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!

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 - 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!

Gear Your DPS Warrior FAST - A simplified gearing guide for raging berserkers in WoW Classic!

Smashy Smashy!

Hey dudes! Silvite Soltis here and today I'm happy to present to you my next WoW Classic "Get Geared Fast" guide! Today, we're going to shine up out battle axes and smash some faces. Right after we eat up from our grind to 60... Yep, it's time to gear up our DPS warriors!

Let's get right into it!


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

Step 1 - Run BRD a bunch while leveling, then more at 60.

First off, you're going to want to run Blackrock Depths as early as possible. There are over 30 items that drop here that dps warriors can make use of. Granted, they're not all spectacular, but many of them are pre-raid best in slot, so you really should have this on your list...

You can start doing this dungeon in the early 50s, so make sure to find groups as early as possible. In particular, you'll want to do back-to-back Arena runs as much as possible, as 4 out of the 6 arena bosses drop appropriate gear for dps warriors - including the Savage Gladiator items, Girdle of Beastial Fury, and Grizzle's Skinner. Furthermore, the mobs leading up to the arena will still give exp in your early 50s, so it's definitely a good way to grind out a few levels and gear up along the way.

At 55, start doing full runs for the BRD (and, if Alliance,  Onyxia) attunements. There are some amazing items later on in the dungeon (such as Warstrife Leggings and Hand of Justice), but you likely won't be able to find a group willing to attempt a full clear with you until you're level 55 or higher. Plus, this is when you can start the attunements anyway, so it really just makes sense to do this from here. You can also continue doing Arena farms as needed, but hopefully you'll grab most of the items before this point.

Step 2 - Do These Quests

Hit+AP=Great dps item!

Now that you're quickly approaching level 60, there's a few quests you should make sure you complete. First and foremost, complete the quest Job Opening: Guard Captain of Revantusk Village if you're playing Horde in order to obtain an amazing DPS trinket, Rune of the Guard Captain. Since trinkets are a bit hard to come by, this will go a long way for your warrior.

Next up, do the chain to get Blackhand's Breadth, which involves running LBRS. This is the Onyxia attunement quest chain for Horde players, but for Alliance you'll get the item to start this chain from the final boss of LBRS, Overlord Wyrmthalak. These quests will take you through LBRS and UBRS, giving you a shot at some decent gear along the way. While you run LBRS, keep an eye out for great items such as Blackcrow from Shadow Hunter Vosh'gajin, as well as any other potentially useful gear. And, or course, the same goes for the UBRS runs. After all, each of these dungeons contains around 20 useful drops for dps warriors, so you're likely to fill some slots along the way...

Finally, head over to the Plaguelands to do the quest chain In Dreams for your pre-raid BiS neck, Mark of Fordring, as well as the quest chain ending in The Scarlet Oracle Demetria [H] or Order Must Be Restored [A] for the decent Gorewood Bow, assuming you didn't get one from Blackrock Spire. Wrap up these quests, then move on to the next step...

Step 3 - Run UBRS

Hit is SOOOOOOO good for warriors...

After you've run BRD into the ground and wrapped up the few lucrative quests for your warrior, it's time to head over to UBRS.  This dungeon is one of the best for warriors in terms of quality items - with around 20 of the BEST dps warrior items - including Truestrike Shoulders, Battleborn Armbraces, and Blademaster Leggings (for those of you NOT getting Devilsaur gear). There's a lot more loot to be had, though, so make friends with a key-holder and head on in!

If you decide to go as a tank just to secure a spot, make sure to be clear that you're going for DPS gear from the outset to avoid accusations of ninjaing, as there's likely to be a lot of competition for loot while you're there. Also, make sure to take a screenshot when you state it, in case your group is full of drama queens.

Good luck in the Spire!

Step 4 - Fill in gaps (with AH gear and other dungeon quests)

Always feel free to use the auction house!!!

