World of Warcraft™

Gearing for Raids - Enhancement at 85

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Gearing by Item Slot
3. Reputation, and what they mean to Enhancement
4. Heroics, and what they mean to Enhancement
5. Valor and Justice Points
6. Craftable Items
7. Hour of Twilight Heroics
8. Raid Finder
9. Other Notes


1. Introduction

As of my original post, the Cataclysm Beta had just came to a close, and I decided to build a Cataclysm gear "wish list." While doing so, I searched through all of the known Cataclysm drops for items I might be interested in acquiring, and made a list. Since I had already done half the work, I figured why not help a few others save some time by writing a guide with the information I compiled. For 4.2 and beyond, I've cleaned up a lot of the item level 346 - 359 items in my gearing by item slot list because, for the most part, they are easy to skip over at this point. I've left them in the heroics list for a reference if anyone's still interested. 4.3 has shifted all previous Valor Points gear over to the Justice Point vendor and added new Valor Points rewards for Dragon Soul.

If you have any questions or if you see any corrections that need to be made, feel free to post and let me know.

I did not include Valor Points in the gearing by slot list unless it's BoE, but there is a list of what is available for you from Valor Points. These are obiously stronger than most items you'll get elsewhere outside of raids, but are more time consuming to acquire. Nevertheless, you'll find yourself with Valor Points to spend, so spend them as you see fit. Helm and Shoulders are great slots to use VP on.

What you will find here: Gearing options that don't involve raiding, item lists of various types, listing by item slot, by location, as well as including craftable, BoE, and vendor items. I will include some recommendations with the item-by-slot list.

What you will not find here: Item specific Gemming, Enchanting and Reforging strategies. Due to the fact that what you should do with any given item changes depending on what your overall gear set looks like, it's impossible for me to tell you whether you should reforge that Haste rating to Mastery, Expertise or Hit rating.

When gearing for entry level raiding as Enhancement, you'll need to keep a few things in mind. We need hit rating. Lots and lots of hit rating. You need 1742 Hit rating, to be exact (1639 for Draenei.) Hit and expertise combined, we need more total rating to cap our active abilities than anyone else. We also need 541 Expertise rating (451 as a Dwarf with Maces or an Orc with Axes/Fists), making it a total of 2283 rating to hit a boss with our strikes and spells without fail... assuming you're behind the boss. And you should be. If you're not going to be raiding, you can have much lower amounts of hit - just make sure you have enough for your spells to always land on a level 86.

Roughly, our stat weights rank in this order: Agility > Hit rating to spell cap = Expertise Rating to dodge cap > Mastery > Critical strike rating > Haste rating. Haste comes in at the bottom by a wide margin. Of course, after reaching the spell hit and expertise caps, those become the least desirable stats to have more of.

For most of us, Agility should always remain substantially better than Mastery. Haste rating is literally less than half as valuable as Mastery, and Crit isn't too special either. Because of this, pieces of gear with both Hit and Mastery are extremely attractive, and will be very difficult to replace, even by items of a much higher level. Basically, if a piece of gear doesn't have Hit, Expertise or Mastery on it, it's not likely to even be worth looking at, and I have exluded many such pieces from this list for that reason.

As far as reforging goes, your first priority is getting to the Hit cap. Once you're there, reforge for the Expertise cap. After that, you want to acquire as much Mastery as you possibly can - if you have a Haste/Crit piece, reforge Haste into Mastery.

All gear listed here can be obtained without you personally stepping foot inside a raid instance (unless noted otherwise).


Before I list anything, I'd like to thank everyone (primarily those posting in this thread) for their suggestions as well as pointing out mistakes I've made or things I've missed.

Abbreviations

BRC - Blackrock Caverns
HoO - Halls of Origination
VP - Vortex Pinnacle
DM - Deadmines
SFK - Shadowfang Keep
TotT - Throne of the Tides
GB - Grim Batol
SC - Stonecore
LC - Lost City of the Tol'vir
BoE - Bind on Equip
BoP - Bind on Pickup
ZG - Zul'Gurub
ZA - Zul'Aman
WoE - Well of Eternity
HoT - Hour of Twilight
ET - End Time

2. Gearing by Item Slot

Here, I'll list as many options for each item slot as I can without going into the Haste/Crit variety more than I need to, and provide some suggestions on what you should do. Keep in mind, like all things in World of Warcraft, this is subject to change.

Helm

Deadly Bio-Optic Killshades - Craftable (Engineering - BoP)
Headdress of Sharpened Vision - Drop (Daakara - ZA)
Dawnslayer Helm - Drop (Asira Dawnslayer - HoT)

If you are an engineer, you can give yourself a very big head start in the Hit and Expertise rating department. Deadly Bio-Optic Killshades allow you to place two different Cogwheel gems in the unique Engineer-only sockets. Cogwheels give a +208 rating bonus to two secondary stats of your choosing, but Cogwheels are unique, so you can't choose two Rigid Cogwheels or two Precise Cogwheels. You can have one of each, though.

