Gearing Your Sapling: Part 2

Part two of my gear list. If you missed it, head back over to part 1 which covered Weapons through Chest.

The big differences between this and the first part is I'm no longer including a link for the boss that drops each item. That took up a pretty large chunk of time, and it didn't seem that it ended up being very helpful.

As a reminder, this is primarily to get a resto druid raid ready. If you're looking for a total start-from-scratch list, check out Angelya's post here. Her list has quite a few items that didn't make my top 5, so may be more helpful for some of you =)

Bracers

Bejeweled Wizard's Bracers - BoE crafted by Tailors

Moonshadow Armguards - BoE crafted by Leatherworkers

Ghostly Wristwraps - Trash drop in the heroic Frozen Halls instances (Forge of Souls, Pit of Saron, Halls of Reflection)

Wristguards of Subterranean Moss - Drops from Ick (2nd boss of normal Pit of Saron)

Cuffs of the Shadow Ascendant - BoE purchased with 60 Emblems of Valor.

Cuffs of Winged Levitation - Drops from Cache of Eregos (Spawns after defeating 4th boss of heroic Oculus)

Hands

Runetotem's Handguards of Conquest - Purchased for 30 Emblems of Triumph at vendor at the Argent Tournament

Essence of Desire - Drops from Devourer of Souls (2nd boss of heroic Forge of Souls)

Suspiciously Soft Gloves - Drops from Marwyn (2nd boss of heroic Halls of Reflection)

Marwyn's Macabre Fingertips - Drops from Falric (1st boss of normal Halls of Reflection)

Gloves of Dismal Fortune - Drops from chest that spawns after defeating either 2nd boss in normal Trial of the Champion.

Belt

Braid of Salt and Fire - Drops from Ick (2nd boss of heroic Pit of Saron)

Strip of Remorse - Drops from The Captain's Chest (Spawns after defeating the gauntlet in heroic Halls of Reflection)

Binding of the Tranquil Glade - Drops from the Champion's Cache (Spawns after defeating 1st boss of normal Trial of the Champion)

The Confessor's Binding - Drops from Confessor's Cache (Spawns after defeating Paletress, possible 2nd boss, in normal Trial of the Champion)

Sash of Blood Removal - Drops from Gal'darah (4th boss in heroic Gundrak)

Legs

Runetotem's Leggings of Conquest - Purchased for 50 Emblems of Triumph at vendor at the Argent Tournament.

Leggings of the Snowy Bramble - Drops from the Champion's Cache (Spawns after defeating 1st boss of heroic Trial of the Champion)

Rimewoven Silks - Drops from Scourgelord Tyrannus (3rd boss of normal Pit of Saron)

Leggings of the Haggard Apprentice - Drops from chest that spawns after defeating either 2nd boss in normal Trial of the Champion.

Leggings of the Winged Serpent - Drops from The Prophet Tharon'ja (4th boss of heroic Drak'Tharon Keep)

Feet

Spellslinger's Slippers - BoE crafted by tailors

Prelate's Snowshoes - Drops from Scourgelord Tyrannus (3rd boss of heroic Pit of Saron)

Ice-Steeped Sandals - Drops from Forgemaster Garfrost (1st boss of normal Pit of Saron)

Sandals of Crimson Fury - Purchased at Wyrmrest Temple at Exalted with the Wyrmrest Accord.

Cleric's Linen Shoes - Drop from the commander (1st boss in heroic Nexus, faction specific)

Rings

Band of the Invoker - Purchased for 35 Emblems of Triumph from vendors in Dalaran or at the Argent Tournament

Heartmender Circle - Purchased for 35 Emblems of Triumph from vendors in Dalaran or at the Argent Tournament

Oath of Empress Zoe - Drops from The Captain's Chest (Spawns after defeating the gauntlet in heroic Halls of Reflection)

Band of Channeled Magic - Purchased for 25 Emblems of Valor from several vendors in Dalaran (Easiest place will be the emblem room in your faction's area)

Spiteful Signet - Drops from Devourer of Souls (2nd boss of normal Forge of Souls)

Band of Guile - Drops from Dark Runed Chest (Spawns after defeating Mal'Ganis in heroic Culling of Stratholme)

Annhylde's Ring - Drops from Ingvar the Plunderer (3rd boss in heroic Utgarde Keep)

Signet of Purity - Drops from Eadric's Cache (Spawns after defeating Eadric, possible 2nd boss, in normal Trial of the Champion)

Signet of Hopeful Light - Purchased at the Argent Vanguard at Exalted with the Argent Crusade.

