[3.3] Pre-raid Gear List for Bears

Publication par Tarkeel

This is a list of gear available for starting bears, without doing any raids (updated for 3.3), ranked approximately by quality. Notable PvP gear is not listed, I'm open for suggestions. For frost gear, 4 set is assumed to be best available, with chest as off-set piece. Likewise, the crafted legs are not included, as set legs are better due to expertise.

To keep the list from being too large, only the best available in each of the following is listed:
Frost - Triumph and lower - ICC5(H) - ICC5(N) - ToC5(H/N) - Old Heroics - Crafted/BoE - Dungeon quests

Is there any notable gear I have left out? Neck, Back, Rings, Waist and Feet are particularly slim.
Also, are there any items that doesn't deserve a place on this list?

Head:

Lasherweave Headguard - Frost x95
Hood of Lethal Intent - Triumph x75
Malfurion's/Runetotem's Headguard of Conquest - Triumph x50 (Note: For the expertise or 4set bonus)
Frayed Scoundrel's Cap - FoS(H)
Mask of Distant Memory - ToC(H)
Shroud of Darkness - Violet Hold (H)
Mask of the Watcher - Oculus (H)
Headguard of Retaliation - Utgarde Pinnacle Quest
Eviscerator's Facemask - Crafted

Neck:

Shard of the Crystal Forest - Conquest x19
Titanium Earthguard Chain - Crafted
Shadowseeker's Pendant - Old Kingdom(H)

Shoulders:

Lasherweave Shoulderpads - Frost x60
Duskstalker Shoulderpads - Triumph x45
Spaulders of Black Betrayal - HoR(H)
Trollwoven Spaulders - Crafted
Bewildering Shoulderpads - FoS(N)
Shoulderpads of the Infamous Knave - ToC(N)
Spaulders of the Careless Thief- Nexus(H)

Back:

Sentinel's Winter Cloak - Frost x50
Platinum Mesh Cloak - Valor x25
Durable Nerubhide Cape - Crafted
Shroud of Reverberation - Halls of Stone (H)
Cloak of Holy Extermination - Argent Crusade, Honored

Chest:

Wrist:

Bracers of Swift Death (Horde) - Crafted(ToC)
Chewed Leather Wristguards - PoS(H)
Armbands of the Wary Lookout - ToC(H)
Bindings of the Tunneller - Utgarde Keep (H)
Drake-Champion's Bracers - BoE

Hands:

Waist:

Vengeful Noose - Frost x60
Death-Warmed Belt - Crafted(Ulduar)
Belt of the Twilight Assassin - Conquest x28
Flayer's Black Belt - PoS(N)
Trollwoven Girdle - Crafted

Legs:

Lasherweave Legguards - Frost x95 or VoA
Malfurion's/Runetotem's Legguards of Conquest - Triumph x50
Fleshwerk Leggings - PoS(H)
Proto-hide Leggins - BoE
Shaggy Wyrmleather Leggings - PoS(N)
Gored Hide Legguards - Gundrak (H)
Mind-Expanding Leggings - Kirin Tor, Revered
Chain Gang Legguards - BoE

Feet:

Footpads of Impending Death - Crafted(ICC)
Footpads of Silence - Crafted (Ulduar)
Blighted Leather Footpads - HoR(H)
Treads of Dismal Fortune - ToC(H)
Polar Boots - Crafted
Gorloc Muddy Footwraps - Gundrak(H)
Boots of Captain Ellis - Valor x40

Ring:

Clutch of Fortification - Triumph x35
Signet of the Impregnable Fortress - Valor x25
Keystone Greatring - Drak'tharon Keep (H)
Titanium Earthguard Ring - Crafted
Hemorrhaging Circle - Gundrak(H)
Band of Torture - Oculus(H)
Ring of Earthen Might - Crafted
Mark of the Relentless - ToC(H)

Trinket:

Corroded Skeleton Key - Frost x60
The Black Heart - ToC(N) (Sidenote: This one is well worth spending days farming)
Glyph of Indomitability - Triumph x50
Darkmoon Card: Greatness - BoE
Ick's Rotting Thumb - PoS(H)
Bitter Balebrew/Bubbling Brightbrew Charm - World Event
Essence of Gossamer - Azjul Nerub (H)

There are some profession-only trinkets:
Alchemy: Indestructible Alchemist's Stone
Jewelcrafting: Figurine - Monarch Crab and Figurine - Ruby Hare

Weapon:

Lightborn Spire - Battered Hilt
Orca-Hunter's Harpoon - HoR(H)
Marrowstrike - ToC(H)
Tower of the Mouldering Corpse - FoS (N)
Silvery Silvan Stave/Staff of Feral Furies - Argent Tournament, Champion's Seal x25
Staff of Trickery - Violet Hold(H)
Titansteel Destroyer - BoE
Enraged Feral Staff - Utgarde Keep(H)
Whale-Stick Harpoon - Kalu'ak (Revered)

Relic:

Idol of the Crying Moon - Frost x 30
Idol of the Corruptor - Conquest x19
Idol of perpicacious Attacks - Venture Coin x30
Idol of the Plainstalker - Borean Tundra Quest

Publication par Tarkeel

Gearing up a fresh tank:
Step 1: Pre-80

Lvl 74+: Do the PvP dailies in Grizzly Hills to earn 30xVenture Coin and buy Idol of Perspicacious Attacks.
Lvl 77: Start doing the Argent Tournament (Horde) daily quests. This will eventually give you Champion's Seal which you can use to purchase gear, including a good starting tanking weapon. It will also give you gold to purchase more gear.
Lvl 78-80: Run Utgarde Pinnacle (normal or heroic), and make sure to pick up the two quests just inside the instance. As you make your way though, remember to pick up all the junk for your trunk, and then kill King Ymiron. You will be rewarded with a helmet and chest.
Lvl 78-80: Run the Culling of Stratholme (normal or heroic), and pick up the quest that starts inside. Remember to tell your group that you need the quest, so they don't complete it before you pick it up! The follow up quest will give you some gloves.
Lvl 80: Farm normal ToC for The Black Heart and any other leather that might drop.

