Raid Ready?

[Bradster]

I've only really just started playing World of Warcraft again since I left the game after the vanilla WoW period ended. A lot has changed since I have come back and it's going to take a lot of getting used to, I had no idea about glyphs until I finally reached level 80. And as for sockets, I remembered that function from various other games. I am having trouble distinguishing what raid ready is. Because my mindset is still in pre-TBC times I am under the impression my gear is good, but apparently not compared to other such individuals who actually have an idea what they are talking about. What sort of items would I need to be ready for instances such as Onyxia 10 man, Uludar and other various 10 and 25 man instances?

Here is my armory, I'm not asking for a shopping list but a few improvements I could make to my current gear and spec would be handy along with any possible gems and enchants I can get, as I have no idea what is available. I actually feel like a complete and utter noob again.

http://eu.wowarmory.com/character-sh...&n=Awesomeface

edit: I have just noticed the sticky on the top of this forum. Ignore my whole post but still. New gear I could obtain would be handy.

[Deleted]

Gearwise - No

Now, I have no idea how skilled you are and what amount of dps you can deal (its all about the dps these days ..)
but if you can do +2,5k then you can mostly pug anything until youre better geared, join a guild, and maybe start doing som hardcore raiding (if that's what you want)

Edit: Hints for gear - Get everything you can get with conquest badges -> then start raiding

[Bradster]

Yeah from what I remember it was all about how big your crits are, not the DPS you can do lol. Okay I'm working on the Conquerors Chest, already have the Helm. And as for my DPS, it is around 2.5k which is good I suppose. Thank you.

[Herrbrun]

Pont one: Replace hit gems. You're 2%+ over cap, which is 17%.

[Nilesy]

Your gear needs *alot* of work.

My advice is to do as many pugs as you can. Everything. Naxx, anything. Before Wednesday of each week, be saved to as many raid IDs as possible. You need a bunch of upgrades, only way of getting the good ones are via raiding.

[Kirri]

You might find a problem getting a pug raid at your gearlevel, since a lot of people seem to have oddly strict demands on their raids... Tbh, I'd look at getting into a raiding guild (maybe a tenman), quite a few of us are fine with gearing up new people as long as they are decent to get along with, and it also means you have people to run to for advice.
I wouldn't bring you to a totc raid, but fitting you into naxx/ulduar should be fully doable.

For some general advice... (and sorry if this sounds retarded-level simple, it's hard to say what people have caught on to): Buy an eternal belt buckle. They're blacksmith made and allows you to put an extra colour-neutral socket in your belt. The colour-neutral comment is because I've encountered people thinking you needed to put a prismatic gem in a prismatic socket -this isn't the case, there's no socket bonus, so put what's best for you. (Probably pure SP)
Otherwise, keep in mind you only need to follow socket colour for the socket bonus. As people have said, you have quite a bit of hit, so consider replacing the hit gem (with a hitrating socket bonus) for a pure red, same with the one that gives stamina -those socket bonuses aren't really much good for you. (you need 17% hitrating, you get 3% from other people in most raids, I presume you're specked for 3%, though this varies, and dreanei's in the group gives 1%)

Though: Also, as far as I can see, your meta gem isn't active: you need two "blue" gems for that one to activate. That means you need to have two gems either green, purple or pure blue. Purple, Spell power/spirit, would probably be the best option for you, you now get SP from spirit. (Purified something or another)
In the same vein, for maximum dps consider replacing your SP/stam leg enchant with the SP/spirit one. As a tailor it's pretty much free for you anyways :P

You're not wearing a tabard on armoury, if you aren't make sure you wear the Tabard of the Kirin Tor (bought from their vendor in dalaran) when instancing, so you can get a better head enchant. The SP/crit is the best available for you for dps, and that one you can't get before revered with the Kirin Tor.

Spec and glyphs you'll have to read the faq for, no idea :P

And if there's anything you're wondering about that you don't want to put here feel welcome to PM me -I rarely bite O

[Bradster]

Thanks for that Kirri, it was really helpful. There's nothing I feel really embarrassed about because I haven't been playing for years as I said so I don't mind posting it publicly . I'm going to replace all my gems with spell power I think as I get most of my hit from white stats and my talent spec. And am going to look into getting a socket for my belt.

I agree with you about the oddly large requirements for certain raids and that's the annoying thing, it's like a catch 22, can't get into the instance without gear, can't gear without the instance. But I'll try and do my best gear wise without them raids and see what happens.

Another quick question, you said the hit cap was 17%, so if I had 14% hit and also gaining 3% from elemental precision, would I not need to worry about hit then?

[draconith]

Thanks for that Kirri, it was really helpful. There's nothing I feel really embarrassed about because I haven't been playing for years as I said so I don't mind posting it publicly . I'm going to replace all my gems with spell power I think as I get most of my hit from white stats and my talent spec. And am going to look into getting a socket for my belt.

I agree with you about the oddly large requirements for certain raids and that's the annoying thing, it's like a catch 22, can't get into the instance without gear, can't gear without the instance. But I'll try and do my best gear wise without them raids and see what happens.

