Molten Shell

Molten ShellSpell, AoE, Duration, Fire, Physical, Guard
Level: (1-20)
Cost: (8-12) Mana
Cooldown Time: 4.00 sec
Can Store 1 Use(s)
Soul Gain Prevention: 0 sec
Cast Time: Instant
Radius: 15Applies a buff that adds to your armour, and can take some of the damage from hits for you before being depleted. When the buff expires or is depleted, the skill deals reflected damage to enemies around you based on the total damage that was taken from the buff. Shares a cooldown with other Guard skills.Per 1% Quality:1Superior2Anomalous3Divergent1% increased Skill Effect DurationBuff can take additional Damage equal to 0.25% of your ArmourReflected Damage Penetrates 1% of Enemy Fire ResistanceBase duration is 3 seconds
Buff grants +(50-858) to Armour
75% of Damage from Hits is taken from the Buff before your Life or Energy Shield
Buff can take Damage equal to 20% of your Armour, up to a maximum of 10000
Reflects (100-3000)% of Damage taken from Buff as Fire Damage when Buff expires or is depleted
This Skill's Cooldown does not recover during its effectPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket.Acquisition
Area level: 5Vendor Prices

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1x Scroll of Wisdom

Vendor Offer
1x Scroll FragmentMetadata
Item class: Active Skill Gems
Metadata ID: Metadata/Items/Gems/SkillGemMoltenShell

For the Vaal-themed counterpart, see Vaal Molten Shell.

Molten Shell is a guard spell that buffs the user with a shell that grants bonus armour and absorbs incoming physical, elemental and chaos hits. When the shell expires or absorbs enough damage, it explodes to deal fire damage around it, based on how much damage it absorbed. The amount of damage the shell can absorb increases with your armour value. Base duration is 3 seconds at all gem levels, followed by a 4 seconds cooldown.

Skill functions and interactions

• Guard: Molten Shell shares a cooldown with other Guard skills (eg SteelskinSteelskinSpell, Duration, Guard
  Level: (1-20)
  Cost: (4-16) Mana
  Cooldown Time: 3.00 sec
  Can Store 1 Use(s)
  Cast Time: InstantApplies a buff which can take some of the damage from hits for you before being depleted. Shares a cooldown with other Guard skills.Per 1% Quality:1Superior2Anomalous3Divergent0.5% increased Cooldown Recovery RateSteelskin Buff can take 0.5% increased amount of DamageBuff grants +1% to all ResistancesBase duration is 1.5 seconds
  70% of Damage from Hits is taken from the Buff before Life or Energy Shield
  Buff can take (54-2209) Damage
  This Skill's Cooldown does not recover during its effectPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket., Immortal CallImmortal CallSpell, Duration, Guard
  Level: (1-20)
  Cost: (21-36) Mana
  Cooldown Time: 3.00 sec
  Can Store 1 Use(s)
  Soul Gain Prevention: 0 sec
  Cast Time: InstantRequires Level 34Take less Physical and Elemental Damage for a short time. Consumes up to 5 Endurance Charges to lengthen the buff and further lessen Physical Damage taken. Shares a cooldown with other Guard skills.Per 1% Quality:1Superior2Anomalous3Divergent1% increased Skill Effect Duration1% increased Cooldown Recovery Rate-0.1% less Physical Damage taken per Endurance Charge removed
  0.1% less Elemental Damage taken per Endurance Charge removedBase duration is 1 seconds
  (25-34)% less Elemental Damage taken
  (25-35)% less Physical Damage taken
  15% less Physical Damage taken per Endurance Charge removed
  20% increased Buff Duration per Endurance Charge removed
  This Skill's Cooldown does not recover during its effectPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket.).

• Buff Effect: Modifiers to Molten Shell's buff effect will only affect the armour granted by the skill, not the damage, duration, or absorbed damage required.

• Duration: skill and buff/debuff duration will both increase the duration of Molten Shell. When the duration of Molten Shell expires, the buff and any accumulated damage toward an explosion is lost.

