This guide has not been updated for 4.1 yet. There are no items from the new 5-mans in this guide.

With all new expansions there comes a need for new gear. This time around it’s no different. For the Restoration Druid who is going to be interested in gearing up once level 85 hits, there are some simple guidelines when it comes time to look at gear. This is a very rudimentary listing. For more info, take a look at Lissanna’s Guide. Cel over at The Face Tanking Academy also has a list of resto gear that is worth checking out.

Int is king. Spirit is good too, but Int more.

Haste is important. There’s no real haste “cap” anymore, but there is a level of haste which we want to get to, for pre-raid, that number is right around 7.2% from gear. Remember, Lissanna stated it well, you don’t want to gimp your Spirit just to stack Haste.

Crit can be important. Hots crit now, so crit is right up there with haste.

Mastery is important if you’re a tank healer most likely more-so than Crit. Not so important for a raid healer.

Anything else is pretty much a wasted stat point.

I’d suggest that if you are interested in raiding that you do take some time to gear up in heroics before you just go out there in your leveling gear. The level 85 Heroics are sure to drop some great gear for starting out in raids. Lets take a look at the gear I think will be helpful for you. There are multiple choices for each slot, as usual, and I am not here to tell you which is your BIS. That’s all up to your other gear and your play style. I’m just here to give you a quick reference for your own uses.

Without further ado, here is my list of Pre-raid level 85 gear, in no particular order. If you find any mistakes here, let me know. I set this up very fast using Beta loot.

Head:
Helm of Reorigination: HoO Quest Reward: Doing it the Hard Way
Cluster of Stars: 2200 Justice Points
Cowl of Rebellion: Vanessa Vancleef: Deadmines (H)
Willowy Crown:  Ascendant Lord Obsidius: Blackrock Caverns (H)

Chest:
Robes of the Loving Ursine: Defias Overseer: Deadmines (H)
Wrap of the Fallen City: The Fall of Neferset City: Uldum
Cursed Skardyn Vest: General Umbriss: Grim Batol (N)
Cursed Skardyn Vest: General Umbriss: Grim Batol (H)
Robes of Forgetfulness: 2200 Justice Points

Legs:
Leggings of the Lost Child: Wayward Child: The Stonecore
Leggings of the Path: Siamat: Lost City of the Tol’vir (N)
Blazewing’s Furious Kilt:
Leggings of Clutching Roots: Revered: The Earthen Ring
Leggings of Late Blooms: 2200 Justice Points
Leggings of the Path: Siamat: The Lost City of the Tol’vir (H)

Shoulder:
Mantle of Bestilled Winds: Altarius: Vortex Pinnacle (N)
Mantle of Wild Feathers: Honored: Wildhammer Clan
Mantle of Bestilled Winds: Altarius: Vortex Pinnacle (H)
Somber Shawl: 1650 Justice Points

Hands:
Deep Delving Gloves: Slabhide: The Stonecore (N)
Gloves of Baleflame: Closing a Dark Chapter: Grim Batol
Aessina-Blessed Gloves: Revered: Guardians of Hyjal
Blessed Hands of Elune: 1650 Justice Points
Deep Delving Gloves: Slabhide: The Stonecore (H)
Gloves of the Uplifted Cup: Baron Silverlaine: Shadowfang Keep (H)

Wrists:
Oasis Bracers: The Lost City of the Tol’vir: Zone Drop (N)
Armbands of Change: Corla, Herald of Twilight: Blackrock Caverns (H)
Oasis Bracers: Zone Drop: The Lost City of the Tol’vir (H)

Waist:
Underworld Cord: Earthrager Ptah: Halls of Origination (N)
Thatch Eave Vines: 1650 Justice Points
Underworld Cord :Earthrager Ptah: Halls of Origination (H)

Feet:
Awakening Footfalls: Temple Guardian Anhuur: HoO (N)
Treads of Revelation: A Villain Unmasked: Stormwind City
Awakening Footfalls: Temple Guardian Anhuur: HoO (H)
Decapod Slippers: Mindbender Ghur’sha: Throne of the Tides (H)
Tarvus’s Poison-Scarred Boots:

Cloak:
Thousand Bandage Drape: Honored: Guardians of Hyjal
Azureborne Cloak: Drahga Shadowburner: Grim Batol (N)
Cloak of the Dryads: Honored: Guardians of Hyjal
Solar Wind Cloak: Rajh: HoO (N)
Azureborne Cloak: (H)
Cloak of Ancient Wisdom: Revered: The Earthen Ring
Periwinkle Cloak: Lady Naz’jar: Throne of the Tides (H)
Solar Wind Cloak: (H)
Springvale’s Cloak: Commander Springvale: Shadowfang Keep (H)

