Mastery/crit item vs Dodge/hit item (at a low level)

[Deleted]

I suspect the dodge/hit item is better at a low level char (i.e. without considering keeping very strictly a 102.4% cap) but not sure. While mastery is considered better a mastery/crit item seems to be destined mainly for DPSes-ish. A dodge/hit item will usually have a very huge dodge which may offset the benefit of a modest extra block. Hit of course is not huge when one goes for mitigation (it is of course reforge half to mastery).
Is this assessment correct?

[Deleted]

What are you talking about?
A low level is under 80? Because mastery doesn't exists before lvl 80.

[Fredzilla]

It doesn't really matter if you're not 85 anyway

[Deleted]

What has a "low level" (as in lvl 80+, if you consider the mastery appearence) got to do with lvl85 raid boss level CTC cap ??

[starmartyr]

What has a "low level" (as in lvl 80+, if you consider the mastery appearence) got to do with lvl85 raid boss level CTC cap ??

The 102.4% CTC cap applies to any mob 3 levels higher than you (dual wielding mobs actually have a 103.4% cap). The paladin stat priority before the CTC cap is Mastery> Dodge or Parry but keep them close > Stam > Expertise > Hit. The basic rule is cap CTC by stacking mastery. Once you reach the cap stack stam and reforge mastery to dodge/parry keeping your dodge about 150 points higher. Expertise is better than hit. There is no reason to have any stats on your gear other than Stam, dodge, parry, mastery, hit, exp.

That said your assessment is mostly correct. Dodge and mastery are actually about equal in terms of damage reduction, however it takes about 3.5 points of dodge to equal the same CTC as 1 point of mastery rating. CTC is very important but you should not waste itemization on useless stats unless you have no other alternative. Hit and Crit may be equal DPS but hit is slightly better for mitigation due to windwalk procs and some trinket effects.

tl;dr: use the dodge/hit piece and reforge hit to mastery unless the DPS piece is significantly higher iLvl

[Deleted]

The 102.4% CTC cap applies to any mob 3 levels higher than you (dual wielding mobs actually have a 103.4% cap). The paladin stat priority before the CTC cap is Mastery> Dodge or Parry but keep them close > Stam > Expertise > Hit. The basic rule is cap CTC by stacking mastery. Once you reach the cap stack stam and reforge mastery to dodge/parry keeping your dodge about 150 points higher. Expertise is better than hit. There is no reason to have any stats on your gear other than Stam, dodge, parry, mastery, hit, exp.

That said your assessment is mostly correct. Dodge and mastery are actually about equal in terms of damage reduction, however it takes about 3.5 points of dodge to equal the same CTC as 1 point of mastery rating. CTC is very important but you should not waste itemization on useless stats unless you have no other alternative. Hit and Crit may be equal DPS but hit is slightly better for mitigation due to windwalk procs and some trinket effects.

tl;dr: use the dodge/hit piece and reforge hit to mastery unless the DPS piece is significantly higher iLvl

All this great talk and info (thanks for the correction, btw :P) unusable on a leveling char. He won't enchant the weapon, he won't have great trinkets, maybe he won't even reforge or gem or enchant his gear at all, considering how fast he'll be changing it.

My money is on the crit/mastery item with crit reforged to dodge. That we'll get him higher on the CTC than the hit/dodge item with hit reforged to mastery. We're still talking about Cataclysm, not MoP, right ?

[Deleted]

Also Dodge has DR effect and Block(mastery) has not, well @ least not untill MoP.

[Deleted]

My money is on the crit/mastery item with crit reforged to dodge.

I think you're missing the information that in most cases a dodge/hit item has huge dodge, while a mastery/crit item may have modest mastery.

After all, it's common sense: Blizzard are not foolish, when they make a mastery item, it is theoretically 'universal', but when they make an item with a restricted to a role stat, it usually lopsides to the role.

I'm not saying this is 100% true for all items in existence, but practice shows it is usually.

---------- Post added 2012-05-04 at 01:08 AM ----------

For example look at all plate dodge/hit items:

http://www.wowhead.com/items=4.4?fil...rs=1:1;crv=0:0

All mastery/crit items:

http://www.wowhead.com/items=4.4?fil...rs=1:1;crv=0:0

One can easily notice that comparatively, the dodge/hit items are big on dodge, while crit/mastery not so big on mastery.

[Splosion]

Mastery is still better than dodge, unless there's some incredible disparity (which there isn't on equal-item level pieces, unless all of the secondaries are dodge), but I'd suggest using a ratingbuster type-addon, or comparing them using chardev or something.

I tend to prioritise mastery>hit>exp>else for leveling, just because damage is more important.