Community Spotlight: Sometimes Warriors know what they are talking about

As many of you know I have a level 80 alt warrior, and as such I read a lot of warrior blogs as well as feral blogs.

My favorite warrior blog is http://www.tankingtips.com/, written by a good friend and my blogging mentor Veneretio (who just happens to be a fellow tankspot author). One nice thing about it is that he also covers a lot of general tanking theory as well, some of which I have been able to apply to my druid.

One example is http://www.tankingtips.com/2009/02/24/the-trash-caps/.

For trash mobs (level 82s), the hit and expertise caps are:

177 Hit Rating (5.4%)
22 Expertise Skill (5.5%)

Thanks to Satrina (tankspot moderator) and Vene for bringing these numbers to light.

Darksend's Weekly Tip: Emblem of Conquest Item Review

Emblem of Conquest Items to buy:

The first item depends on if you have Hood of the Exodus. If you do than get the T8 Chest Token first. If not, then the T8 Helm Token is your better choice and the chest should be bought second.

Next I would suggest the neck, but only if you do not have Boundless Ambition or the neck from 10 man Kologarn, both of which are better

The belt is an amazing threat piece, but it is still not as good as the crafted belt overall. It is also the cheapest item besides the necks and much cheaper (18x6 for the orbs) than the crafted belt. Good placeholder until then.

The legs are again a threat item, but overall worse than both the 10 and 25 man t8 legs.

For DPS:

The neck is almost exactly equal to the 25 man saph quest reward neck (worse if you are a JCer and used a prismatic).

The gloves are not even going to get a link because they are pretty bad. They are an upgrade from 25t7 but that is where it ends. Both t8 gloves are better, as well as the 25 man Auriaya gloves. Best in slot for gloves are by far the PVP gloves.



As always, all the past weekly tips are viewable here and here.

Darksend's Weekly Tip: DING! 80, What heroics to run, what gear to buy

Ok, so you just hit 80 and you need to start gearing up. How should you do it? Simple:

• I have some good blues from leveling, which ones are worth saving?
• What can I get before stepping foot in an instance?
• What heroics should I run first?
• So I ran a few Heroics, what should I buy with my emblems?
• I finally moved into 25 man raids, are there any valor items I should get?

What items should I have from questing or leveling instances?

There are several quests that give blue quest rewards, and a lot of people do instances while leveling. Are any of those items worth keeping?

• Short answer, NONE! Nothing while leveling will be used in anything remotely resembling your final tanking set. Here is a brief list of some that will get you started in heroics thought (both of the instanced quests can be done in heroic as well):
• Normal UP quest reward
• Normal CoT: Strat quest reward
• Icecrown Elite Chain quest reward

What should I spend my gold on?

There are some amazing items you can get before even setting foot into heroics. Most likely if you just hit 80 you will be short on gold, here is a quick spending list to get you started:

• Darkmoon Card: Greatness (AGI): This is the single best investment you can make. It is the best trinket for both DPS and tanking.
• Durable Nerubhide Cape: Since druids do not need defense, this is an amazing starter item.
• Trollwoven Spaulders: replaced only by 25t7 shoulders.
• Titanium Frostguard Ring or Titanium Earthguard Ring: Either one is worth it when starting off, but one of the two best rings in the game is from a heroic and easily farmed, so refrain from buying both.

Others that make the list but are easily replaced:

• Titanium Earthguard Chain
• Chain Gang Legguards
• Trollwoven Girdle

The most painful thing for a tank, out DPSing your group in a pug heroic

It happens, so if you want the most bang for the buck, here are the "must run" heroics and their tanking drops:

• Heroic UK x3: The best pre-25 naxx bracers and the best pre-ulduar belt both drop here, farm this place every day. As a bonus, the best non-epic tanking weapon drops here as well.
  
• Heroic Azjol-Nerub: Essence of Gossamer: Second best non-profession tanking trinket in the game (to the above greatness deck).
  
• Heroic Drak'Tharon Keep: Keystone Great-Ring: Second best tanking ring in the game to only 25 Saph.
• Heroic Violet Hold x2 (low priority): Staff of Trickery is the best heroic weapon in the game for DPS, and second best (arguably) for tanking to the above UK staff. Cloak of Gushing Wounds is another excellent heroic item that serves a dual tanking/DPS purpose. The reason this is a lower priority is because the instance generates 2 random bosses, so it is entirely possible to not see this boss after several clears.

Emblem of Heroism Items to buy:

Based on my earlier recommendations, things that might possibly appear higher on this list will already have an item of equal level in that slot and have thus been down ranked (noted with a star).

