MASTERY AND REFORGING
One of the first questions people have when they first decide to take up tanking is what stats should I focus on? This ties directly to gear, and with Reforging it become a little more complicated. As a result there have been several tools released to aid in getting the most mileage out of your gear possible. Reforgenator for instance is an addon that gives you in game suggestions for reforging. Additionally, there’s another good option that does not require any sort of download, AskMrRobot.
MrRobot is in fact the method I use, and in particular the method I use when checking out applicants to my guild. Now of course, some classes value different stats more. And MrRobot is very good at providing alternative stat weights along with solid reasoning for one over another. In the case of Blood Death Knight, MrRobot values Mastery over Avoidance – and I agree. Most of the time when people ask me about gearing up their tank, they don’t want math, they don’t want numbers of any kind, they just want a black and white list of what they should be getting. So, with that in mind I fired up AskMrRobot and put together a list for both entry level raiding and BIS level raiding gear. These lists are created under several assumptions, which are listed below:
ASSUMPTIONS
■ Gear is chosen based on a focus toward Mastery/Stamina.
■ Professions were taken into consideration, in this case Enchanting and Jewelcrafting.
■ The list was created with the Horde in mind, that said a few items in the first list have alliance counterparts with different names.
■ Colors listed in the gem column correspond to the socket color of the item.
■ Due to size constraints drop location is not listed, but clicking the links to each item will take you to the wowhead page for said item, where location is listed.
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ENTRY LEVEL GEAR (Pre 4.1)
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ITEM
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GEMS
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ENCHANT
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REFORGE
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Seliza’s Spear
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None | Rune | Crit ⇒ Parry |
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Stalagmite Dragon
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Prismatic | None | None |
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Grinning Fang Helm
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Meta, Red | Arcanum | Dodge ⇒ Mastery |
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The Lustrous Eye
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None | None | Dodge ⇒ Parry |
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Earthshape Pauldrons
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Blue | Inscription | Dodge ⇒ Parry |
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Wrap of the Great Turtle
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None | Enchant | None |
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Hardened Elementium Hauberk
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Blue | Enchant | Exp ⇒ Mastery |
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Sandguard Bracers
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None | Enchant | Dodge ⇒ Mastery |
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Numbing Handguards
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Blue | Enchant | Dodge ⇒ Parry |
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Hardened Elementium Girdle
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Blue, Prismatic | None | Dodge ⇒ Parry |
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Triton Legplates
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Yellow, Red | Enchant | Parry ⇒ Mastery |
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Boots of Sullen Rock
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Yellow | Enchant | None |
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Elementium Moebius Band
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Red | Enchant | None |
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Elementium Moebius Band
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Red | Enchant | None |
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Porcelain Crab
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None | None | Dodge ⇒ Mastery |
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Throngus’s Finger
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None | None | Parry ⇒ Mastery |
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TIER 11 BIS
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ITEM
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GEMS
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ENCHANT
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REFORGE
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Akirus the Worm-Breaker
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None | Rune | Exp ⇒ Dodge |
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Relic of Khaz’goroth
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Prismatic | None | Dodge ⇒ Parry |
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Daybreaker Helm
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Meta, Yellow | Arcanum | Parry ⇒ Dodge |
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Ironstar Amulet
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None | None | Hit ⇒ Mastery |
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Magma Plated Shoulderguards
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Red | Inscription | Hit ⇒ Mastery |
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Wrap of the Great Turtle
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None | Enchant | None |
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Magma Plated Chestguard
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Red, Blue | Enchant | None |
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Bracers of Impossible Strength
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None | Enchant | None |
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Magma Plated Handguards
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Blue | Enchant | None |
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Jumbotron Power Belt
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Yellow, Prismatic | None | None |
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Magma Plated Legguards
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Red, Blue | Enchant | Parry ⇒ Mastery |
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Boots of Sullen Rock
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Yellow | Enchant | Parry ⇒ Dodge |
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Ring of the Battle Anthem
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None | Enchant | None |
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Bile-O-Tron Nut
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None | Enchant | Dodge ⇒ Mastery |
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Vial of Stolen Memories
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None | None | None |
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Symbiotic Worm
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None | None | None |
I Can Has Heroics?
You might be wondering about the curious omission of heroic level raiding gear, well honestly if you’re getting heroic level raiding gear there isn’t much difference in the normal gear. It’s just a matter of degree, with the exception of course of Sinestra loot. And far be it from me to tell you what to do if you’re farming Sinestra…
Of course, this list is more a guideline than anything and should be taken with at least a pinch of salt. Don’t feel like if you don’t have this gear you can’t do anything, it’s about goals. When I started running T11 raids I was in pretty similar gear to what’s listed at the entry level position, but I’m positive it wasn’t exactly that. For example, money becomes a factor when you’re starting out. Do you have the fiscal prowess to finance gearing up quickly in the best gear possible? If not then you’re stuck doing Heroics and Quests. There’s also the question of time, but suffice it to say if you’re trying to get a tanking position with a guild you’d better be ready to account for any gaps in your gear, enchants, gems, or reforging.
Also, it’s important to note that with patch 4.1 well on it’s way to release this list will change as new items should be available from the new ZA and ZG instances. That’s the problem with a BIS list, it’s only best under certain conditions, or during a certain time. So again, don’t get too hung up on the list. Matter of fact, why did I do this in the first place? Oh yeah, because math is hard…