Warlock Gear Guide - from level 20 to endgame

[LOL!!]

I stumbled upon this guide awhile back and it has redefined the game for me. I hope someone can find some use in it. Reformatting the text took awhile. Credit goes to: CanadianPimp

Link to the actual document: Gearing Your Warlock (2.4 Edition) - The Warlocks Den Forums

Enjoy.


Table of Contents

1. Links to Posts
2. Introduction
3. DPS Point System (DP)
4. Gear 101/FAQ
5. Levels 20-29
1. Shadoweave Set
6. Levels 40-49
7. Levels 50-59
8. Levels 60-69
1. Netherweave Set
9. Level 70
1. Dungeon Set 3
10. Gear Rankings
1. Gems
2. 1H weapon
3. Off-hand
4. 2H weapon
5. Wand
6. Head
7. Neck
8. Shoulder
9. Back
10. Chest
11. Wrist
12. Hands
13. Waist
14. Legs
15. Feet
16. Finger
17. Trinket
11. General raiding
1. Key items from Heroic Dungeons/Badges
2. Key items from Tier 4 instances (Karazhan, Gruul, Magtheridon)
3. Key items from Tier 5 instances (Zul'Aman/Serpentshrine Cavern/Tempest Keep)
4. Key items from Tier 6 instances (Mount Hyjal/Black Temple/Sunwell Plateau)
5. Pre-raid gear lists
6. Max DPS gear setup

Link to Posts

* Leveling Gear
* Gems
* 1H weapon
* Off-hand
* 2H weapon
* Wand
* Head
* Neck
* Shoulder
* Back
* Chest
* Wrist
* Hands
* Waist
* Legs
* Feet
* Finger
* Trinket
* Key items to acquire from each raid level
* Pre-raid gear lists
* Max DPS gear setup

Introduction
Hey fellow locks. It's been about a year since I came out with my original gear guide, Gearing Your Warlock, which was pretty well received and since then, my guides have received over 700,000 views because of all guys' support. Looking back at the old guide, a lot of the information and gear is outdated and slightly inaccurate, so I have decided to completely revamp my guide in a way that I think will help locks tremendously and present the information in a much more organized and useful fashion. Please keep in mind that this is strictly a PvE guide because 1) I suck at PvP AND 2) PvP gear guides are pretty pointless since there are many changing factors that can determine PvP success.

The main thing that is new in this version is that I strongly emphasize on gearing at level 70, listing the top items of every slot so you know which items are better than others for locks, and by what margin. I have done this by using a new point system called DPS points which is a very accurate way to measure and compare stats. This system also made it a lot easier to analyze gems and enchants, making the analysis more quantitative. More on the DPS Points in the DPS Point System section below.

In addition to ranking the top items, you'll also find commentary at the top of most of the pages with my suggestions on the logical way to progress your gear starting from a pre-raiding level, from all the way to the Tier 6 instances and Sunwell. There will also be an updated model for thr ideal pre-raiding setup and also a new maximum DPS setup including Sunwell items. Speaking of Sunwell, I have been paying close attention to the 2.4 PTR and have added many of the known items to the list so you know what's coming up. Eventually when the final loot tables are known, I will go back and add whatever I missed before.

The old guide is still there for leveling warlocks, but know that I have not focused on that for this update, as it was much more important and a pretty big task already to add and rank all the new items. I have tweaked things here and there, but I think the most important thing to do for this update was to revamp the part of the guide that people liked most before.


DPS Point System (DP)
With the help of Leulier's spreadsheet, I have created a pretty accurate model of exactly how much DPS one point of a stat will compare to another point. I compare items using this system called DPS points (DP).

The model I used for DP was a 0/21/40 Destruction build only using Shadowbolt to deal damage. Since I know some will be curious, the way I did this was I found a point where one point of a stat gave me exactly one DPS increase, set that value to equal 100 DP, and then figured out the values that an increase for a point of other relevant DPS stats gave. In my case, I set the spreadsheet to about 1300 shadow damage, 23.5% crit, 15% hit, and 0% haste, and then one point of spell hit (.0793 of 1%) equaled 1 DPS. From there I reset the values and noted the DPS increase from one point of spell damage, haste, and crit. These numbers are pretty accurate for a late T5/early T6 raiding lock. As you get better gear too, the proportions don't change as much.

For all those that are Affliction, the values for points are pretty much the same as Destruction, except that spell damage is more important (almost equal to spell hit), and spell crit/haste/hit are a little less important. In the guide though, I only calculated the point values for 0/21/40 shadow Destruction, as it is the most common and widely accepted top DPS spec. This table is essential for knowing how to compare one stat to another, so get familiarized with it. Later I will slightly touch upon each stat including those not included in DPS points. Here is the DPS point value chart.

DPS Point Values:
Spell hit: 100
Spell damage: 64
Shadow damage: 64
Spell haste: 78
Spell crit: 72
Meta gem: 2900 (Chaotic Skyfire Diamond from Leulier's spreadsheet)

Note that unlike my previous point systems, I did not assign a value to stamina, intellect, spirit, etc, because they really have insignificant DPS value. As a warlock, you will have naturally high health and generally will never have to worry about your health count. Intellect does increase your crit chance by a small margin, but it is still insignificant and would have been tedious to include. Every other stat is useless for PvE DPS. The final thing to note is that I assigned a value of 2900 to a meta gem slot, which was derived from Leulier's spreadsheet. The meta gem that you should be using is the Chaotic Skyfire Diamond.

As a little disclaimer, remember that although pretty accurate, this is still just one quantitative way of ranking items and DPSing. 90% of the complaints disregard that. Values can and will change somewhat as your gear level increases/decreases. However, if I changed the basis of the values, the gear rankings would have no merit since I'm comparing the items in different terms.


Gear 101

What kind of stats should I be looking for?
There are 5 major stats: Strength, Agility, Spirit, Stamina, and Intellect. Strength and agility are more suited to non-casters and have pretty much no use. Spirit is related to mana regeneration, but since we have a nifty spell called Life Tap, spirit can be pretty much ignored. Each point of Stamina gives 10HP, and each point of Intellect gives 15 mana point. Also, 82 points of Intellect is equivalent to 1% spell crit chance at level 70. Since we convert health to mana via Life Tap, Stamina is considered the best overall major stat for warlocks. Intellect is less vital but still important, especially to a raiding Destruction lock. Note that neither stamina or intellect boost DPS by any significant value, but it never hurts to have more health and mana.

In order of importance: Stamina ► Intellect ►► Spirit ►►► Agility, Strength

What about other stats/effects?
There are also other effects gear can have like added spell damage, spell critical strike, spell penetration, spell hit, resilience, spell haste, etc. There are a few more, but these are the important ones that are related to warlocks.

Spell damage - Spell damage directly affects how hard our spells hit for. Spell damage increases all schools of magic, while a specified spell damage group such as fire or shadow only increases the respective school of magic. Shadow damage is mostly all warlocks care about though, so shadow damage and spell damage are pretty interchangeable.

Spell hit - Against boss level mobs, warlocks have 83% chance to hit with any spell. We can increase our chance to hit by adding spell hit, to a cap of 99% chance to hit. We need 12.6 spell hit for 1% increased chance to hit. The maximum spell hit you will ever need is 202 spell hit. Any more is wasted.

Spell critical strike - Spell crit simply increases our chance to cause a critical strike with a direct damage spell. We need 22.1 spell crit points to increase our crit chance by 1%. Without Ruin, spell critical strikes do 150% of normal damage. With Ruin, they do 200%.

Spell haste - Spell haste reduces our cast time of our spells and the global cooldown to a minimum of 1 second. It takes 15.76 points of spell haste to reduce a spell's cast time and the global cooldown by 1%.

Spell penetration - Spell penetration reduces a targets resistances to a school of magic. This is not to be confused with a chance to hit a mob. This is primarily a PvP stat.

Resilience - Resilience reduces the chance to be struck by a critical strike, and reduces damage we take from DoTs and critical strikes. This is primarily a PvP stat.


How does spell damage work?
Spell damage is extra damage added on to spells. However, often times you don't get the exact amount of damage added on because there is a spell coefficient that modifies that damage rewarded. For casted spells, the formula is cast time/3.5 second. For example, Shadowbolt would be 3/3.5 = .857. You would get roughly 85.7% of your spell damage added on to the base damage. So if your Shadowbolt did 100 damage and you had 100 spell damage on your gear, you would do 100 + 100(.857) = 185.7 damage per cast.

Staff vs. 1H weapon + offhand?
A common question that warlocks have is to equip either a two-hand staff or a one-handed dagger or sword and and off-hand item. In PvE, I tend to favor thee 1H weapon + off-hand combo because in most cases you can get a fair bit more spell damage without sacrificing too many stats. In PvP however, you might want to load up on Stamina, which staffs usually have a good amount of.

What about resistance?
Resistance is an important stat for some raid fights, but resistance gear usually isn't the best for doing the most damage, so resistance will be pretty much ignored.

I've heard the terms Tier 1/Dungeon Set 2, etc. related to gear? What's that about?
Dungeon sets and tier sets are powerful endgame item sets that are meant to be for a specific class. There are a few differences between dungeon sets and tier sets. Pieces of the Dungeon sets drop in endgame 5 man dungeons (and UBRS). Pieces of the Tier sets drop in raid instances. Also, items in dungeon sets are not restricted to be worn by a sole class, while in the tiered sets, the specific class can only wear the set.

* Dungeon set 1 - Dreadmist Raiment
* Dungeon set 2 - Deathmist Raiment
* Dungeon set 3 (affliction lock) - Oblivion Raiment
* Dungeon set 3 (destruction/crit chance lock) - Mana-etched Regalia

* Tier 1 - Felheart Raiment
* Tier 2 - Nemesis Raiment
* Tier 2.5 - Doomcaller's Attire
* Tier 3 - Plagueheart Raiment
* Tier 4 - Voidheart Raiment
* Tier 5 - Corruptor Raiment
* Tier 6 - Malefic Raiment

How do I know if an upgrade is worth the effort?
Make sure you familiarize yourself with the DP table I listed above that assigned values to each stat. Now how do you know whether it's worth the cost in mats to go for a particular item I suggested? How do you know which upgrades are better than others, and which ones you should prioritize? The way I started doing this using my point system was by working out some simple percentages. Say you had some boots worth 1600 point, and you saw that I recommended boots of the same slot that were worth 1900 point. To figure out the percentage difference, divide 1900 by 1600 (1900/1600) and you get an 18.75% difference. Now what's that mean? That's what this next table is for.

For a level 70 PvE warlock:

0-3% - side-grade, don't put too much effort to get this item
3-7.5% - slight upgrade, generally not worth the money/time
7.5-15% - clear upgrade, worth a small investment but should not be a top priority
15-25% - big upgrade, either you're in dire need of an upgrade or this an excellent item. As long as it's not too unobtainable, put forth an effort to get this.
>25% - massive upgrade, worth spending a lot of money/time as this one item will improve your character significantly

Using these percentages, it is easier to compare individual upgrades because you are not just calculating the difference between the DPS points, but the relative size of the upgrade.

Does emphasis on stats change while I'm leveling?
Absolutely. If you are leveling a warlock, it's much simpler. You want to focus on spell/shadow damage, stamina, and intellect in that order. Spell crit and spell hit are pretty insignificant until you get to level 70. You'll see examples of gear to get while leveling later.

