Post by skribs
Basically, once you are above the hit cap, you ignore the hit on a piece when you look for an upgrade. Let's take for example
these two items.
15 Agi.........7 Armor Pen
70 Sta.........57 Expertise
32 Armor
45 AP
82 Hit
1 Sockets
So, is 15 agi, 70 stam, 32 armor, 45 AP, and 1 socket worth the loss of 7 armor pen and 57 expertise? I think it is worth it (not based on an AEP system, but based on the fact it is 104 item value vs. 64), so its an upgrade despite going over.
Same reason I used a hit piece in my resto set, as well as PvP pieces in my PvE set. Because the rest of the stats were better than what I had before.
Post by Aadramelekh
I love the comparison between lvl 245 and 226 items, where the lvl 226 piece isn't going to be used for tanking by any sane feral druid (unless he would somehow have no other option). A more 'close to reality' comparison would be between the
Knightbane Carapace and
Conqueror's Nightsong Raiments. In this case, if we assume the tank in question is already hit capped (melee) using the T8 piece, then the Knightbane Carapace is a small upgrade, despite the 19 points of level difference. A better upgrade would be the
Cuirass of Calamitous Fate which would provide 23 agility, 17 stamina, 32 armor, 24 crit and 90 haste, well worth the loss of 49 hit rating.
A closer call situation would be when comparing
245 T9 Gloves with
226 T8 Gloves. If I were hit capped and in possession of a Trophy of the Crusade, I most certainly would not spend it on purchasing the T9 gloves. Almost all those extra 19 item level points are invested into extra hit and crit rating. Only if I had no other better upgrade to purchase, then I would buy the T9 gloves.
While it is true that the BiS gear list for a Bear with full access to ToGC25 includes some items that together would provide over 350 hit rating (actually
my personal list would give 395 hit!), in the upgrade process, some of them are going to take a back seat on the priority list, like the T9 Gloves for instance.
When all the big upgrades have been dealt with, the extra hit on some new high lvl pieces is not going to hurt any tank. But it is more important to prioritize upgrades instead of spending DKP (or whatever) on anything that drops just because it is 19 or more item levels higher.