Top 5 - Zul'Gurub Drops

Hey dudes - Silvite Soltis here, back with another Top 5 post for your reading pleasure.

As you're all aware, Phase 4 has officially arrived - giving us all a fantastic "new" catch-up raid. And though I'm sure most of us have already beaten the Blood God Hakkar into a bloody pulp several times by now, I doubt many have collected all of the items they desire from this troll city. (Personally, I've done five runs in the past two weeks.) Given that some of the items in Zul'Gurub are so powerful compared to what's available in the likes of Molten Core and Blackwing Lair, raiders will no doubt continue to raid this place for months to come.

Zul'Gurub

So, in celebration of this (old) new content, I thought it might be fun to discuss what I feel are the best item drops one can obtain in ZG. In order to make this list interesting, however I will only include immediately equippable drops from the bosses, as certain items like the Zandalarian Hero Charm from the Heart of Hakkar quest, and the Primal Hakkari Idols used for the head and leg enchantments are simply too amazing to compare. Also, I will NOT include more than one item from Hakkar, as the final boss of a raid ALWAYS has the best loot and it would be pretty boring to just list off his loot table. Finally, I can't stress enough that this Top 5 list is entirely my opinion, so feel free to share your own Top 5 ZG drops in the comments down below - and add yourself to my mailing list for good measure, if you like this and want to see other content like it. But yeah, with those disclaimers out of the way, let's get right into the list...

#5 - Zulian Tigerhide Cloak (Venoxis)

It's a great cloak!

A drop from the second boss of Zul'Gurub, the Zulian Tigerhide Cloak starts off our list with an absolute bang. This cloak is AWESOME for all physical dps classes - rogues, warriors, hunters, and more. Considering that until this point, good quality melee cloaks were pretty scarce at endgame and only one other cloak had +hit on it (the Puissant Cape from Azuregos to be specific), it's a welcome addition to just about everyone's character screen.

So yeah, even though it isn't much to look at, this cloak is awesome. And with how easily it can be obtained, it definitely deserves a spot on this list.

#4 - Thekal & Arlokk's Grasps (Thekal and Arlokk)

As if we needed another reason to eat Frosted Flakes...

Have you ever hit something so hard that you turned into a freaking tiger? No? Well now you can! The dual-fist Primal Blessing weapon set Thekal's Grasp and Arlokk's Grasp is, without a doubt, one of the coolest pair of items throughout all of Zul'Gurub, and possibly Classic itself.

These items drop from two of the High Priests that must be defeated as you progress through the raid - Thekal and Arlokk. And though their stats aren't really anything to write home about, they provide decent damage and speed for fist weapons and have an ultra-cool proc that turns you into a beefy tiger-man.

What's not to love about these weapons? They're GR-R-REAT!

#3 - Zanzil's Band & Seal (Venoxis and Bloodlord Mandokir)

Dat hit tho!

Taking the number three spot, we have the caster DPS ring set, Zanzil's Concentration. At first glance, these items seem pretty lackluster - just 11 spell damage, some intellect, and a paltry amount of Mp5. However, these rings are all about one thing - that spell hit!

When one equips both the Band and the Seal, you're looking at a whopping 3% spell hit, which puts your caster a good portion of the way toward your hit cap. And if you combine these rings with the newly introduced Bloodvine Garb crafted by tailors, you can pretty much rest assured that your spells won't be resisted, meaning bigger numbers and ever-better parses!

Honestly, all of the ZG Ring sets have their perks - lots of healing and stats on the Primalist rings, great stamina and defensives on the Overlord's Resolution, and decent hit and crit on the Seal and Band of Jin. However, the sheer amount of spell hit - the most valuable stat for caster DPS by far until hit cap - makes this particular pair of rings just that much better, in my opinion.

And that's why it's up here at number 3...

#2 - Zin'rokh, Destroyer of Worlds (Hakkar)

Just....so good!

Alright, I have to say again that ALL of Hakkar's loot is amazing, so this was hard to narrow down. However, I absolutely had to give the number 2 spot on this list to Zin'rokh. This epic 2-hander from the Blood God himself is most definitely the most iconic weapon within this troll raid - even moreso than that snake staff from the panther boss that I personally adore.