Anything else?
A fair bit of items I list will come from tailoring. Tailoring is one of the best professions for a warlock, and I highly suggest you pick it up. It is a bit of a money sink, but I found it a pretty fun profession to level up. The rewards at the end are definitely worth it too. Frozen Shadoweave lasts a long time and there is some very nice stuff coming out of Sunwell also.


Conclusion and Sources
Well there you have it, all you need to know about gear. Hopefully everyone is able to gain something from this guide. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to say what's on your mind and share what you know. The guide still has lots of room for improvement and I will be updating it regularly. As a small sidenote, please don't whisper me in-game with questions about gear. Not only do I like when I'm in game to spend the time how I like, but I can answer your question more in-depth on the forums. I would like to thank and credit the following sources:

* The Warlocks Den - The Warlocks Den
* WoWHead - Wowhead: Preventing wipes since 2006.
* Thottbot - Thottbot: World of Warcraft
* Leulier's spreadsheet - WoW Warlock DPS Spreadsheet
* Berg's Tank Guide - Berg's Tank Guide
* World of Raids - World of Raids :: Index

Levels 20-29
Note: Throughout the guide, you'll sometimes see an arrow by the item. Although I recommend all the gear that I list, the items with an arrow mean that either they are significantly better than most other items of that kind in the level range while still being fairly easy to obtain and that I highly recommend those specific items. If you don't want all the items that I listed or just want the best ones, look for the items with an asterisk.

I decided this would be a good place to start, since you don't really need to be too focused on acquiring gear before level 20. For the most part, always keep your eye on "of the Eagle" gear. This gear is always going to have Stamina, Intellect or both.

Of the Eagle gear from 20-30

► Head: Shadow Hood, tailoring
Shoulder: Berylline Pads, RFK quest reward
Cloak: Engineer's Cloak, Stonetalon Mtn. quest reward
Chest: Efflorescent Robe, Stonetalon Mtn./Ashenvale quest reward
► Hands: Hands of Darkness, tailoring
Waist: Warsong Sash, Stonetalon Mtn./Ashenvale quest reward
Legs: Night Watch Pantaloons, Duskwood quest reward
Feet: Acidic Walkers, Gnomeregan boss drop
Ring: Ring of Twilight Shadows, level 100 jewel crafter can make this
Ring: Wicked Moonstone Ring, level 125 jewel crafter can make this
Ring: Ring of Iron Will, Redridge Mountain quest reward (Alliance only)
Wand: Moonbeam Wand, Ashenvale quest reward, sold by vendor in Tirisfal Glades
► Staff: Staff of Soran'ruk, Warlock quest reward, The Orb of Soran'ruk - Quest - World of Warcraft
Off-hand: Cursed Eye of Paleth, Wetlands quest reward (Alliance only). Also be sure not to complete the "Cleansing the Eye" quest as then you cannot get this item. I believe by abandoning the quest you keep the item.

Goal: 850 health, 1800 mana.

Levels 30-39
During the 30s, you will notice that there is a big increase in the quality of items in the 20s. You can also start to wear pieces of the Shadoweave set, made by tailors. There will be a little section on that later, but this section will exclude Shadoweave items.

Head: Whitemane's Chapeau, SM cathedral boss drop
Shoulder: Inquisitor's Shawl, SM cathedral boss drop
Chest: Robes of the Lich, RFD boss drop
*Chest (alternate): Enchanted Gold Bloodrobe, Warlock quest reward, In Search of Menara Voidrender - Quest - World of Warcraft
Wrist: Condor Bracers, Desolace quest reward
Hands: Insulated Sage Gloves, Alterac Mountain quest reward
► Waist: Star Belt, tailoring
Legs: Red Mageweave Pants, tailoring
Legs (alt): Night Watch Pantaloons, Duskwood quest reward (Alliance only)
Feet: Junglewalker Sandals, STV quest reward
► Dagger: Hypnotic Blade, SM library boss drop
► Ring: Golden Ring of Power, can be crafted by a 180 jewel crafter. It will cost you around 10g but if you have a bit of money to spare, this is one of the best rings you'll see in a while.
► Off-hand: Orb of Dar'Orahil, Warlock quest reward. Shard of a Felhound - Quest - World of Warcraft Be sure to to the Felhound version of the quest, not the infernal.

Goal: 50 shadow damage, 1300 health, 2400 mana.

Shadoweave Set
The Shadoweave set is the best early game set for Warlocks. I highly recommend going for this set, as it is cheaply made by tailors and provides an awesome boost in damage. You should be able to buy the mats from the AH for all six pieces for under 10g, or you can farm them yourself. The increase in shadow damage at that level is pretty significant and noticeable. Tailors can buy the Shadoweave patterns in Stormwind or Undercity. They're well worth the investment.

The 6 piece set consists of a mask, shoulders, a robe, gloves, pants and boots. All in all it gives:
13 Stamina
15 Intellect
17 spirit
114 shadow damage
This is going to make your shadowbolt hit for at least 25% harder, not to mention your DoTs ticking for a lot more too. This set should not be overlooked, as most of these items will last you through the entire 40s. Check the link to see what levels you can start wearing each piece at.


Levels 40-49
During the 40s you should be pretty comfortable wearing your Shadoweave set. Most of the gear here is actually worse or only slightly better than the shadoweave set. Some people argue that the Dreamweave set made by tailors is better than Shadoweave, but this for the most part untrue for warlocks. Shadoweave has more damage and Stamina, which is pretty much all we're concerned about at this point. Dreamweave is loaded with Spirit, which is near useless for us locks. Make acquiring and wearing the whole Shadoweave set your goal by level 45. I will still point out though that the Dreamweave Gloves and Dreamweave Robes are very, very slight upgrades, but I didn't include it since Dreamweave costs a bit more. For those that want other options from Tailoring and those slots not covered by the Shadoweave set, here you are.

Head: Bad Mojo Mask, ZF boss drop
Neck: Lifeblood Amulet, ZF boss drop
► Back: Deep Woodlands Cloak, Horde only quest given in Hinterlands
* Back (alt): Emberscale Cape, Uldaman boss drop
Chest: Antiquated Nobleman's Tunic, Horde only quest given in Undercity
Wrist: Bloodband Bracers, STV quest reward
Hands: Wingcrest Gloves, Horde only quest in Feralas
Waist: Star Belt, tailoring
Feet: Southsea Mojo Boots, Tanaris quest reward
Ring: Gem Studded Band, crafted by 250 Jewel crafter
Wand: Noxious Shooter, Maraudon boss drop (orange side)
► Staff: Zum'rah's Vexing Cane, ZF boss drop

Goal: 100 shadow damage, 1800 health, 3000 mana.

Levels 50-59
The 50s is generally when you start looking for as much spell damage as possible. There is an abundance of spell damage items in instances, so that's where most of the items come from. A lot of the better items in this level range come from high level instances like UBRS, Scholomance, and Stratholme. I'm going to stay away from these zones because since TBurning Crusade is out, there isn't too much demand to run these instances. BRD, Dire Maul, and LBRS are the instances I'll be looking at for gear. Also note that even though you can start Outland quests at level 58, I won't list any Burning Crusade quest rewards in this section.

Note that tailors can make two more sets that are useful to warlocks. There is the Cindercloth set, which is a great fire damage set, however at this point in time Shadow is clearly the way to go and the Cindercloth set is higher on stats like Spirit and Intellect, not Stamina. There is also the Felcloth set, which is a slight upgrade from the Shadoweave set. However, the set isn't great because it is very low on Stamina, it's a little expensive to make and you will need a 300 tailor with extra Demonic Runes (a BoP mat needed). All in all, one piece is pretty good; the Felcloth Robe.

Head: Crown of the Ogre King, Dire Maul North boss drop
► Shoulder: Kentic Amice, BRD boss drop
► *Chest: Robe of the Void, tailoring 300 BoP pattern
*Chest (alt): Felcloth Robe, tailoring 300 BoE pattern
Wrist: Manacle Cuffs, BRD quest reward
Gloves: Hands of Power, LBRS boss drop
Waist: Ban'thok Sash, BRD boss drop
Legs: Skyshroud Leggings, LBRS boss drop
Feet: Omnicast Boots, BRD boss drop
Ring: Ring of Bitter Shadows, Jewel crafting pattern sold by vendor in Eastern Plaguelands
Trinket: Burst of Knowledge, BRD boss drop
Trinket: Abyss Shard, Warlock quest reward
Staff: Soul Harvester, Warlock quest reward

Goal: 150 shadow damage, 2900 health, 4000 mana.

Levels 60-69
Well you finally made it to Outland. That's great, but no longer can you skimp on gear. The enemies are harder in this zone, and you're going to need some good gear. Luckily enough, Outland is full of good gear from quest rewards to instances. I'm going to ignore all level 60 raid gear since it would be fairly hard to acquire now that rarely anybody runs the old raid dungeons. Also keep in mind that Outland has TONS of great gear, so one doesn't have to be too picky about certain gear at this stage. A few less spell crit chance point isn't going to kill you.

In this section, I'm just going to list quest rewards and three cheap, but good crafted items. None of these items requires you to run an instance or costs a lot of money, and aside from the three craftables, all of them you should be able to get at level 67 or lower. All of them are fairly easy quests chains, nothing extensive. Don't waste your time running dungeons over and over for gear if you don't want to. Outlands has plenty of quests to do, there's little pure grinding and instancing you need to do. As always, click on the link if you're interested in an item to find out more on how to get it.

Head: Junior Technician 3rd Grade Goggles, Netherstorm quest reward
Neck: Natasha's Arcane Filament, Blade's Edge Mountain quest reward
Shoulder: Nether Guards, Netherstorm quest reward
* Shoulder (alt): Spelunker's Mantle, Blade's Edge Mountain quest reward
Back: Cloak of the Black Void, 350 BoE tailoring item
* Back (alt): Windtalker's Cloak, Hellfire Peninsula quest reward
Chest: Shadowcast Tunic, Hellfire Peninsula quest reward
* Chest (alt): Goldweave Tunic, Hellfire Peninsula quest reward
Wrist: Bracers of Havok, 350 BoE tailoring item
* Wrist (alt): Thunderlord Armbands, Blade's Edge Mountain quest reward
Hands: Manaspark Gloves, Hungarfen from Underbog
* Hands (alt): Red Hands of the Thunderlord, Blade's Edge Mountain quest reward; called Sylvanaar Gloves for Alliance
Waist: Chief Engineer's Belt, Netherstorm quest reward
* Waist(alt): Cilice of Suffering, Terrokar Forest quest reward
Legs: Bloodfire Leggings, Terrokar Forest quest reward
Feet: Sinister Area 52 Boots, Netherstorm quest reward
* Feet (alt): Ikeyen's Boots, Zangarmarsh quest reward
Ring: Khorium Band of Shadows, 350 BoE Jewel crafting item
Ring: Carinda's Wedding Band, Hellfire Peninsula Quest reward (Horde only)
Trinket: Mark of Defiance, turn in 30 marks of Honor Hold/Thrallmar
Trinket: Ancient Crystal Talisman, Horde Zangarmarsh quest reward; Alliance equivalent is Glowing Crystal Insignia
Staff: Battle Mage's Baton, Nagrand quest reward
Wand: Nesingway's Safari Stick, Nagrand quest reward

Goal: 475 unbuffed shadow damage, 6000 health, 5000 mana.

