Gear Your Tanky-Bear FAST! A Simplified Pre-Raid Gearing Guide for Feral Tanks

Hey dudes, Silvite Soltis here and I'm back today with another Get Geared Fast guide for you! Man, it's been a LONG time since I did one of these...

So far we've discussed priests, pallies and shamans, warrior tanks and dps, and a whole bunch of casters. But one of my favorite types of character has long-been neglected: the bear tanks! So, since phase 3 is now out and getting pre-raid gear is easier than ever, I thought now's as good a time as ever to help get your big fuzzy bois all geared up to raid!

Let's get right into it!

Priority Dungeons

As a druid tank, you're going to have little difficulty finding dungeons as you approach level cap, due to the immense demand for tanks at endgame. That being said, there are 4 dungeons you'll want to prioritize as you reach that glorious level 60: BRD, UBRS, DM North, and Stratholme. And, as a general rule of thumb when gearing, make sure to focus first on the dungeons with important quests before farming for gear.

First up in the list, you'll want to be running BRD repeatedly, just like basically every other class, for a chance at up to 18 items, as well as a pre-raid BiS ring reward for Horde druids - Thrall's Resolve. Since you can start clearing this dungeon as early as level 53, and need to run it to complete attunement quests, it's just a great way to get the gearing process started. In particular, watch out for Arglemach's Naglering, The Emperor's New Cape, Plugger Spazzring's Mixologist's Tunic, and many more solid pieces while you work on those necessary quest chains.

Next up, UBRS is an absolute must-go dungeon for everyone in Classic, as it's home to several attunement quests, great quest rewards, and, of course, amazing drops. As you work on these quests to pick up your Mark of Tyranny and Drakefire Amulet, keep an eye out for Truestrike Shoulders, Blademaster Leggings, Blackmist Armguards, and some pieces of Wildheart or Shadowcraft that you can make good use of.

Third on the list of must-do dungeons is DM North Tribute Runs. This is mostly just to get the awesome weapon Unyielding Maul and/or the Tarnished Elven Ring from the tribute chest at the end. Now that we're in Phase 3, these items are easier to obtain than ever, and considering the high armor and defense of the mace, it's worth it to try and pick it up - unless you have the Warden Staff, that is.

Finally, Stratholme is a two wing dungeon that has several good leather items, but if you haven't gotten a helm yet, what you'll want to try for is the Mask of the Unforgiven from the boss bearing the same name. It's fairly common to see farming runs for this boss, so consider setting one up or joining a group to pick this amazing helm up, assuming you don't have something decent from leveling in BRD that is.



Ok, now that you know which dungeons to prioritize in your gearing process, let's discuss some RNG-free items for specific slots that you can collect if dungeon drops prove to be elusive along the way...

Quick Tip!

Feral tanks have several great items that they can pick up reaching rank 3 in PVP and grinding their Alterac Valley reputation to honored, so if you enjoy this form of content at all, keep that in mind as you work on gearing up!

Guaranteed Items for Specific Slots

Head

Unfortunately, the helm is one of the worst pieces in terms of a guaranteed slot, so your safest bet is to ignore upgrading this piece until completing all the attunements and related dungeons, then trying for the Mask of the Unforgiven from Stratholme if you haven't gotten a suitable piece by then. But, if you don't want to farm, you could hit up the Auction House to look for a Tattered Leather Hood, a Pridelord Halo, or a simple Wicked Leather Headband. Alternatively, you can complete the Deadwood of the North quest in Felwood to obtain a Helm of the Pathfinder, but chances are good that you'll be wanting to upgrade from that anyway at level 60.

Neck

Fortunately, there are several decent neck options for druid tanks pre-raid - especially for tauren:

If you are into PVP and feel like grinding AV rep to Honored, you can easily purchase a decent Stam+AP necklace, the Frostwolf Leginnaire's Pendant or Stormpike Soldier's Pendant

If you're Horde and hate the idea of hour-long AV queues, you can simply do the quest Wanted: Vile Priestess Hexx and Her Minions in the Hinterlands to obtain the Woven Ivy Necklace instead.

And like every class, druids can also consider completing Tirion Fordring's quest chain to obtain a Mark of Fordring, though it's definitely more of a dps item and you'd have to give up Fording's Seal to get it, so choose carefully if you do In Dreams.

