Looking around the internet and the hundreds of resources out there, I've found tons of "Pre-raid Best In Slot" Lists, which are great resources for those people who want to really push their characters to the max before stepping into Molten Core and Onyxia's Lair in classic. However, I've also noticed two major problems with these lists...
1 - They are almost all exclusively based on patch 1.12 gear, and thus include gear that will not be available at launch. I'm looking at you, Dire Maul loot...
2 - They don't take into account how easy or difficult the items are to obtain and ESPECIALLY in reference to each other. Some of the items are rare world drops (Cassandra's Grace, for example) and thus may not be viable options to pursue. Others drop in entirely different dungeons and thus don't allow for multiple chances to get drops within a single run.
So, in preparation for WoW Classic and my eventual capping of my own priest (hopefully still in Phase 1 of the content release), I thought it would be a good idea to sift through all of the data out there, comparing different items and how easy or difficult they are to obtain, and compile a "Good Enough" guide for all of my fellow priests who want to raid, but may not have enough time or desire to constantly farm dungeons over and over in preparation for it.
Without further ado, here we go.
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Step 0 - What You Can Do Before 60...
While leveling, try to snag bits of the Runecloth set, as they have decent intellect and spirit and will help significantly in the dungeons when you get to them. The items can start being collected as early as level 46, so it's definitely a worthwhile investment.If you're a tailor, this should be fairly easy assuming you actually worked on tailoring. You should also begin crafting Mooncloth (which has a four day cooldown) as soon as possible on the side to eventually craft Mooncloth gear upgrades for any missing slots once you reach step 5, or Truefaith Vestments if you really want the pre-raid BiS chest.
Step 1 - Do These Quests (before 60, if possible)
Make sure to complete the quests "In Dreams" in the Eastern Plaguelands and "It's Dangerous to Go Alone" in Un'Goro Crater. Both quests give powerful items (Fordring's Seal and Spirit of Aquementus, respectively) that will make the rest of the items that much easier to obtain."The Battle of Darrowshire" also offers a good neck for starting dungeons, but may be too difficult to complete (requiring a raid, if I'm not mistaken). Plus, its reward will hopefully be replaced by a much better neck soon after capping, but if you happen to get it while leveling, you'll be better prepared at 60.
Also, you should consider doing the Blasted Lands quest chain ending in "Heroes of Old" to get a decent green MP5 trinket, Shard of Afrasa. Ideally, it will be replaced soon enough, but it's good to have in case you have bad luck with drops.
Finally, you should consider completing the quest chains ending in "Order Must Be Restored" (Alliance) or "The Scarlet Oracle, Demetria" (Horde) as well, in order to obtain the powerful wand, Stormrager. While getting this ranged weapon might be particularly difficult around the beginning of WoW Classic, it's probably worth it considering the general lack of good wands pre-raid. All in all, it's a worthy goal to pursue in my opinion.
Step 2 - Blackrock Depths (As Soon As You Can)
Run BRD as soon as groups will take you. You should be pretty much fine to full clear it by level 55 - especially if you have another group member that can off-heal or if you run dungeons with an organized group. There are several AMAZING items in BRD that you'll need to obtain if you want to pull your weight in raids, but many of them come from bosses later in the dungeon. In particular, Hands of the Exalted Herald (dropped by Princess Moira Bronzebeard) and The Hammer of Grace (in the chest after the Trial of Seven event) are must-haves for any priest (and most healers, to be honest). The earlier you can grab these items, the better off you'll be.If you are Horde, remember to grab the quest "The Rise of the Machines" from the Badlands before running it too, as you'll be able to get an awesome cloak, the Raincaster Drape, which won't be replaced for a long time. Alliance priests (or those wanting Fire Resist) can potentially pick up the Cape of the Fire Salamander from Ambassador Flamelash, which isn't perfect, but it's something along the way. Both Alliance and Horde priests can also grab Burst of Knowledge (Ambassador Flamelash) and Second Wind (Golem Lord Arglemach) in BRD as well, so really it's just a lot you can get while still leveling up.
To sum it up and keep it all in one place, here's a quick list of the items you should be aiming for in BRD:
Shoulders:
Kentic Amice from High Interrogator Gerstahn (increase damage AND healing, so expect competition).
Back:
Raincaster Drape (Horde Only) from completing the quest "Rise of the Machines" which involves killing Golem Lord Arglemach.
Cape of the Fire Salamander (Alliance or Horde) from Ambassador Flamelash.
Spritecaster Cape from Houndmaster Grebmar
Hands:
Hands of the Exalted Herald from Princess Moira Bronzebeard. THIS IS A MUST-HAVE!!!
Legs:
Haunting Specter Leggings from the Trial of Seven (7 Dwarves Event).
Senior Designer's Pantaloons from Fineous Darkvire.
Feet:
Omnicast Boots from Golem Lord Arglemach.
Trinkets:
Burst of Knowledge from Ambassador Flamelash.
Second Wind from Golem Lord Arglemach. THIS IS A MUST-HAVE!!!
Weapon and Offhand:
The Hammer of Grace from the Trial of Seven (7 Dwarves Event). THIS IS A MUST-HAVE!!!
Thaurissan's Royal Scepter from Emperor Thaurissan.
OR
Guiding Stave of Wisdom from Emperor Thaurissan.
Ok, by now you SHOULD be at level 60. If you haven't done so already, consider doing the steps above. But in addition to those two things, you now have more work to do...