Neck:
Pendant of Elemental Balance: Honored: The Earthen Ring
Tauntka’s Necklace: High Prophet Barim: Lost City of the Tol’vir (N)
Acanthia’s Lost Pendant: Zone Drop: Blackrock Caverns (H)
Amulet of Tender Breath: Altairus: (H)
Celadon Pendant: 1250 Justice Points
Quicksilver Amulet: Karsh Steelbender: Blackrock Caverns (H)
Tauntka’s Necklace: High Prophet Barim: Lost City of the Tol’vir (H)

Rings:
Ammunae’s Blessing: Honored: Ramkahen
Band of Life Energy: Zone Drop: HoO (N)
Red Dragonheart Ring: Battle of Life and Death: Twilight Highlands
Veneficial Band: Lockmaw: Lost City of the Tol’vir (N)
Band of Life Energy: Ammunae: Halls of Origination (H)
Diamant’s Ring of Temperance: Revered: Therazane
Kibble: Beauty: Blackrock Caverns (H)
Ring of Frozen Rain: Asaad: The Vortex Pinnacle (H)
Ring of the Great Whale
Veneficial Band: Augh: Lost City of the Tol’vir (H)

Trinkets:
Rainsong: The Vortex Pinnacle (N)
Sea Star: Neptulon’s Cache: Throne of the Tides (N)
Tear of Blood: High Priestess Azil: The Stonecore (N)
Blood of Isiset: Isiset: HoO (N)
Tendrils of Burrowing Dark: Ozruk: The Stonecore (N)
Corrupted Egg Shell: Erudax: Grim Batol (N)
Gale of Shadows: Erudax: Grim Batol (N)
Witching Hourglass: Ascendant Lord Obsidius: Blackrock Caverns (N)
Blood of Isiset: Isiset: HoO (H)
Corrupted Egg Shell: Erudax: Grim Batol (H)
Gale of Shadows: Erudax: Grim Batol (H)
Rainsong: The Vortex Pinnacle (H)
Sea Star: Neptulon’s Cache: Throne of the Tides (H)
Tear of Blood: High Priestess Azil: The Stonecore (H)
Tendrils of Burrowing Dark: Ozruk: The Stonecore (H)
Witching Hourglass: Ascendant Lord Obsidius: Blackrock Caverns (H)

Main Hand:
Gurgthock’s Garish Gorebat: The Crucible of Carnage: The Twilight Terror!: Twilight Highlands
Scepter of Power: Setesh: Halls of Origination (N)
Elementium Hammer: Blacksmithing
Shimmering Morningstar: Revered: Baradin’s Wardens
Torturer’s Mercy: Rom’ogg Bonecrusher: Blackrock Caverns (N)
Biting Wind: Grand Vizier Ertan: The Vortex Pinnacle (N)
Biting Wind: Grand Vizier Ertan: The Vortex Pinnacle (H)
Scepter of Power: Setesh: Halls of Origination (H)
Torturer’s Mercy: Rom’ogg Bonecrusher: Blackrock Caverns (H)

Off-Hand:
Bone-Inlaid Sarcophagus Key
Book of Origination: Zone Drop: Halls of Origination (N/H)
Divine Companion: Inscription
Skyflight Beacon: Doing It Like a Dunwald: Twilight Highlands
Apple-Bent Bough: 950 Justice Points
Bioluminescent Lamp: Neptulon’s Cache: Throne of the Tides (N)
Prophet’s Scepter: High Priestess Azil: The Stonecore (N)
Bioluminescent Lamp: Neptulon’s Cache: Throne of the Tides (H)
Prophet’s Scepter: High Priestess Azil: The Stonecore (H)

Popularity: 100% [?]

Today marks 21 days until Cataclysm. That is 3 weeks until the level cap is lifted and we all get to start learning a whole new game again.

I don’t know how long you’ve been playing, but for me this is the third expansion. I stared about a year before Burning Crusade, and have Logged into the game at least once a week since. Most weeks it was probably closer to 7 days a week. So far the previous expansions were pretty good to me. I looked forward to both before they hit. In vanilla I was in a very late-blooming raiding guild who never had a chance to finish even AQ40 or MC. When TBC was about to hit we went through a bit of an upheaval and lost some players and gained some players. None of us really knew what we were getting into when the Expansion ended. We were a bit upset that we were unable to get people raiding for the last month. We went from almost clearing MC to barely being able to clear ZG again. It felt like the end of the world.

I left that guild about 6 months before Wrath hit and on a new character I joined a guild with some Cousins and their friends. We started out all barreling to 80 and by about June we had enough people at 80 for weekly Kara runs. We kept at it and when Wrath hit we were still running Kara and ZA and pugging Magtheridon, TK, SSC, and Hyjal. We didn’t really have a pre-expansion slump or anything. we just kept on going. I guess it was our casual nature that led to that. Nobody left to get into that other guild which could get them an Illidan kill. Nobody left to join that Sunwell guild. We were content having fun with each other, knowing that when Wrath came out, none of it would matter.

