The Care and Feeding of Warlocks - Breaking the Kara Meters

Post by Dunsinane

Once again, addressing the most common questions currently on the board. This list is more extensive, as we look for the best pieces pre-Karazhan.

- badge loot is okay
- crafted gear is okay
- quest items are okay
- drops are okay
- PvP gear is okay, but no elite arena ratings
- Rep rewards are okay
- enchants and gems should be actively sought
- I rate based on spell damage, hit, and crit. Sockets are looked at for potential. Stats are simply there to break ties. A piece I rank lower may be superior in a specific circumstance. In other words, YMMV. Don't use this as an excuse not to think.

Note that I will skip a LOT of drops if they aren't high on the list. Badge rewards and PvP gear are easier to acquire, and are therefore used as fillers if you haven't acquired one of the top pieces.

HEAD --
Enchant - Glyph of Power (Sha'tar, revered) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=29191

Destruction Holo-Gogs (BoP) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=32494
Spellstrike Hood (BoE) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=24266
Gladiator's Felweave Cowl (PvP) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=30187

The Destruction Holo-Gogs are one of the big selling points for Engineering. They're clearly the best piece available pre-raiding. If your gold is short, the Felweave Cowl is as good or better than any of the heroic drops.

NECK --

Vindicator's Pendant of Conquest (PvP) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=33920
Brooch of Heightened Potential (SLabs - Blackheart the Inciter) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=28134
Hydra-Fang Necklace (H. Underbog - Ghaz'an) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=27758

Once again, we have a clear winner. The PvP necklace provides some very nice stats to go along with better casting bonuses... and you get a lovely yellow slot for a Great Dawnstone or Veiled Noble Topaz. Blackheart's neck is a decent second choice if you can't stand battlegrounds, and it can drop in non-heroics so you can farm him to your heart's content.

SHOULDERS --
Enchant - Greater Inscription of Discipline (Aldor, exalted) or of the Orb (Scryer, exalted)
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=28886
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=28909

Frozen Shadoweave Shoulders (BoP): http://www.wowhead.com/?item=21869
Fel-Tinged Mantle (H. Magister's - Vexallus) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34607
Gladiator's Felweave Amice (PvP): http://www.wowhead.com/?item=30186

Much closer this time. Frozen Shadoweave wins out because its a better fit to the builds of most warlocks and is easier to acquire for the tailors. The Fel-Tinged Mantle is still an excellent choice, however, and if you aren't a tailor it is a clear winner over the PvP piece.

BACK --
Enchant - Subtlety http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=25084

Cloak of Subjugated Power (60 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=33304
Cloak of the Betrayed (Magister's - Delrissa) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34792
Terokk's Wisdom (Terokk, BoE) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=32541
Cloak of the Black Void (BoE) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=24252
Sethekk Oracle Cloak (Sethekk - Ikiss) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=27981
Shawl of Shifting Probabilities (25 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=29369

The differences from one to the next are minor. You can use a back piece to fill in for a weakness in either the area of spell hit or spell crit. Any of these will be gone the moment you can get your hands on Prince's cloak - so just grab one and don't stress too much about it.

Post by Dunsinane

CHEST --
Enchant - Exceptional Stats http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=27960

Frozen Shadoweave Robe (BoP) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=21871
Tormented Demonsoul Robes (100 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34936
Scarlet Sin'Dorei Robes (H. Magister's - Kael'thas) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34610
Shroud of the Lore'nail (100 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34917
Gladiator's Felweave Rainment (PvP) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=30200

Is Frozen Shadoweave becoming obsolete? Not yet - but the new badge robes finally make it so that tailoring isn't nearly mandatory for warlocks. Warlocks looking toward a nuking build may even prefer the Tormented Demonsoul with 50(!) spell crit and some very nice stats. Kael'thas' drop is a step behind, but has three gem slots and a nice socket bonus to play with. The Shroud is excellent if you are lacking spell hit in other pieces. The PvP robe is there for something to take up space until you get one of the nicer ones.