Netherweave Set
As for tailoring, the Netherweave set is awesome for a mid-60 warlock. The 6 piece set (you can't wear the robe and the tunic at the same time) gives you 190 spell damage and 204 Stamina. The set is rather cheap to make also. Once again, don't fret too much about gear choice now, but if you have any shoddy pieces in your gear arrangement, the Netherweave set is an ideal warlock set with the high Stamina and damage to fill in the gaps. You're almost at 70, when you'll be completely revamping your wardrobe. It's no Shadoweave, but it's still damn good.


Level 70
After level 70, gear becomes the most important factor in determining the strength of a character. Gear is the only way to progress after 70. There are two ways to acquire better gear - through PvP and PvE. Since we're not covering PvP gear, the way to get the best gear is through raiding. Before one attempts to raid, he needs a set of gear that will contribute to the group. Let's take a look at two top end pre-raid dungeon sets.

Dungeon Set 3
The Dreadmist Raiment, the warlock Dungeon Set 1 was acquired through level 60 endgame instances. It could be updated to Dungeon Set 2 through a quest chain. At level 70, Blizzard has given us two, five-piece Dungeon Set 3 sets spread throughout endgame instances. The Oblivion Raiment is generally for affliction locks who want spell damage, Stamina and spell hit. The 45 mana your pet gains every 5 seconds also benefits locks with Dark Pact. The Mana-etched Regalia is not specifically tuned for warlocks, but this is a great set for destruction locks who focus on crit chance at the sacrifice of a little spell damage and Stamina. A good general rule on which set to focus on is to see if you have Ruin, the 21 point Destruction talent, or not. If you don't, the Oblivion Raiment is better. Locks with Ruin will also do fine with the Oblivion Raiment, but they won't go wrong with the Mana-Etched Regalia set either.

However, the Mana-Etched Regalia is harder to obtain because 4 of the 5 pieces drop in Heroic instances.

Aeonus - The Black Morass - Head
Omor the Unscarred - Hellfire Ramparts - Gloves (Heroic)
The Black Stalker - The Underbog - Pants (Heroic)
Epoch Hunter - Old Hillsbrad Foothills - Robe (Heroic)
Quagmirran - The Slave Pens - Shoulders (Heroic)

In comparison, here is where the Oblivion Raiment drops.

Harbringer Skyriss - The Arcatraz - Head
Warchief Kargath Bladefist - Shattered Halls - Gloves
Talon King Ikiss - Sethekk Halls - Pants
Murmur - Shadow Labyrinth - Robe
Murmur - Shadow Labyrinth - Shoulders

As you can see, the Oblivion Raiment is easier to get. The stats pretty much equal themselves out, so if one set is worth the effort, it is the Oblivion Raiment.

[LOL!!]

Gems

I see a lot of locks gemming incorrectly these days, so I'm going to give my thoughts on the best way to gem. When you gem an item, first look at the socket bonus, and how many gems are needed to get to the socket bonus. Next, take note of what stats you need to work on, especially if you are not hit capped through stats on gear only. If you are not hit capped, the best way to gem is by putting pure spell hit gems into sockets in this order of preference.

Yellow - always put pure spell hit gems in UNLESS you are hit capped
Blue - put pure spell hit gems in UNLESS hit capped AND don't need 2 blue gems for meta gem
Red - only put pure spell hit gems if not hit capped AND the socket bonus is worthless

Blue sockets are generally the worst socket for DPS, but we need two of them to activate the Chaotic Skyfire Diamond meta gem. Sometimes blue sockets aren't so bad, such as in the Belt of Blasting where you won't lose a lot of DPS by socketing a purple gem in the blue socket and getting the socket bonus.

If you are hit capped just through stats on your gear, you will want to put either spell haste/damage gems, spell crit/damage gems, or pure spell damage gems in pretty much every one of your sockets for maximum DPS with Destruction raiding. Here are two simple examples:

* Carved Witch Doctor's Stick - If hit capped, use a spell haste/dmg orange gem. If not hit capped, use a pure spell hit gem. If you need a blue gem to activate your meta gem, put a purple gem in with spell damage/stamina.

* Fury of the Ursine - If not hit capped, use a pure spell hit gem. If hit capped, use a spell dmg/spell haste gem.

Remember that each situation is different though, it depends on your individual situation. Here are the best options for each type of socket color. Note that a gem that I list might have an identical counterpart that can be obtained through PvP, heroic boss drop, quests, etc. I'm only going to list one type and list the most common place to find it.

Red socket

1. Don Julio's Heart (Jewelcrafting BoP, unique) DP: 896
2. Veiled Pyrestone (BT/SWP drop) DP: 884
3. Reckless Pyrestone (BT/SWP drop) DP: 774
4. Runed Crimson Spinel (BT/SWP drop) DP: 768
5. Potent Pyrestone (BT/SWP drop) DP: 744
6. Veiled Noble Topaz (Rare gem) DP: 720
7. Reckless Noble Topaz (Rare gem) DP: 632
8. Potent Noble Topaz (Rare gem) DP: 608
9. Runed Living Ruby (Rare gem) DP: 576
10. Veiled Flame Spessarite (Uncommon gem) DP: 556

Yellow socket

1. Great Lionseye (BT/SWP drop) DP: 1000
2. Veiled Pyrestone (BT/SWP drop) DP: 884
3. Blood of Amber (Jewelcrafting BoP, unique) DP: 864
4. Great Dawnstone (Rare gem) DP: 800
5. Quick Lionseye (BT/SWP drop) DP: 780
6. Reckless Pyrestone (BT/SWP drop) DP: 774
7. Potent Pyrestone (BT/SWP drop) DP: 744
8. Veiled Noble Topaz (Rare gem) DP: 720
9. Gleaming Lionseye (BT/SWP drop) DP: 720
10. Reckless Noble Topaz (Rare gem) DP: 632
11. Quick Dawnstone (Rare gem) DP: 620
12. Potent Noble Topaz (Rare gem) DP: 608
13. Great Golden Draenite (Uncommon gem) DP: 600
14. Gleaming Dawnstone (Rare gem) DP: 576
15. Veiled Flame Spessarite (Uncommon gem) DP: 556

Blue socket

1. Vivid Chrysoprase (Quagmirran - Heroic Slave Pens) DP: 500
2. Forceful Seaspray Emerald (BT/SWP drop) DP: 390
3. Glowing Shadowsong Amethyst (BT/SWP drop) DP: 384
4. Glowing Nightseye (Rare gem) DP: 320
5. Glowing Shadow Draenite (Uncommon gem) DP: 256

Meta socket
The meta gem that you should be using is the Chaotic Skyfire Diamond, and I am assuming a DP value of 2900. This gem requires a combination of at least 2 blue/purple/green gems throughout your other sockets to be active.




1H Weapon

Pre-raiding: The easiest way to a decent weapon is to go to run Heroic Magister's Terrace and get the weapon off of the first boss. Pretty easy and drops a quarter of the time. You could also grind the Merciless Gladiator's Spellblade if you don't mind PvP farming a bit. The heroic badge weapon isn't very good for the hefty price.

Tier 4 raiding: If possible,try and get the Merciless Gladiator's Spellblade as you won't see something nearly as good or an upgrade until Hyjal/BT. If you don't want to grind the honor, then Gruul/Prince drop a very nice dagger that will last.

Tier 5 raiding: If your guild is killing Jan'alai in ZA, go for his weapon. If not, the Merciless Gladiator's Spellblade is still pretty much the best you can do here for a guaranteed item, but if you are in a Leo killing guild, then his sword becomes a good alternative.

Tier 6 raiding: Archimonde's weapon is by far the best one hander in the game for casters. Skip The Maelstrom's Fury, as it's a minimal upgrade from T5 level weapons. When you clear Sunwell, Kil'jaedan carries the Sunflare, the best weapon in game.

1. Sunflare (Kil'jaeden - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 22642
2. Tempest of Chaos (Archimonde - Mount Hyjal) DP: 20004
3. Brutal Gladiator's Blade of Alacrity (Season 4 Arena) DP: 19506
4. Brutal Gladiator's Spellblade (Season 4 Arena) DP: 18824
5. Vengeful Gladiator's Spellblade (Season 3 Arena) DP: 17508
6. The Maelstrom's Fury (High Warlord Naj'entus - Black Temple) DP: 16688
7. Wub's Cursed Hexblade (Jan'alai - Zul'Aman) DP: 16628
8. Talon of the Tempest (Doomwalker) DP: 16284
9. Blade of Twisted Visions (Zul'jin - Zul'Aman) DP: 16150
10. Merciless Gladiator's Spellblade (Season 2 Arena) DP: 15900
11. Scryer's Blade of Focus (150 Heroic Badges) DP: 15808
12. Fang of the Leviathan (Leotheras the Blind - Serpentshrine Cavern) DP: 15656
13. Bloodmaw Magus-Blade (Gruul - Gruul's Lair) DP: 14792
14. Nathrezim Mindblade (Prince Malchezzar - Karazhan) DP: 14648
15. Jaded Crystal Dagger (Selin Firehand - Heroic Magister's Terrace) DP: 13244
16. Gladiator's Spellblade (Season 1 Arena) DP: 12736
17. Eternium Runed Blade (365 BoE Blacksmithing) DP: 12264
18. Blade of the Archmage/Stormcaller (Exalted with Honor Hold/Thrallmar) DP: 11688
19. Blade of Wizardry (BoE World Drop) DP: 10176 (without proc)
20. Archmage's Guile (Revered with Shattered Sun) DP: 9760
21. Greatsword of Horrid Dreams (Murmur - Shadow Labyrinth) DP: 9720
22. Starlight Dagger (Mennu the Betrayer - Heroic Slave Pens) DP: 9344
23. Runesong Dagger (Warbringer O'mrogg - Shattered Halls) DP: 9184
24. Grand Marshal's Spellblade (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 9044
25. The Willbreaker (Keli'dan the Breaker - Heroic Blood Furnace) DP: 8968
26. Continuum Blade (Revered with Keepers of Time) DP: 8544
27. Mana Wrath (Pathaleon the Calculator - The Mechanar) DP: 8064

Enchant:

Soulfrost - DP: 3456
+40 spell damage - DP: 2560
+30 spell damage - DP: 1920




Off-hand

Pre-raiding: If you are starting to raid, the Fetish of the Primal Gods or the Orb of the Soul Eater is one of the best investments of your badges that you can make. They will last a very long time as a true upgrade doesn't come until Hyjal/BT.

Tier 4 raiding: Karazhan has a couple nice off-hands, but the badge rewards are still your best options.

Tier 5 raiding: The Fathomstone is nice for some crit, but it's not a huge upgrade over the heroic rewards.

Tier 6 raiding: In BT and Hyjal we get some very substantial upgrades. Rage's offhand is significantly better than Shade's though, so be patient and go for that one. Brutallus' offhand is pretty lackluster.