When you've run enough dungeons and have only a few empty slots left to round out, head over to the auction house to buy some cheap blues or high AP green items. Alternatively, you could explore different dungeons as well - especially dungeons with quests that award gear like the Kirtonos the Herald questline in Scholomance which awards Mirah's Song, a wonderful sword. But, by this point you should be geared pretty well, so if you just want to smash things in MC and Ony, you should be good to go! Just make sure you wrapped up all of your attunements!

Final Thoughts

Congratulations on getting to level 60 and good luck getting your smashy warrior all geared up! Honestly, the hardest part of gearing your warrior will be getting groups that don't expect you to tank, but if you manage to get a solid group and make sure to announce what you're going for as you run the dungeons, you should be fine. As a final note, you probably noticed that I didn't mention anything about Dire Maul in this guide, despite it being available. The reason for this is that while much of the gear IS very good, there simply isn't enough of it for DPS warriors to make it a viable option for fast gearing. However, if you plan to do tribute runs for the buffs before heading into MC and/or Ony once you are geared, you should keep an eye out for potential upgrades.

But anyway, that's it for today. If you liked this guide or found it useful, let me know by leaving a comment down below. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates on future content releases, streaming, and more. Also, if you prefer video guides, check out my YouTube channel where I turn all of these guides into videos eventually. Finally, if you'd like to support my endeavors, consider becoming one of my Patrons over on Patreon. I really appreciate your support - whether it's a donation or just from you sharing this post with someone who might find it useful. But yeah, that's all for now. Thanks again for reading. And as always...

Take it easy!


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A special thanks to wowhead.com and the Atlasloot addon for making this guide possible, as well as to all of my YouTube subscribers who voted in the poll that inspired me to write this guide in the first place. Thank you all for your support!

WoW Classic Early Endgame Guide (All Classes, Levels 55-60)

Hey dudes, Silvite Soltis here. And today, I've got another simplified guide for anyone aiming for level 60 in World of Warcraft: Classic.

After making 4 different "Phase 1 Gearing Guides," I started noticing a very distinct pattern that fresh 60s will need to follow. So, naturally, I thought it might be a good idea to take a step back from specific classes for a change and create a general "Early Endgame" guide that everyone can use to get started once they get close to the level cap. In order to make this accessible to all players, I haven't included anything that requires a guild or lots of gold to do, though I will say that like any activity in Classic, there will be a substantial time investment required to achieve success at 60.

But that being said, let's get right into it!

Step 1 - Do these Quests

The Battle of Darrowshire

Even before level 60, there are lots of really rewarding quests out in the world that can help you get geared up and ready for the endgame. While not all of them are applicable to every class and spec, here are a few that most players should aim to complete as soon as possible:

In Dreams (EPL). Amazing rewards for all classes. 

The Battle of Darrowshire (EPL). Awards tank ring and caster/healer necklace.

Order Must Be Restored/The Scarlet Oracle, Demetria (EPL). Awards a wand, bow, and intellect shield.

You Are Rakh'Likh, Demon  (Blasted Lands). Awards a 16-slot bag among other things.

Heroes of Old (Blasted Lands). Awards an MP5 trinket.

It's Dangerous to Go Alone (Un'Goro). Awards melee main hand or caster/healer offhand, and a trinket.

Step 2 - Get Attuned for MC and Onyxia

The Key to Onyxia's Lair

After, or in-between, completing the quests listed in step 1, you should begin working on your Onyxia's Lair attunement quest, as well as do a full run of BRD to get attuned for MC. Especially early on in WoW Classic, raids will pretty much have to just take everyone who's attuned, so if you're one of the lucky few that's ready to go in the first month or so, you may even be able to skip over some of the dungeon spamming later on.

...maybe...

That being said, getting attuned for these raids requires several dungeon runs in BRD, LBRS (Horde anyway), and UBRS, so you're pretty much guaranteed to get some gear along the way. Unless RNGeesus hates you...