Dawnslayer Helm from Asira Dawnslayer in Hour of Twilight is your best option by a long shot. Be sure to pick it up, good helms can be hard to get.


Neck

Don Rodrigo's Fabulous Necklace - World Drop
Amulet of the Watcher - Drop (Bloodlord Mandokir - ZG)
Necklace of Smoke Signals - Justice Points

The easiest neck to get is also the best - Necklace of Smoke Signals, but don't get it until you have your tier 12 2 piece bonus at least unless what you're replacing is much worse.


Shoulder

Pauldrons of Nalorakk - Drop (Nalorakk - ZA)
Betrayer's Pauldrons - Drop (Archbishop Benedictus - HoT)

For your shoulder slot, your best pre-raid option are the Betrayer's Pauldrons from HoT. Unfortunately, the shoulder slot is pretty hard to fill, there really aren't many other options.


Back

Mantle of Doubt - Quest Reward (Thrall's quest line)

While there are numerous options for your cloak slot, the best option is also the easiest to get and can be obtained on your own. 4.2 introduces a very fun and engaging quest line involving Thrall, and I highly recommend doing it even if you didn't need the cloak. It's not too difficult, and it's an excellent RPG experience. Do the quest, get this amazing cloak, and enjoy yourself while doing it, it's a great quest!

Chest

Erupting Volcanic Cuirass - Justice Points
Breastplate of Primal Fury - Drop (Halazzi - ZA)
Breastplate of the Queen's Guard - Drop (Queen Azshara - WoE)

While the breastplate of the Queen's Guard is very well itemized, the Erupting Volcanic Cuirrass is the best option due to potential set bonuses. If you don't have it, make it an early Justice Points purchase.

Wrist

Wristguards of the Predator - Drop (Akil'zon - ZA)
Bracers of Forked Lightning - Justice Points
Dragonbelly Bracers - Valor Points

Bracers of Forked Lightning are BoE and can be purchased with Justice Points, and are cheap to buy with JP, but also shouldn't be too expensive on the AH. Dragonbelly Bracers are from Valor Points but are also BoE so you may be able to get them off the AH or from an alt if you have the resources.


Gloves

Erupting Volcanic Grips - Justice Points
Handguards of the Tormented - Drop (Cache of Madness - ZA)
Time Twister's Gauntlets - Quest Reward (Murozond - ET)

You'll probably want to make Erupting Volcanic Grips your first or second purchase with Justice Points, as it's the cheapest tier 12 piece and the 2 piece bonus is very solid. Don't go crazily out of your way for the gloves from Zul'Gurub (like leveling Archaeology or something like that) but if you find yourself able to do the Madness boss, there's an option there. The End Time quest for the final boss also gives a decent option.


Belt

Corded Viper Belt - Craftable (Leatherworking - BoE)
Waistband of Hexes - Drop (Hex Lord Malacrass - ZA)
Cinch of the World Shaman - Quest Reward (HoT)

With Chaos Orbs being BoE, having a Corded Viper Belt made shouldn't be too difficult and it's a decent belt, but don't spend a lot on it. Waistband of Hexes is alright, but seeing that Cinch of the World Shaman is a guaranteed quest reward for clearing Hour of Twilight, and the best you can get due to sheer item levels despite being haste/crit, it's an easy slot to fill.


Legs

Erupting Volcanic Legguards - Justice Points
Arrowsinger Legguards - World drop

Arrowsinger Legguards are a world drop BoE that are still pretty good for us. The best option is tier 12, though, and are obviously fairly easy to get at 2200 Justice Points.


Feet

Treads of Malorne - Guardians of Hyjal
Dead End Boots - Drop (multiple bosses - ET)
Boneshard Boots - Valor Points

Treads of Malorne still hold up pretty well, but you'll want to pick up Dead End Boots from End Time as soon as you are able, unless you have the resources to pick up Boneshard Boots, which are BoE but cost Valor Points. They aren't likely to be cheap, but they are a nearly irreplaceable option if you can get them.


Finger

Signet of the Elder Council - Earthen Ring
Gilnean Ring of Ruination - World drop
Hornet-Sting Band - Justice Points
Quickfinger Ring - Drop (ZA Trash)
Alurmi's Ring - Quest Reward (WoE)
Mannoroth's Signet - Drop (Mannoroth & Varo'then - WoE)
Terrath's Signet of Balance - Therazane
Matoclaw's Band - Vendor (Molten Front)

Tons of options for rings! Terrath's Signet of Balance will be competitive with most item level 359 epics, and I have it listed here because it should be available to you immediately if you completed Deepholm, and you should be getting exalted with Therazane anyway for the shoulder enchant. Signet of the Elder Council from the Earthen Ring is decent. There is a world drop and Justice Point ring, as well as a Zul'Aman BoE trash drop that should be very cheap. Matoclaw's Band is a very good piece available from the Firelands quest line, and shouldn't take too much time to complete - it comes from a vendor that becomes available as soon as you finish the quest to gain a foothold in the Firelands. The two best ones are from Well of Eternity, one is a quest reward and the other drops off the third encounter.