Now that Wrath is almost over, and I’m in my 5th guild of this expansion, a guild who is still struggling to finish the game, I can feel the pull. We have 3 weeks. I personally only have one week left of raiding and then the last two are all busy.

I have one last shot at Killing the Lich King. I have One last chance and I hate it. I am afraid it won’t happen.

Give me 9 competent people and let me go destroy the place. Let me get a title. Please. The concept of having to re-teach the fight every week because we only have 24 regulars on, since August, is killing me. Every week we have to re-learn the strat. People who know it are screwing up. Even I don’t perform 100% every pull. (I know right? Me? I’m like a God… how could that be?)

We’re right on the verge and someone stops paying attention to DMB and drops defile in the raid… Come on man! Move the timers so you can see them, and run out when it’s about to hit. It’s not that hard. Come on man! Standing in Defile? Come on man! Not Stunning a Valk? Come on man! LOS behind the Ice Block so you can’t heal the tank? (ok that last one was me)

The expansion is almost over and I’m afraid I won’t kill the Boss. I want to win the game. just let me win the game for once. Even if it is only for 3 weeks. Let me win the game. I have been sick of raiding for over a month. I’ve been ready to give it up, but that carrot still pulls. The Lich King… He’s tugging at me. He wants me to kill him. He wants it to be over. I can feel it. All it will take is one pull where nobody screws up. We can’t have one screwup. Not one. We’ve all had flawless attempts. Just not all 25 of us all at the same time. I know we can do it.

The preceding section of text was written yesterday afternoon on my lunch break. Had it been written today, it may look something like this:

This time around, with wrath almost over, I have finally been able to beat the game. Even though we’ve been through our trials and tribulations. We split from our old guild, and reformed. We took two steps backwards and had trouble even killing Sindy for about a month. Finally we got our feet back underneath us, and just as I was about to quit raiding for the rest of the expansion, we started going after the Lich King again.

Each week for the past few we’ve made progress up to The Lich King, but we always seemed to get stuck. People having lag issues or sound issues, or addon issues. We just couldn’t make a clean transition into phase 2. I don’t get it. We’d have people dying to the plague, we’d have people dying to infest, we’d have people running into orbs and getting punted. Once we did get into phase 2 we had poor Defile location. we had Valks not being killed. We just never had a fight where everyone was at 100%. Sure we all had our 100% attempts, but never all 25 of us at the same time. It didn’t help that we were teaching new people the Strat each week.

With my schedule and our focus on 25′s I haven’t been in ICC 10 for months. So I didn’t even have a 10-man kill. I can only see my Girlfriend on weekends, when the guild runs 10′s so I’ve been pretty much pushing for that 25-man kill. The Expansion is almost over and I’ve been afraid that I’d not kill the final boss. All I want is to finish the Expansion. With our issues in 25′s and my lack of 10′s It didn’t look like it was ever going to happen.

More of the same. Last night, 22 people signed up for our 25′s LK night… Gee thanks guys. I’m hosed. One more week. I have One final chance for a Lich King kill then I’m done. I’m not going to get it. That’s all there is to it. It’s not going to happen. Game over. FML.

Well, we may get some stragglers so we can make a few attempts. So we got the raid together and at 8:00 we did the City invasion stuff, Still didn’t have 25… We talked about it and decided that 10 of us would go in to try Lich King. 8 of us who hadn’t gotten the kill yet, and 2 who had. It’s possible that a couple people were on alts but had kills previously on mains.

We went in and gave it a few weird attempts. People dying to the plague, or getting punted by orbs, or enraging Shambling Horrors. We made a change and had me Soothe the enraged guys, while also healing the LK tank, and we got through phase 1 and 1.5 with no deaths, and then the tanks died one after another in transition. Not sure what that was all about. I had heals on them. Maybe my mouse had moved to a DPS and not the tank, while I was looking elsewhere.

Release, Fly back, Buff up, try again. Phase 1, Tank 2 dies to plague, I think. LK tank almost calls the wipe, but sticks with it. He pulls the Shambling Horror and tanks both of them and the Lich King. One dead, 3 minutes left on my Battle Rez. Crap Crap Crap. Keep trying guys. Kill the adds. Ok Push Phase 2. Awesome! 20 Seconds left on the Rez. Get in position. Valk! ok. I move out to rez the Tank. Defile! On me! Oh No. Rez has to wait. OK, Next Valk. Good job! Defile. Go Go! On me?? Shit! No rez again. Ok. keep going. Another Valk. Another Defile. Get that Rez. Oh crap. it’s on me again! Drop it. Then grab the tank. Got him! YES!