Step 3 - Stratholme
Run Undead Stratholme...a lot. In order to make this list as efficient as possible, I looked through all of the different loot in dungeons, but after doing so, I've found that there is an absolute crap-ton of suitable gear for holy priests in this dungeon. Before heading over there, make sure to pick up the quest "Houses of the Holy" from Light's Hope Chapel in order to get the Crown of the Penitent - a decent green helm with MP5.Including the decent green helm, there are more than 10 great items you can potentially get here, making it by far the most lucrative dungeon you can run as a priest:
Head:
Crown of the Penitent from the quest mentioned above - "Houses of the Holy."
Crimson Felt Hat from Magistrate Barthilas (Absolutely wonderful helm for casters as well, so expect competition. However, this item will not be released until phase 2!).
Neck:
Animated Chain Necklace from Ramstein the Gorger. This item will not be released until phase 2!
Shoulders:
Soulstealer Mantle from Ramstein the Gorger.
Back:
Royal Tribunal Cloak from Magistrate Barthilas (if you somehow don't have better at this point).
Chest:
Robes of the Exalted from Baron Rivendare. THIS IS A MUST-HAVE!!!
Wrists:
Devout Bracers which are an BOE blue that may drop from the humanoid mobs in the dungeon, but can also be bought from the AH if desired.
Waist:
Thuzadin Sash from Nerub'enkan (You'll have to compete with caster DPS for this too! However, this item will not be released until phase 2!)
Legs:
Devout Skirt from Baron Rivendare (Magister's and Dreadmist legs drop as well).
Feet:
Devout Sandals from Maleki the Pallid.
Finger:
Seal of Rivendare from Baron Rivendare.
As you can see, there's a ton of loot to be had in Strat UD, so it's a REALLY good idea to get in as soon as possible. I should also mention that there are also several good items in Live Strat, though doing a full run of both sections will be VERY time-consuming. If you have the time and desire though, you could consider doing that as well.
Step 4 - Repeat Steps 2 and 3
Do BRD and Strat UD as much as possible until you've gotten Hands of the Exalted Herald, The Hammer of Grace, Robes of the Exalted, and Animated Chain Necklace. Really, these items are the ones with the most raw +healing and will thus be the greatest assets as a level 60 priest. Combined with Fordring's Seal from the quest "In Dreams," these items will give you a good amount of +healing.Once you've gotten those items (and any other lucky drops along the way), you can start filling gaps... I highly advise holding off on filling gaps before getting those items, however, as there are so many good items you could obtain in those two dungeons alone!
Step 5 - Fill in the Blanks: Auction House, Scholomance, and Mooncloth
Fill in the blanks. If you've gotten the best items, you have two other fairly easy options for loot :- Visit the AH for greens and/or Cassandra's Grace (Pre-raid BiS helm, but likely SUPER expensive). Some of the best items for priests are green quality +healing items, including Dragon Finger of Healing (Pre-raid BiS Wand) or Glowstar Rod of Healing (a close 2nd), +healing belts, or +healing offhands. Don't break the bank, though!
- If you're feeling cheap or there are no decent items in the Auction House, run Scholomance. There's a decent amount of good items you can get from running Scholo, including:
- Devout Crown (Head) from Darkmaster Gandling, which you might as well try for if you're running it anyway for set completion. Magister's and Dreadmist headpieces drop as well.
- Burial Shawl (Shoulder) from the various mini-bosses throughout Scholomance (you've got 6 chances for it to drop per run and it's got +20 spell damage and healing, but you have to compete with caster dps for it. This item will not be released until phase 2!)
- Penelope's Rose (Offhand) from the quest to kill Kirtonos the Herald. Pick up the quest from the ghosts outside to get this offhand with decent stats (though no +healing).
- Bonecreeper Stylus (Wand) from Darkmaster Gandling. A good wand, but again has +11 spell damage and healing, so you'll be competing with mages and warlocks.
- If you're a tailor, you can start crafting some Mooncloth pieces for any missing item slots. It'll probably have taken you a while to get through the other steps, so you should have enough saved up for at least a couple of pieces (unless you got super-lucky with drops in Strat and BRD). They've only got core stats, but hopefully you'll have enough +healing from other items to compensate. However, this will set you back if you are considering crafting the Truefaith Vestments, so keep that in mind...
What NOT to do to gear up...
Don't spam UBRS or LBRS for gear. There are a few really good items in there, but considering how few they are compared to other dungeons, it probably isn't worth the grind. That being said, if you happen to run these dungeons for other reasons (fun, quests, attunements, etc.), keep an eye out for the Dragonrider Boots (Feet) from Rend Blackhand, and Briarwood Reed (Trinket) from the rare spawn Jed Runewatcher in UBRS, and Skyshroud Leggings (Legs) from Highlord Omokk in LBRS. These are some of the best items at 60, but they're about the only ones of value in the dungeon. You can also possibly pick up a Devout Belt (Waist) in LBRS from trash, but you might be able to buy it cheap on the AH depending on the seller and save yourself a trip to the spire.Final Thoughts
Congratulations on getting your priest to 60 and good luck with the gearing process. Obviously, there are tons of other items you could get - and even more once Dire Maul is released. But for any of you out there that wish to get the most bank for your buck in dungeon spamming early on in classic, this list should fit the bill just fine. Keep calm and run more Strat and BRD!If I missed anything or if you thought this guide was useful, let me know by leaving a comment! I'd love to know if there's anything more I can add here, so make sure to tell me if there are better guides available for priest gearing at Classic launch. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter and check out my videos over on YouTube too!
But that's it for now. Good luck, again! And as always, take it easy!
A big thanks to Tigs's Vanilla Heal Priest BiS List and to vanillawowdb.com, without which this list wouldn't exist!
a complete package on raids in vanilla ;)
ReplyDeleteExcellent Guide
ReplyDeleteI've been looking everywhere for a guide like this!! Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteAny chance your working on one for TBC?