Step 3 - Run BRD

Blackrock Depths

Alright, assuming you've gotten attuned for MC and Ony already, you're probably somewhat geared up. If not, however, there's one dungeon that is extremely lucrative for pretty much every class in the game - Blackrock Depths.

When creating my gearing guides for priests, caster dps, rogues, and warriors, I found myself constantly repeating this dungeon in particular. BRD just has so many useful items for every role, class, and player that it's hard to ignore it. Do a few full clears of this place and you should be decked out in no time.

Of course, if you'd rather run Strat, Scholo, and UBRS, you can. If you want to aim for pre-raid best-in-slot,  there's a ton of items in those dungeons and others. However, they just aren't as lucrative as BRD.

Step 4 (Optional) - Buy Gear

Orgrimmar Auction House

When all else fails, consider buying some gear. Hopefully you'll be somewhat geared up well enough just by completing your Onyxia and MC attunements and doing a few more dungeon runs, but if you really can't take it anymore, hit up the auction house and look for deals. There are bound to be some random items posted for cheap that can round out some slots. If you're not in a hurry to save up for that epic mount, consider investing a bit of gold into your character.

Though, to be honest, I won't be bothering with this step. I'm a cheapskate...

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it - an extremely simplified 4-step guide for everyone planning to cap in Phase 1 of WoW Classic. Obviously, there are other things that you can do, and a lot more dungeons you'll have to run if you want to get full pre-raid BiS before stepping into MC, but I think that for those of us who want to get raiding as soon as possible, this is basically the best approach to early endgame.

I hope you found this guide useful, or at least interesting. If you did, or if you think I should add anything to it, let me know by leaving a comment down below. I read every one and appreciate all feedback. If you'd like to see more, check out my video guides and other content over on YouTube, as I try to make video versions of all my written works over there when I have time. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates, and consider supporting me over on Patreon if you'd like more content in the future.

Thanks for reading! And as always, take it easy!

WoW Classic Early 60 Gearing Guide - Casters!

Hey dudes. Silvite Soltis here. And today, I've got another gearing guide for you.

After seeing the great reception to my priest gearing guide, and getting feedback from several people, I decided to keep making these types of simplified gearing guides to help those of you who want to raid, but don't want to spend weeks and weeks tracking down each pre-raid best in slot item. I also want to make sure this guide is as accurate as possible with what items will be available at launch, so for this reason I've decided to continue with a general caster gearing guide since that's the information I have most readily available.

Before getting into it, I would just like to say that this guide is by no means a best-in-slot walkthrough, and each caster class has its own niche items that players should consider trying to get beyond what's written here. Hell, if you manage to get tons of gold early on, you can probably just buy enough decent gear from the auction house. However, as a general "get geared quick" guide for those of you who want to do some dungeons, I think it does the job well.

So without further ado, let's gear some casters!

Step 1: Run BRD as soon as possible (essentially level 50 and up)

Just like in the priest gearing guide, you should run BRD as soon as possible. A lot of great items are available for casters, just like for healers. The difference, however, is that you can start doing Detention Block and Arena runs much earlier, since there's only a few items deep in the dungeon that are good for caster DPS - robes from Emperor Dagran Thaurissan, boots from Golem Lord Arglemach, and the trinket from Ambassador Flamelash. I'd recommend setting your own groups up for Detention Block and Arena farming as early as level 50 so that mobs still award decent exp, but it's really up to you.

Here's a list of all appropriate items from BRD that casters can make use of:

Head
Chief Architect's Monocle from Fineous Darkvire.

Shoulders
Kentic Amice from High Interrogator Gerstahn.

Back
Spritecaster Cape from Houndmaster Grebmar.

Chest
Robes of the Royal Crown from Emperor Dagran Thaurissan.

Hands
Silkweb Gloves from Hedrum the Creeper (Arena Event). This is better for healers though.

Waist
Ban'thok Sash from Ok'thor the Breaker (Arena Event) (HAS HIT ON IT!!!).

Feet
Omnicast Boots from Golem Lord Arglemach.