• Spell Totem: a Spell Totem SupportSpell Totem SupportSupport, Spell, Totem
  Icon: T
  Level: (1-20)
  Cost & Reservation Multiplier: 200%Requires Level 8Supports spell skills that are not triggered. Instead of casting that spell, you will summon a totem that casts the spell for you.Per 1% Quality:1Superior2Anomalous3Divergent1% increased Totem Placement speed1% increased Totem Duration1% increased Totem RangeSupported Skills will summon a Totem which uses that Skill
  Totem lasts 8 seconds
  Supported Skills deal (35-26)% less Damage
  Spells Cast by Totem have 30% less Cast SpeedThis is a Support Gem. It does not grant a bonus to your character, but to skills in sockets connected to it. Place into an item socket connected to a socket containing the Active Skill Gem you wish to augment. Right click to remove from a socket. linked with Molten Shell can and will cast Molten Shell but is highly unlikely to ever detonate because of its lack of defense.

• Vaal Molten Shell: casting Molten Shell while Vaal Molten ShellVaal Molten ShellVaal, Spell, AoE, Duration, Fire, Physical, Guard
  Level: (1-20)
  Cooldown Time: 0.50 sec
  Can Store 1 Use(s)
  Souls Per Use: 50
  Can Store 1 Use(s)
  Soul Gain Prevention: 0 sec
  Cast Time: InstantApplies a buff that raises your armour, and takes some of the damage from hits for you before being depleted. Each second, the skill deals reflected damage to surrounding enemies based on the damage taken by the buff in that second. When the buff is removed, the skill deals reflected damage to enemies around you based on the total damage that was taken by the buff. You cannot have the buff at the same time as any other Guard skill.Per 1% Quality:1Superior1% increased Skill Effect DurationBase duration is 9 seconds
  Buff grants +(25-429) to Armour
  (30-35)% of Damage from Hits is taken from the Buff before your Life or Energy Shield
  Buff can take Damage equal to 30% of your Armour, up to a maximum of 30000
  Reflects (300-9000)% of Damage taken from Buff as Fire Damage each second,
  or when Buff expires or is depleted
  Buff grants (20-29)% more Armour
  Modifiers to Skill Effect Duration also apply to this Skill's Soul Gain Prevention
  CorruptedPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket. is active will terminate the Vaal Molten Shell buff and replace it for the cast Molten Shell and vice versa. This makes it unfavorable to use both skills in conjunction with one another.

All Guard skills

Below are the 5 skill gems with the Guard gem tag:

Skill gem
Arcane CloakArcane CloakSpell, Duration, Guard, Lightning, Arcane Level: (1-20) Cooldown Time: 4.00 sec Can Store 1 Use(s) Cast Time: InstantRequires Level 16Spends a portion of your mana to grant a buff that takes some of the damage from hits for you until depleted. The buff grants added lightning damage based on the amount of mana spent by this skill. Shares a cooldown with other Guard skills.Per 1% Quality:1Superior2Anomalous3Divergent1% increased Skill Effect Duration0.25% of Damage taken Recouped as Mana0.5% increased Buff EffectBase duration is 3 seconds 75% of Damage from Hits is taken from Buff before your Life or Energy Shield Buff can take Damage equal to Mana Spent by this Skill's effect Spends (45-64)% of current Mana Buff grants Added Lightning Damage equal to (10-14)% of Mana Spent by this Skill's effect This Skill's Cooldown does not recover during its effectPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket.	N/A	N/A		16
Immortal CallImmortal CallSpell, Duration, Guard Level: (1-20) Cost: (21-36) Mana Cooldown Time: 3.00 sec Can Store 1 Use(s) Soul Gain Prevention: 0 sec Cast Time: InstantRequires Level 34Take less Physical and Elemental Damage for a short time. Consumes up to 5 Endurance Charges to lengthen the buff and further lessen Physical Damage taken. Shares a cooldown with other Guard skills.Per 1% Quality:1Superior2Anomalous3Divergent1% increased Skill Effect Duration1% increased Cooldown Recovery Rate-0.1% less Physical Damage taken per Endurance Charge removed 0.1% less Elemental Damage taken per Endurance Charge removedBase duration is 1 seconds (25-34)% less Elemental Damage taken (25-35)% less Physical Damage taken 15% less Physical Damage taken per Endurance Charge removed 20% increased Buff Duration per Endurance Charge removed This Skill's Cooldown does not recover during its effectPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket.		N/A	N/A	34
Molten ShellMolten ShellSpell, AoE, Duration, Fire, Physical, Guard Level: (1-20) Cost: (8-12) Mana Cooldown Time: 4.00 sec Can Store 1 Use(s) Soul Gain Prevention: 0 sec Cast Time: Instant Radius: 15Applies a buff that adds to your armour, and can take some of the damage from hits for you before being depleted. When the buff expires or is depleted, the skill deals reflected damage to enemies around you based on the total damage that was taken from the buff. Shares a cooldown with other Guard skills.Per 1% Quality:1Superior2Anomalous3Divergent1% increased Skill Effect DurationBuff can take additional Damage equal to 0.25% of your ArmourReflected Damage Penetrates 1% of Enemy Fire ResistanceBase duration is 3 seconds Buff grants +(50-858) to Armour 75% of Damage from Hits is taken from the Buff before your Life or Energy Shield Buff can take Damage equal to 20% of your Armour, up to a maximum of 10000 Reflects (100-3000)% of Damage taken from Buff as Fire Damage when Buff expires or is depleted This Skill's Cooldown does not recover during its effectPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket.		N/A	N/A	1
SteelskinSteelskinSpell, Duration, Guard Level: (1-20) Cost: (4-16) Mana Cooldown Time: 3.00 sec Can Store 1 Use(s) Cast Time: InstantApplies a buff which can take some of the damage from hits for you before being depleted. Shares a cooldown with other Guard skills.Per 1% Quality:1Superior2Anomalous3Divergent0.5% increased Cooldown Recovery RateSteelskin Buff can take 0.5% increased amount of DamageBuff grants +1% to all ResistancesBase duration is 1.5 seconds 70% of Damage from Hits is taken from the Buff before Life or Energy Shield Buff can take (54-2209) Damage This Skill's Cooldown does not recover during its effectPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket.		N/A	N/A	1
Vaal Molten ShellVaal Molten ShellVaal, Spell, AoE, Duration, Fire, Physical, Guard Level: (1-20) Cooldown Time: 0.50 sec Can Store 1 Use(s) Souls Per Use: 50 Can Store 1 Use(s) Soul Gain Prevention: 0 sec Cast Time: InstantApplies a buff that raises your armour, and takes some of the damage from hits for you before being depleted. Each second, the skill deals reflected damage to surrounding enemies based on the damage taken by the buff in that second. When the buff is removed, the skill deals reflected damage to enemies around you based on the total damage that was taken by the buff. You cannot have the buff at the same time as any other Guard skill.Per 1% Quality:1Superior1% increased Skill Effect DurationBase duration is 9 seconds Buff grants +(25-429) to Armour (30-35)% of Damage from Hits is taken from the Buff before your Life or Energy Shield Buff can take Damage equal to 30% of your Armour, up to a maximum of 30000 Reflects (300-9000)% of Damage taken from Buff as Fire Damage each second, or when Buff expires or is depleted Buff grants (20-29)% more Armour Modifiers to Skill Effect Duration also apply to this Skill's Soul Gain Prevention CorruptedPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket.		N/A	N/A	1