Trinket

Fluid Death - 1650 Justice Points
Darkmoon Card: Hurricane - Craftable/Quest Reward (Inscription - BoE)
Unsolvable Riddle - Baradin's Wardens/Hellscream's Reach
Tia's Grace - Drop (Siamat - LC)
Ricket's Magnetic Fireball - Firelands daily quests
Arrow of Time - Drop (Murozond - ET)

Fluid Death is an excellent use for Justice Points, but you might want to wait until you have at least your tier 12 two-piece bonus. Don't let its item level fool you, it's quite good, and probably the best available outside of raids. Darkmoon Card: Hurricane is a decent option if you have the resources to spend on acquiring it. Unsolvable Riddle can be acquired from Baradin's Wardens at exalted. Tia's Grace from Lost City specifically is a good option and is far stronger than it's 346 item level suggests. Ricket's Magnetic Fireball is available from Firelands daily quests, and is a decent (but not spectacular) option... if you're doing everything involving the Firelands dailies, might as well pick it up anyway. The best for your second slot is probably Arrow of Time from Murozond in End Time. Haste is not good for Enhancement at all, but it's a pretty big chunk of Agility.


Weapons

Maimgor's Bite - Drop (Blackwing Descent)
Claws of Torment - Drop (Blackwing Descent)
Claws of Agony - Drop (Blackwing Descent)
Clattering Claw - Drop (Archbishop Benedictus - HoT)
Trickster's Edge - Drop (Peroth'arn - WoE)

There are plenty of options here. It's hard to run heroics for very long without finding a half decent pair of weapons.

Maimgor's Bite, and the set Torment and Agony are all Bind on Equip. Since slow agility off-hands are rarely used by anyone other than Enhancement Shamans, if you're on a server with a lot of active raid groups, you might be able to get Maimgor's Bite for a reasonable price if you're lucky. There are also 3 weapon options in the Zandalari heroics, which are as valuable as their 353 item level would suggest.

There is a very unfortunate looking fist weapon from Archbishop Benedictus in Hour of Twilight, and a much less unfortunate looking axe from Peroth'arn in Well of Eternity. These are going to be your two best choices in PvE, though with a few weeks of capping Conquest Points you can get a pair of item level 397 PvP weapons. These, unlike most slots for PvP, might be worth your time if you won't be raiding normal modes a lot.


Relic

Covenant of the Flame - 700 Valor Points
Relic of Elune's Shadow - Firelands daily quests
Ripfang Relic - Valor Points

Covenant of the Flame is the quickest and easiest to get. Not much else to say here, though if you've done the Molten Front quests you can get Relic of Elune's Shadow. If that's all you're after, though, don't bother doing them just for that. Now that Valor Points aren't used for set pieces, getting your relic from them first might be a good idea, as you will never replace it.


That should be everything as far as pre raid gearing goes. You're not going to get all of it. Some pieces may simply never drop. The best advice I can give is try to focus on what you need most now rather than what the best possible setup is. Immediate improvement leads to faster progression. You never know what will drop or when, saving for a very specific setup isn't going to be worth it most of the time.

3. Reputations, and what they mean to Enhancement

Listed in order of importance (in my opinion)

Therazane
Greater Inscription of Shattered Crystal - Exalted
Terrath's Signet of Balance - Revered

Ramkahen
Arcanum of the Ramkahen - Revered

Guardians of Hyjal
Treads of Malorne - Exalted

The Earthen Ring
Signet of the Elder Council - Exalted
Softwind Cape - Revered

Baradin's Wardens/Hellscream's Reach
Ravening Slicer - Revered
Unsolvable Riddle - Exalted

Wildhammer Clan/Dragonmaw Clan
Windhome Helm / Snarling Helm - Revered


4. Heroics, and what they mean to Enhancement

Blackrock Caverns:
Renouncer's Cowl
Grace of the Herald
Sandshift Relic

Halls of Origination:
Mouth of the Earth
Bloodpetal Mantle
Boots of Crumbling Ruin
Ring of Blinding Stars
Left Eye of Rajh

Throne of the Tides:
Wrasse Handwraps
Lightning Whelk Axe

Stonecore:
Pendant of the Lightless Grotto
Elementium Scale Bracers
Key to the Endless Chamber
Fist of Pained Senses

