Tagged: pre-raid

31Oct

WoW Mists of Pandaria Pre-Raid Itemization Guide – Protection Warrior – Pants

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The ancient Chinese military general Sun Tzu said it best:

“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”

Now, I have no idea what this means. What I do know is that if you are a Protection Warrior looking for best-in-slot pants, you’ll need to work on your Klaxxi reputation. At revered, you’ll unlock access to Kovok’s Riven Legguards. If you reach level 90 and don’t want to wait on your Klaxxi rep, you can either spend 2,250 Justice points on the Leggings of Ponderous Advance or pick up the Blacksmith-crafted Masterwork Spiritguard Legplates. You can then insta-queue for heroic Siege of Niuzao Temple and hope Vizier Jin’bak drops his pants, the Sap-Encrusted Legplates.

ITEM LVL SOURCE SCORE
Kovok’s Riven Legguards 90 The Klaxxi Revered – 2,250 Valor 13,505
Sap-Encrusted Legplates 90 Vizier Jin’bak Siege of Niuzao Temple (Heroic) 11,693
Masterwork Spiritguard Legplates 90 Crafted Blacksmith 10,072
Leggings of Ponderous Advance 90 Justice Quartermaster 2,250 Justice 9,783
Mogu Warlord Legguards 87 Townlong Steppes 8,382
Temple Guardian Pantaloons 88 Townlong Steppes 7,804

22Oct

WoW Mists of Pandaria Pre-Raid Itemization Guide – Marksman Hunter – Gloves

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Hunters have an abundance of loot to choose from while preparing for end-game raiding. With Mists of Pandaria, Hunters once again are forced to make some tough decisions.

For Gloves, Marksman Hunters will be looking at auctioneers and Leatherworkers for assistance. The BoE, crafted pair of Raven Lord’s Gloves will be a Marksman Hunter’s best-in-slot. The only downside is the Leatherworking pattern comes from Mogu’shan Vaults. So, as a Hunter, you can check the auction house for this item. Good luck to you with that as there are very few available if at all, and prices will be outrageous until more players enter MV.

In the meantime, start working on your August Celestials reputation. A cool 1,750 Valor points will grant you access to the Sentinel Commander’s Gauntlets. Quests from the Dread Wastes will be kind to Hunters as well. The level 89 Wind-Reaver Handwraps will be your best option as you enter heroics and embark on the reputation grind. You’ll get a decent break from Shado-Pan, who will offer you the level 90 Brushcutter’s Gloves at only Honored status.

ITEM LVL SOURCE SCORE
Raven Lord’s Gloves  90 Crafted Leatherworking 6,973
Sentinel Commander’s Gauntlets  90 The August Celestials Revered – 1,750 Valor 5,649
Brushcutter’s Gloves  90 Shado-Pan Honored – 1,750 Justice 4,463
Hopecrusher Gauntlets  90 Sha of Doubt Temple of the Jade Serpent (Heroic) 4,354
Contender’s Dragonscale Gloves  90 Crafted 3,745
Wind-Reaver Handwraps  89 Rending Daggers (Quest) Dread Wastes 3,652
Archer’s Precision Grips  90 Commander Vo’jak Siege of Niuzao Temple (Heroic) 3,591
Gauntlets of Bloody Judgment  90 Unto Dust Thou Shalt Return (Quest) Scarlet Monastery 3,347
Wind-Reaver Gauntlets  89 Nope (Quest) Dread Wastes 3,253
Osul Peak Gauntlets  88 The Endless Swarm (Quest) Townlong Steppes 3,062

 

16Oct

WoW Mists of Pandaria Pre-Raid Itemization Guide – Combat Rogue – Shoulders

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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

 

02Oct

WoW Mists of Pandaria Pre-Raid Itemization Guide – Dual Wield Frost Death Knight – Main Hand Weapons

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My Death Knight plays dual-wield Frost. It’s the best spec by far despite what other blogs will tell you. Actually, I play a DW Frost DK because it’s fun. I know, I know… crazy, right?

