Firemaw Guide: Strategy, Abilities, Loot (Updated for the Season of Mastery)
Firemaw is the fourth boss you will encounter in Blackwing Lair, and can be found in the room right after Broodlord Lashlayer. Firemaw is also the first of the three drakes that you will kill leading up to the dragon himself, Nefarian.
New to the Season of Mastery version of this encounter is an additional set of Nature-based lightning mechanics.
Firemaw Summary by Role
Tanks
- You will want at least 2 tanks.
- Positioning is key. Get in correct positions and do not move. You will want to hold the boss with your back into a corner since he does a knockback ability.
- Your tanks should taunt swap every time the knockback happens. This is not an exact timing, but gives the other tank time to reset their stacks.
- While not required, it is highly recommended that your tanks use Onyxia Scale Cloak. This cloak will protect you from a large portion of the fire damage that Firemaw's Shadow Flame breath does, which can potentially save your life.
Healers
- The tanks will get a stacking damage taken debuff, so make sure to keep them topped.
- Make sure to position yourself correctly to be able to LoS when needed. You should also make sure not every healer is LoSing to drop stacks at the same time, rotate who is LoSing.
DPS
- Watch your debuff stacks and make sure to LoS to drop them at 5-6 stacks.
- Optimize boss damage otherwise, but remember that this is a marathon, not a sprint. There is no reason to take chances with the debuff. A dead DPS does no DPS.
General Tips for Firemaw
- Getting the boss positioned correctly is the most important part of the fight. Have your tank pull the boss to the corner next to the gate right outside the room where you just fought Broodlord Lashlayer. The tanks will want to wedge themselves into the corner here, which will negate the knockback ability while also giving the raid plenty of places to LoS to drop their debuff stacks when needed.
- Everyone else in the raid should watch their stacks carefully. Make sure to LoS the boss to drop your stacks when you are at 5-6 stacks.
Strategy for Firemaw
Similar to Broodlord Lashlayer, positioning is everything for Firemaw. Firemaw has one main mechanic, which is the stacking debuff that he puts on everyone in LoS of him called Flame Buffet. If the boss is in a static position with the tanks facing the boss into a corer, facing away from the raid, then 90% of your work is done. The rest of the fight involves just making sure your raid plays it safe and patiently runs out of LoS to drop their stacks at around 5-6. This fight does not need to be fast, but everyone just needs to not die. Make sure your tanks are swapping to give the other tanks chances to reset their stacks, and you should have no problems brining Firemaw down.
Important Abilities
- Flame Buffet is a stacking debuff that causes the person afflicted to take more fire damage from subsequent Flame Buffet applications. This only hits people in line of sight of the boss, so when someone is at 5-6 stacks they should run out of LoS around a corner, wait however long is necessary to drop their stacks, and then run back to keep hitting the boss.
Loot from Firemaw
Tier 2 Loot
Item | Slot | Class |
---|---|---|
Handguards of Transcendence | Hands | Priest |
Bloodfang Gloves | Hands | Rogue |
Gauntlets of Wrath | Hands | Warrior |
Gauntlets of Ten Storms | Hands | Shaman |
Dragonstalker's Gauntlets | Hands | Hunter |
Judgement Gauntlets | Hands | Paladin |
Nemesis Gloves | Hands | Warlock |
Netherwind Gloves | Hands | Mage |
Stormrage Handguards | Hands | Druid |
Shared Loot with 3 Drakes (Firemaw, Ebonroc, Flamegor)
Item | Slot |
---|---|
Drake Talon Cleaver | Two-Handed Axe |
Drake Talon Pauldrons | Shoulder |
Rejuvenating Gem | Trinket |
Ring of Blackrock | Finger |
Taut Dragonhide Belt | Waist |
Shadow Wing Focus Staff | Staff |
Non-Tier Loot
Item | Slot |
---|---|
Black Ash Robe | Chest |
Claw of the Black Drake | Fist Weapon |
Cloak of Firemaw | Back |
Firemaw's Clutch | Waist |
Legguards of the Fallen Crusader | Legs |
Natural Alignment Crystal | Trinket (Shaman-only) |
Primalist's Linked Legguards | Legs |
Scrolls of Blinding Light | Trinket (Paladin-only) |
Other Blackwing Lair Guides
If you were looking for a full guide for the Blackwing Lair raid, or would like to know what other loot is available from its bosses, see the links below.
Changelog
- 18 Nov. 2024: Page updated for Classic Anniversary.
- 06 Aug. 2024: Guide reviewed and updated.
- 07 Feb. 2022: Updated for Season of Mastery Phase 3.
- 10 Feb. 2020: Guide added.
This guide has been written by Abide, TBC veteran for nearly a decade. Abide is a Warrior tank and multi-class expert currently playing on Faerlina as Horde. You can find him in the the Icy Veins Discord. You can also see him live on Twitch.
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