As a final note, you can also look in the auction house for a Medallion of Grand Marshal Morris. Though it's usually quite expensive, it's an excellent necklace for all tanks, so keep it in mind as an option.

Shoulders

Hopefully, you'll get Truestrike while completing your attunements and whatnot, but if you NEED something else, there are three potentially decent items you can grab to help you tank early on:

First of all, Horde have access to the Duskwing Mantle from Nathanos's quest Duskwing, How I Hate Thee, which is a great place to start even before you go into UBRS.

Another potential shoulderguard you could obtain, even as Alliance, are the Wyrmhide Spaulders from the BRD quest A Taste of Flame. While they have no stamina or agility, the 2% hit makes them great for threat generation.

Finally, you can pick up the crafted Stormshroud Shoulders for some stamina and evasion if none of the other options seem good enough, though whether or not you believe it's worth the cost in materials is up to you.

Back

Luckily, druid tanks have access to several great cloaks that are fairly easy to obtain, though two of the best ones require a bit of PVP...

First off, the Sergeant's Cape/Cloak is a reward for attaining PVP Rank 3. If you've decided to farm AV rep anyway, this should basically be a free item AND it's pre-raid BiS due to it's high armor and stamina. If you somehow don't make rank 3 before hitting honored, though, you can also pick up a decent cloak from the reputation quartermaster instead: the Frostwolf Legionnaire's Cloak / Stormpike Soldier's Cloak.

Of course, if you're hellbent on avoiding PVP, there are a couple of crafted cloaks that you could obtain instead. The Cloak of Warding is particularly good due to its high armor and defense stats. The Shifting Cloak is an excellent druid tanking cloak as well, though the mats will likely take just as long to farm out as AV reputation, so...yeah. Choose wisely!

Chest

There are actually quite a few great chest that are guaranteed for bears that seek them out, but three stand out above the rest:

First off is the VERY tanky Warbear Harness, which is crafted via leatherworking. With a ton of stamina and decently high armor, it's definitely a worthwhile investment. If you prefer more agility though, the Wicked Leather Armor is another great crafted item that you could use.

However, both of those items pale in comparison to the newly introduced Grizzled Pelt from the druid Sunken Temple quest chain, which has an excellent spread of tanking stats. However, if you want to pick up the healing chest from that quest instead for offspec, the leatherworking items are still a great bet.

Wrists

Unfortunately, there's no really decent bracers that can be crafted or obtained via a quest, so keep an eye out for the Malefic Bracers, Shadowcraft Bracers, or Deepfury Bracers on the auction house.

Hands

For hands, there are a few viable options. First off, you can collect the Blight Leather Gloves from the Felwood quest A Final Blow - the final part of the Jaedenar quest chain. This is a good start, and one you can get pretty easily at level cap, but you'll probably want to upgrade from this anyway.

As such, there are two other BoE options are the widely-popular. The Devilsaur Gauntlets have ok stats, but an amazing 2 piece bonus for threat generation if you also get the Leggings. Alternatively, you could easily pick up the Shadowcraft Gloves from the auction house, which offers an excellent 2 piece bonus for damage mitigation - 200 more armor. So, if you have the belt or bracers anyway, it might be a great idea to drop the 4-6 gold on this dungeon set item too, assuming you don't particularly feel like spending hundreds of gold on the Devilsaur items, that is.

Waist

There are three guaranteed belts that you  can aim for for your big lovable bear:

First off, if you've been farming AV reputation, you can get your Stormpike or Frostwolf Leather Belt, which is available upon reaching honored.

If PVP isn't your thing, you can most definitely pick up Vosh'Gajin's Strand from the quest Maxwell's Mission, if you're Alliance or Warlord's Command if you're Horde. Horde is actually much luckier when it comes to this slot, as this quest is the first part of their Onyxia attunement quest, so every tanky tauren bear should have it already by this point.

If neither of those options suits your needs though, or if you want to make sure you can get double two-piece bonuses from Devilsaur and Shadowcraft sets, the Shadowcraft Belt is another viable option that is typically pretty cheap on the auction house. So, consider that as well.

Legs

Unfortunately, there are no really solid legs for bears that can be obtained from quests, but there is a nice selection of BoE items you can pick up from the auction house or have crafted for you:

Again, the Devilsaur Leggings are a great item for bears wanting to get that 2% hit for threat generation. They lack a bit in survivability though, so unless you've got the gloves to match, you may be better off keeping an eye out for the Plaguehound Leggings - a high-agi pair of pants with 1% hit.