• Chestguard of the Lost Vanq: This is the very first thing you should buy with emblems no matter what. The chests available from heroics are very sub-par.
• Gloves of the Lost Vanq: Best gloves until 25 man raiding (since the nerf to the gloves from the CoT quest) and also gives you the 2pc (more important for cat than tanking though).
• *Chained Military Gorget*: If you crafted the neck above, get the gloves first, otherwise this would normally be my second item to buy. Best neck until 25 naxx.
• Valor Medal of the First War: I like having this around to pair with greatness deck for avoidance, but not a very strong trinekt especially if you are a JCer or an Alchemist.
• *Mirror of Truth*: If you are a JCer or Alchemist, or already have a greatness deck and essence of gossamer, then this trinket is definatly a must buy before valor medal. Combine it with greatness deck for a threat/trash set (until the 25 maly trinket).
  
• *Jorach's Crocklisk Skin Belt*: Not better than the belt from heroic UK listed above. Only buy if you have spare emblems or bad luck.
  

The following items are DPS items that should not take priority over tanking items but are good buys that have no comparable item from a heroic:

• Pendant of the Outcast Hero
• Idol of the Ravenous Beast

Emblem of Valor Items to buy:

Finally, you have moved into 25 man raiding. In this list, stars will denote items that are ranked lower because of other drops you have access to in 25 man raiding not other items on this list.

• Signet of the Impregnable Fortress: Best threat ring in the game, the def is kind of a turn off but the high stam and multiple threat stats more than make up for it.
• Legplates of the Lost Vanq: I was going to list this third because you can get them as a drop from 2 different bosses (and my guild gets 4 pairs a run), but the fact is these legs are way to good to be left up to chance (best tanking legs in the game ATM).
• Mantle of the Lost Vanq: As I said above, this is the only thing that replaces those crafted shoulders, but if you have them buy the legs 1st.
  
• *Platinum Mesh Cloak*: For threat, the best choice is the 10-Sarth 1D cape with a 16 hit gem, and for mitigation the best one if the one from 25 naxx off random bosses. This leaves this cape in kind of a bad place.

DPS items:

• Ring of Invincibility: Replaced only by 10+2 Sarth and 10 man maly rings. Best DPS purchase.
  
• *Hammerhead Sharkskin Cloak*: Better than the cape off of 10 man Raz, but worse than all 3 of the other dps capes from 10 and 25 naxx.
  
• *Boots of Captain Ellis*: Dawnwalkers are better for DPS and Vile Depict are better for tanking, do not buy unless you are very unlucky.
  

The Breakdown: t7 vs t8

Now, first I would like to explain why this post is a few days delayed. Two reasons, 1) I did not want to bump down the weekly tip for a few days, 2) I have been waiting for wowhead to add the sets to their PTR site.

At first, I was upset, then I took another look at them. Blizzard has decided to move away from equip bonuses and give us massive amounts of stats. This in turn makes them amazing for bears. The most glaring example (thanks to Felhoof of Thinktank for this, I had made most of your conclusions on my own before reading your article but this is one thing i had not seen before) is the 10t8 and 25t8, seen here . The lone exception to this is haste, which is the one thing about t8 that really upsets me (I wish they could have put those stats in expertise or crit).

Here is the comparison tool for the 4 different sets, done from the focus of 25t7. Note that the jump from 10t7 to 25t7 is 13 ilvls, the same jump as 25t7 to 25t8. Now compare the jumps in stats in this comparison. Double the agi and 10 more stam for the same amount of ilvl gain. The hit is nice, and only one piece having expertise is also nice instead of 0 and 2 like t7, but the pieces that they put them on are my next topic: slot by slot comparisons.

Head - Socket bonus is the same color trading 12 stam for 8 agi, leaving the net increase of 8 stam and 24 agi. Helm is a straight upgrade going from 25t7 to either 10 or 25t8, as trading that much crit for that little ap is defiantly worth it.

Since most people use Hood of the Exodus however, here is that comparison. Exodus's dps socket bonus really hurts its case, and that much crit is hard to ignore, but see the conclusions for my thoughts on expertise, you will see a trend in the next few pieces.

Chest - Do most people match this socket bonus? I don't know about most people but I used an 8 agi 8 hit gem to gain the socket bonus. The change of color from yellow to blue for a tank is very nice. Using a 24 stam, you gain 15 stam for 2 agi and 8 hit on sockets. That puts the next exchange at 10 agi and 32 stam, while gaining 41 hit in exchange for 40 expertise. Again, see my conclusion on losing expertise.

