Thankfully, as I'm almost done with my badge upgrades on my Bear suit, I'll be focusing on my Cat gear soon. In preperation, I have already looked through pre-25 man raid goodies and picked out items to focus on getting. As I post my current gear, I'll also post my 'to get' items.
Head
Current item - Cowl of Defiance from Netherspite in Kara.
'To Get' item - Grimgrin Faceguard from the last boss in Zul' Aman but, if I get the points for the Vengeful Gladiator's Dragonhide Helm before the Grimgrin Faceguard drops, I will get it...but, must get the Merciless Gladiator's Maul first! (see notes under weapon below)
Neck
Current item - Mithril Chain of Heroism from the Chess event in Kara.
'To Get' item - No better pre-25 man raid item other than Haramod's Bargain from Consortium rep (exalted) and I prefer the Mithril Chain of Heroism as it has stamina.
Shoulders
Current item - Mantle of Malorne from High King Maulgar in Gruul's Lair.
'To Get' item - I'll be keeping the shoulders and hands of the Malorne set for the 2-set bonus. I'll discuss my reasoning for these two items after I'm done with my gear list. But, if I were to switch this item out, I would pick the Shoulderpads of Dancing Blades from the Lynx boss in Zul' Aman.
Back
Current item - Drape of the Dark Reavers from the Shade of Aran in Kara.
'To Get' item - No better pre-25 man raid item available.
Chest
Current item - Vengeful Gladiator's Dragonhide Tunic, Arena season 3.
'To Get' item - None. But, if you don't do Arenas, I recommend Vestments of Hibernation for 75 Badges of Justice.
Wrists
Current item - Bracers of Maliciousness from The Maiden of Virtue in Kara.
'To Get' item - Master Assassin Wristwraps for 35 Badges of Justice.
Hands
Current item - Guantlets of Malorne from the Curator in Kara.
'To Get' item - I'll be keeping the shoulders and hands of the Malorne set for the 2-set bonus. I'll discuss my reasoning for these two items after I'm done with my gear list. But, if I were to switch this item out, I would pick Trickster's Stickyfingers for 60 Badges of Justice.
Waist
Current item - Socrethar's Girdle (quest item)...I don't know why I still have this on when I have a Girdle of Treachery from the Chess even in Kara. I'll have to fix that today!
'To Get' item - Waistguard of the Great Beast for 60 Badges of Justice (I have one for my Bear suit, I'll have to check and see if it's better than the Girdle of Treachery with Bear gems...otherwise, I'll get another and gem that one for kitty.)
Legs
Current item - Clefthoof Hide Leggings from a quest.
'To Get' item - Shallow-grave Trousers for 75 Badges of Justice.
Feet
Current item - Edgewalker Longboots from Moroes in Kara.
'To Get' item - The Footwraps of Wild Enchroachment are a minor upgrade, but I'm not sure it's worth another 60 badges as it's very minor. I have them for my Bear set, but I believe the bear gems keep them from being better than the Edgewalker Longboots.
Ring 1
Current item - A'dal's Command
'To Get' item - Ring of the Overseer from Shartuul in Blades Edge.
Ring 2
Current item - Garona's Signet Ring
'To Get' item - Garona's and the Ring of the Overseer are the two best pre-25 man rings available.
Trinket 1
Current item - Hourglass of the Unraveller
'To Get' item - Bloodlust Brooch, 41 Badges of Justice
Trinket 2
Current item - Alchemist Stone (Why am I wearing this? LOLWUT?)
'To Get' item - Skyguard Silver Cross for exalted with the Sha'tari Skyguard.
Weapon
Current item - Terestian's Stranglestaff
'To Get' item - Merciless Gladiator's Maul season 2 Areana weapon.
Idol
Current item - Everbloom Idol for raids for the bargain price of 15 Badges of Justice and Idol of the Wild from a quest reward for everything else.
'To Get' item - I think those are the best, but I'd have to do some research.
Malorne 2-Piece Set Bonus
The Malorne 2-Piece set bonus is just too good to give up:
Using Emmerald's 2.3 gear lists draft beta 2, the best Malorne items to keep are the Shoulders and Hands. This was determined by assessing the delta between the Malorne items and the best pre-25 man upgrade item available.Your melee attacks in Bear form and Dire Bear form have a chance to generate 10 additional rage. Your melee attacks in Cat form have a chance to generate 20 additional energy.
| Item | Head | Shoulders | Chest | Hands | Legs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upgrade Item* | 240.04 | 156.84 | 240.80 | 157.54 | 219.55 |
| Malorne Piece | 198.17 | 148.28 | 189.92 | 119.52 | 157.99 |
| Delta | 41.87 | 8.56 | 50.88 | 38.02 | 61.56 |
As you can see, based on the Sustained DPS points that Emmerald's calculations assign, the shoulders and hands are the items closest to the upgrade items I have listed above. The head item isn't too far behind, so keeping this piece for kitty rather than the hands wouldn't make too much of a DPS difference. However, keeping the chest or legs is not viable as there are other items which will significantly boost your DPS in raids.