But, if you're cheap like me, you'll probably end up just going for the Warbear Woolies - a crafted BoE item that is super cheap to craft. It might take a bit of time to find someone with the pattern, but it'll definitely save you some gold.

Feet

Ok, almost done with all the leather. For boots, druid tanks have a few guaranteed options. To start, the Spry Boots from the DM East quest Pusillin and the Elder Azj'Tordin offers some great avoidance and decent armor, so it might be a good place to start if you haven't gotten any other drops by this point.

If you want a bit more in stats, however, the Mongoose Boots and Dawn Treaders crafted by leatherworkers are also viable options that you can most definitely work toward. Keep in mind, though, that both of these can be quite pricey - especially the Dawn Treaders.

Fingers

For your rings, there are several awesome, guaranteed drops that you can work on:

First and foremost, Horde druids can and should get Thrall's Resolve from the quest The Princess Saved? in BRD. This ring is BiS and will last you a LONG time in your tanking adventures. Unfortunately, Alliance druids can't obtain this, as Magni's Will is the melee reward from their version of the chain, but to be fair, it's a great ring as well, so...yeah. All druids should really do this quest.

Other than the BRD quest, though, there are two great quest rewards out in the open world that you can and should work toward getting. While leveling up in Tanaris, you can complete the quest Tooga's Quest in order to obtain the Band of the Great Tortoiose, which is awesome for druid tanks due to the high armor in the ring slot - one that typically doesn't provide armor in the first place. Once you get up to level 60, though, you'll want to also obtain a Ring of Protection from the Battle of Darrowshire quest chain. This ring, with its high armor and stamina, is amazing for bear tanks, so make it a priority to pick it up!

Trinkets

Alright, now for the fun bit - the trinkets! As a druid tank, there are several awesome trinkets from quests and other sources that you'll want to pick up if possible:

First off, we've got the Rune of the Guard Captain from the Horde-exclusive quest Job Opening: Guard Captain of Revantusk Village. This is basically a must-have for any Horde melee class - tank or dps alike. As a tank, it will provide you with great threat generation and should only be swapped out for fights where high mitigation is more important than threat.

Next up is Mark of Tyranny, one of the pre-raid BiS trinkets for druid tanks. This is obtained from the quests General Drakkisath's Demise for Alliance and For the Horde! for Horde. Again, this is basically a guaranteed slot for Horde characters, as it is part of the Onyxia attunement quest chain. However, you should also be aware that by taking this item, you're giving up two other excellent trinkets as well - Eye of the Beast and, more importantly for threat generation, Blackhand's Breadth. Choose wisely.

If you're an enchanter, you should consider trying to pick up the recipe for Smoking Heart of the Mountain, a BoP crafted item made by enchanters that is comparable to Mark of Tyranny and offers several resistances. As of right now, the pattern is being sold for a pittance and other than the Blood of the Mountain itself, the materials are mostly quite cheap as well.

If you've decided to go the PVP route to gear your druid, you can make good use of the AV Trinket Frostwolf / Stormpike Insignia as well, which offers some dodge, health, and frost resistance AND improves as you gain more reputation with your faction. Sure, it's not the best, but it's something!

Finally, if you've just got no incentive to grind out any of those other trinkets, you could simply complete the long Blasted Lands quest chain ending in You Are Rakh'likh, Demon in order to pick up the Demon's Blood trinket - offering some defense, health, and more. Though, to be honest, you really should try to get the other trinkets over this one, as it's a lot of work for little reward. You do get a 16 slot bag with it too though, so...

Weapon(s)

Finally, the most important aspect of nearly every class's gearing process OTHER than feral druids, the weapon!

As a start to your tanking adventures, Horde players can pick up Sarah's Guide from the quest The Corpulent One in the Eastern Plaguelands, though this is really just for the stamina if you've gotten literally nothing better by that point.

Better than that stat stick are two very good two handers: the BiS-through-Naxx Warden Staff, which is a BoE world drop that you could use as early as level 43 and will cost you an arm and a leg to purchase, and the significantly less expensive Twig of the World Tree, which typically runs around 10 gold on the auction house. Obviously, the former is better, but the latter is more affordable, so...yeah.

