Remember the Nightslayer Shoulder Pads? The “boob shoulders?” Yeah. Well, Rogue fashion has come along way since then. Take Mists of Pandaria, for example, and the Silentleaf Armor. Much cooler, right? I mean it looks like you have knives on your gear, making you ready to slice and dice anyone that decides to go for a ride on your shoulders.
If you want to get your Rogue’s shoulder slot taken care of for raiding, you’re going to want to start working on your Golden Lotus faction. The good news is, Wowhead has a very nice guide to gaining reputation with this faction. Your focus will be achieving revered status and spending 1,750 Valor Points on the Imperion Spaulders. These will serve as your pre-raid best-in-slot item and show your fellow raiders that you mean business.
For a new Rogue entering your mid-80s, you may want to farm the auction house for the Mantle of Bestial Force. This bind-on-equip item only requires level 81, but the stats on it will serve you well when you reforge Mastery into Expertise. When you hit the Dread Wastes and ding 89, pick up the Ghost Fox Spaulders and use them while running heroics. This rare item is a reward from a quest chain that begins with Mazu’s Breath from Deck Boss Arie.
| ITEM | LVL | SOURCE | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperion Spaulders | 90 | Golden Lotus | Revered – 1,750 Valor | 4,489 |
| Doubtridden Shoulderguards | 90 | Temple of the Jade Serpent (Heroic) | Sha of Doubt | 3,924 |
| Fizzy Spaulders | 90 | Stormstout Brewery (Heroic) | Yan-Zhu the Uncasked | 3,653 |
| Ghost Fox Spaulders | 89 | The Mariner’s Revenge (Quest) | Dread Wastes | 3,117 |
| Contender’s Leather Shoulders | 90 | Crafted | 2,835 | |
| Steppebeast Spaulders | 88 | Mists’ Opportunity (Quest) | Townlong Steppes | 2,595 |
| Steppebeast Pauldrons | 88 | Fire Assault (Quest) | Townlong Steppes | 2,465 |
| Mantle of Bestial Force | 81 | World Drop BoE | 2,241 | |
| Silentleaf Spaulders | 87 | A Funeral (Quest) | Kun-Lai Summit | 2,172 |