Get your Cataclysm gear sorted

New kit, new rules, here’s help

New expansions equate to a whole new spread of equipment to get your head around. Cataclysm is no different. If anything, it’s even more challenging than previous expansions because stats that we knew and loved have either disappeared or changed in value significantly. Picking kit using criteria that was valid in WotLK could well see you gimping your stats or throwing away gear that you may not think you need now, but could well regret later on.

Even the introduction of Mastery, the new catch-all for improving your main role in a group, hasn’t meant that things are easier. Some specifications may actively stack the Mastery stat (such as warrior tanks), while others relegate it to something that is only useful as a source for reforging (nearly every other plate wearer). In other words don’t assume that Mastery is going to make your life easier – until you reach certain requirements, you’re often better off stacking base stats first.

Reforging can complicate matters too, especially when considered alongside gems and enchants when trying to hit those all-important hit and expertise caps needed to make sure that your big numbers land regularly enough. Reforging is certainly useful, but it’s easy to misuse and end up gimping items. Work out what your best stats are and which stats you don’t care about, and you’ve got a plan for reforging.

What this all boils down to is: if an item drops in a dungeon or quest, how do you know if it’s an upgrade or not? Common sense will only get you so far, and being able to turn to a reliable source is preferable.

The good news is there are sites that will rate your current gear and show you which items are potential upgrades, and usefully, how you can get your hands on them. The likes of Gear Wish List, Maxdps and WoW Heroes are all commendable, as is the item comparison tool in Wowhead (www.wowhead.com). As ever, it’s the number crunching powerhouse that is RAWR that really impresses for this.

Posted on Wednesday, March 16th, 2011 at 3:36 pm under Articles. You can subscribe to comments. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.

Tags: Game publishers