Move to the edge. Transition time. Alright Do this. Fight Fight Fight. Heal Heal Heal. Move Move Move. Heal Heal Heal. Move Move Move. Oh Crap! The tank died! Oh crap! We all died! Oh Shit! we won!!!!

Finally. I Finally finished the expansion. I killed the final boss. I Got the Title. I did what I had set out to do. Now we just have to do it on 25 this week. We got this. We have SO got this!

Popularity: 4% [?]

* Efflorescence’s healing effectiveness now diminishes for each player beyond 6 within the area. Now heals nearby friendly targets for 10/20/30% of the amount healed by your Swiftmend over 7 sec, down from 20/40/60%.

Reported by MMO-Champion

This sounds like a significant enough nerf to me. I’ve become a HUGE fan of the Efflorescence effect. these two changes sound like a huge nerf when taken at the same time. Though, I will admit that the spell is probably OP as it is before the nerf. I’ll hold judgment until I hear how Beta players react to the actual use of the spell post-nerf.

Popularity: 4% [?]

I have become complacent.

There’s no other explanation. I have become a lazy raider. I have placed myself into a situation which required no change, and I stopped pushing myself. I stopped thinking and started reacting. I stopped trying to get better. I mistakenly believed that I was as good as it could get. I had a misguided notion that I was the best Druid on the planet.

Granted, I never actually assumed that I was the best Druid on the planet but at some point, subconsciously I must have. I stopped looking at things in an objective manner. I stopped looking for ways to improve. I must have felt that I was above change. I don’t recall feeling that way, but it’s the only explanation. I kept doing things my way, when the other druids around me had changed it up. I remained focused on my own personal set of Druid Rules which ignored much of what was going on around me. I kept it up because it kept working. I continued to be a top Healer in my guild. I continued to be very good at my job, and when that happens, people get complacent.

My healing targets seldom, if ever, died. My healing numbers showed that I was doing a good job. My over-healing numbers shrank and my effective numbers remained constant. I remained raid viable and remained a valuable member of my guild’s 25-person roster. Due to this, I sank into complacency and just continued to do my job. No longer do I excel at my job. I just do it.

I have never been the type to theorycraft and test different stratagem. I have never been the type to use a different trinket this time to see how it changes my numbers. I have never been the type to actively research my craft. I’ve always been a passive researcher. I’ve always relied upon others to do the math for me. Phaelia, Lissana, Keeva and others all do that work. I just take what they tell me is best and roll with it. In this, I have always been complacent. I have just blindly followed. Even this has ceased. Recently, I stopped paying attention and just stuck with what I knew. I stopped trying to get better.

I have always had a somewhat stubborn outlook on the game as a whole. I stubbornly valued MP5 over Spirit for some reason in TBC. I ignored Haste as something that Instant HoT healers didn’t REALLY need. I continued to Tank heal with Lifebloom (very effectively Thank You Very Much!) when the rest of the Druid community had completely written off the spell so much so that some of them quit their druids entirely – for a time at least.

What I have found recently is this stubbornness has actually morphed itself into something different altogether. It seems that this stubbornness is the root of my Complacency. I saw that I was still competitive with my style, so soon I started to think that my style was better than anyone else’s style. I started thinking that I don’t need to change. Everyone else does. I started to see that even with my not standard style, and my non-optimal gearset how I was still competitive. This made me even more complacent. It fueled my ego and showed me how much better I was than the rest of the Druids.

I was wrong.

“What Brought on this epiphany?” you may ask. What was it that made me realize just how lazy I had become? Two things.

One: I am wearing Cloth Bracers with no Enchant or Gem.

Two: I saw a screenshot I had taken with my reaction to being whispered that I was using the wrong level of a spell. You see, I have my screenshot folder set up as my Windows 7 Desktop Background list. It changes every 5 minutes and sometimes I just sit there and watch them go by for a little while. I was running FoS in a random and got Whispered that I was using the wrong level of some spell, I forget what it was. I looked in my spell book and noticed that I didn’t have a new version of that spell. I hadn’t even purchased it from the trainer. That should have told me right then and there. I was complacent. I hadn’t even checked to see if I had the best tools available to me. How could I be doing the best job possible if I didn’t have the best spells?

One answer. I couldn’t.

I have become lazy and complacent, and I have let my Healing and my Blog suffer for it.

I vow to change those ways, with my healing, my DPS, my DK Tanking and my blog writing. No more will Maerdred live a life of complacency. No more will I be content to just be “ok”. I will strive to be the best Druid I can be, and I will strive to be the best Blogger I can be.

You have my word, gentle reader, that I can do better. I must do better. I will do better.

Good Day.

I said good day sir!

Popularity: 4% [?]