Lost City of the Tol'vir:
Kaleki Cloak
Balkar's Waders
Mirage Ring
Tia's Grace
Hammer of Sparks

Shadowfang Keep:
Traitor's Grips
Haunting Footfalls
Relic of Arathor
Worgen Hunter's Helm

Deadmines:
Cape of the Brotherhood
Cloak of Thredd
Cookie's Tenderizer

Grim Batol:
Ring of Dun Algaz
Skardyn's Grace

Vortex Pinnacle:
Hail-Strung Belt

Zul'Gurub
Arlokk's Claws - Renataki
Thekal's Claws - Hazza'rah
Handguards of the Tormented - Cache of Madness
Amulet of the Watcher - Bloodlord Mandokir
Arlokk's Signet - High Priestess Kilnara

Zul'Aman
Wristguards of the Predator - Akil'zon
Pauldrons of Nalorakk - Nalorakk
Breastplate of Primal Fury - Halazzi
Recovered Cloak of Frostheim - Nalorakk timed chest
Waistband of Hexes - Hex Lord Malacrass
Headdress of Sharpened Vision - Daakara
Mace of the Sacrificed - Daakara
Quickfinger Ring - Trash

5. Valor and Justice Points

Justice Points, and what you can acquire

These, as I'm sure you know, are acquired by defeating bosses in Heroic 5 player dungeons, as well as doing a normal random dungeon. As of 4.2, you also get them by doing normal mode tier 11 raids. There is a vendor to redeem your points in Stormwind and Orgrimmar, depending on your faction. I've listed notable Justice Points rewards below.

Windslicer - 950
Viewless Wings - 1250
Fluid Death - 1650
Moccasins of Verdurous Glooms - 1650
Erupting Volcanic Grips - 1650
Erupting Volcanic Cuirass - 2200
Erupting Volcanic Legguards - 2200
Bracers of Forked Lightning - 1250
Necklace of Smoke Signals - 1250
Splintered Brimstone Seal - 1250

Valor Points, and their rewards

Valor points are the currency earned in the most recent tier of raids in Cataclysm, and can be redeemed for the best gear you can buy. You acquire 150 Valor Points for every random heroic you complete. You can also get 100 points per Normal or Heroic Dragon Soul raid boss you defeat, or 250 for completing a Raid Finder raid. As new content patches are released, your Valor Points and their rewards will eventually be converted into Justice Points, and the latest content will have new rewards for Valor Points. There is a 1000 point-per-week limit.

Cameo of Terrible Memories - 1250
Emergency Descent Loop - 1250
Kiroptyric Sigil - 1650
Batwing Cloak - 1250
Zeherah's Dragonskull Crown - 2200
Dragonflayer Vest - 2200
Cord of Dragon Sinew - 1650
Boneshard Boots - 1650
Dragonbelly Bracers - 1250
Ripfang Relic - 700

6. Craftable items

Deadly Bio-Optic Killshades - Engineering - BoP
Dragonkiller Tunic - Leatherworking - BoE
Corded Viper Belt - Leatherworking - BoE
Darkmoon Card: Hurricane - Inscription - BoE
Elementium-Edged Scalper - Blacksmithing - BoE[/ul]


7. Hour of Twilight Heroics

These three new heroic-only dungeons require an average item level of 353 to enter via the Dungeon Finder. All of the drops contained within are item level 378 epics, and there are numerous quest rewards.

End Time

Bosses: Echo of Sylvanas, Echo of Tyrande, Echo of Jaina, Echo of Baine, Murozond
This is one of the more unique heroics ever released - you go up against two "Echo" bosses at random first before taking on Murozond, the leader of the Infinite Dragonflight.

Time Twister's Gauntlets - Quest Reward (Murozond)
Dead End Boots - Drop (multiple bosses)
Arrow of Time - Drop (Murozond)


Well of Eternity

After helping Nozdormu in End Time, you are taken back to the War of the Ancients to recover the Dragon Soul, the "most powerful weapon ever forged."
It looks kinda like a yellow Smartie :P
Here you face off against Peroth'arn, Queen Azshara, and Varo'then & Mannoroth.

Breastplate of the Queen's Guard - Drop (Queen Azshara)
Alurmi's Ring - Quest Reward
Mannoroth's Signet - Drop (Mannoroth & Varo'then)
Trickster's Edge - Drop (Peroth'arn)


Hour of Twilight

After recovering the Dragon Soul, here you're to escort Thrall to Wyrmrest Temple, setting the stage for the events in the Dragon Soul raid. To get there, though, you'll have to fight your way through traps set by Arcurion, Asira Dawnslayer and Archbishop Benedictus.

Dawnslayer Helm - Drop (Asira Dawnslayer)
Betrayer's Pauldrons - Drop (Asira Dawnslayer)
Cinch of the World Shaman - Quest Reward
Clattering Claw - Drop (Archbishop Benedictus)