Gem level progression

Level			Mana Cost	Armour	Damage Reflection	Exp.	Total Exp.
1	4	16	8	50	100%	0	0
2	6	20	8	60	130%	841	841
3	9	27	8	74	180%	3099	3940
4	12	33	8	91	250%	7433	11373
5	16	41	9	115	330%	22895	34268
6	20	50	9	141	420%	49725	83993
7	24	58	9	171	530%	95714	179707
8	28	67	9	204	650%	169595	349302
9	32	75	10	241	780%	283759	633061
10	36	83	10	282	920%	453996	1087057
11	40	92	10	328	1080%	703128	1790185
12	44	100	10	378	1250%	1061223	2851408
13	48	109	11	433	1430%	2065870	4917278
14	52	117	11	495	1620%	2507110	7424388
15	55	123	11	545	1820%	2573731	9998119
16	58	130	11	599	2040%	7611351	17609470
17	61	136	12	657	2260%	13437908	31047378
18	64	142	12	719	2500%	25052147	56099525
19	67	148	12	786	2740%	43869436	99968961
20	70	155	12	858	3000%	242081178	342050139
21	72	159	13	909	3270%	N/A	N/A
22	74	N/A	13	962	3550%	N/A	N/A
23	76	N/A	13	1018	3830%	N/A	N/A
24	78	N/A	13	1076	4130%	N/A	N/A
25	80	N/A	14	1137	4440%	N/A	N/A
26	82	N/A	14	1201	4760%	N/A	N/A
27	84	N/A	14	1268	5090%	N/A	N/A
28	86	N/A	14	1338	5430%	N/A	N/A
29	88	N/A	15	1412	5770%	N/A	N/A
30	90	N/A	15	1488	6130%	N/A	N/A
31	91	N/A	15	1528	6500%	N/A	N/A
32	92	N/A	15	1569	6880%	N/A	N/A
33	93	N/A	16	1610	7260%	N/A	N/A
34	94	N/A	16	1653	7660%	N/A	N/A
35	95	N/A	16	1696	8060%	N/A	N/A
36	96	N/A	16	1741	8480%	N/A	N/A
37	97	N/A	17	1786	8900%	N/A	N/A
38	98	N/A	17	1833	9340%	N/A	N/A
39	99	N/A	17	1880	9780%	N/A	N/A
40	100	N/A	17	1929	10230%	N/A	N/A

Item acquisition

Upgrade paths

This item can be acquired through the following upgrade paths or vendor recipes:

Amount	Ingredient	General Notes	Type
8	Dying AnguishDying Anguish8Level 19 Gem Alternative Quality: +19%Moribund, he gazed upon the journey taken as blood trickled down his chin. His eye closed on the city ahead that he would never call home.	random level 19 gem with 19% alternative quality	Automatic
1	Gemcutter's IncubatorGemcutter's IncubatorAdds an incubated Quality Gem item to an equippable item Item drops after killing # monstersQuality GemRight click this item then left click an item to apply it. The Incubated item drops after killing a specific number of monsters.	random superior gem	Automatic
6	The FoxThe Fox6Level 20 Gem"Masters of wit, strength and cunning. To survive the harsh winters, you must be like the fox." - Ezomyte Proverb	random level 20 gem	Automatic
13	The CataclysmThe Cataclysm13Level 21 Spell Gem CorruptedThe mighty warriors traded in blows, the nimble archers in arrows, yet it was the brazen thaumaturgists who would bring catastrophe to all.	random corrupted level 21 Spell gem	Automatic
3	Gemcutter's PromiseGemcutter's Promise3Superior Gem Quality: +20%"I swore to use my position to help the people. What good is power when it just accumulates on the already-powerful?" - Erasmus, Imperial Gemcutter	random superior gem with 20% quality	Automatic
1	The VoidThe Void1Reach into the Void and claim your prize.	random divination card set exchange	Automatic

Quest reward

This item is given as a quest reward for the following quests:

Class →	Witch	Shadow	Ranger	Duelist	Marauder	Templar	Scion
Quest ↓
Breaking Some Eggs Act 1	✗	✗	✗	✗	✓	✗	✗

Vendor reward

This item can be bought at the listed NPC vendors, after completing the following quests:

Class →	Witch	Shadow	Ranger	Duelist	Marauder	Templar	Scion
Quest ↓
Breaking Some Eggs Act 1 Nessa	✗	✗	✗	✓	✓	✓	✓
A Fixture of Fate Act 3 Siosa	✓
Fallen from Grace Act 6 Lilly Roth	✓

Related helmet enchantments

The following helmet enchantments affect Molten Shell.

