MC is actually pretty fun and fairly easy to do as a protection-specced paladin. Not only is it the only place to grind out Hydraxian Waterlords rep, but can you make quite a bit of money from Ragnaros alone (about 300 gold), find rare items that people will pay for on the AH, get a chance at not one but two legendaries in the game, and (for you tier collectors out there) finish your T1 set (and one piece of T2).
There are ten bosses total in Molten Core. Altogether, it takes me about 1 - 1 1/2 hours to complete the entire raid. It could probably be done more quickly. I don't have great gear (a mix of normal, heroic, and epic gear; average ilevel 352), and none of the fights are a struggle. I tend to use resistance aura in most fights since everything does fire damage.
Trash in Molten Core grants Hydraxian Waterlords rep until revered. From there, only bosses grant rep: 7 of them give 100 rep, Garr yields 150 rep, and Rag 200 for a total of 1050 rep. You can increase rep output by up to 38% more for a max of 1449 rep per run: +10% for the Mr Popularity guild perk, +10% if you're a human, and another +15% on top of the total if you drop a guild banner right before the boss dies. (that's 1.20 * 1.15 = 1.38; yes the 15% is multiplicative) Majordomo Executus is the only boss who does not give any rep. Once exalted, only Garr and Rag will give you rep (350-483 rep). The banners have a 10 minute cooldown, so if you do plan to use them, pace yourself accordingly.
Most of the trash can be ignored. You're high enough level now that they won't aggro if don't get too close. There is of course one exception. The packs of core hounds in Magmadar's room are the only trash that present any challenge. They need to die around the same time and continue to take damage while they are down. When fighting them, use the "V" key to bring up their health bars to monitor them all. Pull only one pack at a time. Avoid AOE or retribution aura to prevent a core hound from dying too soon. Single target them for a while until they are all around 15%, then throw out holy wrath, ret aura, and hammer of the righteous. Save consecration until they are all down. (trash drops T1 bracers and belt; these are BoE and may also be on the AH)
Lucifron - Up until patch 4.2, I was able to pull Lucifron without pulling the core hound packs. Now it seems the model for the core hounds has grown, as has their aggro radius in equal proportion. I recommend pulling the first core hound pack before pulling Lucifron. Otherwise Lucifron is an easy tank and spank with two adds. Down the adds then the boss. He does have a debuff, Lucifron's Curse, that doubles the mana cost of all spells and will therefore drain your mana more quickly than normal. I recommend letting it wear off before going after Magmadar. (drops T1 boots)
Magmadar - The most notable feature of this boss is his fear debuff. Considering the proximity of the nearby core hound packs, I recommend one of two options. 1) Note that there is a lava platform up behind the boss. If you tank him up there you may get feared down the platform but it does not last long enough to run into any core hounds. However I have had him fear me through the cave wall, so be careful. 2) The other option is simply to clear the nearby core hound packs before engaging. After downing this boss, if you leave the instance for a while and come back then many of the core hounds will despawn. (drops T1 legs)
Gehennas - An easy tank and spank fight. Down the adds then the boss. He casts a debuff called Gehennas' Curse that reduces the effectiveness of your healing spells, but you probably won't need to heal yourself during this fight. I recommend letting it wear off before going to Garr. (drops T1 gloves)
Garr - Easy fight. As usual, down the adds then the boss. If you're lazy like me and avoid the trash, make sure to pull him to the wall and away from the path of any roaming trash mobs. After downing this boss, if you leave the instance for a while then come back, some of the rock elementals (e.g. lava surgers) will be gone. Garr has a 4% chance to drop one of the bindings necessary for the legendary Thunderfury. (drops T1 helm)
Baron Geddon - His only ability that has any effect on you is Living Bomb which will throw you up in the air and result in some nasty fall damage. First, find a spot in Garr's room where the ceiling is low enough to eliminate fall damage. Then taunt the boss and run back to that spot. This will eliminate any fall damage. (I first tried this by tanking him in the lava but the boss immediately summons you back onto dry land.) Reposition yourself after each fall and he should go down quickly. Geddon has a 4% chance to drop one of the bindings necessary for the legendary Thunderfury. (drops T1 shoulders)
Shazzrah - Another easy tank and spank fight. Nothing special here. His debuff, Shazzrah's Curse, doubles magic damage done to you. Let it wear off before the next boss.
Sulfuron Harbinger - Sulfuron offers a minor challenge. He has a small knockback and has four healers that must be interrupted and killed first. Clear out the trash in front of the boss before you begin. His knockback isn't bad, but you'll be focusing on interrupts so much that it's easy to lose track of where you are. Save your Avenger's Shield cooldown for when the adds begin to heal. This is the longest part of the fight and varies in length depending on a combination of luck and how well you interrupt. Eventually you will interrupt them enough to burn them down. Once the healers are down, burn the boss. (It also helps to have DBM for old content which will alert you when a heal is being cast.)
Golemagg the Incinerator - Prior to patch 4.2, Golemagg had a different skin. But the fight is still the same. Golemagg has two core hound pets that will auto-res if they die, so burn the boss and ignore the adds. The adds will despawn when the boss dies. Golemagg has a 30% chance to drop a Sulfuron Ingot, which is used to get the blacksmithing plans for the other legendary, Sulfuras, and is also a mat for the same recipe. (drops T1 chest)
Majordomo Executus - Executus will only appear once all other 8 bosses are down. Unlike the last fight, the goal here is to burn the eight adds and ignore the boss. Executus will heal himself whenever he gets low and it's impossible (and pointless) to try to interrupt or outpace this. He will occasionally teleport you to the center of the room. Be sure to get out of the center since it ticks fire damage (not for much really, but it's safer to get out). His healers are not as dedicated as Sulfuron's healers, so don't worry about interrupts or even kill order. Once all eight adds are down the boss will surrender. Remember to loot the chest.
Ragnaros - Ragnaros is only summonable after defeating Executus. Ragnaros doesn't really do a lot of damage to us at this level. However the Hand of Ragnaros ability will throw you back and into the air, yielding the potential for fall damage. The knockbacks will usually send you landing in lava, but not all of the lava in his chamber is deep and you can still take fall damage if you land in a shallow area. Thus, the key to surviving this fight is all about positioning. Through lots of trial and error, I find the best location to position myself is between two "corners" in the northeast area of the room. I've attached an image to this post with the exact spot:
This spot works for me and should work for you, but there is little wiggle room. If you're standing at either of the nearby corners you WILL take fall damage, so try to position yourself as close to center as possible. You're welcome to experiment and find a better location. When you get knocked back, run back here and re-position yourself as soon as possible so as not to be in the "wrong" location when he casts his next Hand of Ragnaros.
Otherwise, Ragnaros is very much tank & spank. Expect to heal yourself a few times with Word of Glory. He will submerge at timed intervals throughout the fight which, depending on your DPS, may happen once or twice. When he does, fire elemental adds will spawn and run toward you. Just burn them down the re-position yourself. Once he is down, enjoy your loots. Ragnaros has a 4% chance to drop Eye of Sulfuras, which is needed to craft the legendary Sulfuras. (drops T2 legs)
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