Titanium Spellshock Ring - BoE crafted by Jewelcrafters

Ring of the Frenzied Wolvar - Drops from Gortok Palehoof (2nd boss in heroic Utgarde Pinnacle)

Trinkets

Ephemeral Snowflake - Drops from Marwyn (2nd boss of heroic Halls of Reflection)

Nevermelting Ice Crystal - Drops from Scourgelord Tyrannus (3rd boss of heroic Pit of Saron)

Je'Tze's Bell - BoE world drop

Darkmoon Card: Greatness - BoE quest reward from the Nobles Deck

Darkmoon Card: Illusion - BoE quest reward from the Prisms Deck

The Egg of Mortal Essence - Purchased for 40 Emblems of Heroism from several vendors in Dalaran (Easiest place will be the emblem room in your faction's area)

Spark of Life - Drops from Sjonnir The Ironshaper (Final boss in heroic Halls of Stone)

Talisman of Troll Divinity - Drops from The Prophet Tharon'ja (4th boss of heroic Drak'Tharon Keep)

Forge Ember - Drops from Sjonnir The Ironshaper (Final boss in heroic Halls of Stone)

Soul Preserver - Drops from Dark Runed Chest (Spawns after defeating Mal'Ganis in normal Culling of Stratholme)

Gearing Your Sapling: Part 1

Whether you're a fresh 80  that's looking to gather gear to work towards being able to heal raids, or a druid that's been 80 for a year but has decided to make a resto offspec, or somewhere in between, one of the most common questions is how to get the easiest good gear possible. Hopefully this will help a bit =)

This list does not include any raid, EoF, or Primordial Saronite crafted gear. It's not the end all list, just a guide of things to try for to get a set going. Horde items are listed, Alliance can go look up their equivalent if needed. (Please let me know if you find any wrong/broken links)

Order is Best > Worst. I'm only listing 5 items for most slots, so there may be alternatives, I'm just listing those that I think are best.

Part 1: Weapons - Chest
Look for part 2 here.

2H Weapon
*While the top two are good choices, the best combination pre-raid is going to be 1H/OH*

Blood Boil Lancet - Drops from Devourer of Souls (2nd boss of normal Forge of Souls)

Unspeakable Secret - Drops from Forgemaster Garfrost (1st boss of normal Pit of Saron)

Staff of Draconic Combat - Drops from Cache of Eregos (Spawns after defeating 4th boss of heroic Oculus)

Staff of Wayward Principles - Drops from Skadi the Ruthless (3rd boss in heroic Utgarde Pinnacle)

Staff of Sinister Claws - Drops from Herald Volazj (4th boss of heroic AN: Old Kingdom)

1H Weapon
Val'anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings - Okay okay, I'm kidding... We can wish though right?

Hammer of Purified Flame - Reward from the quest chain starting with the Battered Hilt (Random drop from any of the ICC heroics, can also be picked up on AH for a nasty amount of gold)

Surgeon's Needle - Drops from Forgemaster Garfrost (1st boss of heroic Pit of Saron)

Spectral Kris - Drops from the Black Knight (3rd boss of heroic Trial of the Champion)

Bone Golem Scapula - Drops from The Captain's Chest (Spawns after defeating the gauntlet in normal Halls of Reflection)

Mariel's Sorrow - Drops from Eadric's Cache (Spawns after defeating Eadric, possible 2nd boss, in heroic Trial of the Champion)


War Mace of Unrequited Love - Drops from Keristrasza (5th boss in heroic Nexus)


Off-Hand
Shriveled Heart - Drops from The Captain's Chest (Spawns after defeating the gauntlet in heroic Halls of Reflection)

Handbook of Obscure Remedies - Purchased for 25 Emblems of Heroism from several vendors in Dalaran (Easiest place will be the emblem room in your faction's area)

Faces of Doom - BoE Inscription crafted, check your local scribe or AH

Temple Crystal Fragment - Drops from Novos the Summoner (2nd boss of heroic Drak'Tharon Keep)

Prison Manifest - BoE drop from the Violet Hold heroic. These are normally very cheap on the AH, likely better off purchasing instead of attempting to farm.

