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Brutal Gladiator's Earthshaker

Zach Yonzon
Updated ·8 min read


The Brutal Gladiator's Earthshaker is the armor set for Enhancement Shamans. It is a linked, or mail armor usable only by Shamans and is usually matched with Guardian's Linked armor pieces. The armor set can be purchased from Big Zokk Torquewrench in Netherstorm and Ontokk Shatterhorn in Shattrath City. The matching Guardian items may be purchased from Doris Volanthius in the Hall of Legends and Lieutenant Tristia in the Champion's Hall.


Brutal Gladiator's Linked Gauntlets
The Brutal Gladiator armor piece for the hands are the cheapest and easiest Season 4 Arena gear to obtain. With no personal rating requirements, most players will be able to purchase this piece and is the Arena gear likely to be most widespread as soon as the season begins. Its bonus is the same as all other Shaman armor, an increase to the range of Shock spells. The gauntlets have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):

694 Armor (+55)
+38 Strength (+5)
+58 Stamina (+7)
+37 Critical Strike (+5)
+22 Resilience (+0)
Improves the range of all Shock spells by 5 yards.
Classes: Shaman

WoW Insider says: These gloves are low-cost and have no rating requirements, which is good. The gloves are a good purchase if only because of the accessibility and modest improvement over the previous season's gloves. The Shock range bonus helps Shamans who wants to get up close and personal with a well-placed Frost Shock.



Brutal Gladiator's Linked Leggings
The leg armor possesses a personal rating requirement of 1550, which isn't too difficult to obtain, even for the underrepresented Enhancement Shaman. While not as accessible as the gloves, the leg armor is highly visible on a character and is also likely to be a popular purchase, even at 1875 Arena points. The leggings have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
971 Armor (+77)
+43 Strength (+5)
+74 Stamina (+7)
+38 Intellect (+5)
+17 Hit (+5)
+41 Critical Strike (+5)
+31 Resilience (+0)
84 Armor Penetration (+0)
Classes: Shaman
WoW Insider says: This armor piece is the one of the best for its spec, being the only Linked armor piece with +Intellect. The lack of sockets mean that the only customization that can be done will be through Tailoring or Leatherworking enchants, but it more than makes up for it with +Hit and Armor Penetration. At 1550 personal rating, Enhancement Shamans shouldn't have too much trouble obtaining it.



Brutal Gladiator's Linked Armor
With three sockets, the chestpiece is the most customizable Arena armor piece. In the case of Enhancement Shamans, it is the third best piece to get after the gloves and leggings, despite the 1600 personal rating requirement. In PvE, the chest armor is traditionally a drop from the final boss in a series (Magtheridon drops Tier 4 chest token, Kael'thas drops Tier 5 chest token, Illidan drops Tier 6 chest token, etc.). Arenas are different in this regard, but the item level of the chest is identical to PvE chest pieces. Sunwell Plateau breaks from tradition in that the final boss, Kil'jaeden, does not drop chest tokens or armor. However, the Brutal Gladiator chest armor is equivalent to the drops from Entropius and is the best combination of cost and restriction among all the armor pieces. The armor has the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
1110 Armor (+88)
+32 Strength (+5)
+71 Stamina (+7)
+17 Hit (+5)
+35 Critical Strike (+5)
+31 Resilience (+0)
84 Armor Penetration (+0)
12 Mana / 5 Secs (+2 / 5)


Socket Bonus: +4 Critical Strike
Classes: Shaman
WoW Insider says: Although a little harder to obtain because of the 1600 personal rating, the Linked Armor has everything an Enhancement Shaman needs. The +Hit and Armor Penetration all contribute to one of the best Brutal Gladiator purchases an Enhancement Shaman can buy in Season 4. Because of its PvE equivalent, obtaining the Brutal Gladiator chest armor is almost like killing Entropius in Sunwell Plateau. Well, ok not really, but if you don't raid, that's about as close to a raid drop as you're going to get.