WRIST --
Enchant - Spellpower http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=27917

Vindicator's Silk Cuffs (PvP) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=33913
Bracers of Havok (BoE) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=24250
Crystalweave Bracers (World drop, BoE) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=32655
Runed Spell Cuffs (35 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=33588
Bindings of Raging Fire (Magister's - Selin) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34697

Nothing has changed here. The PvP bracers are still easily the best choice unless you're somehow stacking massive amounts of spell haste. Just put in a few hours in the battlegrounds and have done with it.

HANDS --
Enchant - Major Spellpower or Spell Strike
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=33997
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=33994

Sunfire Handwraps (BoE) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34366
Enslaved Doomguard Soulgrips (75 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34938
Studious Wraps (60 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=33586
Gloves of Arcane Acuity (H. Magister's - Kael'thas) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34808
Gladiator's Felweave Handguards (PvP) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=30188

Okay, let's be honest... you're not getting the Sunfire Handwraps for a while. If you can afford the epic gems, the Studious Wraps are superior to the Soulgrips, but with a more normal budget you should go ahead and spend the extra fifteen badges. The Gloves of Arcane Acuity are actually a nice match for the Handwraps of Flowing Thought off of Attumen - if you can't get the one, grab the other for your boss set.

WAIST --

Belt of Blasting (BoE) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=30038
Voodoo-woven Belt (60 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=33291
Girdle of Ruination (BoE) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=24256
Vindicator's Silk Belt (PvP) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=33912

Okay, let's be honest... okay, maybe you'll be able to afford a Belt of Blasting now that Nether Vortexes are BoE and can be bought with badges. Until then you'll just have to put up with the Voodoo-woven Belt. Please don't throw me into that briar patch, Br'er Fox. Everything else is a placeholder.

Post by Dunsinane

LEGS --
Enchant - Runic Spellthread http://www.wowhead.com/?item=24274

Spellstrike Pants (BoE) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=24262
Corrupted Soulcloth Pantaloons (100 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34937
Legwraps of Sweltering Flame (100 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34918
Gladiator's Felweave Trousers (PvP) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=30201

Spellstrike holds on, but if you've managed to cap your spell hit through other pieces... the Corrupted Soulcloth are a monster with 43 spell crit and 61 spell damage to go with two gem sockets and a nice socket bonus. Don't waste 100 badges on the Legwraps.

FEET --
Enchant - Boar's Speed or Fortitude
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=34008
http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=27950

Boots of Incantations (75 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34919
Frozen Shadoweave Boots (BoP) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=21870
Vindicator's Silk Footguards (PvP) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=33914
Boots of Blasphemy (H. Slave Pens - Quagmirran) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=29242

17 spell hit, or 10 shadow damage and an extra socket? You really can't go wrong either way. The PvP piece is a filler. And the Slave Pens drop? That's the BEST out there. I haven't been ignoring drop items. Most of them just don't match up well with the badge and crafted gear.

FINGERS --
Enchant - Spell Power http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=27924

Fused Nethergon Band (60 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34889
Loop of Forged Power (BoE) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34362
Ashyen's Gift (Cenarion Expedition, exalted) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=29172
Seer's Signet (Scryers, exalted) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=29126
Seal of the Exorcist (50 spirit shards) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=28555

Spell hit? Spell damage? Get two of the spell hit rings and swap them in and out with higher damage ones, depending on your need. The Fused Nethergon Band is an excellent way of chewing up the spell hit without hurting your damage output. Remember, you're getting the Violet Signet soon, so don't go overboard.

Oh, the Loop of Forged Power? You're not getting that any time soon, but it sure does look pretty.

Post by Dunsinane

TRINKETS --

Damage
Darkmoon Card: Crusade (Blessings Deck) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=31856
Icon of the Silver Crescent (41 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=29370
Battlemaster's Audacity (PvP) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34049
Quagmirran's Eye (H. Slave Pens - Quagmirran) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=27683
Mark of Defiance (30 Thrallmar/HH Marks) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=27922

Hit
Scryer's Bloodgem (Scryers, revered) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=29132
Arcanist's Stone (H. Hillsbrad - Epoch Hunter) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=28223
Starkiller's Bauble (Netherstorm quest) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=30340

Crit
Battlemaster's Depravity (PvP) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34162
Xi'ri's Gift (Sha'tar, revered) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=29179

Affliction
Timbal's Focusing Crystal (H. Magister's - Delrissa) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34470

Lots and lots of good choices, but two great ones. The Icon is one of the biggest bargains you can get for heroic badges. Darkmoon Card Crusade is a top 3 trinket for casters overall. Grab Quag's Eye if you get the chance, since spell haste is becoming more useful. Timbal's is an excellent choice for affliction warlocks for boss fights. The Bloodgem can fill in for spell hit losses elsewhere - but you really don't want to get rid of either of the top two damage trinkets if you can help it.