Idol
*Get it. First EoT purchase. Love it.*
Idol of Flaring Growth - Purchased for 25 Emblems of Triumph at vendor in Dalaran or at the Argent Tournament.

Head
*Out of the T9 pieces, the helm is the best one to skip, and purchase the EoT non-set instead*

Mask of Abundant Growth - Purchased for 75 Emblems of Triumph at vendor in Dalaran or at the Argent Tournament.

Runetotem's Headpiece of Conquest - Purchased for 50 Emblems of Triumph at vendor at the Argent Tournament.

Tattered Glacial-Woven Hood - Drops from The Captain's Chest (Spawns after defeating the gauntlet in normal Halls of Reflection)

Fallen Sentry's Hood - Drops from Falric (1st boss of normal Halls of Reflection)

Gaze of the Somber Keeper - Drops from Confessor's Cache (Spawns after defeating Paletress, possible 2nd boss, in normal Trial of the Champion)

Neck
Love's Prisoner - Drops from Bronjahm (1st boss of heroic Forge of Souls)

Arcane Loops of Anger - Drops from Devourer of Souls (2nd boss of heroic Forge of Souls)

Evoker's Charm - Purchased for 19 Emblems of Conquest from several vendors in Dalaran (Easiest place will be the emblem room in your faction's area)

Symbol of Redemption - Drops from the Black Knight (3rd boss of heroic Trial of the Champion)

Dragon Prow Amulet - BoE drop from the Utgarde Keep heroic. These are normally very cheap on the AH, likely better off purchasing instead of attempting to farm.

Shoulder
*Tier 9 is the way to go. Get it asap*

Runetotem's Spaulders of Conquest - Purchased for 30 Emblems of Triumph at vendor at the Argent Tournament.

Frayed Abomination Stitching Shoulders - Drops from Marwyn (2nd boss of normal Halls of Reflection)

Grim Lasher Shoulderguards - Drops from The Captain's Chest (Spawns after defeating the gauntlet in normal Halls of Reflection)

Mantle of Tattered Feathers - Random drop from the Frozen Halls instances (Forge of Souls, Pit of Saron, Halls of Reflection) WoWHead claims normal and heroic, iLvl suggests normal only.

Dark Runic Mantle - BoE drop from the Halls of Stone heroic. These are normally very cheap on the AH, likely better off purchasing instead of attempting to farm.

Cape

Cloak of the Fallen Cardinal - Drops from Scourgelord Tyrannus (3rd boss of normal Pit of Saron)

Disguise of the Kumiho - Purchased for 25 Emblems of Valor from several vendors in Dalaran (Easiest place will be the emblem room in your faction's area)

Wispcloak - BoE crafted by tailors

Reanimator's Cloak - BoE drop from the Drak'Tharon heroic. These are normally very cheap on the AH, likely better off purchasing instead of attempting to farm.

Ancient Dragon Spirit Cape - Drops from Cache of Eregos (Spawns after defeating 4th boss of heroic Oculus)

Chest
*Again, get your T9 as soon as you are able.*

Runetotem's Robe of Conquest - Purchased for 50 Emblems of Triumph at vendor at the Argent Tournament.

Merlin's Robe - BoE crafted by tailors.


Chestguard of Broken Branches - Drops from The Captain's Chest (Spawns after defeating the gauntlet in heroic Halls of Reflection)

Mord'rethar Robes - Drops from Devourer of Souls (2nd boss of heroic Forge of Souls)

Robes of the Cheating Heart - Drops from Bronjahm (1st boss of normal Forge of Souls)

Smallish Update

Due to epic failure on the part of ATT, after getting back from the holidays, I had one day of fun before the internet died for 2.5 weeks. I'll skip the rage here, but maaaan that sucked >.< Sadly, that, combined with sporadic raid attendance during the hols means that I've been bumped from raider to waitlist-er. So, with ICC being conquered by other adventurers, had a bit of time on my hands =\ The good news is I've gotten quite a bit done since getting back online Tuesday.

