But you didn't read this far just to hear me bitch.
I've been thinking a lot about gear lately. More specifically, I've been thinking about gear that can be acquired relatively painlessly after hitting 80. This thinking really started after the criticisms I received after my first post at WoW Insider; Gearing your Warlock for Naxx-10. But more recently it has been fueled by the fact that my good buddy Kolrawn is fast approaching 80, and I'd like to get him geared up as fast as I can so I have somebody to compare myself against.
With that in mind, I took a look at my armory page to see how much of my gear I could get into his hands ASAP. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I'll be able to get him geared up, and was hit by a fresh wave of disappointment over how easy it is to get geared up in this expac. So without further ado: my gear, and how to get it.
The Mantle of Deceit, Azure Cloth Bindings, Rod of the Fallen Monarch, and Woven Brace Leggings all have an extremely high chance (25%-50% according to armory) off of the end-bosses in heroics. Which I can easily drag my buddy through.
The Plush Sash of Guzbah, Ward of the Violet Citadel, Sundial of the Exiled and Band of Channeled Magic are all purchasable from badge vendors (the last one is the only one which requires 25-man badges) for a decently small number of badges.
Both the Ebonweave Gloves and the Deathchill Cloak can be crafted by yours truly, or purchased off the auction house. And speaking of purchased off the AH, my Chain of Latent Energies was a BoE drop in 25-man Naxx, so it's probably on the AH every now and again as well.
And lastly, the Sandals of Crimson Fury I have come from exalted reputation with Wyrmrest Accord.
When all is said and done, you need to do a surprisingly small amount of work to get all of that gear, and if you do get it all, you're more than ready to be a valued participant in full-clears of Naxx-10 or 25. But of course, there are a few pieces of gear I have that can't be acquired quite so easily.
My main hand weapon, the Grieving Spellblade was an extremely lucky drop the first time I was in Naxx-10, but the Flameheart Spell Scalpel from being revered with the Kirin Tor is an excellent hold over until you get similarly lucky.
Just over the weekend, I got two new pieces of gear in Naxx-10; the Heros' Plagueheart Robes and the Cowl of Winged Fear But before I had those I wore the easily craftable Ebonweave Robe, and the Argent Skullcap -- which is a reward of one of the easiest quests ever.
All that leaves of mine that isn't easy to get is my second ring, the Ring of the Fated from Naxx 10, and Dying Curse from Naxx 25. But there are more trinkets and rings in the game for warlocks right now than I could possibly count. Mark of the War Prisoner and the Signet of Hopeful Light both come to mind, but there are tons more out there.
So yeah, that's what's been on my mind as of late. I'm actually glad I took the time to write this down too. This will serve as a check-list for when my buddy Kolrawn finally makes it to 80. And who knows? Maybe if you thought the list I made for WoW Insider was too easymode, this will be more to your liking. Though I don't know if any of my readership actually overlaps.
...DAMNIT. This was supposed to be a short post. I really suck at this.
I read both. I actually bookmarked your other one- my lock's sitting at 77, 3 bars from 78, and my work schedule won't allow most raiding... >_>
ReplyDeleteI thought your article on wowinsider was great. It gave me an idea of where I was currently at and where I needed to go in terms of gearing. Our guild raid leader had told me that to earn a spot as a core member of the progression team that I needed to get hit capped. As a semi-knowledgeable warlock I was confused at first thinking that SP came before Hit (or even INT over Hit). I didn't think your article was meant to be THE checklist for pre-naxx hit gear. I took it as more of a gear/theory lesson to be a better (and geared) warlock. Keep up the great work.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I am really enjoying your adventures in Warlock specs.
Finnugen - Norgannon (us)
what addon are you using that compares the stats of the items at the bottom of the tooltop?
ReplyDeleteZackery: First, just as an FYI, posts older than 5 days are set to require comment moderation. This isn't so much because I want to censor comments--but I don't actually look at posts older than 5 days. So this way, when somebody comments on an old post (such as you did) I get a notification, so I can come read what you said. That's why your first comment didn't go through.
ReplyDeleteSecond, it's called Ratings Buster. I stopped using it a year or so ago, and just installed it again last night.
sorry about that. I thought I forgot i didn't actually post the comment. thanks for the help.
ReplyDelete