Looks-wise, it's no contest - this item is a beast. It's massive, glowy, and has jagged edges, making it all that much more intimidating when you see a warrior charging at you with it. But more than the looks, the stats this weapon boasts are insane! For an item that drops in a 20-man raid that can be pugged easily in under 2 hours, 72 attack power and a solid 3.8 weapon speed is pretty nuts. And really, the only 2-handed sword that compares to this monster is the infamous Ashkandi that drops from Nefarian in BWL. So whether you're playing a hunter or a dps warrior, you can bet you'll be excited to see this weapon drop from Hakkar's beaten-down corpse. But no matter how amazing Zin'rokh might be, it's still only number 2 on my list...

Honorable Mentions

Before we get to the number 1 spot, though, here are just a few honorable mentions:
All the other Hakkar loot (because really, it's all amazing)

Primalist Rings (because I'm a biased healer)

Nat Pagle's Fish Terminator (because seriously, it's just too funny)
Will of Arlokk (because I think it looks awesome)

#1 - Literally Everything off Jin'do

He may be trollin', but his loot isn't!

Oh! Plot twist! In sifting through all of the items in ZG, I came to realize that one boss in particular has the greatest items in the entire instance - so many awesome pieces of loot, in fact, that I couldn't choose any one of his drops for a spot. Jin'do the Hexxer, the optional second-to-last boss of Zul'Gurub, is an immensely fun encounter that provides the biggest challenge in the instance, other than perhaps Hakkar himself. And while most of us currently raiding ZG regularly can probably steamroll him with our BWL gear, he still drops some of the most amazing items in the entire raid:

First off, his epics are, quite literally, epic! Jin'do's Evil Eye and Hexxer are two of the best healer items until AQ - even outranking most BWL items! His Bag of Whammies offhand and Judgement staff offer lots of spell damage and, again, that coveted spell hit stat that all casters love. But his amazing loot table doesn't stop there, as the blues are great too: The Hexxer's Cover, Bloodstained Coif, Bloodtinged Gloves, Bloodsoaked Gauntlets (lots of Blood off this guy...), and more are all excellent items that anyone would be hard-pressed to replace anywhere other than in the highest-end raids. So, no matter what your class is - Jin'do is your man, mon!

Oh yeah, and he also drops the idol for the enchant on top of all that...so...yeah...it's pretty much no contest. Jin'do's entire loot table is definitely my number 1.

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it - my Top 5 Zul'Gurub Drops. Honestly, this list was really hard to make, as ZG has so many absolutely amazing drops. And even though I sort of cheesed the number 1 spot, I think that fact only stands as a testament to how excellent this raid's loot is. Blizzard clearly learned from their itemization mistakes by the time Zul'Gurub was conceived originally, and I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we all appreciate it. No matter what class you play, or what content you enjoy, you can definitely get some great items here - be it gear, sets, enchants, or consumables. It's pretty great...

Anyway, that's it for today. If you liked this post and would like to see more in the future, add yourself to my mailing list below! While you're down there, leave a comment letting me know your top 5 drops in ZG as well, as I'd love to know what you think and why. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates when I release new content as well, and consider checking out my videos over on YouTube, as I eventually turn all of these posts into videos over there. In any case, thanks for reading, enjoy Zul'Gurub, and as always...

Take it easy!

Memories of TBC - Chapter 1: Dem Greens Tho!

This time, I'll be prepared...

Hey dudes, Silvite Soltis here. And today, I'm proud to be starting a new series of posts...

Since that Blizzard survey about potential TBC server launch styles came out a few weeks back, I've been getting more and more excited about the near certainty of an eventual Classic TBC. As such, I thought it might be fun to reminisce about some of my fondest TBC memories from way back when, in order to keep my hype train going. So, here we are!

Before I get started though, I just want to note that because I played so much more TBC than Vanilla, my memories are a lot more blended together than my Memories of Vanilla. As such this series will definitely be less chronological. That said, I hope it will be just as entertaining for everyone looking forward to storming the dark portal someday. 

Anyway, with that small disclaimer out of the way, let's get right into the first story... 

Memories of TBC
Chapter 1: Dem Greens Tho!

Best year of my young life...despite no TBC...