With Khiow, other than Emblems of Frost, there's not a whole lot of progress I can do without a raid. I'll be crafting him the ICC boots early next week, and I think I'll have enough badges for the T10 helm on Tuesday. Other than one random heroic a day though, he's not seeing much action. *sadface*

Khite still had a bit of gear to get from Triumph badges, but looks like I'm done with that now. There are still 2 pieces outa Halls of Reflection she could use, but other than that, she's in the same situation as Khiow. Need more raids =\

And that brings us to the main reason for this post... Little druid Khilana *grin* And yes, she is my second 80 druid. On the same server. And yup, she's a tree too. Her offspec is kitty while Khiow's is boomkin, so a little different. I got her from 77 to 80 this week, and I've been getting her gear and sneaking into raids since then. She killed the Twins, and almost Anub (fucking 3% wipe with a pug) in ToC 25, and has been very very rapidly getting gear. I think I'll have my 4 piece T9 later today.

I know Blizzard wanted to make it easier for us to gear up new players or alts, but I think they made it a bit too easy. Khilana's been 80 for 2 days, and she's almost ready for ToC10/Uld25. And that's with only 1 crafted/BoE item. Don't misunderstand me... For me right now, this is fun. It rocks. I've got epics coming out my ass. But it's not really a challenge. When I hit 70 back in BC, it was weeks later that I got my first epic. And I had to work for that. But now? It's like they're candy.

I dunno. I like many of the changes that Blizz has made over the years, but I'm getting to the point where I want more of a challenge with some things. The hardest thing about most raids is fighting my computer =\ When they first made the changes with Emblems of Conquest dropping everywhere, I liked the idea in general, but thought they should have only bumped it one rank. IE, Valors drop everywhere, but EoC were still restricted to Uld 25, and EoT only coming from ToC. And now, with Triumphs everywhere, I'm going back to that idea. Conquest badges now would be a good stepping stone, but require people to still spend some time, effort, and blood to get ready for progression raiding.

*shrug* Just my opinions. What do ya'll think? If you've hit 80 since 3.3, how have you liked the gearing process? If you've had new players join your raiding team, do you think the lack of difficulty has been a good thing or a bad thing? Cake or pie?

...
Dammit.
Now I want cake.

Recommended Reading: Week of 11-22

As I'm expecting 3.3 to hit tomorrow or next week, I've been trying to significantly lower the amount of time I've spent on WoW for the past few days... It's working, but now I'm getting bored >.>

But fortunately for us, not everyone has decided to take a break, and some interesting blog posts have been shared this week.

Many of us trees have off specs, though they might be a little less loved, the furry or feathery sides of us need attention too. Over at the Big Bear Butt Blogger, BBB posted a little guide on how to get some starting gear for a bear tank. Graylo at Grey Matter did the digging for us, and found some blue posts on the 3.3 moonkin changes, and gave us his take on the matter.

Speaking of 3.3, Lissanna over at Restokin is taking a survey to help her get a good idea of the audience before she updates her healing guide. She also posted some potential talent builds once the patch hits with some discussion on each.

Since it seems quite a few of us missed it, Blizz will be adding new Kirin Tor rings in the patch. They'll be iLvl 251, and pretty nice. While we're on the subject of new items, I did a little review of trinkets that will be available for us trees through Icecrown. Last but not least on the subject of 3.3 changes, a forum post over at Plus Heal has a pretty nice discussion on glyph choices.

And finally, a little fun... Keredria over at Tree of Life found a website that will figure out the personality type of your blog. Pretty cool, eh?