Legs - Again for purposes of socket bonuses lets use an 8 agi 8 hit in both yellows and an 8 agi 12 stam in the red and blue. This results in no change in stats from sockets. This is probably the piece that torments me the most. 3 pieces, 14 expertise rating lost so far.

Here is the comparison on using t7 chest and t8 legs vs t8 chest and t7 legs. Personally I think I am going to go t8 chest t7 legs. When adding in sockets to that comparision, it becomes 8 hit vs 3 stam and 6 agi. Making the net gains 11 less agi no stam change and 41 hit rating gained with my choice.

Shoulders - The first item that truely truely upsets me. Same color but a 6 stam for a 4 crit bonus is bad, Blizzard if you are reading this please reconsider making this 4agi instead of 4crit. Making the net change 17 stam for 17 crit when adding sockets into the comparison. Upgrading from 25t7 to 10t8 is not worth it but the expertise gain is to much to ignore so going from 25t7 to 25t8 is worth it, and makes t8 legs that much more appealing.

Gloves - 50 crit for 43 armor pen in respect to SD is horrible itemization. Accounting for the change in sockets, using an 8 agi 12 stam and an 8 agi 8 hit, the net change is 22 agi and 12 stam. This is the first place I am looking to use a non set item ATM. 50 crit on t7 is just to much to give up.

Conclusion:

Expertise is going to be a problem, we lose 3 major expertise pieces while possibly not even using the one piece of the new set that has expertise, probably going to change necks from the KT 25 neck to the new badge neck, changing rings to the 2 new ones gives a slight expertise refund (unless you were using the badge ring in which case its a 21 expertise upgrade).

I use Belt of the Tortured most times to tank on live, but for those still using the UK one (which is actually what I have been using on PTR because of the extra socket) we gain even more hit for a neutral expertise change.

Until we start seeing more of the off-set items it is hard to predict how stats will be balanced and which will be more valuable hit or expertise.

Darksend's Weekly Tip: Are you gemmed and enchanted properly?

The goal of this blog is to give advice, insights, and help to the community. The "this is new and looks interesting" posts, such as those of the past few days, will contribute a great deal towards that end. My main focus and purpose behind this blog however has always been this segment, which I will be posting once a week, usually on Tuesday. "Darksend's Weekly Tips" will contain guides on various topics ranging from gear to macros to tricks for tanking specific encounters. They will be the most informative, structured, and thought out topics to be posted on the site. The 1st two weeks are going to cover how to properly gem and enchant your gear. So, are you gemmed and enchanted properly?

Although maybe that question is to broad, perhaps the question you should be asking yourself is, "Is this item gemmed and enchanted properly for the gear set I am trying to fit this piece into?"

	Effective Health	Avoidance	Threat
Head	Arcanum of the Stalwart Protector	Arcanum of the Stalwart Protector	Arcanum of Torment
Shoulder	30 Stamina	20 Dodge/15 Defense	40 AP/15 Crit
Back	225 Armor	22 Agility	22 Agility
Chest	18 Stamina (only with kings and imp MOTW)	10 to All Stats	10 to All Stats
Wrist	40 Stamina	6 to all stats	15 Expertise
Weapon	110 AP (kinda)	Mongoose	Accuracy (before hit cap) / Mongoose
Feet	22 Stam	16 Agility	Icewalker
Legs	Frosthide Leg Armor	Frosthide Leg Armor	Icescale Leg Armor
Hands	18 Stamina	20 Agility	20 Hit / 15 Expertise
Red Socket	8 Agi 12 Stam	16 Agi	16 Expertise / 8 Expertise 8 Hit
Yellow Socket	8 Hit 12 Stam	8 Agi 8 Hit	16 Hit / 8 Expertise 8 Hit
Blue Socket	24 Stam	8 Agi 12 Stam	8 Expertise 12 Stam / 8 Hit 12 Stam

This includes no profession specific enchants, but it also excludes some enchants that could be arguably better. For threat on helm, the old world 34 AP 16 Hit from CE rep could be better until the hit cap. For pure avoidance to chest, 10 stats gives 12 agi with imp mark, SOTF, and kings. 22 Defense gives .07% more avoidance than 12 agi. For gloves, Armsman, despite giving parry, may actually be more threat than either of the enchants listed, especially if without either you are already hit and expertise capped. Finally, Tuskarr's Vitality gives much more utility than Fortitude, but for reasons of pure EH it does not make the list.


Next week in part 2 I will be posting a write up on how to decide if socket bonuses are worth matching.