1. Chronicle of Dark Secrets (Rage Winterchill - Mount Hyjal) DP: 6044
2. Blind-Seers Icon (Shade of Akama - Black Temple) DP: 5088
3. Heart of the Pit (Brutallus - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 4992
4. Fathomstone (Hydross the Unstable - Serpentshrine Cavern) DP: 3960
5. Fetish of the Primal Gods (35 Heroic Badges) DP: 3694
6. Jewel of Infinite Possibilities (Netherspite - Karazhan) DP: 3572
7. Lamp of Peaceful Radiance (Harbringer Skyriss - The Arcatraz) DP: 3480
8. Orb of the Soul Eater (25 Heroic Badges) DP: 3264
9. Khadgar's Knapsack (25 Heroic Badges) DP: 3136
10. Karrog's Shard (Karrog) DP: 3104
11. Talisman of Nightbane (Nightbane - Karazhan) DP: 3016
12. Manual of the Nethermancer (Nethermancer Sepethrea - Mechanar) DP: 2712
13. Star-Heart Lamp (Temporus - Black Morass) DP: 2608
14. Brutal Gladiator's Endgame (Season 4 Arena) DP: 2560
15. Karaborian Talisman (Magtheridon - Magtheridon's Lair) DP: 2240
16. Vengeful Gladiator's Endgame (Season 3 Arena) DP: 2240





2H Weapon

Pre-raiding: I recommend actually going for a 1H + off-hand for pretty much all of raiding. This is especially true given the itemization for pre-raiding, as you usually get a better DPS combination that way. Kael'thas in Magister's Terrace drops a pretty nice staff though and is one of the better DPS blue staffs. I still recommend the 1H+OH combo though.

Tier 4 raiding: Staff of Infinite Mysteries is nice, but it isn't as good as the 1H weapons off Prince and Gruul. Having your eye on those weapons over this staff is the best way to go.

Tier 5 raiding: The Nexus Key pretty nice if you never got a weapon from Kara or Gruul, but it shouldn't make you switch to a staff.

Tier 6 raiding: Illidan's staff = /drool, but the Tempest of Chaos + Rage's off hand is definitely a better DPS combo. When you get to Sunwell, the 50 hit on Felmyst's staff make up for all the hit you'll be using with the Sunwell caster upgrades. This is probably the best way to go, and pretty much the only time I favor a staff over a 1H + OH combo.

1. Grand Magister's Staff of Torrents (Felmyst - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 28272
2. Brutal Gladiator's Battle Staff(Season 4 Arena) DP: 23824
3. Zhar'doom, Greatstaff of the Devourer (Illidan - Black Temple) DP: 23458
4. Vengeful Gladiator's Battle Staff (Season 3 Arena) DP: 21920
5. Brutal Gladiator's War Staff(Season 4 Arena) DP: 20624
6. Merciless Gladiator's War Staff (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 19824
7. Vengeful Gladiator's War Staff (Season 3 Arena) DP: 19120
8. The Nexus Key (Kael'thas Sunstrider - Tempest Keep) DP: 18776
9. Amani Divining Staff (Timed Event - Zul'Aman) DP: 18520
10. Gladiator's War Staff (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 17428
11. Staff of Infinite Mysteries (The Curator - Karazhan) DP: 14140
12. Terokk's Shadowstaff (Talon King Ikiss - Heroic Sethekk Halls) DP: 13416
13. Sun-infused Focus Staff (Kael'thas - Magister's Terrace) DP: 12684
14. Grand Marshal's War Staff (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 11904
15. Auchenai Staff (Revered with Aldor) DP: 11516
16. Warpstaff of Arcanum (Warp Splinter - The Botanica) DP: 11216
17. The Bringer of Death (World Drop) DP: 10768

Enchant:

Soulfrost - DP: 3456
+40 spell damage - DP: 2560
+30 spell damage - DP: 1920




Wand

Pre-raiding: The wand slot doesn't give a whole lot of DPS points, so don't worry if you don't have the best wand when you start raiding. You'll get a good one eventually. If you want the best wand available for a long time, keep running heroic Underbog for The Black Stalk.

Tier 4 raiding: Aran's wand is very nice to help reach the hit cap and is the best option you can get until Tempest Keep. It's one of the better items you can get out of Karazhan.

Tier 5 raiding: Astromancer's wand is one of those Tier 5 level items that you will need to pick up, as there's no upgrade in it in MH/BT.

Tier 6 raiding: If you happened to miss Astromancer's wand, pick up Bloodboil's. It is definitely not as good though. There is also a nice upgrade in Sunwell.

1. Wand of the Demonsoul (Trash drop - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 3740
2. Wand of the Forgotten Star (Astromancer Solarian - Tempest Keep) DP: 3580
3. Wand of Prismatic Focus (Gurtogg Bloodboil - Black Temple) DP: 2900
4. The Black Stalk (The Black Stalker - Heroic Underbog) DP: 2072
5. Tirisfal Wand of Ascendency (Shade of Aran - Karazhan) DP: 2060
6. Eredar Wand of Obliteration (Magtheridon - Magtheridon's Lair) DP: 2032
7. Carved Witch Doctor's Stick (25 Badge of Justice) DP: 1952
8. Nesingwary Safari Stick (Quest reward) DP: 1760
9. Nether Core's Control Rod (Daaliah the Doomsayer - The Arcatraz) DP: 1632
10. Illidari Rod of Discipline (Quest reward) DP: 1632





Head

Pre-raiding: Do yourself a favor once you hit 70 and instead of grinding instances for gear, get the mats for Spellstrike. It's better than anything you'll see until SSC/TK. Season 4 Felweave is also actually a decent piece if you gem it for PvE.

Tier 4 raiding: Spellstrike is amazing. I don't know why so many locks still wear Tier 4. Gruul's headpiece is baaaad and didn't even make the top 25.

Tier 5 raiding: Tier 5 helm is suboptimal by the time your killing Vashj, so go for the ZA helm or Void Reaver's for your upgrade from Spellstrike.

Tier 6 raiding: Illidan's headpiece is a DPS upgrade over Tier 6, but it's probable that you might want the Tier 6 helm for the 4/5 T6 bonus. Either way, grab one of the two, as there is no major upgrade in Sunwell.

1. Dark Conjuror's Collar (Kil'jaeden - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 13416
2. Cowl of the Illidari High Lord (Illidan Stormrage - Black Temple) DP: 13280
3. Hood of the Malefic (Archimonde - Mount Hyjal) Tier 6 DP: 11956
4. Annihilator Holo-Gogs (350 Engineering) DP: 11908
5. Helm of Arcane Purity (Kil'jaeden - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 10900
6. Hood of Hexing (Hex Lord Malacrass - Zul'Aman) DP: 10812
7. Cowl of the Grand Engineer (Void Reaver - Tempest Keep) DP: 9912
8. Destruction Holo-gogs (350 Crafted BoP engineering) DP: 9884
9. Hood of the Corruptor (Lady Vashj - Serpentshrine Cavern) Tier 5 DP: 9452
10. Brutal Gladiator's Felweave Cowl (Season 4 Arena) DP: 9172
11. Spellstrike Hood (350 Crafted BoE tailoring) DP: 8672
12. Vengeful Gladiator's Felweave Cowl (Season 3 Arena) DP: 8292
13. Voidheart Crown (Prince Malchezzar - Karazhan) Tier 4 DP: 7948
14. Merciless Gladiator's Felweave Cowl (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 7864
15. Gladiator's Felweave Cowl (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 7634
16. Mana-Binders Cowl (50 Heroic Badges) DP: 7276
17. Incanter's Cowl (Patheleon the Calculator - The Mechanar) DP: 6924
18. Brutal Gladiator's Dreadweave Hood (Season 4 Arena) DP: 6900
19. Exorcist's Silk Hood (18 Spirit Shards) DP: 6856
20. Uni-Mind Headdress (Netherspite - Karazhan) DP: 6671
21. Vengeful Gladiator's Dreadweave Hood (Season 3 Arena) DP: 6388
22. Evoker's Helmet of Second Sight (SMV quest reward) DP: 6368
23. Hood of Oblivion (Harbringer Skyriss - The Arcatraz) DP: 6260
24. Merciless Gladiator's Dreadweave Hood (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 6004
25. Mana-Etched Crown (Aeonus - Black Morass) DP: 5876
26. Hydromancer's Headwrap (Steamvaults quest reward) DP: 5812
27. Gnomish Power Goggles (375 Crafted BoP engineering) DP: 5792
28. Gladiator's Dreadweave Hood (Season 2 Arena) DP: 5748

Enchant:

Glyph of Power - DP: 2808
Hoodoo Hex - DP: 1152




Neck

Pre-raiding: There isn't an outstanding neck piece before you can raid, so I wouldn't worry about this slot too much. If you really need something, grinding the honor for the PvP necklace might not be a bad idea or going to Shadow Labs for Blackheart's necklace.

Tier 4 raiding: Rittsyn's Lost Pendant is likely an excellent upgrade to whatever you probably have if you are Affliction, and is definitely one of the best drops out of Karazhan. It drops off trash though, so it might take a while for you to see it. The heroic necklace is very bad, stay away from it.

Tier 5 raiding: Zul'jin's neck piece is pretty nice, as is the quest reward for Destruction after you kill Kael'thas. However, neither is a big upgrade, so don't worry too much about upgrading your Kara necklace. Morogrim's necklace is atrocious for PvE.

Tier 6 raiding: Translucent Spellthread Necklace is a very nice upgrade and is one of the most important items to take away from Black Temple. The best necklace in game is in SWP, but unfortunately only for Jewelcrafters. The Eredar Twins do have a slight upgrade from the BT neck though.

1. Pendant of Sunfire (Jewelcrafting SWP, BoP) DP: 6854
2. Amulet of Unfetterd Magics (Eredar Twins - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 6492
3. Translucent Spellthread Necklace (Essence of Souls - Black Temple) DP: 6172
4. Guardian's Pendant of Subjugation (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 4464
5. The Sun King's Talisman (Quest reward - Tempest Keep) DP: 4352
6. Sin'dorei Pendant of Conquest (Eredar Twins - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 4344
7. Guardian's Pendant of Conquest (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 4320
8. Loop of Cursed Bones (Zul'jin - Zul'Aman) DP: 4154
9. Vindicator's Pendant of Subjugation (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 4038
10. Vindicator's Pendant of Conquest (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 3912
11. Shattered Sun Pendant of Acumen (Exalted with Shattered Sun Offensive) DP: 3648 (proc estimated)
12. Adornment of Stolen Souls (Prince Malchezzar - Karazhan) DP: 3448
13. Veteran's Pendant of Conquest (PvP Honor reward) DP: 3440
14. Brooch of Heightened Potential (Blackheart the Inciter - Shadow Labyrinth) DP: 3316
15. Rittsyn's Lost Pendant (Karazhan trash drop) DP: 3264
16. Brooch of Unquenchable Fury (Moroes - Karazhan) DP: 3164
17. Guardian's Pendant of Dominance (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 3040
18. Hydra-fang Necklace (Ghaz'an - Heroic Underbog) DP: 2816





Shoulders

Pre-raiding: Contrary to popular belief, the Frozen Shadoweave aren't that great. There are also some shoulders that drop in Magister's Terrace. One drops in normal and one drops in heroic. Both are about the same in DP value.

Tier 4 raiding: Tier 4 Shoulders are a pretty good option if you are going for the set bonuses.

Tier 5 raiding: Tier 5 shoulders are a pretty substantial upgrade from everything before. Make sure you don't skip these as these are pretty much on par with everything else in the game except Tier 6.