Brutal Gladiator's Linked Helm
The helm is very likely the last Brutal Gladiator armor piece that many players will obtain. With the shoulders at an extremely prohibitive 2200, most players will only manage 4/5 of Season 4. The 1700 personal rating should be an achievable target for Enhancement Shamans. With a personal rating attached to it, the Brutal Gladiator helm might be one helm graphic that players would like to leave on. It is also identical in model to the pieces that drop off Kil'jaeden in Sunwell Plateau. The helm has the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
902 Armor (+72)
+40 Strength (+6)
+74 Stamina (+7)
+18 Hit (+6)
+39 Critical Strike (+6)
+33 Resilience (+0)
84 Armor Penetration


Socket Bonus: +4 Resilience Rating
Classes: Shaman
WoW Insider says: The helm is a decent improvement over Season 3's equivalent, if much less attractive. Players unable to obtain a 1700 rating need not fuss over it, as the old helm gives the same Armor Penetration bonus as well as a Meta Socket and a Red Socket.



Brutal Gladiator's Linked Spaulders
The 2200 personal ratings requirement for the shoulders are almost Gladiator-level for most Battlegroups, and will likely be a very rare sight in most realms, particularly on the shoulders of an Enhancement Shaman. Although it is the cheapest item after the gloves, it is also the most difficult to get. Blizzard's reasoning for this is that the shoulders are the most "visually impacting" armor piece, confirming Blizzard's opinion that PvP achievements should be on display. The spaulders have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
832 Armor (+66)
+30 Strength (+5)
+58 Stamina (+6)
+31 Critical Strike (+4)
+21 Resilience (+0)
8 Mana / 5 Secs (+1 / 5)


Socket Bonus: +3 Resilience Rating
Classes: Shaman
WoW Insider says: Brutal Gladiator shoulders are purely for show, although the Linked Spaulders in particular have an extra bonus that some other Linked pieces do not have -- mp5. It is one of the few Season 4 shoulder pieces with a little extra, like Druid shoulders, but still of marginal improvement over its predecessor.


Guardian's Linked Girdle
Because it is a visual match for the Brutal Gladiator's Earthshaker, and because it comes with no personal ratings requirement, the belt is most likely to be the most widely distributed Season 4 gear. It is purchasable with Honor points, so even players who do not participate in Arena PvP can obtain it. The girdle has the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
624 Armor (+49)
+38 Strength (+4)
+55 Stamina (+6)
+28 Intellect (+5)
+37 Critical Strike (+4)
+21 Resilience (+0)
Classes: Hunter, Shaman
WoW Insider says: The Linked Guardian items have +Intellect, among the few sources Enhancement Shamans have to marginally enlarge their mana pool. At low Honor cost and no ratings requirements, the Linked Girdle is one of the best purchases in Season 4 among all the Enhancement gear available.



Guardian's Linked Bracers
The only other Guardian piece with a socket is the amulet, which doesn't have a personal rating requirement. Coupled with the fact that bracers are visually insignificant, being hidden under gloves, the urgency to obtain them is very low. They also have a modest 1575 personal rating requirement, necessitating participation -- and moderate success -- in Arena play. The bracers have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
471 (+39)
+28 Strength (+3)
+37 Stamina (+4)
+17 Intellect (+3)
+24 Critical Strike (+3)
+12 Resilience (+0)


Socket Bonus: +2 Resilience Rating
Classes: Hunter, Shaman
WoW Insider says: Although more difficult to obtain that the leggings, It's not much better than its Season 3 counterpart, but if you have the Honor to burn and reach the 1575 personal rating requirement, it's worth the upgrade.



Guardian's Linked Sabatons
The most visually important match of all Guardian items, the boots are a big jump from a 1575 personal ratings requirement and is as demanding to get as the head piece at 1700 personal ratings. It is also as expensive to purchase as the belt, which has no ratings requirement. The sabatons have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
763 Armor (+61)
+38 Strength (+5)
+55 Stamina (+6)
+27 Intellect (+4)
+38 Critical Strike (+4)
+21 Resilience (+0)
Classes: Hunter, Shaman
WoW Insider says: Is a +4 Intellect improvement worth the grind to 1700? According to our readers more experienced with Enhancement Shamans, no. It looks good with the rest of the gear, though. Too bad it's covered up in a kilt. Still, the other primary stats make the boots a decent purchase.



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Looking for more Season 4 info? We've rounded up everything you need to know about the Brutal Gladiator season right here.