It was a cold January day when The Burning Crusade released. I remember well the anticipation that was welling up inside me as the date had grown steadily closer, but unfortunately for teenage me, I wasn't able to start the expansion at the dark portal with the millions of other players who were waiting. See, I was in the middle of my year abroad in Japan as a Rotary Youth Exchange student. My priorities in life at that time were making the most of that year - learning the language and culture of Japan, making friends, and generally doing everything new that I could. That being said, I was quite bummed out when January 16th rolled around and everyone else moved forward in WoW without me. But, that's the way it had to be...



I sat there in my host family's house, watching others grow in power from level 60 to 70 while I sat behind. I remember the world first level 70 capping in something like 26 hours after the expansion dropped and thinking "Wow, it must be pretty hard to put down," only to find that they cheesed their way to 70 by tagging mobs and getting help from guildies. Still, I was pretty hyped up for the expansion, and eventually started bugging my friend Leika, and my brother Zelos to get me a copy. However they both basically told me to suck it up and wait til I got back to the US. Typical...

Spent entirely too much time here...

Deciding to make the most of my time, I continued slowly leveling my warrior alt, Aoyamamotoko, up through the 30s during my free time while still enjoying an active social and family life in Japan. When I got bored with the warrior (which happened quite frequently), I farmed Timbermaw rep on my priest. This was quite slow, however, as I was still wearing dungeon blues from Strat and Scholo and never really learned how to properly play my class. Combined with the fact that everyone else was in Outland at this point, I was all by myself in Felwood for these sessions.

Goodbye gold. Hello greens!

Then, one day, someone (probably Leika or Zelos) told me about the amazing green BoE items they were getting in the new expansion. Curious, I traveled to the auction house and looked for myself. And, oh man, was I surprised...these items were AMAZING! Though I didn't have a lot of gold, I had enough to buy a few Laughing Skull pieces with intellect and spell damage, then returned to the grind in Felwood. The difference was night and day. In just a few minutes I went from doing what was probably around 150 dps and needing to drink after every 3 mobs to what must have been 300 or more. I remember still needing to drink a lot, but with how fast those bear dudes were falling, I really didn't care.

So yeah, you could say that my first TBC experience was pleasant, albeit a bit different from most people's...

A fun satyr to troll people with!

In any case, I continued with my furbolg grind through much of February, or maybe March - I don't really recall the dates clearly anymore. Eventually, I reached exalted with the Timbermaw Hold and Darnassus (as I was a big fan of night elves back in the day), and saved enough gold for my epic mount along the way (yes, I had a 60% mount until well after TBC's launch). Being unable to progress beyond level 60, there wasn't much else I could do, so I bought myself a nightsaber mount, grabbed the final quest from Timbermaw Hold, and camped outside High Chief Winterfall's cave to continuously unleash the demon, Xandivious, on unsuspecting players leveling in the village below.

Good times...


------------------------------

I hope you enjoyed this brief story of my initial adventures in The Burning Crusade. As you can tell, my experience is a bit different than most people's, but it was definitely fun nonetheless. TBC was definitely a fun adventure from start to finish for me, and I really can't wait to share some more of my stories in installments still to come. In any case, this is how my story started, but I'd love to know your story as well. So, if you're willing to share, feel free to leave a comment down below telling about your earliest TBC memories!

In any case though, that's it for today. If you liked this story, why not follow my blog or subscribe to my YouTube channel so you can get more in the future. Also, consider following me on Twitter so you don't miss out on any other updates - be they guides, stories, top 5s, or anything else that I create. Thanks for reading, and I'll catch you next time!

Take it easy!

Fresh 60 in Phase 4 - What to Prioritize

Let's break out the clipboards, people!

Hey dudes, Silvite Soltis here; back with another guide post for you.

As I'm sure you all know, phase 4 was just released and with it, scores of great new items, enchants, and the like. If you saw my most recent post about phase 4, I'm sure you have an idea about some of the things I'm most excited about in this new era of Classic. And as I mentioned in that post, the biggest reason I'm excited for phase 4 and Zul'Gurub is the simple fact that I now have a reason to finish leveling my alts.