Finger
Cyclopean Band from Ok'thor the Breaker (Arena Event).

Trinket
Burst of Knowledge from Ambassador Flamelash.

Main Hand
Kindling Stave from Pyromancer Loregrain (has crit chance on it, but no spell power).

Offhand
Enthralled Sphere from High Interrogator Gerstahn.

Ranged

Pyric Caduceus from Pyromancer Loregrain (Good for fire mages, but really just a wand for anyone else. Not useful in MC, however!).

Step 2: Do these quests (before 60)

When you're not running BRD and as you get closer to level 60, try to complete the quest chains ending with "In Dreams," "It's Dangerous to Go Alone," "The Battle of Darrowshire," and "Order Must Be Restored" (Alliance) or "The Scarlet Oracle, Demetria" (Horde) for the quest rewards. All four items you get as a reward are solid items and considering the lack of any caster neck drops in BRD, it's a good idea to fill it this way. If you managed to get the cloak from Houndmaster Grebmar, you can skip "In Dreams," or choose a different reward (shadow priests can snag the ring reward for healing instead, for example).

Getting the wand, Stormrager, might be particularly difficult around the beginning of WoW Classic, but considering the general lack of good wands pre-raid, it's a worthy goal to pursue.

Useful Quest Rewards:

Neck
Archlight Talisman

Back
Shroud of the Exile (again, you don't need this if you got the Spritecaster Cape from BRD)

Offhand
Spirit of Aquementas

Ranged
Stormrager

Step 3: Do LBRS (and work on your Seal of Ascension)

Ok, so you've gone through BRD and done some quests. You're probably around level 60 and ready to hit up the end-game dungeons like Strat and Scholo, right?

Well...not exactly. After looking through loot tables and comparing items in Strat and Scholo, I found that there's really a better option for casters - Lower Blackrock Spire.

Now, LBRS doesn't have all that much going for it in terms of items for casters, but it DOES give you a shot at two different wrists (which are always a pain to find), and some absolutely OP gloves and legs - neither of which are found in BRD. If you consider the lack of overlap on loot between bosses - meaning you COULD get lucky and win like 5 items in a run - you can probably see why it's such a good idea to run LBRS.

While in here, make sure to have the quest to get your Seal of Ascension too, as it will help immensely in Step 4! Also, if you're Horde, make sure to have the quest "Warlord's Command" as well, so that you can work toward a nice trinket later on.

Items you should aim for in LBRS:

Shoulders
Sunderseer Mantle from Crystal Fang (Rare spawn near Mother Smolderweb).

Wrist
Magister's Bindings from trash mobs.
Funeral Cuffs from Shadow Hunter Vosh'gajin.

Hands
Hands of Power from Quartermaster Zigris.

Legs
Skyshroud Leggings from Highlord Omokk.

Main Hand
Trindlehaven Staff from Overlord Wyrmthalak. Not great, but something to aim for while trying to get the Seal of Ascension.

It's also worth noting that mage tailors can also snag the pattern for Robe of the Archmage off trash here, which could cover their chest slot if it's still bare after the next step...

Oh, and one last thing before you go onto the next step. If you're Alliance, after killing Overlord Wyrmthalak, you'll receive an item that starts a very short quest chain. Make sure you do this chain before going on to step 4! You'll thank me if you're still missing a trinket...

Step 4: Do UBRS

Alright, you've braved two dungeons and done a bunch of quests. Hopefully you managed to get your Seal of Ascension, which will be a great boon for you going forward. Time to hit up the big one...UBRS!

Upper Blackrock Spire has a TON of items for casters. The only issue, however is that some of them are locked behind events (like Solakar Flamewreath) or the rare spawn Jed Runewatcher. Still, if you're the lucky owner of a Seal of Ascension, you can set up the group and make the rules of the run, so...yeah.

Here's a list of all useful caster items in UBRS to shoot for. Fill in the blanks in your armor as best as you can, or pick up some upgrades if you're lucky:

Head
Starfire Tiara from Jed Runewatcher (rare). Fun fact, I used this on my priest way back in the day!