As a level 85 looking to level quickly and get into heroics, your best bet is to farm the auction house for either the Porter’s Tooth-Marked Mace or the Horrifying Meatsaw. These will set you back 2K-3K gold, but you’ll use one or both of them from level 85 to at least 89 if not 90. If you can hold out until 89, you can obtain a couple of decent options from quests.

When you hit level 90, you’ll want to pick up either the Amber Espada of Klaxxi’vess from The Klaxxi at Exalted, or buy/craft the Masterwork  Phantasmal Hammer. Both weapons have almost an identical DPS score, so pick whichever one suits your play style.

For best-in-slot, look no further than the Inelava, Spirit of Inebriation. This iLevel 476 axe drops in regular Stromstout Brewery. It has a very low drop rate, but well worth your troubles as you prepare for end game.

ITEM LVL SOURCE SCORE
Inelava, Spirit of Inebriation 90 Stormstout Brewery Yan-Zhu the Uncasked 22,320
Krol Scimitar 90 World Drop BoE 21,029
Ook’s Hozen Slicer 90 Stormstout Brewery (Heroic) Ook-Ook 19,721
Dubious Handaxe 90 Temple of the Jade Serpent (Heroic) Sha of Doubt 19,683
Amber Espada of Klaxxi’vess 90 The Klaxxi Exalted 19,634
Masterwork Phantasmal Hammer 90 Crafted Blacksmithing 19,632
Siege-Captain’s Scimitar 90 Siege of Niuzao Temple (Heroic) Commander Vo’jak 18,573
Gao’s Keg Tapper 90 Stormstout Brewery (Heroic) Yan-Zhu the Uncasked 18,572
Crescent of Ichor 90 Shado-pan Monastery (Heroic) Sha of Violence 18,541
Masterwork Ghost-Forged Blade 90 Crafted Blacksmithing 18,419
Amber Sledge of Klaxxi’vess 90 The Klaxxi Revered 18,394
Masterwork Forgewire Axe 90 Crafted Blacksmithing 18,241
Axe of the Rikkitun 89 The Horror Comes A-Rising (Quest) Dread Wastes 15,594
Bloodseeker’s Mace 89 The Scent of Blood (Quest) Dread Wastes 15,594
Porter’s Tooth-Marked Mace 84 World Drop BoE 15,183
Horrifying Meatsaw 83 World Drop BoE 14,720

27Sep

WoW Mists of Pandaria Pre-Raid Itemization Guide – Retribution Paladin – Helms

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It’s never too soon or too late to gear up for end-game in the World of Warcraft. In my first in a series of many posts, I will provide a list of upgrades by class, spec, and slot. I will also include some commentary to better explain how to itemize your gear as you level up through the Mists of Pandaria.
First up are helms for the Retribution Paladin. If you were a raider in Cataclysm, the Helmet of Radiant Glory will carry you all the way to level 90. The Visage of Petrification is another holdover from level 85 that you can use until you venture into MoP heroics. The BoE Davidian’s All-Seeing Eyes is available at level 82 and is a must pick up if you can afford it. The item was named after a WoW player that played the game completely blind. You can read the inspirational story on WoW Insider. Endwyn’s Toothy Visage is another BoE that you can keep an eye out for on the AH.
ITEM LVL SOURCE SCORE
Yi’s Least Favorite Helmet 90 Shado-Pan Revered 11,407
Sightfinder Helm 90 Siege of Niuzao Temple (Heroic) Commander Vo’jak 9,984
Meteoric Greathelm 90 Mogu’shan Palace (Heroic) Kuai the Brute 9,690
Meteoric Greathelm 88 Mogu’shan Palace Kuai the Brute 8,668
Contender’s Revenant Helm 90 Blacksmithing 8,313
Helm of Rising Flame 90 Scarlet Monastery (Heroic) Brother Korloff 8,300
Masterwork Spiritguard Helm 90 Blacksmithing 7,405
Palewind Helm 88 The Sha of Hatred (Quest) 7,386
Davidian’s All-Seeing Eyes 82 World Drop BoE 7,352
Coldbite Helm 89 Reunited (Quest) 7,209
Endwyn’s Toothy Visage 83 World Drop BoE 7,158
Sunset Armored Helm 89 Kor’thik Aggression (Quest) 7,091