One thing that’s a constant for warriors especially and tanks in general is we’re very dependant on our gear. Since we’re only a week away from the sprint to 85, I have started putting my lists together.
Here is the list of all the tanking gear (for warriors, Relics, Librams, 2H weapons and leather not included) to be found in the initial dungeons. As you can see, even the lowest piece is better than the best pieces we received from the Lich King himself.
I think my first priority will be to get myself a new weapon. The itemization on the new weapons is better adapted to our needs following the 4.01 changes. We need a slower weapon with Strength and tanking stats and there is nothing to my knowledge that has this itemization in Wrath.
I am hesitating between doing a mad rush to 85 by questing and then instancing or intersperse some instances in between quests. What do you guys think?
So, the following list is what can be found in dungeons. Later this week, I will add the craftable items (Yes, including the engineering goggles) and the Justice Points items.
Blackrock Caverns (80):
- Rom’Ogg Bonecrusher: Shield of the Iron Maiden (Shield) (Heroic version)
- Corla, Herald of Twilight: Signet of Transformation (Ring) (Heroic version)
- Karsh Steelbender:Burned Gatherings (Cloak) (Heroic version)
- Beauty: Beauty’s Plate (Chest) (Heroic version)
- Ascendant Lord Obsidius: Raz’s Pauldron (Shoulder) (Heroic version)
- Ascendant Lord Obsidius: Carrier Wave Pendant (Neck) (Heroic version)
Throne of the Tides (80)
- Lady Naz’jar: Entwined Nereis (Ring) (Heroic version)
- Erunak Stonespeaker: Porcelain Crab (Trinket) (Heroic version)
- Ozumat: Triton Legplates (Legs) (Heroic version)
The Stone Core (81)
- Corborus: Phosphorescent Ring (Ring) (Heroic version)
- High Priestess Azil: Leaden Despair (Trinket) (Heroic version)
- High Priestess Azil: Elementium Fang (Sword) (Heroic version)
The Vortex Pinnacle (81)
- Altarius: Axe of the Eclipse (Axe) (Heroic version)
- Grand Vizier Ertan: Headcover of Fog (Head) (Heroic version)
- Asim al Akir: Heart of Thunder (Trinket) (Heroic version)
- Asim al Akir: Billowing Cape (Cloak) (Heroic version)
- Trash: Darksky Treads (Boots) (Heroic version)
- Trash: Thundercall (Gun) (Heroic version)
Grim Batol (83):
- General Umbris: Umbris Band (Ring) (Heroic version)
- Forgemaster Throngus: Throngus’s Finger (Trinket) (Heroic version)
- Drahga Shadowburner: Earthshape Pauldrons (Shoulder) (Heroic version)
- Erudax: Mark of Khardros (Trinket) (Heroic version)
- Erudax: Mace of Transformed Bone (Mace) (Heroic version)
- Trash: Shroud of Dark Memories (Cloak) (Heroic version)
Halls of Origination (83):
- Anhuur: Darkhowl Amulet (Neck) (Heroic version)
- Earthrager Ptah: Bulwark of the Primordial Mound (Shield) (Heroic version)
- Anraphet: Alpha Bracers (Wrist) (Heroic version)
- Isiset: Armguards of Unearthly Light (Wrist) (Heroic version)
- Setesh: Helm of Setesh (Helm) (Heroic version)
- Rajh: Fingers of Light (Gloves) (Heroic version)
- Rajh: Sun Strike (Sword) (Heroic version)
- Trash: Temple Band (Ring) (Heroic version)
Lost City of Tol’Vir (83):
- Lockmaw: Sand Dune Belt (Belt) (Heroic version)
- Siamat: Ring of Three Lights (Ring) (Heroic version)
- Trash: Impetuous Query (Trinket) (Heroic version)
Shadowfang Keep (Heroic):
- Baron Ashbury: Gloves of the Greymane Wall (Gloves)
- Baron Silverlaine: Baron Silverlaine’s Greaves (Boots)
- Lord Walden: Iron Will Girdle (Belt)
Deadmines (Heroic) (Really not a lot for plate tanks)
- Admiral Ripsnarl: Smite’s Reaver (Axe)
- Captain Cookie: Cookie’s Tenderizer (Mace)
My vote goes to instancing along with questing, truthfully. When Wrath dropped we struggled with some quests because of crowding and limited resources/mobs. I wish we’d gone to more instances at the appropriate level (and the gear boost never hurts, either). I remember having a blast running Violet Hold repeatedly at level 75 to see which mystery bosses we would get this time, until we’d done them all!
An advantage to this is that some instances even have resources (ore, herbs etc.) and all humanoids drop cloth. I’m going to need a metric ton of cloth. Plus instances are fun! It’s a good way to break up the questing. I am getting so excited!
Me too! I can’t wait for Cata to drop and our vacation to start. And I think you’re right, we should mix it up.
