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Brutal Gladiator's Refuge

Zach Yonzon
Updated ·8 min read


The Brutal Gladiator's Refuge is the armor set for Restoration Druids. It is a kodohide, or leather armor usable only by Druids and is usually matched with Guardian's Kodohide 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 Kodohide Gloves
 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. The PvP-oriented bonus of Cyclone cast time reduction is the same for the Brutal Gladiator's Wyrmhide Gloves. The gloves have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):

354 Armor (+25)
+49 Stamina (+6)
+39 Intellect (+5)
+21 Resilience (+0)
+88 Healing / +30 Spell Damage (+9 / +3)
10 Mana / 5 Secs (+2 / 5)
Reduces the cast time of Cyclone by .1 secs.
Classes: Druid

WoW Insider says: These gloves are low-cost and have no rating requirements, and the high Stamina and good +Healing make it making it one of the best Season 4 purchases, specially for starting Arena players.



Brutal Gladiator's Kodohide Legguards
The leg armor possesses a personal rating requirement of 1550, which isn't too difficult to obtain, particularly for Restoration Druids. 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):
478 Armor (+35)
+65 Stamina (+7)
+50 Intellect (+6)
+31 Resilience (+0)
+114 Healing / +38 Spell Damage (+13 / +4)
16 Mana / 5 Secs (+2 / 5)
Classes: Druid
WoW Insider says: The lack of sockets mean that the only customization that can be done will be through Tailoring or Leatherworking enchants. The leggings are an excellent Brutal Gladiator piece, with over 100 +Healing and massive mp5 as an added bonus.



Brutal Gladiator's Kodohide Tunic
With three sockets, the chestpiece is the most customizable Arena armor piece, and is the next best purchase after the gloves. Furthermore, 1600 should be relatively easy for Restoration Druids, who do extremely well in 2v2 and 3v3. 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 tunic has the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
541 Armor (+40)
+69 Stamina (+14)
+40 Intellect (+5)
+27 Resilience (+0)
+101 Healing / +34 Spell Damage (+13 / +4)
11 Mana / 5 Secs (+2 / 5)


Socket Bonus: +4 Resilience Rating
Classes: Druid
WoW Insider says: With +Healing that actually breaks the 100 mark without the benefit of sockets, this chest piece is easily one of the best purchases for healing Druids in Season 4. The additional Red Sockets can be used to pump up that healing even further, not to mention that it's a whopping +14 Stamina over its predecessor. 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 Kodohide 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. Restoration Druids should conceivably have no trouble getting to 1700 for this helm, which costs the same as the chest and leg armor pieces. 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):
447 Armor (+32)
+65 Stamina (+7)
+45 Intellect (+6)
+29 Resilience (+0)
+103 Healing / +35 Spell Damage (+13 / +5)
11 Mana / 5 Secs (+3 / 5)


Socket Bonus: +4 Resilience Rating
Classes: Druid
WoW Insider says: Over +100 Healing on a single armor piece is a great purchase for healers, no matter how you look at it. Coupled with 11mp5, this Kodohide Helm is works well for PvE if you don't raid the endgame.



Brutal Gladiator's Kodohide 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. It is quite likely that more than a few Restoration Druids will be sporting these through the season, however. It is the cheapest item after the gloves, but 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):
430 Armor (+30)
+49 Stamina (+6)
+29 Intellect (+5)
+20 Resilience (+0)
+66 Healing / +22 Spell Damage (+9 / +3)
7 Mana / 5 Secs (+2 / 5)


Socket Bonus: +3 Resilience Rating
Classes: Druid
WoW Insider says: Brutal Gladiator Shoulders are peacock gear. While it has the rare mp5 for shoulders, it is stat-wise a very modest upgrade from the previous season's shoulder piece which is a full 250 ratings easier to obtain. Fortunately, more than a few skilled Resto Druids will be able to obtain these.


Guardian's Kodohide Belt
Because it is a visual match for the Brutal Gladiator's Refuge, 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 belt has the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
322 Armor (+22)
+49 Stamina (+6)
+35 Intellect (+5)
+26 Resilience (+0)
+84 Healing / +28 Spell Damage (+9 / +3)
11 Mana / 5 Secs (+2 / 5)
Classes: Rogue, Druid
WoW Insider says: The belt has a low Honor cost and is ratings-free. It's not even a question. Even outside of PvP, this belt trumps most PvE healing belts outside of Sunwell Plateau, comparable to the Belt of Primal Majesty from Gurtogg Bloodboil in the Black Temple where haste takes the place of this belt's mp5. It's the best belt that casual players can get for this spec.



Guardian's Kodohide 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 or robes, most players feel that there's little urgency to get them. A 1575 personal ratings requirement also requires decent performance in Arenas. The bracers have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
253 (+17)
+43 Stamina (+14)
+25 Intellect (+3)
+18 Resilience (+0)
+46 Healing / +16 Spell Damage (+6 / +2)
8 Mana / 5 Secs (+1 / 5)


Socket Bonus: +2 Resilience Rating
Classes: Rogue, Druid
WoW Insider says: The mediocre +Healing makes this piece less viable for PvE than other pieces, but possesses a Red Socket as opposed to the typical Yellow Socket for bracers. It also has a massive +14 Stamina upgrade from the Vindicator version. Definitely worth the purchase if only for the Red Socket and mp5.



Guardian's Kodohide Boots
The most visually important match of all Guardian items -- although it won't be seen on Tauren feet, 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 slippers have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
385 Armor (+28)
+49 Stamina (+6)
+35 Intellect (+5)
+26 Resilience (+0)
+84 Healing / +28 Spell Damage (+9 / +3)
11 Mana / 5 Secs (+2 / 5)
Classes: Rogue, Druid
WoW Insider says: Although 1700 is the highest personal ratings requirement outside of the weapons and shoulders, the boots are among the best healing boots before Sunwell Plateau gear. It is comparable to the Enchanted Leather Sandals from Kaz'rogal in Hyjal Summit and is a good option for those unable to raid the endgame.



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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.