WEAPONS --
Enchant - Major Spellpower http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=27975

Scryer's Blade of Focus (150 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34895
Gladiator's Spellblade (PvP) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=28297
Jaded Crystal Dagger (H. Magister's - Selim) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34604
Gladiator's War Staff (PvP) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=24557

We have a new champion. The Scryer's Blade is a close match for Prince's dagger. 150 badges is steep, but you get a weapon that's worthy of Soulfrost for the price. Go 1H + offhand. The badge rewards are just too nice.

OFFHAND --

Fetish of the Primal Gods (35 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=33334
Orb of the Soul-Eater (25 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=29272

Haste? Shadow damage? Choose based on your build and what you intend to do. Or get both. They're cheap.

WANDS --

The Black Stalk (H. Underbog - Black Stalker) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=29350
Carved Witch Doctor's Stick (25 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=33192
Nesingwary Safari Stick (Nagrand quest) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=25640
Wand of the Seer (Netherstorm quest) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=30859

Wait, do we... YES! We've gone through every slot on the character sheet, and we've finally found an instance drop that is superior to badge loot! Barely. A shame that its just so easy to get the Carved Witch Doctor's Stick. And that its more flexible with the gem socket...

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Post by dehumanize

I'm a little confused here...this is a wonderful guide by Dunsinane, but if you follow it, why run Kara? Are the listed items really needed, I'll elaborate below.

For intance you listed
Spellstrike Hood (BoE) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=24266
When you can obtain
Wicked Witch's Hat http://www.wowhead.com/?item=28586 from Kara

Also listed was
Gloves of Arcane Acuity (H. Magister's - Kael'thas) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34808
When you can get
Handwraps of Flowing Thought http://www.wowhead.com/?item=28507 in Kara

And one final listing I have is the
Gladiator's Felweave Trousers (PvP) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=30201
When there is the
Trial-Fire Trousers http://www.wowhead.com/?item=28594 in Kara

I guess what I'm getting at is, what's the point of grinding for mats, grinding for honor, and grinding for badges, when the rewards are comparable to Kara loot? All the quest rewards, and Rare drops I understand. Just don't want people to have the misconception that grinding to obtain those epics are needed. Because if you have yourself geared like that before you enter Kara, I think you're going to be a little disappointed when the drops fall, and aren't really upgrades for you.

Don't get me wrong, this is a wonderful guide, /bows before Dunsinane on the great work. I just think that some of the gear listed is a little much, considering this is a PRE-Kara guide. Also, just to let everyone know, I entered Kara still wearing http://www.wowhead.com/?item=21849 & http://www.wowhead.com/?item=21850 and was tickled pink when I replaced them with http://www.wowhead.com/?item=28515 and http://www.wowhead.com/?item=28507.

That's just my 2 cents.

Take Care All

edit : belt was replaced with http://wowhead.com/?item=28565 sorry about that....not wearing my helmet today.

Post by Dunsinane

The point of the guide isn't to say "you need all this stuff for Kara". You don't. Not even close. It is not my intention that anyone take it this way. The point of the title is "Here's what you can get BEFORE you ever pull that first spectral horse."

If you acquired the top pieces available in each slot and enchanted and gemmed everything, you could probably do respectably in BT/Hyjal. If not, then certainly in SSC/TK.

What I've done is point to the best pieces available without raiding to provide the new level 70s with some guidance. There are a ton of routes you can take to acquire gear, and a lot of choices to make. Knowing what is available will allow you to make better decisions with your time, and hopefully not throw away hard-earned gold/honor/badges on crap you'll be replacing in a couple of weeks.

- Like battlegrounds? You can get three top-notch raiding pieces for honor, and some fair fillers.
- Like heroic instances? This list will help you figure out where to spend your badges and which reputations to build.
- Like farming? Here's the best BoE pieces you can acquire.