Tier 6 raiding: Get the Tier 6 shoulders and don't look back. Save up for them and don't blow them on the other underwhelming shoulders in MH/BT. Eredar Twins, however drop an excellent pair of shoulders but still using the shoulders for the 4 piece bonus isn't a bad idea.

1. Amice of the Convoker (Eredar Twins - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 9092
2. Mantle of the Malefic TIER 6 (Mother Shahraz - Black Temple) DP: 7580
3. Blood-cursed Shoulderpads (Gurtogg Bloodboil - Black Temple) DP: 7120
4. Shoulderpads of Knowledge's Pursuit (Eredar Twins - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 7040
5. Hatefury Mantle (Anetheron - Mount Hyjal) DP: 6848
6. Brutal Gladiator's Dreadweave Amice (Season 4 Arena) DP: 6416
7. Mantle of the Corruptor TIER 5 (Void Reaver - The Eye) DP: 6280
8. Mantle of the Elven Kings (Trash drop - The Eye) DP: 6096
9. Brutal Gladiator's Felweave Amice (Season 4 Arena) DP: 5928
10. Mantle of Nimble Thought (Crafted BT recipe) DP: 5780
11. Vengeful Gladiator's Dreadweave Mantle (Season 3 Arena) DP: 5760
12. Illidari Shoulderpads (Morogrim Tidewalker - Serpentshrine Cavern) DP: 5504
13. Vengeful Gladiator's Felweave Amice (Season 3 Arena) DP: 5384
14. Voidheart Mantle TIER 4 (High King Maulgar - Gruul's Lair) DP: 5368
15. Duskhallow Mantle (Princess Delrissa - Magister's Terrace) DP: 5360
16. Fel-tinged Mantle (Vellaxus - Heroic Magister's Terrace) DP: 5352
17. Merciless Gladiator's Dreadweave Mantle (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 5204
18. Mantle of Ill Intent (Nalorakk - Zul'Aman) DP: 5134
19. Merciless Gladiator's Felweave Amice (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 4912
20. Gladiator's Dreadweave Amice (PvP Honor reward) DP: 4848
21. Frozen Shadoweave Shoulders (Crafted 355 BoP Tailoring) DP: 4800
22. Gladiator's Felweave Amice (PvP Honor reward) DP: 4512
23. Mana-Etched Spaulders (Quagmirran - Heroic Slave Pens) DP: 4032

Enchant:

Greater Inscription of Discipline - DP: 1872
Greater Inscription of the Orb - DP: 1848
Inscription of Discipline - DP: 960
Inscription of the Orb - DP: 936




Cloak

Pre-raiding: With the new patch there is a very good blue item that drops in the new 5 man instance. Don't worry if you can't get that though, as there is an item just as good in Karazhan. The badge cloaks aren't worth it for PvE. If you really want to be ready for Karazhan though, get the new cloak in the Sunwell 5 man or get the Cloak of the Black Void crafted.

Tier 4 raiding: Prince's cloak is one of the best in the game and will last you until Tier 6 raiding.

Tier 5 raiding: There are no upgrades. Prince's cloak beats them all by a good margin, but there is a cloak from ZA that is an alternative.

Tier 6 raiding: Nethervoid Cloak is godly and a must-have item. It's an item that will probably last you until level 80.

1. Tattered Cape of Antonidas (Kil'jaedan - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 5944
2. Nethervoid Cloak (Trash drop - BT/MH) DP: 5192
3. Cloak of the Illidari Council (Illidari Council - Black Temple) DP: 4488
4. Ruby Drape of the Mysticant (Prince Malchezaar - Karazhan) DP: 3720
5. Cloak of the Betrayed (Princess Delrissa - Magister's Terrace) DP: 3700
6. Shadowcaster's Drape (Timed event - Zul'Aman) DP: 3678
7. Ancient Spellcloak of the Highborne (Doom Lord Kazzak) DP: 3672
8. Brute Cloak of the Ogre-Magi (High King Maulgar - Gruul's Lair) DP: 3448
9. Cloak of Arcane Alacrity (60 Badge of Justice) DP: 2976
10. Shawl of Shifting Probabilities (25 Badge of Justice) DP: 2928
11. Cloak of Subjugated Power (60 Badge of Justice) DP: 2880
12. Royal Cloak of the Sunstriders (Kael'thas Sunstrider - The Eye) DP: 2816
13. Sethekk Oracle Cloak (Talon King Ikiss - Sethekk Halls) DP: 2608
14. Ogre-Slayer's Cover (Quest reward) DP: 2432
15. Baba's Cloak of Arcanistry (Pathaleon the Calculator - Mechanar) DP: 2416
16. Shadow-Cloak of Dalaran (Moroes - Karazhan) DP: 2304
17. Cloak of Woven Energy (Quest reward) DP: 2288
18. Cloak of the Black Void (Crafted from Tailoring, BoE) DP: 2240

Enchant:

Enchant Cloak - Subtlety - DP: 0 (best enchant for cloak)
Enchant Cloak - Spell Penetration DP: 0




Chest

Pre-raiding: You have three options here. The best option is to go to heroic Magister's Terrace and get the robe that Kael drops. That robe is about on par to the new badge robes and even the Tier 5 robe. Your next choice is to go with the Frozen Shadoweave Vest. It's an excellent starter item that doesn't see a true upgrade until the Tier 5 instances. If you're Affliction that robe is much better than it is currently ranked. Your final choice is to get the quest reward from doing Crypts. It's a guaranteed drop and socketed correctly, will give you 43 hit along with some decent damage. Not bad.

Tier 4 raiding: Nightbane's chest in Karazhan is very bad, stay away from it. Tier 4 robe is ok if you aren't a tailor, but FSW is fine through this level if you are Affliction.

Tier 5 raiding: Skip Tier 5 and go for Vashj's robes. They're the best in the game before Sunwell.

Tier 6 raiding: Tier 6 chest piece and Robes of Rhonin or both not as good as Vashj's robe. Use the T6 robe if you want the four piece bonus, but pray that you get a Sunfire Robe pattern to drop as soon as possible in SWP. It's by far the best robe in the game.

1. Sunfire Robe (Crafted Sunwell recipe) DP: 13024
2. Fel Conquerer Raiments (M'uru - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 11398
3. Robes of Ghostly Hatred (M'uru - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 11082
4. Vestments of the Sea-Witch (Lady Vashj - Serpentshrine Cavern) DP: 10980
5. Robes of Rhonin (Archimonde - Hyjal Summit) DP: 9612
6. Robe of the Malefic TIER 6 (Illidan Stormrage - Black Temple) DP: 9232
7. Robe of the Corruptor TIER 5 (Kael'thas Sunstrider - The Eye) DP: 8540
8. Tormented Demonsoul Robes (100 Badge of Justice) DP: 8496
9. Scarlet Sin'dorei Robes (Kael'thas - Heroic Magister's Terrace) DP: 8256
10. Brutal Gladiator's Felweave Raiment (Season 4 Arena) DP: 8152
11. Shroud of the Lore`nial (100 Badge of Justice) DP: 7732
12. Vengeful Gladiator's Felweave Raiment (Season 3 Arena) DP: 7480
13. Robe of Hateful Echoes (Hydross the Unstable - Serpentshrine Cavern) DP: 7400
14. Merciless Gladiator's Felweave Raiment (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 7008
15. Auchenai Anchorite's Robe (Quest reward) DP: 6700
16. Robe of the Shadow Council (Teron Gorefiend - Black Temple) DP: 6688
17. Gladiator's Felweave Raiment (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 6600
18. Voidheart Robe TIER 4 (Magtheridon - Magtheridon's Lair) DP: 6388
19. Frozen Shadoweave Vest (Tailoring 375 BoP) DP: 6208
20. Robe of the Crimson Order (World drop) DP: 6200
21. Robe of Departed Spirits (Halazzi - Zul'Aman) DP: 6186
22. Brutal Gladiator's Dreadweave Raiment (Season 4 Arena) DP: 6048
23. Vengeful Gladiator's Dreadweave Raiment (Season 3 Arena) DP: 5600
24. Will of the Edward the Odd (World drop) DP: 5552
25. Warp Infused Drape (Warp Splinter - Botanica) DP: 5520
26. Mana-Etched Vestments (Epoch Hunter - Heroic Old Hillsbrad) DP: 5480

Enchant:

Enchant Chest - Exceptional Stats - DP: 0
Enchant Chest - Exceptional Health - DP: 0




Wrist

Pre-raiding: The S3/S4 Silk Cuffs or the Runed Spell Cuffs are both very good for PvE and will last you until the Tier 6 level. I highly suggest picking up one of these items.

Tier 4 raiding: I strongly suggest to not be satisfied with Maiden's bracers. They're honestly not even top 20 or so. The two bracers I listed above are much, much better.

Tier 5 raiding: No real upgrades as Al'ar's bracers are a pure side grade to what you should already have.

Tier 6 raiding: Get Akama's bracers instead of Rage's. The spell haste bracers are good too if your guild has extra Hearts of Darkness. Once you get to Sunwell however, get the massively overpowered Tier 6 bracers. They're a gigantic upgrade over MH/BT bracers and will also help toward the 4 piece bonus.

1. Bracers of the Malefic TIER 6 (Kalecgos - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 6358
2. Focused Mana Bindings (Shade of Akama - Black Temple) DP: 4588
3. Bracers of Nimble Thought (Crafted BT Tailoring) DP: 4360
4. Guardian's Silk Cuffs (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 4144
5. Fury of the Ursine (Nalorakk - Zul'Aman) DP: 4008
6. Cuffs of Devastation (Rage Winterchill - Mount Hyjal) DP: 3984
7. Mindstorm Wristbands (Al'ar - The Eye) DP: 3960
8. Vindicator's Silk Cuffs (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 3880
9. Runed Spell Cuffs (35 Badge of Justice) DP: 3806
10. Bindings of Raging Fire (Selin Firehand - Magister's Terrace) DP: 3740
11. Veteran's Silk Cuffs (PvP Honor reward) DP: 3344
12. Crystalweave Bracers (50 Apexis Shards) DP: 3184
13. Guardian's Dreadweave Cuffs (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 2976
14. Bracers of Havok (BoE Tailoring crafted) DP: 2864
15. Vindicator's Dreadweave Cuffs (PvP Honor reward) DP: 2784

Enchant:

Enchant Bracer - Spellpower - DP: 960
Enchant Bracer - Superior Healing - DP: 640




Hands

Pre-raiding: Buying the Anger-Spark Gloves (they are BoE) might be a pretty good investment if you are just starting to raid as you will probably never replace them. If for some reason Sunmotes are cheap on your server, buying them to make the Sunfire Wraps is even a better option. Realistically though SWP guilds will need their Sunmotes. Your best option then is to go for the gloves off Kael in regular Magister's Terrace. They're better than anything at the Tier 4 level.

Tier 4 raiding: Tier 4 gloves are pretty lackluster, but using them for the two piece bonus is ok. That's about the only time you should use them thouh. Attumen's gloves aren't bad for this level either if you couldn't get any of the gloves I listed above. Start saving for the new badge gloves.

Tier 5 raiding: Tier 5 gloves are also pretty bad, as are the ones off Kael'thas. You should be keeping whatever you have and holding off an upgrade until Tier 6. If you do happen to get Doomwalker's gloves (they are BoE) cheap, pick them up as they are the best you'll find outside of Sunwell.

