# Molten Shell Molten Shell is a guard spell that buffs the user with a shell that grants bonus armour and absorbs incoming 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 [[Steelskin]], [[Immortal Call]]). - **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 Tote**m: a [[Spell Totem Support]] 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 Shell]] 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.