Surviving the Lava Snail

A giant snail sits at the bottom of a lava pool in the Waking Shores, waiting for a new shell. Bring one, survive a twenty-second channel in molten rock, and it becomes your mount.

Step 1: an Empty Magma Shell

Buy one on the Auction House, or farm the Lavaslurpers and Basalt Shells south of the Obsidian Citadel near Dragonbane Keep (22.6, 71.6). The drop chance is low.

Step 2: the Empowered Snail

Fly to the Scalecracker Peaks, just east of Scalecracker Keep (71.2, 25.4). Avoid the Obsidian Citadel and Dragonbane Keep on the way: ten stacks of In Their Sights knock you off your mount. The snail is at the bottom of a bubbling lava pool and is hard to see. Type /tar Empowered Snail and put a raid marker on it. It respawns every 25 to 30 minutes, or hop shards through the Group Finder.

Step 3: the channel

Jump into the lava, use the shell on the snail and survive a 20-second channel while the lava burns you. Some spells can't be cast while channelling, so prepare first:

• Easiest: a healer friend on the shore, or the Everlasting Horn of Lavaswimming toy.
• Use your highest item level character. Tank and healer specs have a big advantage.
• Pick talents for maximum health, healing received and damage reduction, put shields and heals over time on yourself before you start, and use potions and every defensive.
• Failing costs nothing. Just try again.

Before you fly out

• Keep the Empty Magma Shell in your bags. It is used up only when the channel finishes, so a failed attempt costs you nothing but a run back.
• Make a macro with /tar Empowered Snail and a raid marker. The snail sits low in bright lava and is easy to lose once you are swimming.
• Repair first. Dying in lava over and over gets expensive.

Common mistakes

• Flying past the Obsidian Citadel. The In Their Sights stacks build quickly there and knock you out of the air. Go around.
• Starting the channel at low health. Heal to full on the shore, put up every shield and heal over time you have, then jump in and start straight away.
• Waiting for a snail that already despawned. If the target macro finds nothing, it has not respawned yet. Hop shards through the Group Finder instead of waiting the full 25 to 30 minutes.

Quick checklist

• Empty Magma Shell (Auction House or Lavaslurpers near Dragonbane Keep).
• Empowered Snail in the lava pool east of Scalecracker Keep (71.2, 25.4).
• Survive the 20-second channel: a healer friend, the lavaswimming toy, or a tank or healer spec with every defensive.