What is the name of the first raid instance introduced in World of Warcraft?

The first raid instance introduced in World of Warcraft was Molten Core. It was part of the original game’s endgame content and takes players deep beneath Blackrock Mountain to confront the elemental firelord Ragnaros.

Molten Core was designed for large groups of up to 40 players in the original version of WoW. The instance contains powerful fire-themed enemies, including Core Hounds, Flamewakers, Firelords, and several notable bosses. Players typically progress through a long sequence of encounters before facing Ragnaros, whose defeat was one of the earliest major achievements available to level-capped characters.

The raid is closely tied to the Dark Iron dwarves and the Blackrock Mountain region. Its entrance is located near Blackrock Depths, although players can also attune to the instance through a quest involving Lothos Riftwalker.

Molten Core is sometimes confused with Onyxia’s Lair because both appeared early in WoW’s history. Onyxia’s Lair was also an original raid, but Molten Core is generally recognized as the game’s first raid instance.