Another quick question, you said the hit cap was 17%, so if I had 14% hit and also gaining 3% from elemental precision, would I not need to worry about hit then?

correct

[Orionsheart]

To clear up the hit rating for you a bit. You need a total of 17% to not miss a raid boss. That being said, you get 3% from precision in the frost tree, so that means you only need 14%. 14% will give you what is known as the hard cap, but you also should be looking at the soft cap. The soft cap is the amount of hit you need with the buffs from other classes to not miss a raid boss. Since you are alliance you have the 1% hit from a draenai and then 3% from either a spriest or boomkin. If you have both a draenai and a spriest/boomkin in your raid you only need to have 10% hit. These %s in number form are as follows 14%= 367.25 13% = 341.02 10% =262.32. In other words you want a set that gives 367.25 incase you have none of those in your party(or 341.02 depending on how many draenai are on your server) and one with 262.32 so you wont have any wasted itemization on hit if all buffs are present. The set with 262.32 hit on it should have a good bit more throughput from either haste or crit and you should notice a good bit of difference in the dps.

[Taun]

You are correct with the hit, You would only need 14% from gear, if your not arcane spec then you need 11%.

If the raids your in got a boomkin or a shadowpriest you only need a total of 14%.

My advice for specc is Arcane since that would give you nice burst dps in heroics and still viable in raids as long as you got mana, which shouldn't be a problem.

I would go for something like this http://www.wowhead.com/?talent#ofLVc...cZbhf0o:zNio0c

With thoose glyphs and that specc your rotation should be 3x Arcane Blast and then an arcane barrage if you do not have a missale barrage procc then you go with arcane missiles.

With this specc you don't need as much hit and you can push your dps if you got the mana for it, and got some nice cds with icy veins, pom and Arcane power.

For short fights you can throw in 4 arcane blasts and even a 5th if you get a clearcasting procc on the 4th as long as you got the mana for it. If mana is a problem you could always change the molten armor glyph for mage armor one and use mage armor or get the mage gem glyph.

If there's something i missed feel free to ask me, i'll be keeping a look at this thread.

And yes don't forgot to get 2 blue gems (or green or purple, where the purple with spellpower and spirit are the best) To activate your meta gem, cause as it is it's not functioning at all.

(And no i ain't the best mage there is, but i do have a little clue about how to play one.)

Edit: If you'd like to keep your current specc i would move your 2 points in shatter into dragons breath and Blast wave for some nice aoe dmg since Shatter doesn't affect your bosstargets at all.

[draconith]

Taun is wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong.

I agree with his spec but i moved one point out of arcane stability and put it in incanters absorbstion.

The rotation is no longer abx3 Ab

your rotation is simple.

since arcane blast stacks to 4 your rotation should be

ABx4 Arcane missles regardless of Missle barrage proc. If you have the mana it's worth it to sometimes spam AB one or two more times to fish for that mbam proc.

[Inoxia]

the above is also "wrong wrong wrong"

it is NOT AM regardless of having a proc or no proc after 4x AB, you either AB until you can get a proc (which your gear really can't handle) or simply Arcane Barrage and clear the stack and start over.

[Taun]

Taun is wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong.

I agree with his spec but i moved one point out of arcane stability and put it in incanters absorbstion.

The rotation is no longer abx3 Ab

your rotation is simple.

since arcane blast stacks to 4 your rotation should be

ABx4 Arcane missles regardless of Missle barrage proc. If you have the mana it's worth it to sometimes spam AB one or two more times to fish for that mbam proc.

Just find it funny that i'm wrong wrong wrong when all you don't agree with is my outdated rotation.
It's about 6 months i raided on my mage.

And ye's he's correct the rotation is ABx4 and barrage or missiles depending on the procc or not.

[Deaths]

not a mage, my highest was only like lvl 27 back in vanilla, just wanted to say I was impressed to find a thread in a class forum where someone asked for help and actually got competent help, without constant flamming...

nicely done mage community.

[Milamber]

RAWR

[draconith]

the above is also "wrong wrong wrong"

it is NOT AM regardless of having a proc or no proc after 4x AB, you either AB until you can get a proc (which your gear really can't handle) or simply Arcane Barrage and clear the stack and start over.

Abarr is a much higher dpm for a very insignificant dps increase. Many mages take it out of thier rotation. The general accepted rotation for no movement dps time is ABx4 AM.

ABx4 Abarr is generally only used when forced to move. I invite you to go re read the arcane thread on elitist jerks if you don't believe me.

[Bradster]

not a mage, my highest was only like lvl 27 back in vanilla, just wanted to say I was impressed to find a thread in a class forum where someone asked for help and actually got competent help, without constant flamming...

nicely done mage community.

I was surprised too, I thought I was going to get blasted and told to use the search function. Haha. 1 point to humanity.

[Skarrd]

Abarr is a much lower dpm for a very insignificant dps increase. Many mages take it out of thier rotation. The general accepted rotation for no movement dps time is ABx4 AM.

ABx4 Abarr is generally only used when forced to move. I invite you to go re read the arcane thread on elitist jerks if you don't believe me.

Fixed.

And yes, this guy is right. I'm not sure why every idiot in the mage community decided of their own volition that barrage was a better choice than missiles. I imagine it's the "big number" factor. 1 Big number, 1 global. MUST USE. Bad mages need to read elitist jerks, but I guess that's what makes them bad.


Fast and Flawed arcane dps: AB AB AB AB AM rinse repeat. You may not do your best dps in this way, but you'll outdps all those idiots burning 25k mana on AB spam to evocate it back.