Name		Stats	Spawn Weighting
Enchantment Molten Shell Armour 1	66	100% increased Molten Shell Buff Effect	helmet 100 default 0
Enchantment Molten Shell Armour 2	75	150% increased Molten Shell Buff Effect	helmet 100 default 0
Enchantment Molten Shell Duration 1	66	Molten Shell has 25% increased Skill Effect Duration	helmet 100 default 0
Enchantment Molten Shell Duration 2	75	Molten Shell has 40% increased Skill Effect Duration	helmet 100 default 0

Alternate skill effects

Molten Shell has the following alternate skill effects:

Item	Effect(s)
Invisible Buff EffectInvisible Buff EffectSkill Gem EffectRemoves the visual effects on the player from arctic armour, tempest shield, blood rage, molten shell, phase run, petrified blood, any aura, any blasphemied curse, or any herald gem.	Removes the visual effects on the player from arctic armour, tempest shield, blood rage, molten shell, phase run, petrified blood, any aura, any blasphemied curse, or any herald gem.
Stygian Molten Shell EffectStygian Molten Shell EffectSkill Gem EffectYour Molten Shell becomes a Stygian Molten Shell Effect.	Your Molten Shell becomes a Stygian Molten Shell Effect.
Viper Molten Shell EffectViper Molten Shell EffectSkill Gem EffectYour Molten Shell becomes a Viper Molten Shell Effect.	Your Molten Shell becomes a Viper Molten Shell Effect.