On a different note, though I did a pretty extensive one on 3.2, I'm not planning to do a big post or series of posts on 3.3 for trees. Just about everything has been covered somewhere, and I just don't know that I have the time right now to spend hours and hours researching and linking and writing. That said, if we end up with 18 hours of downtime and I'm just itching to do something WoW related, one might show up >.>

3.3 Items: Tasty Tree Trinkets

*Warning: Wall of text incoming. Be prepared*

I'm only including trinkets that I think are truly GOOD for resto druids. There are some that are decent, and perhaps even good with odd gear or spec combinations, but my list is based on what the majority of raiding trees will be looking for. My personal preference is normally towards reliable trinkets, where the effect is not based on a chance proc or on use. I don't always get my wish, but you may find this list biased that way just a little =)

The Pretties

Ephemeral Snowflake
Let me mop up a little drool here...
First, the haste use effect is very nice. I've been hoping for a reliable haste trinket, but an on use is not a bad choice here. What makes this trinket truly amazing is the mana restore, which procs off of EACH TICK of our heals, including overheals. According to a WoWHead commenter,

for example: means wildgrowth with glyph gives 6 targets a hot which ticks every second for seven seconds:
wildgrowth = 643 mana
trinket returns: 7 * 6 * 11 mana = 462 mana

A 6 target healing spell that costs less than 200 mana? *fwibble* Unless I get to the gear point where mana is insignificant and my haste is higher than I'd like, I'd consider this one of the BiS trinkets. And one of the best things about it, this trinket drops from one of the 5 man heroic instance. Anyone should be able to obtain this, so good luck with the drop =)

Nevermelting Ice Crystal
This one I'm a little iffy on still. It's easy to obtain, dropping from one of the 5 man heroics, and has a decent amount of spell power. While the on use effect is going to be pretty underpowered in most situations, with 4pc T9, it becomes vastly more appealing. For a tree with the 4 set bonus that's not having mana issues, this could be a very nice trinket, but I think I'll be leaving it taking up bagspace myself. I honestly expect to see the CD on the use lowered a bit, or perhaps the effect itself buffed slightly, but even then it's not quite as appealing in most situations or gear levels.

Althor's Abacus
Depending on how this proc works, this is either going to end up being a BiS trinket for many, or a very situational trinket. IF this can proc from WG, IF it is a smart heal and will try to land on someone that actually needs the health, or IF the internal CD is reasonable, this could be great. Unfortunately, there seem to be too many unknowns still. At worst, this will be something I'd pick up to use on heavy raid damage fights. At best, I'll be fighting most of our healers to try and pick it up. This looks to drop from 25 man Gunship battle, so it will be available with the first stage of the content release, but hopefully we'll see some testing results soon.

Show of Faith
Or any of it's previous incarnations (Je'Tze's Bell, Sif's Remembrance). This has been a popular trinket model for all of Wrath, but lately I've been seeing more and more trees replacing it with different choices. That said, it is still a good trinket if you're lucky enough to find one available. The Show is from 25 Yogg +1 or +0, Sif's is off of 10 Thorim HM, and the Bell can be picked up off your local auction house for a few Kg on most servers. This provides approximately 65-80 Mp5, so keep that in mind when comparing against your other options.

Solace of the Fallen
In comparison, the normal version of this trinket provides a reliable 128 Mp5. The heroic version is even more amazing, but not everyone is lucky enough to have that available *Innocent whistle* If needed, the normal and heroic versions of this trinket do stack, but most of us won't need that much Mp5. It is a very very shiny trinket, and most 25 raiding guilds are killing Jaraxxus on a pretty regular basis, so not the most difficult to obtain.

Spark of Hope
Even though spirit is no longer the chocolate that it was for us trees, it is still one of our most powerful stats. The Spark grants about 20 spellpower and 250 mp5 for us, and while it's not one of the best trinkets out there, it is a decent choice for a 10 raiding resto, or a tree that's having some serious mana issues.

Gnome... It's what's for dinner.

The Unmentionables

Now, time for a little fun. These next two are trinkets that are currently not quite nice enough to make my list, but I'd not be shocked to see changed.

Purified Lunar Dust
Currently, compared to even the normal version of the Solace, this is a pretty disappointing trinket. If it ends up having a 45 second CD, even with the 19 iLvl difference this is going to give lower Mp5 and only 3 more spell power. I expect to either see this buffed pretty significantly, or the internal CD made very short. That said, it is obtainable through Emblems of Frost, which will make it a decent choice for some raiders.