As a final note about weapons, it's also VERY possible to find a high stamina/agility 2-hander from the auction house, so keep an eye out for those as well. As druid weapons are just glorified stat-sticks, it really doesn't matter all that much what it is so long as the stats are good. That being said, I wish you luck in getting either a cheap Warden Staff or an Unyielding Maul from your DM North tribute runs!

Final Thoughts

So yeah, that's basically all it takes to Gear Your Tanky-Bear FAST! To summarize, run BRD, UBRS, DM North, and possibly Stratholme for the quest rewards and many potentially great drops, grind AV for honored reputation and rank 3 if you're into PVP, and then fill in the gaps with the quest rewards and BoE items I just listed. Easy-peasy!

Thanks for reading this guide and good luck in gearing up your big ole huggable bear! As tanks are in high demand, I believe I speak for everyone when I say that we appreciate your role and hope you are able to get as much loot as you need as fast as possible! As a final note, remember that in addition to the items listed here, it's definitely possible to find high level stam/agi greens on the AH to round out your set as well, though those are never guaranteed and may be quite expensive, so feel free to prioritize the quest items and PVP rewards instead if you are financially strapped.

But anyway, that's it for today. If you liked this guide or found it useful, let me know by adding yourself to my mailing list and by leaving a comment down below! Also, consider following me on  Facebook and Twitter for updates when I release new guides and content like this in the future, and check out my videos over on YouTube if you prefer content like this in that form as well.

Thanks again for reading, good luck with the gearing process, and as always...

Take it easy!

Top 5 - Worst Classic Quests

Hey dudes, Silvite Soltis here. And today, I've got another top 5 post for you.

In looking over some of my previous top 5s, I realized that I typically focus on the best things, which is pretty much expected for something called a Top 5. So, today, I thought it might be a bit of fun to rant about just the opposite - the Worst 5 of something so to speak. And since I've been enjoying leveling my dwarf paladin and orc shaman when not raiding BWL, I've been rudely reminded of some terribad quests that exist in Classic.

So, that's what we're going to talk about today: My Top 5 Worst Classic Quests.

Let's get started.

#5 - A Solvent Spirit

Screw these lobster dudes...

Starting off my list is this absolute shitshow of a quest that EVERY player that's ever rolled an orc or a troll has experienced at least once. At first glance, A Solvent Spirit seems simple enough - kill some crabs and lobster dudes along the coast of southern Durotar and collect some items from them. Easy-peasy, right? Wrong.

First off, this is one of those underwater quests for the most part, as that's where most of the crabs and all of the lobster guys are, so that's already annoying enough. But it gets worse - the drop rate of the mucus and eyes is HORRENDOUS. Sure, wowhead might say it's around 30% or whatever, but I can personally attest to having had to grind these sons of bitches for over an hour, which just shouldn't happen on a level 8 quest!

Sure it's not the worst quest in the game, but I hate A Solvent Spirit. But hey, at least the Really Sticky Glue was a nice reward, right?

#4 - Deep Ocean, Vast Sea

Looks easy, right?

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I completely forgot that this quest existed - especially since I haven't been to Darkshore in ages, but Deep Ocean, Vast Sea has got to be one of the most horrendously designed quests in the history of not just classic, but all of WoW. Again, it's one of those underwater quests (luckily the last one on this list, in case you're wondering), which already makes it a pain in the ass to do - especially at like level 17 when you'd try to do it. Some quests like this, though, aren't all that bad - like the Gnomish tools quest in Durotar. Swim down, pick up some items, then swim up.

Oh, if only it were so simple...

No, the ships you have to swim down into to collect the lockboxes from are absolutely SWARMING with murlocs. And not just any murlocs either, murlocs that can apparently see through walls and will eat your face faster than your shitty little aquatic form can help flail away through the water.

So...yeah, this quest sucks. And I'm pretty glad that I haven't had a reason to attempt it in Classic yet.

#3 - Mok'thardin's Enchantment

1.9% Drop Rate? Good luck!

Next up in this list of dumpster fire quests is the Horde exclusive quest chain from Grom'gol, Mok'thardin's Enchantment. Now, we all know that Classic is full of quests that force you to grind mobs for 10 years for a drop, but if you've ever tried to do this chain, you know the true definition of a grind.