Tier 6 raiding: I wouldn't consider Tier 6 gloves outstanding, but they are most likely an upgrade and a worthy one if you are still wearing the badge gloves or Attumen's gloves. The Sunwell has some very big upgrades. Definitely go for the Sunfire Handwraps once your guild has the excess sunmotes if the Handguards of Defiled Worlds seem to be a ways away.

1. Handguards of Defiled Worlds (Kil'jaeden - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 10292
2. Sunfire Handwraps (Sunwell BoE Tailoring) DP: 7752
3. Gloves of Tyri's Power (Kil'jaeden - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 7592
4. Anger-Spark Gloves (Doomwalker) DP: 7376
5. Gloves of the Malefic TIER 6 (Azgalor - Mount Hyjal) DP: 6412
6. Enslaved Doomguard Soulgrips (75 Badge of Justice) DP: 6032
7. Studious Wraps (60 Badge of Justice) DP: 5960
8. Gloves of Arcane Acuity (Kael'thas Sunstrider - Magister's Terrace) DP: 5576
9. Soul-Eater's Handwraps (Magtheridon - Magtheridon's Lair) DP: 5416
10. Handwraps of Flowing Thought (Attumen the Huntsman - Karazhan) DP: 5240
11. Gauntlets of the Sun-King (Kael'thas Sunstrider - The Eye) DP: 4704
12. Brutal Gladiator's Felweave Handguards (Season 4 Arena) DP: 4688
13. Gloves of the Corruptor TIER 5 (Leotheras the Blind - Serpentshrine Cavern) DP: 4488
14. Manaspark Gloves (Hungarfen - Underbog) DP: 4260
15. Gloves of Pandemonium (BoE World Drop) DP: 4184
16. Vengeful Gladiator's Felweave Handguards (Season 3 Arena) DP: 4144
17. Mana-Etched Gloves (Omor the Unscarred - Heroic Ramparts) DP: 4032
18. Voidheart Gloves TIER 4 (The Curator - Karazhan) DP: 3824
19. Merciless Gladiator's Felweave Handguards (Season 2 Arena) DP: 3672
20. Gloves of Oblivion (Warchief Kargath Bladefist - Shattered Halls) DP: 3664
21. Gloves of the Deadwatcher (Shirrak the Dead Watcher - Heroic Crypts) DP: 3656
22. Gladiator's Felweave Hanguards (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 3560
23. Tempest's Touch (Old Hillsbrad quest reward) DP: 3328

Enchant:

Enchant Gloves - Spell Strike - DP: 1500
Enchant Gloves - Major Spellpower - DP: 1280
Enchant Gloves - Shadow Power - DP: 1280




Waist

Pre-raiding: Now that vortexes are BoE, find someone to craft you a Belt of Blasting. It is worth it to buy something that you will never replace as long as you're level 70. If you don't have the money, make getting the heroic belt a high priority, as its much better than the 5 man options you can get and the dated Girdle of Ruination. Repeat, spend the 800g and get this belt. It's insane.

Tier 4 raiding: Illhoof's belt is pretty bad. You can also do much better than Maulgar's belt with the Belt of Blasting or heroic badge belt. Again, make sure you have the Belt of Blasting. No excuses.

Tier 5 raiding: The Belt of Blasting is without question much better than Lurker's belt. Get this as soon as you can and you will have no need to spend DKP on a dropped item.

Tier 6 raiding: Anetheron's Noose and Supremus' belt are pretty bad and pure downgrades from the Belt of Blasting. The Tier 6 belt in Sunwell is the only waist item better than the Belt of Blasting and helps to work towards the 4 piece bonus.

1. Belt of the Malefic TIER 6 (Brutallus - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 9830
2. Belt of Blasting (SSC BoE Tailoring) DP: 9260
3. Cord of Screaming Terrors (The Lurker Below - Serpentshrine Cavern) DP: 7200
4. Anetheron's Noose (Anetheron - Mount Hyjal) DP: 6848
5. Voodoo-woven Belt (60 Badge of Justice) DP: 6636
6. Waistwrap of Infinity (Supremus - Black Temple) DP: 6080
7. Girdle of Ruination (Crafted BoE Tailoring) DP: 5536
8. Guardian's Silk Belt (PvP Honor reward) DP: 4864
9. Glyph-Lined Sash (Prince Nexus Shaffar - Heroic Mana Tombs) DP: 4424
10. Vindicator's Silk Belt (PvP Honor reward) DP: 4400
11. Belt of Divine Inspiration (High King Maulgar - Gruul's Lair) DP: 4352
12. Veteran's Silk Belt (PvP Honor reward) DP: 3992
13. Malefic Girdle (Terestrian Illhoof - Karazhan) DP: 3880
14. Belt of Depravity (Harbringer Skyriss - Heroic Arcatraz) DP: 3876
15. A'dal's Gift (Quest reward) DP: 3688





Legs

Pre-raiding: No questions asked, get the Spellstrike Pants crafted. They're the best leg item until MH/BT, even slightly better than Tier 5. The Heroic Pants aren't that good and cost a ton of badges.

Tier 4 raiding: Make sure you have Spellstrike. Tier 4 legs are decent, but Spellstrike is just so much better. Stay away from Trial-Fire Trousers. Many people overrate it.

Tier 5 raiding: Astromancer's Pants are a DPS equivalent to Trial-Fire Trousers and are really lackluster. Tier 5 is only slightly worse than Spellstrike, so if you need to fill a set bonus, it's not a bad slot to sacrifice a tiny bit of DPS for it plus you get some extra stats.

Tier 6 raiding: The Leggings of Channeled Elements are the best leg item out of MH/BT. Tier 6 legs are pretty disappointing and are only a slight upgrade over Tier 5 kegs and pretty much a DPS sidegrade to Spellstrike. Avoid using them for the 4 piece set bonus, and go for the Channeled Elements. When you hit Sunwell, the Leggings of Calamity are a very nice DPS upgrade.

1. Leggings of Calamity (Brutallus - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 11976
2. Pantaloons of Growing Strife (Kalecgos - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 10460
3. Leggings of Channeled Elements (Kaz'rogal - Mount Hyjal) DP: 10424
4. Leggings of the Malefic TIER 6 (Illidari Council - Black Temple) DP: 9532
5. Leggings of the Seventh Circle (Doom Lord Kazzak) DP: 9440
6. Spellstrike Pants (Crafted Tailoring, BoE) DP: 9416
7. Leggings of the Corruptor TIER 5 (Fathom Lord Karathress - Serpentshrine Cavern) DP: 9024
8. Leggings of Devastation (Mother Shahraz - Black Temple) DP: 8840
9. Corrupted Soulcloth Pantaloons (100 Badge of Justice) DP: 8600
10. Legwraps of Sweltering Flame (100 Badge of Justice) DP: 8068
11. Pantaloons of Arcane Annihilation (75 Badge of Justice) DP: 6966
12. Brutal Gladiator's Felweave Trousers (Season 4 Arena) DP: 6748
13. Voidheart Leggings TIER 4 (Gruul the Dragonkiller - Gruul's Lair) DP: 6636
14. Breeches of the Occultist (Aeonus - Heroic Black Morass) DP: 6360
15. Trousers of the Astromancer (Astromancer Solarian - The Eye) DP: 5856
16. Trial-Fire Trousers (Opera event - Karazhan) DP: 5856
17. Vengeful Gladiator's Felweave Trousers (Season 3 Arena) DP: 5768
18. Aran's Sorcerous Slacks (Lieutenant Drake - Heroic Old Hillsbrad) DP: 5384
19. Merciless Gladiator's Felweave Trousers (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 5244
20. Pantaloons of Flaming Wrath (Blood Guard Porung - Heroic Shattered Halls) DP: 5136
21. Khadgar's Kilt of Abjuration (Temporus - Black Morass) DP: 4704
22. Kirin Tor Master's Trousers (Murmur - Heroic Shadow Labyrinth) DP: 4704
23. Gladiator's Felweave Trousers (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 4704
24. Battlecast Pants (Crafted tailoring, BoE) DP: 4544

Enchant:

Runic Spellthread - DP: 2240
Mystic Spellthread - DP: 1600




Feet

Pre-raiding: Frozen Shadoweave Boots are an excellent starting item, and can last you through the Tier 4 instances. If you are not a tailor, the Shattrath Jumpers are pretty good and easy to get as well.

Tier 4 raiding: The two boots in Karazhan aren't better than Frozen Shadoweave, but they are an upgrade to the Shattrath Jumpers.

Tier 5 raiding: Frozen Shadoweave can last you through here, but the Boots of Blasting and Boots of the Shifting Nightmare are nice to get since you will want to start acquiring some hit.

Tier 6 raiding: Naj'entus' boots are better than anything before and definitely better than the awful Blue Suede Shoes. However, a major upgrade won't come until the Tier 6 boots drop in Sunwell. When I say major, I mean major. They blow away anything else in the game.

1. Boots of the Malefic TIER 6 (Felmyst - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 10342
2. Slippers of the Seacaller (High Warlord Naj'entus - Black Temple) DP: 6504
3. Boots of Blasting (SSC Tailoring BoP) DP: 6096
4. Boots of Incantations (75 Badge of Justice) DP: 5636
5. Boots of the Shifting Nightmare (Hydross the Unstable - Serpentshrine Cavern) DP: 5576
6. Blue Suede Shoes (Kaz'rogal - Mount Hyjal) DP: 5384
7. Frozen Shadoweave Boots (Tailoring Crafted, BoP) DP: 5248
8. Footpads of Madness (Jan'alai - Zul'Aman) DP: 5150
9. Velvet Boots of the Guardian (The Lurker Below - Serpentshrine Cavern) DP: 4864
10. Guardian's Silk Footguards (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 4864
11. Boots of Foretelling (Maiden of Virtue - Karazhan) DP: 4632
12. Vindicator's Silk Footguards (PvP Honor reward) DP: 4400
13. Sigil-Laced Boots (Harbringer Skyriss - Arcatraz) DP: 4104
14. Veteran's Silk Footguards (PvP Honor reward) DP: 3992
15. Ruby Slippers (Opera event - Karazhan) DP: 3840
16. Shattrath Jumpers (Quest reward) DP: 3456

Enchant:

Enchant Boots - Boar's Speed - DP: 0
Enchant Boots - Fortitude - DP: 0
Enchant Boots - Vitality - DP: 0




Finger

Pre-raiding: Ashyen's Gift should be motivation enough to farm the Coilfang heroics to get rep. The ring is absolutely amazing and very handy to up your spell hit at lower gear levels. The new badge ring, Fused Nethergon Band, is also one of the best rings in the game. Paired with Ashyen you have a pretty strong ring combo. If you don't want to grind badges though, there's nothing wrong with just using the Violet Signet from kara once you get it.

Tier 4 raiding: Attumen's ring is very bad, it didn't even make the list. Keep working towards Ashyen's Gift and the heroic badge ring if you don't have it. The Ring of Recurrence is also one of the better items in Karazhan. I prefer it to the exalted Violet Eye ring.

Tier 5 raiding: There aren't any major upgrades here, but you can solidify that second ring slot with Vashj's ring which is decent. Al'ar's ring is disappointing give it to a shadow priest.