Neck
Tooth of Gnarr from General Drakkisath.

Shoulders
Devout Mantle from Solakar Flamewreath (the Rookery Event). Good luck fighting the priests (and paladins) for this...

Chest
Tier 0 Chests (Devout, Dreadmist, and Magister's) from General Drakkisath.

Waist
Dustfeather Sash from Solakar Flamewreath.

Legs
Spiritshroud Leggings from The Beast.

Feet
Dragonrider Boots from Warchief Rend Blackhand. (Edit: drops in PHASE 2)

Finger
Flaming Band from Pyroguard Emberseer (for Fire Mages).

Trinket 
Briarwood Reed from Jed Runewatcher (rare).

Ranged
Serpentine Skuller from Jed Runewatcher (rare).

Note that you can check to see if Jed Runewatcher is in the dungeon by running up the first stairs and spamming a /target Jed macro. If he doesn't get targeted, he isn't there! And it's worth doing this too, as his loot table consists of only of these 3 caster items!


If you made it through all of BRD, LBRS, and UBRS several times, congratulations! You should be at least somewhat geared up! However, if some loot still eludes you, here's one last thing you could try...

Step 5: Filling in the blanks - Stratholme and/or Auction House

If you're sick of lava, orcs and dragons, it's probably a good idea to shake things up a bit. And what better way to do this than to head over to everyone's favorite plague-ridden, still-on-fire dungeon? That's right, the last stop for this gear guide - assuming you STILL don't have have a main hand weapon or just REALLY want a neck with spell hit - is Stratholme! Well...Strat Live at least.

Strat Live is great because the last boss, Balnazzar, drops a great neck, a dagger (which is a bit underwhelming to be honest), and, in Phase 2, some shoulders! It's also super-easy to find a priest to heal for this dungeon, as many of them will be farming it for the Truefaith Vestments pattern.

Combine that with the fact that you can possibly pick up some good BoEs and crafting materials for gold, and it's a nice way to finish off a couple of possibly-empty slots:

Neck
Star of Mystaria from Balnazzar (HAS HIT!!!).

Shoulders
Shroud of the Nathrezim from Balnazzar (Phase 2).

Waist
Grimgore Noose from Timmy the Cruel (note that he only spawns in the courtyard outside the Scarlet Bastion after killing all of the Scarlets outside).

Feet
Magister's Boots from Hearthsinger Forresten.

Main Hand
Gift of the Elven Magi from Balnazzar.

While you're in here, you could also try for the Postmaster's Set (Head, Finger, Feet, Legs, Chest) - Tedious event, but there are 5 possible items and all are quite good for casters - especially the helm! However, since this guide is about gearing fast, you're probably not going to want to run around messing in the mailboxes...

Once you're all dungeoned out, hit up the auction house for any high level greens or appropriate blues that could be used to finish off any remaining gaps! But even with any gaps at this point, you should pretty much be good to go in MC and Ony! So bring on the whelps!

Final Thoughts

I hope you found this caster gearing guide useful. It was a lot of fun to sift through and analyze all the dungeons' loot to create this for you all. Here at the end, I feel that I should also mention that there's still a ton of items in different dungeons that are really great for individual caster types - like all the shadow damage gear in Scholomance for spriests and warlocks - but as this guide is a general overview, it didn't feel right to focus on them specifically. If you'd like a BiS guide for your class, there are like a million out there to choose from. But if you followed what I laid out here, you should be good to go!

Anyway, that's all for today. If you enjoyed this guide or found it useful, follow my blog by adding yourself to my email list! And check out my videos over on YouTube for more content! Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates, but until next time - and WoW Classic...

Take it easy! ^_^



Special thanks to vanillawowdb.com and Tig's Vanilla Priest Heal BiS List for providing me with items, patch data, and general reference for this guide! Also a special thanks to my patrons over on Patreon!