Gearing up for Raids

[7F]LarryBoy

New Member
So you've just hit 85 and want to get raid-ready, but you're not sure where to start? Keep reading!

1. Set your last talent points and train your level 85 ability. Maybe you want to respec out of a leveling build into a dungeon-oriented build.

2. Pick some lvl 346 gear from the Justice Points vendor in Stormwind (if you had saved up JP from before Cataclysm). These vendors can be found in the Command Center in the Old Town part of Stormwind.

3. Get rep tabards for each of the 5 Cataclysm factions. You can get the tabards from the following quartermasters:
- Guardians of Hyjal: Provisioner Whitecloud (located at Nordrassil in Mount Hyjal)
- The Earthen Ring: Provisioner Arok (located at Silver Tide Hollow in Vashj'ir)
- Therazane: D'lom the Collector (located at Therazane's Throne in Deepholm)
- Ramkahen: Blacksmith Abasi (located at Ramkahen in Uldum)
- Wildhammer Clan: Craw MacGraw (located at Thundermar in Twilight Highlands)
Each of these faction quartermasters require you to do at least some questing in the zone to unlock access to them, some more than others. Some of the factions also have daily quests you can do to improve your standing with them.

The next step is going to be gearing up. I don't know at this point exactly how much gear is needed pre-raids, but my assumption at this point is that you're going to need to have mostly heroic blues (level 346 gear) in order to hold your own in raids. The best place to get these is Cataclysm Heroics (either from drops or purchased with Justice Points). However, you require an average gear level of 329 before you can queue for Heroics. Here's some of the things I would do to gear up:

1. Until you can queue for heroics, try to get in as many Cataclysm Normals as you can, in particular the three 84-85 dungeons: Lost City, Halls of Origination, and Grim Batol. These all drop level 333 blues, and will help you meet that gear level requirement for Heroics. It's always fun to try run these with guildmates, but feel free to just hit dungeon finder if no one is around or available.

2. See if there are some 333 level gear pieces that people in the guild can craft. There are also some 346 blues and 359 epics that can be crafted, but those will require Chaos Orbs, which only drop in Heroic 5-man dungeons.

3. Look at the gear offered as rewards by the 5 reputations. The Honored rewards are level 333 blues, the Revered rewards are level 346 blues, and the exalted rewards are level 359 epics. Work on getting ones that fit for your class and spec.

4. Once you can get into Heroics, start running those for level 346 blues, better rep gains, and Chaos Orbs. Think about getting some level 359 epics crafted; these will help you get an extra edge during raids. (I should mention that at this point Chaos Orbs are BoP, so if you're trying to get gear crafted, run heroics with the crafter and trade them any orbs you win.)

The other thing you'll want to look at is enchanting and gemming all that fine gear. We have several JCs and Enchanters in the guild who would love to help you out. 4 of the 5 factions have Head Enchants that you can buy, and Therazane sells Shoulder enchants for you non-Inscribers.

The last thing to mention is consumable buffs. There are flasks, and short-term stat buff potions that are great for using during heroism or other burn phases. Both of these can be made by alchemists in the guild. You will also want to bring a stack of your favorite food, or feasts to share with everyone.

Get geared up, and lets go kill some dragons and other nasties together!
 
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Good outline Alan. I would concur with those instructions. I would add you ought to review the factions to determine which of them have your epic pieces and grind those reps first for the pieces. This will ensure you are getting access to the epic pieces quickly and making it easier for you on heroics. I have intentionally stayed out of randoms/heroics this past week. I am on my final week with an assignment due but starting next week, I play on living in the heroic queues (ilvl334 atm). Hope to queue up with guildies as we now have 18 85s! Congrats to Rob, our latest victim.
 
[7F]LarryBoy;407416 said:
I am sorely tempted to get 10 people and jump into one of the raids, just to see what would happen.

Lets do it, My average ilvl is 334 I think.
 
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