Tier 6 raiding: Snag Naj'entus' ring as soon as you can. The Ring of Ancient Knowledge is not unique so you can have two if need be. The top two rings before Sunwell come from the third timed chest in Zul'Aman and Naj'entus' ring. The exalted Hyjal ring isn't as good, but if you aren't getting any rings I just listed and never got Vashj's ring, it's still a viable upgrade. The BoE Jewel crafting ring from Sunwell is excellent if you don't have Naj'entus' or the ZA timed event ring.

1. Ring of Captured Storms (High Warlord Naj'entus - Black Temple) DP: 6676
2. Ring of Omnipotence (M'uru - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 6562
3. Loop of Forged Power (Sunwell Jewelcrafting, BoE) DP: 6416
4. Mana Attuned Band (Timed Event - Zul'Aman) DP: 6238
5. Fused Nethergon Band (60 Badge of Justice) DP: 5040
6. Ring of Ancient Knowledge (Trash drop - Black Temple) DP: 4914
7. Band of the Eternal Sage (Exalted with Scale of the Sands) DP: 4480
8. Sin'dorei Band of Dominance (Eredar Twins - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 4192
9. Ring of Endless Coils (Lady Vashj - Serpentshrine Cavern) DP: 3952
10. Band of Eternity (Revered with Scale of the Sands) DP: 3904
11. Band of Eternity (Honored with Scale of the Sands) DP: 3632
12. Ashyen's Gift (Exalted with Cenarion Expedition) DP: 3572
13. Ring of Recurrence (Chess event - Karazhan) DP: 3416
14. Sparking Arcanite Ring (Epoch Hunter - Heroic Old Hillsbrad) DP: 3416
15. Band of Crimson Fury (Magtheridon - Magtheridon's Lair) DP: 3392
16. Band of Eternity (Friendly with Scale of the Sands) DP: 3368
17. Band of Dominion (World Drop) DP: 3304
18. Violet Signet of the Archmage (Exalted with the Violet Eye) DP: 3080
19. Seer's Signet (Exalted with the Scryers) DP: 3040
20. Violet Signet (Revered with the Violet Eye) DP: 3016
21. Guardian's Band of Dominance (PvP Honor reward) DP: 3012
22. Seal of the Exorcist (50 Spirit Shards) DP: 2992
23. Mage's Mark of the Sha'tar (Quest reward) DP: 2984
24. Ring of Cryptic Dreams (25 Badge of Justice) DP: 2912
25. Band of Arcane Alacrity (Vellaxus - Magister's Terrace) DP: 2812
26. Violet Signet (Honored with the Violet Eye) DP: 2744
27. Band of the Guardian (Quest reward) DP: 2696
28. Signet of Ancient Magics (Akil'zon - Zul'Aman) DP: 2656
29. Guardian's Band of Subjugation (PvP Honor reward) DP: 2652
30. Ryngo's Band of Ingenuity (Wrath-Scryer Soccothrates - Arcatraz) DP: 2608
31. Evoker's Mark of the Redemption (Quest reward) DP: 2576
32. Scintillating Coral Band (Hydromancer Thespia - The Steamvault) DP: 2568
33. Band of Al'ar (Al'ar - The Eye) DP: 2368
34. Burning Blade Cutlist Band (Quest reward) DP: 2368
35. Vindicator's Band of Subjugation (PvP Honor reward) DP: 2340
36. Violet Signet (Friendly with the Violet Eye) DP: 2744
37. Cobalt Band of Tyrigosa (Prince Nexus Shaffar - Heroic Mana Tombs) DP: 2240
38. The Horseman's Signet Ring (Headless Horsemen - Halloween event) DP: 2240

Enchant:

Enchant Ring - Spellpower- DP: 768




Trinket

* Many of these trinkets have procs that give active stats when used. I calculated many of these procs such as the ones on the Icon of the Silver Crescent and the Skull of Gul'dan by the following formula.
(Proc DPS point value * proc time)/Cooldown of proc
* There were other procs that I estimated. Most of these procs had an element that you couldn't control like a critical strike. These estimations were taken from a 0/21/40 Shadowbolt spam (assuming 25% crit) with 5/6 time casting Shadowbolt, and the other 1/6 time Life tapping/moving throughout the fight.
* Some procs were too situational to be calculated such as the Eye of Magtheridon. In those cases, I ignored the value of the proc, but made a note that the proc was not included in the DP value. Take the rankings here with a grain of salt.

Pre-raiding: If you are Scryer, the Bloodgem is an awesome trinket that will last you a long time in raiding. Also start saving for the Icon of the Silver Crescent. It's the first thing I suggest you spend badges on and you will likely keep it to level 80. The Crusade card is actually a very nice trinket and I highly recommend it if you have the funds. Also, if you are Affliction, you are absolutely going to want to go after Timbal's Focusing Crystal. The proc is useless for DP values since in my model I'm only doing a Shadow Bolt spam, this is definitely a top trinket for Affliction locks.

Tier 4 raiding: The Lightning Capacitor isn't a very good trinket for us since in Affliction specs we don't stack crit and for Destruction specs our main nuke has a long cast time. Let a elemental shaman, mage, or balance druid get it instead. Mag's Eye is an interesting trinket and with the proc it is right up there with the 4500 DP range. The thing is the proc gets worse the better your gear gets, so I still like the options I suggested in the pre-raiding section over anything you'll find at the Tier 4 level.

Tier 5 raiding: The Hex Shrunken Head from ZA is the second best trinket in the game and very nice for every gear set. Pick it up if your guild is clearing ZA. The Sextant is a pretty misunderstood and undervalued item. It's actually pretty decent for warlocks, even though it's admittedly better for elemental shamans, mages, and balance druids.

Tier 6 raiding: The Ashtongue Talisman of Shadows is a pretty nice trinket for Affliction locks on multiple target fights (like Akama), but not that great anywhere else. The Skull of Gul'dan off Illidan however is an amazing, amazing DPS booster and is a gigantic upgrade over anything else you may have.

1. The Skull of Gul'dan (Illidan Stormrage - Black Temple) DP: 8295
2. Shifting Naaru Silver (M'uru - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 6772 (DP value is correct, but also buffs other casters when proc is used)
3. Hex Shrunken Head (Hex Lord Malacrass - Zul'Aman) DP: 5463
4. Darkmoon Card: Crusade (Blessings deck) DP: 4992
5. Sextant of Unstable Currents (Fathom Lord Karathress - Serpentshrine Cavern) DP: 4907 (proc estimated)
6. Scryer's Bloodgem (Revered with Scryers) DP: 4600
7. Icon of the Silver Crescent (41 Badge of Justice) DP: 4505
8. Neltharion's Tear (Nefarian - Blackwing Lair) DP: 4416
9. Arcanist's Stone (Epoch Hunter - Heroic Old Hillsbrad) DP: 4281
10. Quagmirran's Eye (Quagmirran - Heroic Slave Pens) DP: 4240 (proc estimated)
11. Sorcerer's Alchemist Stone (Alchemy BoP) DP: 4032 (proc not included)
12. The Restrained Essence of Sapphiron (Sapphiron - Naxxaramas) DP: 3947
13. Starkiller's Bauble (Quest reward) DP: 3933
14. Xi'ri's Gift (Revered with Sha'tar) DP: 3904
15. Shiffar's Nexus-Horn (Harbringer Skyriss - Arcatraz) DP: 3600 (proc estimated)
16. Eye of Magtheridon (Magtheridon - Magtheridon's Lair) DP: 3456 (proc not included)
17. Vengeance of the Illidari (Quest reward) DP: 3152
18. Battlemaster's Alacrity (75 Badge of Justice/PvP Honor reward) DP: 3120
19. Terrokar Tablet of Vim (Quest reward) DP: 3096
20. Void Star Talisman (Astromancer Solarian - The Eye) DP: 3072
21. Battlemaster's Audacity (75 Badge of Justice/PvP Honor reward) DP: 3008
22. Battlemaster's Depravity (75 Badge of Justice/PvP Honor reward) DP: 2880
23. Timbal's Focusing Crystal (Princess Delrissa - Heroic Magister's Terrace) DP: 2816 (proc doesn't make a difference for Destruction)
24. Ancient Draenei Arcane Relic (Quest reward) DP: 2792
25. Glowing Crystal Insignia (Quest reward) DP: 2773
26. Airman's Ribbon of Gallantry (Exalted with the Sha'tari Skyguard) DP: 2448
27. The Lightning Capacitor (Terestrian Illhoof - Karazhan) DP: 2222 (proc estimated)
28. Oculus of the Hidden Eye (Shirrak the Dead Watcher - Crypts) DP: 2112
29. Mark of Defiance (Zangarmarsh vendor) DP: 2048

[LOL!!]

Key Items From Heroic Dungeons/Badges
Badge loot has come a long way, and many badge items will last you a very long time. Here are the top items I suggest you spend your badges on, in order of preference. For a more in depth look at badge loot, look at this mini-guide - Badge of Justice Pick Order Guide

1. Fused Nethergon Band 60 Badge of Justice
2. Enslaved Doomguard Soulgrips - 75 Badges
3. Icon of the Silver Crescent - 41 Badges
4. Orb of the Soul Eater if Affliction (25 badges), Fetish of the Primal Gods if Demonology/Destruction (35 badges)
5. Runed Spell Cuffs - 35 Badges



Key Items From Tier 4 Instances (Karazhan, Gruul, Magtheridon)
Even with all the badge loot, there are still some very important items to pick up from the Tier 4 level instances.

1. Ruby Drape of the Mysticant - Prince's cloak is an item that you definitely will not replace until the Tier 6 level instances. The 18 spell hit make it an excellent item to start towards maxing out your spell hit.
2. Rittsyn's Lost Pendant - This necklace off trash in Karazhan is almost as important as Prince's cloak, especially if you are Affliction. A necklace of this quality is pretty much nonexistant until you kill Kael'thas.
3. Nathrezim Mindblade/Bloodmaw Magus-Blade - These items are pretty much identical off Prince/Gruul. It is essential that you get one of these weapons as weapons give the biggest DPS increase. The reason these aren't higher is that the Season 1 weapon is easy to get and almost as good.
4. Voidheart Mantle - The sooner you find gear better than Frozen Shadoweave, the better you're doing. The Voidheart Mantle is better than the FSW shoulders, and would be higher on the list were T5 shoulders not so easy to get off Void Reaver.
5. Ring of Recurrence - This ring from Chess is the perfect complement to Ashyen's Gift and much preferred to the exalted Violet Eye ring if you haven't gotten your badge ring yet.



Key Items From Tier 5 Instances (Zul'Aman, Serpentshrine Cavern, Tempest Keep)
Badge loot can't carry you all the way in Tier 5 instances, and there are some very nice upgrades you will pick up to last you to Sunwell. Make sure you also pick up Belt of Blasting, which is crafted.