Well, thinking about that got me to realize that there's probably a lot of people in a similar situation. And since there's now such a plethora of content that fresh 60s can engage in, I thought it might make sense to provide you all with a bit of a priority list in order to get your capped character - be it your first or your twelfth - geared up as fast as possible. (Note that many of these activities can be started before capping, so make it a point to start preparing as early as you can!)

So, without further ado, let's get right into it...

Priority #1 - Find a Guild that Suits Your Needs

No matter what your goals are at endgame, your absolute first priority should most definitely be to find a guild that suits your needs. After all, if you want to get your character fully decked out in tier 2, it only makes sense that you move on from your casual leveling guild that only has 3 level 60s in it, right?

To do this, clarify what it is you want at endgame, what your play schedule will look like, and how much effort you really want to put into your soon-to-be 60. Then, keep an eye out on the forums, in LookingForGroup and Trade chat channels, and even in the groups you run with toward endgame. Definitely shop around!

Look, guilds in Classic are absolutely mandatory for anyone with a desire to progress at endgame. They provide a social network of other like-minded individuals with similar play schedules. So find one that works for you! Obviously, you should do what you can to contribute to them in turn, but if you end up in a guild that doesn't provide you with any incentives to play, you'll get bored really fast.

Priority #2 - Run ZG As Often As Possible

WANTED: Hakkar the Soulflayer

Assuming you've reached level 60, your 2nd priority after finding a suitable guild should 100% be to run Zul'Gurub as often as possible. Now that ZG is out, you've got a shot at some of the best loot in the game every three days - with quality basically sitting somewhere between tier 1 and tier 2 loot. Moreover, ZG is also a 20-man raid, meaning there will be much less competition for the amazing items within. But in case those two facts aren't reason enough for you, the reputation associated with Zul'Gurub also offers amazing rewards, including epic enchantments and trade recipes, which will no doubt help your character even more. But more than your character, these rewards will be enticing MANY already geared raiders to run this troll raid over and over as well, even though they don't need any of the gear drops!

It's basically free loot! Get in there NOW!

Priority #3 - Get Attuned for the Big Raids (and run them, if possible)

Onyxia's Lair is still relevant!

Before you reach 60, or when you're already saved to ZG for a couple more days, your next priority should be to get attuned for the big raids - Molten Core, Onyxia's Lair, and Blackwing Lair. Even though these raids aren't as efficient in gearing your fresh 60 up as ZG is, the fact of the matter is that there are still amazing items in there. Plus, through running the dungeons to complete theses attunements, you're bound to pick up a few nice pieces of loot too. Be sure to pick up other relevant dungeon quests while you work on those portions of the attunement chains too though!

Once attuned, make an attempt to get into the raids weekly for a shot at some loot. This is where having a suitable raiding guild will be handy - especially if this is your first 60! But if you don't have the time to commit to these big raids every week, or if you just can't seem to find a guild that matches your needs, there are still a couple other ways you can get decently geared up.

Priority #4 - Complete Relevant Quests (depending on what slots you need)

Though often overlooked, there are some amazing quest rewards that every character should aim to grab while leveling up. If you got to level 60 by purely dungeon farming, however, you might have missed out on some great items. So, do a bit of research over on Classic WoWHead and see what sort of quest rewards you could pick up for any missing slots you may have.

I've listed a lot of quests in my guides previously, but here are a few highlights:

General Drakkisath's Demise [A] awards great trinkets for all classes. The Horde equivalent is part of their Onyxia attunement, so it should already be done by this point. You need to complete LBRS to start this chain, though.

In Dreams offers amazing rewards for all classes and requires players to run Strat Live. Since you're guaranteed a choice of a melee neck, healer ring, tank chest, and more, you really should knock this one out as you approach level 60.

Order Must Be Restored [A] / The Scarlet Oracle, Demetria [H] is the final quest in a long chain which awards a decent wand, bow, or intellect shield to adventurers who go the distance and complete it.

The Battle of Darrowshire is a long chain completed out in the open world that you can easily work on while still leveling. Though it sometimes takes a while to find a group to complete the final battle, the tank ring and caster/healer necklace it awards are excellent items to start your fresh 60 off right.

It's Dangerous to Go Alone is the finale to Linken's quest chain (which starts in Un'Goro Crater) and it awards an okay melee main hand weapon or an amazing caster/healer offhand, as well as a boomerang trinket.