It starts off simple enough, as all these quests do: kill some panthers and tigers to collect claws and a fang. The claws are pretty easy to collect - dropping from Shadowmaw Panthers that you'd normally kill for Hemit Nesingwary anyway. The Pristine Tigress Fang, however, is another story entirely - dropping only from Stranglethorn Tigresses at a measly 6% drop rate (and even THAT sounds too high to me). Be prepared to kill nothing but cats for the next 3 hours of your life...

But anyway, you get the fang! Woo! The worst is over, right? Nope! Go get some raptor feathers! Well...that wasn't so bad, actually. Maybe I'm done now...

Nope! Kill gorillas for the rest of your time in STV to find an Aged Gorilla Sinew! Less than 2% drop rate! That oughta keep you occupied for the next 3 days!

Seriously, screw this quest chain. I'm ok with some grinding, but sub 10% drop rates on quest items back to back is no bueno...

#2 - The Beacon Quests (All 3 of them)

It's just a simple escort, right?

Ahh, here it is! The three quests that EVERYONE expected to be on this list! Quests so infamous that they've been complained about on forums and YouTube videos for over a decade, the three beacon quests located in the Hinterlands, Tanaris, and Feralas are among the most frustrating quests ever designed.

The quests themselves are pretty straightforward - loot an item, find the robotic chicken, then escort it to a large open space where it can takeoff (because it can fly, obviously). The actual escort, however, is the biggest pain in the ass ever conceived. Though the chickens have a clear and set path, they aggro literally EVERYTHING near that path. And as if the massive aggro range isn't bad enough, each of these three escort events has set points where groups of between 2-4 mobs will spawn and start attacking both the chicken and you. So if you thought you could solo this at the appropriate level, think again!

But, in my opinion, the worst part of these three quests isn't the mobs or the aggro range - it's the freaking blazing saddles speed at which the chickens run ahead. Seriously, why can't we take a mana break for like 10 seconds after pulling everything in a 30 yard radius AND having 4 mobs spawn and attack us?!!!?!?!??!?!

Needless to say, I hate all three of these damn chicken escorts...but not as much as I hate the number 1 quest on this list! But first, some dishonorable mentions, just for good measure...

Dishonorable Mentions

Bloody Bone Necklaces - So many gd trolls die for this quest that it isn't even funny.

Verog the Dervish - Just how many fucking centaur do I have to kill before he spawns?

The Messenger Quests in Lakeshire - Because I'm not a goddamn mailman!

#1 - The Horde Onyxia Attunement

Ok so...this might be super unexpected, especially after I praised the hell out of the Alliance's Ony attunement chain, but GOD DAMN the Horde's questline is awful. First off, you can't even start this chain until around level 58, as the very first quest involves running Lower Blackrock Spire. Then, after finishing that admittedly straightforward quest, you're tasked with going back to Upper Blackrock Spire to kill Rend - meaning after running all the way back to Orgrimmar you have to get back to UBRS - hopefully with someone who has actually assembled the damn Seal of Ascension.

Ok, to be fair, this isn't all that bad for Classic. But hold on, it gets a LOT worse...

After finishing the first portion and turning in Rend's head, which triggers a much sought-after world buff that only Horde gets, you get the super-fun task of tracking down Rexxar somewhere in Desolace.

God...dammit.

He could be ANYWHERE along that path...and more...

If you play Horde, you've probably noticed that there is literally someone asking where Rexxar is at least 3 times every hour in LFG chat. This is because his patrol around Desolace and Feralas is absolutely massive and he could be anywhere at any point. Luckily, you'll have a mount by the time you do this quest, so it's not as bad as leveling in Desolace, but still...screw finding this guy, alright?

Anyway after talking with him, you end up having to go all the way across the map to the Western Plaguelands, then back into UBRS to collect dragon eyes. If there's ANYONE else on the quest in your group, good luck getting enough eyes in one run! They drop 2 at a time and only one person can loot them from any given mob, so you might have to run it more than once to get all 20 needed.

But you know, that's still not too bad if I'm being honest. The worst part is yet to come.

Here's Emberstrife...

After collecting a bunch of eyes and finding Rexxar again, you need to find and talk to some dragon in Dustwallow Marsh, who tasks you with finding and killing 3 unique drakes in different corners of the world. Because that's how everyone wants to spend their evening - putting together a raid group to run around the entire world map to kill 3 mobs. Then, to make matters worse, you have to go BACK to Dustwallow Marsh, back to that dragon in the cave to turn in those 3 quests before you can pick up ANOTHER quest to go and kill a dragon in the fucking Wetlands!