1. Wand of the Forgotten Star - Astromancer's wand remains the best through MH/BT by a fair margin, and even holds its own against the Sunwell wand. It's just a wand, but it's something that you likely won't replace for a very long time.
2. Vestments of the Sea-Witch - Vashj's robes are amazing and a lot better than anything in MH/BT. However, there is a clear upgrade in Sunwell, which is why I gave it the number 2 spot.
3. Hood of Hexing/Cowl of the Grand Engineer - Spellstrike head is a very good item, but both these items are clear upgrades that you want and will last you until you are killing Archimonde/Illidan.
4. Hex Shrunken Head - Deserves a permanent spot in your trinket slot as we haven't seen a better caster trinket from Sunwell to complement Illidan's trinket.
5. Mana Attuned Band - This ring is from the timed event in Zul'Aman is up there with the very best MH/BT rings and ranks as the third best ring in the game. You won't replace this anytime soon if you get it while you're still diong Tier 5 level content.



Key Items From Tier 6 Instances (Mount Hyjal, Black Temple, Sunwell Plateau)
The very best of the best. Here is what you absolutely NEED from MH/BT/SWP. I am not mentioning the Tier 6 pieces that drop in Sunwell as they are all best in slot by a good margin.

1. The Skull of Gul'dan - Illidan's trinket is by far the best trinket in the game. It is a massive DPS increase and will not be replaced.
2. Tempest of Chaos/Sunflare -Archimonde's and Kil'jaedan's weapons are huge DPS boosts at their level and are upgrades to everything comparable to them at the tier level.
3. Nethervoid Cloak - A cloak made for warlocks and shadow priests that drops off MH/BT trash. The only upgrade from Prince's cloak way back in Karazhan that you'll ever need.
4. Sunfire Robe - The best robe in the game by far and a nice upgrade from Tier 6. Patterns aren't plentiful though, so make sure you get yours as soon as possible.
5. Chronicle of Dark Secrets - The best offhand in the game comes from Rage Winterchill, an easy, early boss in Mount Hyjal. It's finally a true upgrade to badge offhands, and will last you.

Honorable Mention - Leggings of Channeled Elements/Leggings of Calamity - Tier 6 legs are pretty disappointing, so it's a good thing that there are awesome items from Mount Hyjal and Sunwell to take care of the slot.




Nobody wants start raiding and be a total crutch on their group. It is your responsibility to not walk into Karazhan in greens and let the rest of your group carry you. Below there are three lists below that will get you through Karazhan/Gruul/Magtheridon, ZA/SSC/TK, and even Mount Hyjal/Black Temple.

Pre-raid gear to get through Tier 4 Instances
The first list is gear that can get you through Karazhan, Gruul, and Magtheridon. This list is generally easy to require, as it doesn't include any crafted epics (for non tailors), heroic badge rewards, reputation rewards, or honor PvP rewards. Of course there is also no Karazhan or arena gear. Keep in mind though that you will still probably want to be Affliction at this stage of gear and not Destruction. All of this gear is still valid though and will let you do well in Tier 4 level instances.

Head: Evoker's Helmet of Second Sight (Quest reward) DP: 6368
Neck: Brooch of Heightened Potential (Blackheart the Inciter - Shadow Labs) DP: 3316
Shoulders: Duskhallow Mantle (Princess Delrissa - Magister's Terrace) DP: 5360
Back: Cloak of the Betrayed (Princess Delrissa - Magister's Terrace) DP: 3700
Chest: Auchenai Anchorite's Robe (Quest reward) DP: 6700
Wrist: Bindings of Raging Fire (Selin Firehand - Magister's Terrace) DP: 3740
Hands: Manaspark Gloves (Hungarfen - Underbog) DP: 4260
Waist: A'dal's Gift (Quest reward) DP: 3688
Legs: Khadgar's Kilt of Abjuration (Temporus - Black Morass) DP: 4704
Feet: Sigil-Laced Boots (Harbringer Skyriss - Arcatraz) DP: 4104
Finger: Evoker's Mark of the Redemption (Quest reward) DP: 2714
Finger: Band of the Guardian (Quest reward) DP: 2608
Trinket: Starkiller's Bauble (Quest reward) DP: 3933
Trinket: Shiffar's Nexus-Horn (Harbringer Skyriss - Arcatraz) DP: 3600
1H weapon: Greatsword of Horrid Dreams (Murmur - Shadow Labyrinth) DP: 9720
Off-hand: Lamp of Peaceful Radiance (Harbringer Skyriss - The Arcatraz) DP: 3480
Wand: Nesingwary Safari Stick (Quest reward) DP: 1760

Self-buffed stats as 0/21/40 (gemmed, enchanted):
Warcrafter Profile
201 spell hit rating
799 shadow damage
23.4% crit
3.2% haste
73755 DP
Leulier's spreadsheet (self-buffed) - 1267.23 DPS



Pre-raid gear to get through Tier 5 Instances
The second list is gear that you can get you through ZA, SSC, and TK. This list is a little harder to require, but you will not have to run heroics, PvP, raid, or form an arena team.

Head: Spellstrike Hood (350 Crafted BoE tailoring) DP: 8672
Neck: Shattered Sun Pendant of Acumen (Exalted with Shattered Sun Offensive) DP: 3648
Shoulders: Duskhallow Mantle (Princess Delrissa - Magister's Terrace) DP: 5360
Back: Cloak of the Betrayed (Princess Delrissa - Magister's Terrace) DP: 3700
Chest: Auchenai Anchorite's Robe (Quest reward) DP: 6700
Wrist: Bindings of Raging Fire (Magister's Terrace) DP: 3920
Hands: Manaspark Gloves (Hungarfen - Underbog) DP: 4260
Waist: Belt of Blasting (SSC BoE Tailoring) DP: 9260
Legs: Spellstrike Pants (Crafted Tailoring, BoE) DP: 9416
Feet: Frozen Shadoweave Boots (Tailoring Crafted, BoP) DP: 5248
Finger: Ashyen's Gift (Exalted with Cenarion Expedition) DP: 3572
Finger: Seer's Signet (Exalted with the Scryers) DP: 3040
Trinket: Xi'ri's Gift (Revered with Sha'tar) DP: 3904
Trinket: Scryer's Bloodgem (Revered with Scryers) DP: 4800
1H weapon: Eternium Runed Blade (365 BoE Blacksmithing) DP: 12264
Off-hand: Lamp of Peaceful Radiance (Harbringer Skyriss - The Arcatraz) DP: 3480
Wand: Nesingwary Safari Stick (Quest reward) DP: 1760

Self-buffed Stats as 0/21/40 (gemmed, enchanted):
Warcrafter profile
202 spell hit rating
1004 shadow damage
23.05% crit
5.5% haste
92484 DP
Leulier's spreadsheet (self-buffed) - 1442.89 DPS



Pre-raid gear to get through Tier 6 Instances
The third list is gear that can get you through Mount Hyjal and Black Temple. This list is admittedly hard, time consuming, and expensive to get. This is the best you can get though, and it will allow you to keep up with other raiders in Tier 6 instances. It does not include any raid or arena gear to acquire.

Head: Spellstrike Hood (350 Crafted BoE tailoring) DP: 8672
Neck: Guardian's Pendant of Subjugation (PvP Honor Reward) DP: 4464
Shoulders: Mantle of Nimble Thought (Crafted BT recipe) DP: 5780
Back: Cloak of the Betrayed (Princess Delrissa - Magister's Terrace) DP: 3700
Chest: Tormented Demonsoul Robes (100 Badge of Justice) DP: 8496
Wrist: Bracers of Nimble Thought (Crafted BT BoE Tailoring) DP: 4360
Hands: Enslaved Doomguard Soulgrips (75 Badge of Justice) DP: 6032
Waist: Belt of Blasting (SSC BoE Tailoring) DP: 9260
Legs: Spellstrike Pants (Crafted Tailoring, BoE) DP: 9416
Feet: Boots of Incantations (75 Badge of Justice) DP: 5636
Finger: Ashyen's Gift (Exalted with Cenarion Expedition) DP: 3572
Finger: Fused Nethergon Band (60 Badge of Justice) DP: 5040
Trinket: Darkmoon Card: Crusade (Blessings deck) DP: 4992
Trinket: Scryer's Bloodgem (Revered with Scryers) DP: 4800
1H weapon: Scryer's Blade of Focus (150 Badge of Justice) DP: 15808
Off-hand: Fetish of the Primal Gods (35 Badge of Justice) DP: 3694
Wand: The Black Stalk (The Black Stalker - Heroic Underbog) DP: 2072

Self-buffed Stats as 0/21/40 (gemmed, enchanted):
202 spell hit rating
1218 shadow damage
25.44% crit
4.2% haste
105794 DP
Leulier's spreadsheet (raid buffed) - 1214.83 DPS

Yeah to get this kind of gear you might have to PvP some, you might have to do some heroics. But the point of these lists is to show that "I'm not in a raiding guild" isn't an excuse when someone says your gear sucks.




Simple concept, but this is compilation of the best gear setup in the game, considering set bonuses and what not. I am excluding BoP items from every profession except tailoring.


Max DPS Gear Setup

Weapon: Sunflare (Kil'jaeden - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 22642
Off-hand: Chronicle of Dark Secrets (Rage Winterchill - Mount Hyjal) DP: 6044
Wand: Wand of the Demonsoul (Trash drop - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 3740
Head: Cowl of the Illidari High Lord (Illidan Stormrage - Black Temple) DP: 13280
Neck: Amulet of Unfetterd Magics (Eredar Twins - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 6492
Shoulders: Mantle of the Malefic TIER 6 (Mother Shahraz - Black Temple) DP: 7580
Back: Cloak of the Illidari Council (Illidari Council - Black Temple) DP: 4488
Chest: Sunfire Robe (Crafted Sunwell recipe) DP: 13024
Wrist: Bracers of the Malefic TIER 6 (Kalecgos - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 6358
Hands: Sunfire Handwraps (Sunwell BoE Tailoring) DP: 7752
Waist: Belt of the Malefic TIER 6 (Brutallus - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 9830
Legs: Leggings of Calamity (Brutallus - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 11976
Feet: Boots of the Malefic TIER 6 (Felmyst - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 10342
Finger: Ring of Omnipotence (M'uru - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 6562
Finger: Ring of Captured Storms (High Warlord Naj'entus - Black Temple) DP: 6676
Trinket: The Skull of Gul'dan (Illidan Stormrage - Black Temple) DP: 8295
Trinket: Shifting Naaru Silver (M'uru - Sunwell Plateau) DP: 6772

chardev.org - A World of Warcraft character planner v.3.a
Leulier's spreadsheet (raid buffed) - 2794.88 DPS

[Wazabara]

nice but there are no item links because you c&P'ed it ;>

[pixie12]

Wall of text crits you for so much you die and you can't be assed to read it

[Orfz]

This wall of text is bigger than the Chinese Wall! Too much to read what you probably didn't write.

[Hecketeer]

from the warlockden.com
gg

[LOL!!]

can't believe i have to quote myself here:

I stumbled upon this guide awhile back and it has redefined the game for me. I hope someone can find some use in it. Reformatting the text took awhile. Credit goes to: CanadianPimp

Link to the actual document: Gearing Your Warlock (2.4 Edition) - The Warlocks Den Forums

Enjoy.

[kris94]

cool, man!

[Galadius]

Nice thx this will help me lots

[likeablelumberjack]

Wall of text crits you for so much you die and you can't be assed to read it

This wall of text is bigger than the Chinese Wall! Too much to read what you probably didn't write.

A wall of text is never a good ending story... along my epic search for a nice guide (trust me, it's not easy) many guys pointed me to see wowhead, classicwow.live, and I'm still wondering about...