Job Opening: Guard Captain of Revantusk Village, is a must-do for Horde melee dps, tanks, and hunters as it awards an amazing hit+ap trinket that you definitely won't replace for a long time.

Priority #5 - Spam Dungeons and/or Visit the Auction House

Finally, your LAST resort for gearing up fast at endgame from phase 4 onward should be the traditional dungeon spamming method. Though you may want to farm reputation or collect some recipes for certain tradeskills, the fact of the matter is that the RNG of dungeon drops makes this method super tedious at this point in Classic's life cycle. If you're aiming for a specific quest reward, then by all means run the dungeon to work toward that and maybe pick up something along the way. But don't bash your head against the wall 200 times trying to get that Savage Gladiator Chain to drop.

Oh, the auction house...

Likewise, unless you're sitting on an absolute mountain of gold, it's not really worth it to spend a bunch of gold on BoE items in the auction house either at this point. With ZG out, we now have 4 raids to collect gear in several times each week. Since many of the BoE items you can pick up will likely be replaced in a few weeks of running ZG, it really doesn't make a lot of sense to spend all of your gold so early on.

However, if you 100% don't plan on raiding at endgame, dungeons and the auction house can definitely be a great way to get some good gear. Just keep in mind that there are more effective methods out there to gear up fast...

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it - the top 5 priorities that you should have in preparing your fresh level 60 for PVE content from phase 4 onward in WoW Classic. I should also mention that there are other roads you could take to get gear, such as professions and PVP, so again, explore whatever options appeal to you. The priorities I listed here are pretty loose and really you should feel free to do anything you like in the game - it's your subscription, after all.

That being said, ZG and phase 4 in general has brought a lot to Classic, and it's really about time. Until now, we've basically all had to grind dungeons non-stop until we were fully decked out, but that's really no longer the case. Now, with just a team of 15 geared raiders and 5 fresh scrubs, we can smash through the troll city and collect phat lewtz to use in our attunement questing if we want. And that feels pretty good.

Anyway, that's it for today. If you found this priority list useful or interesting, let me know by leaving a comment down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts. And if you'd like to see more content like this in the future, consider adding yourself to my mailing list, or follow me on Twitter for updates when new content is released! Also, check out my videos over on YouTube if you enjoy video content as well. Thanks for reading, good luck gearing up your fresh 60, and as always...

Take it easy!

Zul'Gurub is Coming! Why Phase 4 Will Be AWESOME!

Here we come, Hakkar!

Hey dudes, Silvite Soltis here. And today, I'm back with another quick discussion post.

As we all know, Phase 3 has been out for a while and Phase 4 is set to release sometime this month. And while many of us may have only just defeated the Lord of Blackrock in BWL, there's a lot of reason to be excited for this progression into the next chapter of Classic. So, today I thought it might be fun to talk about some of the reasons that I, in particular, am very hyped for the upcoming content addition to WoW Classic.

Let's get right into it!

Reason 1 - Troll Raid!

Alright, so first and foremost, we're getting a new raid in Phase 4, which I'm sure everyone is super-stoked to sink their teeth into. Zul'Gurub, the first of two 20-man raids in Classic, is a troll raid located along the eastern border of Stranglethorn Vale. With 10 unique encounters (one of which has 4 different possible bosses), a plethora of awesome loot, and, most importantly, a super-short 3 day lockout, ZG is an absolute godsend for raiders everywhere who crave something new between the massive 40-man BWL farm and the eventual Temple of Ahn'Qiraj.

Though I'm quite limited in terms of free time to take on this jungle raid, I'm really looking forward to squaring off against the Gurubashi trolls with my own proud Darkspear! Plus, with my guild of well-equipped raiders, it'll be even more fun to steamroll through as fast as possible. I can't wait!

Reason 2 - Awesome Catch-up Loot

Dat set bonus tho...

Just like all raids, one of the most highly anticipated aspects of Zul'Gurub is, of course, the amazing loot. Unlike the hit or miss items in many of the dungeons and throughout Molten Core, the gear in ZG is powerful, and well itemized for the different classes and specs of Classic. Some of the items on offer are just perfect for those slots you're missing - and of course for gearing alts up fast.