Post by Dunsinane

I also point you to:
http://www.wowhead.com/?forums&topic=18313&p=160274

Where, yes, I point out that there really isn't all that much in Kara better than crafted and badge gear anymore.

Post by dehumanize

Ok cool, like I said, i was a little confused. But yea with the availability of the Crafted items, and the Badge items nowadays, the ability to get decent gear is relatively easy. Which is kinda sad, because when I saw Scryer's Blade of Focus (150 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34895
available, I was thinking for a second "why kill Prince, if i could get this." Obtaining that dagger really isn't hard. Daily heroic everyday, plus a few other Heroic/Kara(even if it's only the first 4 bosses or so), you could have that in 3 weeks easy. Of course, you'll be in Mg Terrace grinding rep. every chance you get lol. Personally I much rather have http://wowhead.com/?item=28770 makes me feel like I've really progressed. Once again great job Dunsinane...cheers!!!

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Post by Alathea

Can we get this sticky'd?

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Post by Dunsinane

I just saw this item http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34470 and was wondering whether its better than Icon oSC if it happens to drop??? Concidering the fact i am an afflock and having UA SL Corr and CoA dealing periodic damge the item should proc A LOT.

Looking at the theorycraft numbers I'm seeing for this trinket, it should rate ahead of the Icon for an affliction warlock who is being smart about keeping his dots running. 10% chance per tick with a 15 second cooldown period.

The Icon may be superior in short fights, however, where you're able to pop it at the beginning. Timbal's would be the clear choice of the two on a boss fight.

Post by Dunsinane

This is as well a very thought out guide. I'd like to point out that http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34937 are by far superior than any other pair of pants from t4 content, crafted, or PVP (you should get hit from Supression talents, and resillence is a wasted stat for PVE), and can even compare to t5 and http://www.wowhead.com/?item=29972, and I for one would pass on those if even one other person needed it, so your next upgrade comes from MH (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=30916, which means the shadow-priests will be houndin ya), and two from the second-to-last (t6) and third-to-last bosses in BT (http://www.wowhead.com/?item=32367). So pretty much save up all the badges you can for those! I know I am.

Again, I vote this up for a sticky as well as the other guide.
Once you're hit capped, I agree whole-heartedly. The new badge pants and badge robe, if combined intelligently with spell hit gear in the other slots, would be outstanding for any warlock of any build. A set such as:

Spellstrike Hood (BoE) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=24266
Vindicator's Pendant of Conquest (PvP) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=33920
Fel-Tinged Mantle (H. Magister's - Vexallus) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34607
Ruby D!@#$ of the Mysticant (Prince) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=28766
Tormented Demonsoul Robes (100 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34936
Vindicator's Silk Cuffs (PvP) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=33913
Handwraps of Flowing Thought (Attumen) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=28507
Voodoo-woven Belt (60 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=33291
Corrupted Soulcloth Pantaloons (100 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34937
Boots of Incantations (75 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34919
Fused Nethergon Band (60 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=34889
Ashyen's Gift (Cenarion Expedition, exalted) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=29172
Gladiator's Spellblade (PvP) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=28297
Orb of the Soul-Eater (25 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=29272
Carved Witch Doctor's Stick (25 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=33192
Icon of the Silver Crescent (41 badges) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=29370
Scryer's Bloodgem (Scryers, revered) http://www.wowhead.com/?item=29132

base numbers:
spell hit 163
spell crit 207 (a little better than 9%)
spell damage 729
shadow damage 780

before we've installed a single gem or enchant. With 14 sockets and some intelligent loading (hit gems on the spellstrike hood and handwraps for easy swapping out to damage gear), you can reach the hit cap while pushing your spell damage over 1000 and your crit bonus to +9.5% on boss fights. And you aren't hurting for stamina, either (depending on enchants and gem selection, +420 or more). And the only item that's out of anyone's reach is the Scryer's Bloodgem - which can be replaced with minimal effort.

If I were starting a new warlock today, I'd be giving engineering a serious look and considering bypassing tailoring entirely.

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The Care and Feeding of Warlocks - Breaking the Kara Meters

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