Sliver of Pure Ice
Currently, the Mp5 from this trinket will typically match what you'd be getting from the Show of Faith, and that's only if the player is activating the use effect on cooldown each time. Even if it does end up getting buffed to be competitive, I'm not particularly fond of the mana pot type use, but it could end up being a decent option for 10 man raiders. As of this writing, it seems that it's drop location is still unknown, so it may end up that this trinket isn't even available for a good while after the first stage of Icecrown Citadel opens.


TL; DR
"Khi, just quit jabbering and tell me what trinkets to pick!"
Well, it's always going to depend on your gear, spec, the encounter, and you're role. That said, basic ideas...

10m Raiders
Ephemeral Snowflake
Sif's Remembrance
Nevermelting Ice Crystal

25m Raiders
Ephemeral Snowflake
Solace of the Fallen
Althor's Abacus

LF Guild: How To, and How Not To

The main parts of this are something I wrote up for our officers so they had some info on things I checked when receiving an application for our guild. However, for the sake of my blog audience (as small as that might be currently ^.^), I went back and added info for players that are on the other side of the process and applying to a new guild.



As the semi-official 'recruiting officer' for Narrischkeit, I get to see the applications before anyone else, and I'm often the first to respond once I've posted the app in our forum. As such, I've tried to make things easier for me, and created a list of sites that I go through that do most of the work for me =)

These tips are directed towards those applying for semi-casual -> hardcore raiding guilds. If you're applying to a social guild, or just joining a group of friends that you know, then some of this information will not apply to you.

Before filling out any application, read all info about the guild that you can find. Above all, make sure that you have read their policies, raiding schedule, and the steps for application. For example, don't post your application on their Recruiting forum when the directions state to PM it to an officer.

3.2 Incoming! Part 2: Loot

In this post, I will ONLY be covering loot that may be of interest to a raiding resto or balance druid. Please let me know if you find any broken links, errors, or whatnot.


As these are not live items, I will be linking them to their MMO Champion page for the time being. This post will likely be updated to WoWHead links once the patch is live. (Anyone perhaps know how to get it to instead show up in the WoWHead popup screen?)


Some item models & names will be different for Horde and Alliance, but the stats and bosses should be the same. Horde versions will be my links.



Cloth items will be included. Loot will be basically sorted, but don't ignore the other spec's list as you may find something of interest there. Anything that well itemized for both specs will be under Resto.

3.1 Crit/Haste Gear

With all of the lovely changes in 3.1, it seems we're going to be moving quite a bit away from the current resto itemization wishes. I'm still attempting to get on the PTR myself (What do you mean I don't have any characters on Stonemaul %@$&!) but has anyone started looking at builds/specs/gear that is much more biased towards crit and haste? AI, actually using Nourish *twitch*

I'll likely go back and edit this with my thoughts once I've managed to run some tests myself, but from the numbers and reports I've seen so far, kinda worried that my rotation's going to start looking more like a holy pally 0.o

-----

Edit =)

Going to skip all the number fun... Every single blog out there seems to have that info listed somewhere.

After testing it out for a while, I think I'm going to be okay with this change. For the most part, my raid healing is going to stay the same, with single targets getting Rejuve or LB when it's predictable damage, and WG for group heals. Unfortunately, my mana regen currently fails, so my attempts at just keeping a 3 stack up on a MT have put me at going OOM more quickly than I liked. With all of the other regen changes, for any lower-end geared tree, I don't think that is going to be the best method for longer fights. While I personally think micromanaging is going to be the best way to go with these current changes, I don't think that is going to be a feasable playstyle for newer trees.

At this point, I'd recommend the standard keeping rejuve and regrowth up, but using Nourish more. That means that yes indeed crit and haste gear will be your friend. At the same time, start practicing in less-dangerous conditions how to judge your mana regen with lifebloom, the timing, and of course the actual bloom. By the time you're healing Ulduar 25, hopefully you'll have a good grasp of how to best manage LB in your rotation with your partucular gear and spec.

Just don't try and learn that while healing me in 3 drake OS >.>