So, you get over to Hammerfall, run down into the marshes to the south, get to Grim Batol and pray to god that Axtroz isn't bugged. Oh yeah as if running all over the place and killing random named dragons everywhere isn't bad enough, the quest itself is bugged to hell - with the skull very often not showing up on the corpse for one or more people on the quest! This literally happened to me FOUR TIMES.

A drake without a skull...apparently...

Now I know what you're thinking - "Maybe you didn't have the right Test of Skulls quest." But no, I had done the 3 drakes, gone back to the Marsh, and had picked up Test of Skulls - Axtroz. It was all for naught and I had to abandon the quest after joining two different raid groups and pulling several of my guildies in to help me finish it. Luckily, someone re-shared the quest after I dropped it and I was able to loot the skull after disabling ALL my addons and picking up the quest, but it literally made no sense.

Anyway, yeah, I've got a bit of a personal vendetta against this quest chain, but hell, it's my list and I'm sticking to it. Fuck the Horde Ony attunement quest. I much prefer Jailbreak!

Oh, and after you finally finish all the drake quests, you have to go find Rexxar again, do UBRS a 3rd time, and get the Drakefire Amulet by finding Rexxar a fucking fourth time for good measure. GG Blizz. GG...

Final Thoughts

So, yeah, there you have it - just a few of the worst quests Classic has to offer. Interestingly, I actually had quite a challenge thinking of quests to fill this list with, as the game has so many really interesting ones that are much more memorable. But, as you can tell, there's still some crap mixed in among all the gems... Obviously, it goes without saying that these are all my opinion, and I'm sure that there are many other terrible quests in the game. So, if you think I missed any terrible quests, or if you have your own Worst 5, let me know by leaving a comment down below.

Anyway though, that's it for today. If you liked this post and would like to see more, feel free to add yourself to my mailing list below, so you don't miss out on any other posts in the future. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates on new content, and check out my videos over on YouTube if you prefer to watch this type of content instead. Have an awesome day, good luck with your questing adventures, and as always...

Take it easy!

My Thoughts Going Into Phase 3

Hey dudes. Silvite Soltis back again with another post for your reading pleasure.

Nefarian, Final boss of Blackwing Lair

As you all know, Classic's been out for almost 6 months at this point. And since Phase 3 is imminent (and possibly out by the time I hit publish on this post), I thought it might be fun to just jot down some of my thoughts about the game until now. Especially since I've never really discussed the different phases much previously. So, before we all hop into Blackwing Lair and try to get those ultra-epic lewts, let me just take some time to tell about my thoughts going into Phase 3.




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As many of you know, my initial goals when Classic released was to reach the level cap during phase 1, begin raiding, and collect my full Prophecy set and Benediction. However, due to my limited time for playing the game I'd so long awaited, I wasn't able to meet that first goal. When the early release of Dire Maul was announced, with Phase 2 officially starting not long after, I was really bummed out, but it really pushed me to level as fast as I could, given my circumstances.


Well, luckily I reached level 60 and got into raiding not long after Phase 2 officially launched. And while I was still a bit bummed that I missed the initial Dire Maul rush, it felt great to finally raid Molten Core and Onyxia's Lair as relevant content. Overall, I found a lot of satisfaction with the game after finally capping.

Like...what happened with the phases? (Credit to classicwow.live)

Fast forward a bit to December 2019, and we got the announcement that Phase 3, the one with Blackwing Lair, would be launching in "Early 2020". Initially, I was furious with this news, as I'd only recently hit level 60 and had hardly even touched Molten Core. After comparing the Classic releases of the other content, like DM and battlegrounds, to their original release dates in vanilla, I felt like Blizzard was rushing out the phases and not really letting players experience it in an authentic manner. I was especially worried because, to me, "Early 2020" sounded like a mid-late January release, and with only one viable day for raiding, I thought I might have to make a choice between either finding a new guild that would continue doing MC on that day, or move into BWL without completing my second main goal - Prophecy and Benediction.

The Next Chapter...

Well, here we are with BWL about to launch, and I can say that I was definitely a bit too hasty in my initial reaction to that news. This phase's February release means that it's coming roughly five and half months after Classic's launch, only about two months sooner than Vanilla's Patch 1.6. Sure, it's not 100% true to the initial launch, but considering that most of us didn't have much actual progression in tier 1 content this time around, the timing seems pretty much right.