Version history

Version	Changes
3.11.0	Fixed a bug where Molten Shell's effect would linger indefinitely if the skill gem were replaced by a Vaal Molten ShellVaal Molten ShellVaal, Spell, AoE, Duration, Fire, Physical, Guard Level: (1-20) Cooldown Time: 0.50 sec Can Store 1 Use(s) Souls Per Use: 50 Can Store 1 Use(s) Soul Gain Prevention: 0 sec Cast Time: InstantApplies a buff that raises your armour, and takes some of the damage from hits for you before being depleted. Each second, the skill deals reflected damage to surrounding enemies based on the damage taken by the buff in that second. When the buff is removed, the skill deals reflected damage to enemies around you based on the total damage that was taken by the buff. You cannot have the buff at the same time as any other Guard skill.Per 1% Quality:1Superior1% increased Skill Effect DurationBase duration is 9 seconds Buff grants +(25-429) to Armour (30-35)% of Damage from Hits is taken from the Buff before your Life or Energy Shield Buff can take Damage equal to 30% of your Armour, up to a maximum of 30000 Reflects (300-9000)% of Damage taken from Buff as Fire Damage each second, or when Buff expires or is depleted Buff grants (20-29)% more Armour Modifiers to Skill Effect Duration also apply to this Skill's Soul Gain Prevention CorruptedPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket. gem during the original gem's duration.
3.7.0	Now has a base duration of 3 seconds at all gem levels (from 10). Now grants 50 additional armour at gem level 1 (from 17), up to 858 at gem level 20 (from 943) Now creates a buff that can take damage equal to 20% of your armour. Now causes 75% of damage from hits to be taken from the buff before your life or energy shield. Updated: Now reflects 100% of damage taken from the buff as fire damage when the buff expires or is depleted at gem level 1, up to 3000% at gem level 20 (previously stated 1050% at gem level 20). Now has a 4 second cooldown (from 1). No longer has an added damage effectiveness multiplier or critical strike chance, as reflected damage cannot benefit from added damage, nor can it critically strike. Shares its cooldown with other guard skills (Steelskin and Immortal Call).
3.6.0	Mana Cost at gem level 1 is now 7 (was 12). Mana Cost at gem level 20 is now 26 (was 28).
3.4.0	Mana cost increased to 12 at gem level 1 (up from 8) up to 28 at gem level 20 (same as previously) Now instant by default and can therefore be used while moving. All instant skills now have cooldown 1 second or less. Instant skills cannot be supported by Spell Echo and will not be cast a second time by similar effects (such as from the Echoing Shrine).
2.6.0	Changed the explosion effect. The new one has better performance.
2.3.2	When switching between regular and Vaal Molten ShellVaal Molten ShellVaal, Spell, AoE, Duration, Fire, Physical, Guard Level: (1-20) Cooldown Time: 0.50 sec Can Store 1 Use(s) Souls Per Use: 50 Can Store 1 Use(s) Soul Gain Prevention: 0 sec Cast Time: InstantApplies a buff that raises your armour, and takes some of the damage from hits for you before being depleted. Each second, the skill deals reflected damage to surrounding enemies based on the damage taken by the buff in that second. When the buff is removed, the skill deals reflected damage to enemies around you based on the total damage that was taken by the buff. You cannot have the buff at the same time as any other Guard skill.Per 1% Quality:1Superior1% increased Skill Effect DurationBase duration is 9 seconds Buff grants +(25-429) to Armour (30-35)% of Damage from Hits is taken from the Buff before your Life or Energy Shield Buff can take Damage equal to 30% of your Armour, up to a maximum of 30000 Reflects (300-9000)% of Damage taken from Buff as Fire Damage each second, or when Buff expires or is depleted Buff grants (20-29)% more Armour Modifiers to Skill Effect Duration also apply to this Skill's Soul Gain Prevention CorruptedPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket., the shield will now visually destroy and recreate itself. Fixed a bug where Molten ShellMolten ShellSpell, AoE, Duration, Fire, Physical, Guard Level: (1-20) Cost: (8-12) Mana Cooldown Time: 4.00 sec Can Store 1 Use(s) Soul Gain Prevention: 0 sec Cast Time: Instant Radius: 15Applies a buff that adds to your armour, and can take some of the damage from hits for you before being depleted. When the buff expires or is depleted, the skill deals reflected damage to enemies around you based on the total damage that was taken from the buff. Shares a cooldown with other Guard skills.Per 1% Quality:1Superior2Anomalous3Divergent1% increased Skill Effect DurationBuff can take additional Damage equal to 0.25% of your ArmourReflected Damage Penetrates 1% of Enemy Fire ResistanceBase duration is 3 seconds Buff grants +(50-858) to Armour 75% of Damage from Hits is taken from the Buff before your Life or Energy Shield Buff can take Damage equal to 20% of your Armour, up to a maximum of 10000 Reflects (100-3000)% of Damage taken from Buff as Fire Damage when Buff expires or is depleted This Skill's Cooldown does not recover during its effectPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket. buff effect bonuses did not apply to Vaal Molten ShellVaal Molten ShellVaal, Spell, AoE, Duration, Fire, Physical, Guard Level: (1-20) Cooldown Time: 0.50 sec Can Store 1 Use(s) Souls Per Use: 50 Can Store 1 Use(s) Soul Gain Prevention: 0 sec Cast Time: InstantApplies a buff that raises your armour, and takes some of the damage from hits for you before being depleted. Each second, the skill deals reflected damage to surrounding enemies based on the damage taken by the buff in that second. When the buff is removed, the skill deals reflected damage to enemies around you based on the total damage that was taken by the buff. You cannot have the buff at the same time as any other Guard skill.Per 1% Quality:1Superior1% increased Skill Effect DurationBase duration is 9 seconds Buff grants +(25-429) to Armour (30-35)% of Damage from Hits is taken from the Buff before your Life or Energy Shield Buff can take Damage equal to 30% of your Armour, up to a maximum of 30000 Reflects (300-9000)% of Damage taken from Buff as Fire Damage each second, or when Buff expires or is depleted Buff grants (20-29)% more Armour Modifiers to Skill Effect Duration also apply to this Skill's Soul Gain Prevention CorruptedPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket..
2.2.0	Cast time reduced from 1 sec to 500 ms.
2.1.0	Fixed a bug where Molten Shell could be applied multiple times via Spell Echo.
2.0.0	Greatly reduced the mana cost. Now grants 1% chance to ignite per 1% quality (was 1.5% per 1% quality).
1.2.0	Fixed a bug with Molten Shell and mitigated physical damage reflection.
1.0.3c	Fixed a bug where Molten Shell sometimes did no damage.
1.0.3	Fixed an instance crash with Molten Shell when linked with Cast when Damage Taken.
0.11.0	Armour and threshold values have been adjusted for new monster damage scaling. Fixed a bug where Spell Totems casting Molten Shell would keep recasting the skill.
0.10.0	Now provides more armour and has had its detonation thresholds changed. The Molten Shell used by Goatmen has been given new art.
0.9.11	Reduced the damage required to set it off in the first four levels.
0.9.7c	Fixed a bug with level 19 and 20 had the wrong values.
0.9.6	Molten Shell has been added to the game.