Personally, I'm excited for the Primalist ring set - the Band and Seal - for my priest, and the Zulian Stone Axe and various mail int+AP pieces for my enhancement shaman...whenever I can get him capped, that is!

Reason 3 - New Enchants

Possibly the most important things getting introduced along with Zul'Gurub for raiders like me are the various new enchantments for our helms, legs, and shoulders. No longer will we need to farm Dire Maul, Scholomance, and other old dungeons with no upgrades just to get a paltry 8 damage and healing here or 1% dodge chance there. Instead, we can simply collect some dolls in our voodoo adventures, and BAM - Stamina, Hit Chance, and increased spell and attack power for everyone! Granted, competition for the items needed will definitely be fierce, but so long as you run ZG a few times, you're bound to pick them up eventually!

Mmmmmm +Healing!

Moreover, those of us who grind all the way to Exalted reputation with the Zandalari Tribe, will finally be able to get our hands on some amazing shoulder enchantments - 18 spell power, 30 attack power, or 33 healing, to be specific! Sure, exalted won't be easy to attain, but it will give us all a reason to keep doing ZG, even if/when we're all fully geared to the teeth.

Reason 4 - More Raid Crutches!

All the crutches!

But wait! There's more! As if all the new gear and enchants coming with Zul'Gurub weren't enough, we're also getting more consumables and ANOTHER world buff! - the Spirit of Zandalar! Healers will rejoice as we'll finally have the long-awaited Mageblood Potion and Brilliant Mana Oil that will help keep our teams alive for longer, which will no doubt help us in these later tiers of raiding! What's more, casters will all be scrambling to craft the Bloodvine Garb for that much-needed spell hit - a stat that is unfortunately missing on many of the otherwise best raid gear until this point.

These great items, combined with the enchants and other awesome loot provided by ZG and the Zandalar Tribe will make our BWL clears, and subsequent progress into AQ and Naxx, that much faster and easier. And I'm really looking forward to it!

Reason 5 - Gives a Reason to Finish Leveling Alts

Just a bit more...

All of the gear, enchants, and consumables are wonderful boons to my main, but one of the biggest reasons I think that Phase 4 will be amazing is the simple fact that it will provide me (and I'm sure many others) with a reason to finally finish leveling up our alts.

Personally, the prospect of running a bunch of dungeons on my paladin or shaman just to collect enough gear to be able to step into an alt raid, then spending several hours a week clearing that raid just to get 0-2 pieces of loot out of it has always been a big put-off. So really, I only really worked on leveling my alts as a fun side activity, with no goal in mind other than maybe capping someday. With ZG on the horizon, however, these characters have a 1-stop-shop for loot, enchants, and more.

So, while I'm sure most of us will prioritize getting everything we need for our mains out of ZG first, it will eventually be an awesome place for us to take our alts - which again, I'm super stoked about. But, of course, reaching exalted on my priest comes first...

Final Thoughts

I definitely won't be killing this guy...

So, there you have it. 5 reasons why Phase 4 will be awesome. Zul'Gurub is bringing with it some of the greatest items that Classic will have on offer for the majority of the playerbase and it's really about time! From the Zandalarian Hero Charm to the Zin'rokh, Destroyer of Worlds, we're getting a lot in this epic new era of Classic content. It's also worth noting that we'll also be getting the Emerald Dragons in Phase 4, providing the top-end guilds with another layer of competition for their limited spawns, and thus loot. They'll provide great gear for guilds planning to go hardcore into AQ-40, but since I'm guessing most of us won't ever be able to get a kill on them, I think they're nearly as significant as the other upcoming phase 4 content. Of course, I could be wrong, and I wish luck to any guilds that plan to try for the tags on them!

Anyway, that's all I've got for today. For me, phase 4 is definitely going to be an exciting chapter in the life of Classic, but I'd love to know what you all think. Are you excited for ZG and the dragons, or frustrated at the blazing saddles speed at which Blizzard is churning out the Classic content? Let me know by leaving a comment down below! If you enjoyed this post, and would like to see more in the future, add your email to my mailing list while you're down there - or follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates! Finally, consider checking out my YouTube channel, if you prefer watching this type of content instead of reading it. In any case, thanks for reading, enjoy phase 4, and as always...

Take it easy!