5/8 Prophecy AND Benediction Obtained!

Basically, what I'm saying is that though I thought Blizzard has been rushing Classic content, the release of Blackwing Lair and the rest of Phase 3 content seems like it's coming at a good time. Personally, I'm super-excited for this new chapter of Classic. Despite not having my full Tier 1 set - 5/8 as of right now - I'm ready for something new. And I'm sure that many of you out there who have been clearing MC in under 2 hours for the past few months are right there with me.


In addition to the new raid, I'm excited about a few other things coming to the game in this phase too! The Sunken Temple class quests, while not really beneficial for  my priest at this point, will give my shammy alt something to work on when I get him up to the early 50s. The Darkmoon Faire, while not necessarily something I was ever really interested in, will be a fun place to go hang out in whenever it comes to Mulgore, if only to listen to the music while chitchatting with my guild.

Most importantly, though, is that we'll start having overpowered BWL-geared raiders running with alts and newbies through Molten Core and Onyxia - boosting those toons' gear faster than ever before. Despite being old content in Classic as soon as BWL and beyond are released, the fact that MC contains so many amazing items (including tier 2 legs, some trinkets, and more) makes it impossible for certain raiders to pass up. Phase 3 is going to be a great time to have a fresh 60 in Classic, that's for sure!

Did somebody say...?

And, of course, we'll all finally get to see people running around Ironforge and Orgrimmar with, you guessed it, Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker! What a time to be enjoying Classic!






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So, there you have it. My thoughts going into this new chapter of Classic's life. Overall, I'm pretty excited, as you can probably tell, but I'd like to know what you think. Are you excited for something new, nervous about the challenges that await in Nefarian's evil lair, or annoyed by the slightly early release of this 15 year old content? Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment down below. If you liked this post, add yourself to my mailing list below, or follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates when I post new content. Also, consider checking out my videos over on YouTube, as that's where all of these blog posts end up roughly a week or so after their writing.

Thanks for reading, have an awesome day, and as always...

Take it easy!

Top 5 - Overlooked Healer Items

Hey dudes. Silvite Soltis here with another top 5 post for you!

Over the past couple of months of raiding and getting back into my regular content creation, I've been looking over a lot of items in WoW Classic. And though there are a ton of great items that everyone knows about, thanks to the prevalence of Best-in-Slot lists, I've also noticed that there are many items that get forgotten - despite being nearly as good as other items!

So today, that's what we're going to take a look at - my Top 5 Overlooked Healer Items in WoW Classic. Just to be clear, I'm mostly focusing on pre-raid items that rarely (if ever) get mentioned and that can be more easily obtained than the pre-raid BiS counterparts. I'll also try to only mention a slot once, as to make this top 5 more informative for healers looking for particular slots. Finally, I'm only including items that ALL healers can utilize, so expect a bit of cloth to be mentioned. But anyway, with those disclaimers out of the way, let's get right into it!

#5 - Archlight Talisman (Neck)

Alright so, as healers we all know that we're probably going to run Strat Undead about a million times to try and get some great items. However, if you have terrible luck like a couple of my guildmates, you may never see the Animated Chain Necklace drop. So, what can you do?

Well, luckily, there's a quest reward that is completely RNG free and has decent stats for healers: the Archlight Talisman from the Battle of Darrowshire quest chain.

Now, I know that it doesn't compare at all to the awesome necklace from Strat, but let's face it - RNGeesus hates some people. And though it has no +healing on it, the stats it does have could be the difference between life and death in some fights. Sure, you have to get a raid together to finish the final portion of the quest chain, but again, it's a guaranteed reward that you can get for free even before you hit 60 if desired.

But if you ARE dead set on running Strat a couple hundred times for your neck, there are a few more underrated items you should definitely keep an eye out for...

#4 - Dungeon Set Pieces (Bracers, Belts, Legs, and Boots)

At number 4, we've got a three-for: the dungeon set bracers, belts, and legs. Since healers are constantly going to want to run Strat Undead for their Animated Chain Necklace, Robes of the Exalted, and other amazing items, they may come across these items along the way. Though the bracers and belts are random trash drops, and only a few of them even drop in Strat Undead, they are BoE and can usually be found on the auction house for fairly cheap. The best ones for healers are definitely the clothy ones - Dreadmist, Magister's, and Devout - due to their balance of intellect, stamina, and spirit. However, the other sets may be useful depending on your class.