Well, I’m a certified quest whore –I think I have the documentation to prove it somewhere– so I intend to quest as much as I can. I still catch myself collecting quests on Neve and Tomakan while I’m waiting for the LFD queue in Outland. Of course, when I was doing the questing in Wrath, most everyone else had already maxed out their mains (and the primary alts). Ergo, I had not much competition for resources.
You might be better served running a mix of instances and questing, although I have to admit that once Cat drops, you might find yourself running heroic Wrath instances at first until you can find the location of the new instances.
Hmm, true, you could run Wrath instances for the easy XP since we already know how to mow them down in a few minutes. Hadn’t thought of that!
From experience, a couple blue quality items early on in the expansion will help you all throughout the expansion – I wound up wearing the blue quality Plate pants from the Wrathgate/Battle for Undercity line because there really wasn’t anything better until I hit 80.
The benefits of taking a dungeon break every night or two would be that you break up the monotony of questing (which, if 1-60 is any indication, there won’t be a monotony) but it also gives you a glancing familiarity with dungeons before you start doing then at 85 Heroic level.
Plus, running dungeons while you go would be a good opportunity to pick up a few JP to snag an item or two from the vendor, have gear ready and waiting when you hit 85!
Hmm, you do have a good point about the one or two blues one could pick up. At the same time, I’ll be levelling with DPS gear (Tank spec) and I doubt that I would be able to pick up such gear over the dps in the dungeon group.
See, for Wrath, I levelled all 10 levels in 9 days without instancing other than Violet Hold (ran that one about 11 times). I probably will instance some more this time around since there’s less of a level spread and we have a much more instancing oriented guild than before.
My thought is, as I look at gear lists to prepare for raiding and heroics, some of the JP Blues that you can’t wear til 85 are pretty viable for things beyond Heroics – for tanking, the stats and gear you’re looking at will be different than what I’d look at, and thus, needs to be weighed differently!
But, as you’ve commented elsewhere, it does feel like tank gear is a bit more readily available than it was in Wrath; which can only be good for aspiring tanks!
Excellent list!
You forgot the rep gear though
Hellscream reach (Tol Barad)
Impatience of Youth – trinket
Mirror of Broken Images – trinket
blues:
Spear of Trailing Shadows – polearm
Blade of the Fearless – sword
http://db.mmo-champion.com/f/1178/hellscreams-reach/
Ramkahem, Hyjal, Therazane, Dragonmaw, Earthen Ring rep also give tons of good stuff and head and shoulders enchant.
You’re right! I somehow put it on my twitter but not in the post. Rep is coming with crafted and JP.
The amount of tank gear is actually quite amazing. I don’t remember there being so much in Wrath when it started.
I still not decided how to get to 85 the quickest possible, the problem is that 7 dec I have a very busy day at work… so far for any quick levelling ambitions! Altough cause you need to have the dungeons explored I think the best way is to quest and grab the dungeons quests along once you found teh dungeons.
At the moment i’m levelling my first tank, a warrior, to 80 ( after 4 healers, and a little tanking experience with my pally). I took good use of your advice untill now ( lvl72), altough i could use some more noob advice getting mob groups together and keep their attention. It would be extremely helpfull if you could explain how you use the Tab ( change targets) to keep all mobs aggroed , cause when i tend to do it i loose so much time not damaging the mobs its certain i’ll loose one or more of them to trigger happy mages / warlocks/ single targetting dk’s.
All the best with your blog
I did the discovery route a number of times on premades in the beta – the discovery process isn’t too bad. If you are questing there’ll be points that direct you to the instances – but particularly given that you can fly everywhere discovery isn’t too bad – I’m tempted just to fly around and do the discovery to start with so I can queue as soon as I’m level appropriate.
The one exception is Throne of Tides – I tried to do this without having done any questing… it’s a long swim (with multiple deaths included) and I never did find the entrance! Also I’m guessing you also can’t get into Deep Holm to discover the Stone Core before the appropriate level.
You can discover the entrance to BRC already – just head down from the entrance to UBRS (or follow the path around and there is a summoning stone marking the entrance to it) and you’ll see it there.
For me? I’ll probably do a mix of questing and dungeons – depending on what others are doing in the guild – and my mood. I started Wrath late (and don’t remember overcrowding being too bad in tBC) so I don’t have much to compare – but I planned my gear in Wrath from a mix of quest rewards and dungeon drops and tanked a lot of dungeons as I leveled (first time) – that was perhaps more important then because I was guildless and it was a good way of meeting good players that I then went on to run heroics with.
Having run through the wrath levels again – questing is a lot quicker – but I got the feeling from the instance runs on beta that it is perhaps a bit more evenly paced between the two this time round.
Really t(h)anks for this “shopping” list
Im stopped doing quests at 84, farmin 5 mans for gear as warrior tank, quests and mob killings will bring me to 85 fast, and i will have the gear aswell for heroics by the time i hit 85!
Swerd/Hellscream