Home page > General Guides > Gearing UpGearing UpRather than repeat these methods ad nauseam, let's summarize them here. There are a variety of sources you can use to help you gear up for the content you want to see. What Item Levels Are Good Targets?That's actually a much tougher call than you might think. An easy metric is to just require the "Superior" Achievement, which requires Item Level 187 or better in every slot. You can get these items from Level 80 dungeons, crafting, and Heroic dungeons. If you do the research and play the game, you find that in practice, it's often a flawed requirement unless you are very eager and willing to make exceptions on certain items. Just about every class has a key item that is good for them but not necessarily 187 or there simply is no good 187+ item for that slot, e.g. Druid Tank Idol. So, if you do that, you have to make exceptions if you want to progress. That said, Item Level is still a good data point, just not a good sole indicator. Also, bear in mind The fact is, if someone has epic IL 200 pants and rare 174 boots, that's probably just as good as if they had IL 187 pants and boots. What do you need? From what I have seen and heard, folks with Item Level 174-187 gear can conquer much of the content. I have seen people in quest rewards successfully conquering Heroics, especially the easier ones. Now, 25-man Naxx probably calls for better gear, at least for key roles. So, you should really aim for the target stats that you need for your class and role. If IL 174 Uncommon ("green") gear gets you to your hit cap, so be it. Recommended stats are being posted here as I collect them. No Spreadsheets HereI don't feel that getting good gear is rocket science. The useful stats can be gleaned from other resources or just by looking at what's available. Creating a generally useful spreadsheet, to my standards of utility, would require more time than I am willing to commit to the task. Besides, I am a big fan of the "teach them to fish" approach. Databases + Filters = Gear TargetsThere are many databases out on the internet that you can use to find your gear. I favor wowhead.com and wowarmory.com, in that order of preference. Wowhead wins out more often than not, because I find that their filtering works a little better and the ability to glide between equipment data and quest data, combined with user comments, makes wowhead a more valuable resource. What is a filter? Filters are like layered search terms. Let's say you wanted to find a new chest piece, but you wanted it to be Leather, and have at least 20 Stamina. You can set each of those values to filter out the results you don't want. For those that open wowhead, type something in the search box, check the results, and move on, you may not be familiar with the full capabilities of wowhead. Well, let's go through finding a good pair of Shoulders for a Feral Druid. Let's do the quickest and simplest approach So, I head over to wowhead database. Over the text box is the word "Database", I mouse over that and a menu appears. Then, in rapid succession, I mouse over "Items", then "Armor", then "Leather", then "Shoulders". This pops up a list of Leather Shoulders. That includes gear for any Leather wearer, of any level, and in any role. Having seen some of the options for Druids, I have concluded that I want to start with Agility and Stamina; I won't include Expertise just yet, as that might filter out too many items. I click on the pull down menu over the words "Add another filter" and choose "Base Stats - Stamina"; I enter the value 40 next to it, leaving the operator set at ">" (greater than). I then click "Add another filter" and set one for Agility > 30. That leaves me with only a few dozen choices. I click on the header for "Level" to sort the list from highest to lowest Item Level, and I am ready to ponder what I want to pursue. As I scan the choices, I keep in mind the values under "Source". If it's a quest item, I may be able to get it on my own. Since this hypothetical situation is one in which I need to gear up for Heroics, if it drops in a raid or Heroic it is not as desirable a choice, although I should take note, in case the opportunity arises, or this ends up being the last piece I upgrade. It becomes readily apparent that Item Level 187 Rare items are the highest level you can obtain without crafting, raiding, or entering Heroics, but you will need to enter a Level 80 Dungeon (Utgarde Pinnacle, Oculus, Halls of Lightning, Culling of Stratholme) and get a lucky drop or grind out Reputation to get them. My three choices of Item Level 187 gear include a piece that drops from King Ymiron in Utgarde Pinnacle, a piece that I can purchase from the Sons of Hodir (once I have earned Honored status among them), and a PvP piece that can be crafted by a Leatherworker. Casting a Wider NetHowever, if I scan over the items, I see two that really jump out at me because they have better tanking stats - good Stamina and some Expertise. One item, the Charred Leather Shoulderguards, is from completing a quest line that ends with the defeat of Volkhan in Halls of Lightning (again, a Level 80 Dungeon). The other, the Sprinting Shoulderpads, drop from Elder Nadox in Heroic Ahn'Kahet: The Old Kingdom. If I am a Leatherworker, or I know one, I can try to get the Trollwoven Spaulders made (Leatherworking 440!). They are Item Level 200 Epic shoulders, which blow away my Rare choices. However, the materials required include a Frozen Orb, so I will need to buy one, get carried through a Heroic, or hope my guild can spare one. That looks pretty good, but one thing Physics taught me was to question my results. So, to see if I am missing out on a good tanking item, I change my filters for Agility and Stamina "> 0" and then add a filter for "Expertise > 0". And I get a new hit, a solo quest drop that does not require me to set foot in a dungeon, Shoulderpads of Fleshwerks. I click on the quest and see that it is regarded as an easily solo-able quest line. So, I end up with a nice selection of choices:
All in all, a wealth of information. I hope you find it as useful. Cliff NotesFor those that fell asleep up there...
Other SourcesYou should hunt around a bit. There may be a ready-made resource that spoon-feeds you exactly what you need for your class and spec. Some examples follow:
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