When it comes to the legs, however, the odds of getting something decent are definitely in your favor here. Baron Rivendare always drops one of the nine set legs, so depending on your healer, you could potentially get a decent pair of pants in just a few runs while trying to scoop up your BiS neck and robes. Of course, the Devout Skirt isn't anywhere near as popular as Senior Designer's Pantaloons, or good for that matter, but if you need pants or pure stats, the dungeon legs are a pretty safe bet.

#3 - Green 'Of Healing' Items (Especially Wands/Offhands)

Dragon Finger of Healing is AWESOME!

Next up on this list is the often overlooked, highly underrated green 'of Healing' items. Though I'm not personally a big fan of having a giant +healing number with no stats, these items can be invaluable when you just can't get a drop. And for some slots - like the priest wand - they are just downright Best in Slot for a long time.

When I was nearly 60, I bought a bunch of these items and had them ready in my bank for when I made the swap over to healing. And though I didn't end up needing all of them, they provided a much-needed backup plan for slots when gear just didn't want to drop in dungeons. What's more, I actually continued using a Mystical Orb of Healing (+31 Healing) until I got Benediction only a couple of weeks ago. And still use my Dragon Finger of Healing (+18 Healing) even now going into Blackwing Lair.

So, keep an eye on the auction house for these when they pop up. You might just be able to fill an elusive slot with a good chunk of +heals!

#2 - Eye of the Beast (Trinket)

Alrighty, in the number 2 slot we've got the trinket that all casters should most definitely have if they plan on raiding at all in Classic - the all-too-common, but often overlooked, Eye of the Beast trinket from the Horde Onyxia attunement quest, and the Alliance quest General Drakkisath's Demise.

In the world of min-maxing that we are currently playing in, most healers opt for trinkets with healing or spell power such as the Dire Maul trinkets, Second Wind, Burst of Knowledge, or Briarwood Reed. However, since this item is both guaranteed (as it's a quest reward) AND provides a solid 2% spell crit for damaging and healing spells, it shouldn't be underestimated.  I can't count the number of times that a quick Power Word: Shield and Flash Heal crit combo has saved my tanks from utter annihilation.

Sure, more +healing is always great, but critical heals are also badass, in my opinion. And that's why this awesome trinket is up here at number 2.

#1 - Dreamweave Set (Head, Gloves, Chest)

The Dreamweave Set is, without a doubt, the most commonly overlooked bunch of healer items in Classic, despite it actually being fantastic for healers and caster dps alike. These three items - the Circlet, Gloves, and Vest - are all cloth (meaning all healers can use them), have 18 or more spell damage and healing, and can be equipped as early as level 40 (the helm, 45). The mats to craft them are all relatively cheap, and you can typically find them on the auction house for anywhere from 3-10 gold per piece, depending on your server's economy. Really, they're just awesome items that healers should definitely consider picking up as they approach level 60.



Look, in a perfect world, healers will all get a Cassandra's Grace, Hands of the Exalted Herald, and Robes of the Exalted before stepping into Molten Core and Onyxia's Lair. Unfortunately, the world isn't perfect. And while there are tons of other pieces of loot that healers could obtain instead of those Pre-Raid BiS items once they reach level 60, the fact of the matter is that these three items remain really solid up until raid gear is obtained. Personally, I'm still using the Circlet and Gloves to this day, 3 months after crafting them in the first place. They're cheap, easy to craft, and just all-around wonderful items for healers to use.



And that's why I had to place them here, at number 1...

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it: my top 5 overlooked healer items in WoW Classic. Though none of these items are quite as good as their BiS counterparts, I can definitely say that they're still quite good and can provide you healers with a nice alternative to no-lifing in dungeons before stepping into raids. Of course, if you want to be the best of the best, like no one ever was, you can do that, but with BWL just around the corner, it's only going to get easier to get into MC and Ony to collect those sweet sweet purples. So...why not just get some decent gear instead?

Anway, that's it for today. If you liked this list, or have any other pre-raid healer items that you think I should've included here, let me know by leaving a comment down below. I read every one. If you'd like to see more content like this in the future, add yourself to my mailing list down below, or follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates. Check out my videos over on YouTube, if you prefer video content over written words, and be sure to subscribe while you're at it!

Thanks again for reading. Have an awesome day, and as always...

Take it easy!