Step 2: Auction House

Neck: Titanium Earthguard Chain can be a bit expensice, but will last you for a long time.
Shouldes: Trollwoven Spaulders should ring in at around 3-400g, and will last you untill emblems.
Back: Durable Nerubhide Cape should ring in at about 2-300g, and is well worth the cost.
Wrist: Drake-Champion's Bracers are a good start, and should go for 20-40g. If you can afford it, Bracers of Swift Death are the best you can get before ICC.
Waist: Good pre-raid belts are basically crafted. If you can afford it, go for Death-Warmed Belt, but since it is an Ulduar recipe it can be hard to find (and expensive). Trollwoven Girdle is a reasonably priced alternative.
Legs: Chain Gang Legguards should put you back about 50g. I can't recommend buying the ICC Crafted Bladeborn Leggings, but if you are filthy rich you might want to get Proto-hide Leggings.
Feet: Feet are also the domain of crafted goods. Polar Boots are an acceptable starting piece, but if you can find it at a reasonable price Footpads of Silence are very good. They are also an Ulduar recipe, so can be hard to find. If you can afford it, go ahead and pick up Footpads of Impending Death, as they are the best you can get untill ICC25Hard.
Rings: Jewelcrafting to the rescue! Titanium Earthguard Ring and Ring of Earthen Might are excellent starting rings.
Trinkets: If you can afford it, Darkmoon Card: Greatness (Agi) is a solid avoidance trinket, and the only tradeable tanking trinket. It is probably too expensive for what you get these days though.
Weapon: If you are truly stinking rich, go ahead and buy a Battered Hilt, Lightborn Spire is a very decent tanking weapon.

By now, your character should look something like This (complete with reasonable enchants and gems).

Step 3: Running heroic instances

Your first upgrades should be trinket and idol (Some prefer Idol of Mutilation).
Keep spending triumph to upgrade the slots you are worst off in; helmet and chest should take priority, but this depends on what random drops you get.

Step 4: Frost Emblems

Start working towards 4T10. I find that helmet and shoulders are best to buy first, as gloves and legs will drop in VoA.
After 2T10, buy the Sentinel's Winter Cloak
Finish up 4T10
Buy Idol of the Crying Moon
By now, you should have a pretty good idea what is good to buy :P

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Publication par Tarkeel

Marrowstrike was supposed to be on there, it was in the comparison.

Mutilation idol is worse then corruptor for tanking, and cheaper too.

Trollwoven is better then polar girdle, and usually cheaper too.

@Yamanaka: Bear tanks are pretty good, IMHO :)

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Publication par Fanoran

Excellent list!

But I see *a lot* of cat gear on it.

As a general rule, if it has more agility than stamina, it is based for cats. But until something comes around better if you get a piece of it that drops, use it for the time being.

I think the T9 triumph helm needs to be added on there too, Malfurion's Headguard of Conquestalthough its not as solid stats as good as the Lethal Intent, it gives a load of Expertise. I can't give it up until I get expertise elsewhere in my gear or i'll go below softcap.

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Publication par windstrum

You're missing the T9 fourth piece.
You've only got the Alliance version of T9.

That's just from a glance.

Thankyou for your efforts thus far though. I always appreciate it when somebody puts in the time and effort to write a guide.

Publication par Tarkeel

I'll add the T9 helm as a fourth piece, and note that it's mainly for expertise and setbonus

@Fanoran: Unfortunately, there isn't much choice at these levels; there is some in what drops from heroics and there I've focused on the ones that I think are best for tanking. If you have any suggestion for replacements, please share :) Don't underestimate the value of agi when tanking older content though.

@Ladern: I haven't added PvP gear yet; if I go down that road there are other, better pieces available for less effort then 40 wintergrasp marks. (Although I do agree the legs are good, I wore them myself for some time).

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Publication par Tarkeel

Eerie Runeblade Polisher is worse then Platinum Mesh Cloak, and I'd wear the Durable Nerubhide over it as well.

Signet of Winter is a pretty good ring, but it's not worth what it's going for. Dexterous Brightstone Ring would be a better option actually.

I am considering to add the 232 PvP Gloves, as they are markedly more survival then T9 gloves, but then I'd have to add the other good PvP options as well. Not sure where to draw the line on what is "easily available" of PvP gear.

@Etrin: You really should take the time to farm ToC normal for The Black Heart, it's stupidly good for how easy it is to get. You should also consider using Exp/Sta gems for red sockets.

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Publication par faeofwind

don't forget the Eerie Runeblade Polisher in R HOR....damn I have run that a few times and I have never seen it drop. I would run it over and over till it dropped but no one wants to do it.

please, if you're going to farm for it, don't leave after the second boss is down. it's -impossible- to get a tank to come in for that last half and 90% of the reg HoR runs I have done the tank books it after the 2nd boss - and in a couple cases, after the first, leaving the group to die =(

wish they made all that tank gear drop at the end :p

and @ etrin: it might just be your server. if i queue for a random or specific heroic it ranges from 12-18 mins, but when i queue for those reg ICC dungeons, i get about a 6-9min wait (as dps) ^^

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[3.3] Pre-raid Gear List for Bears

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