Shattered Sun Offensive reputation loot revealed
With the PTR up and running, information is pouring in faster than ever. The Shattered Sun Offensive's reputation vendor is ready for perusal, and World of Raids has already delivered a screenshot of the full loot list. The tabard looks like it's going to be a favorite for a lot of people, looking more elaborate than possibly any current player-wearable tabard.
But looking good aside, what about the loot? Will it make you better, harder, faster, stronger? Let's find out after the break.
Enchanters are definitely going to want to grind this faction. Void Shatter, the promised Void Crystal breaking enchant which will produce 2 Large Prismatic Shards, will be purchasable at honored reputation. In addition, they'll get a defense enchant for the chest at honored. Jewelcrafters will get two new metagems, the Ember Skyfire Diamond with 14 spell damage and +2% intellect, which should be welcome news for Shadow Priests and Affliction Warlocks, and the Eternal Earthstorm Diamond for +12 defense and +10% shield block value, giving Paladin and Warrior tanks another option for their helms. PvPers finally get a head slot enchant of their own, with the Glyph of the Gladiator giving 18 stamina and 20 resilience to the head slot at the revered level.
The new equippables come mostly in the form of blue weapons that become purchasable at revered faction. Most of them probably won't see much use from anyone who's been to Karazhan or Heroics or beyond for very long, but they're still comparable to most regular 5-man drops, and slightly better in most cases. Rogues who prefer swords and Fury Warriors should enjoy The Sunbreaker, while dagger rogues can pick up the Bombardier's Blade. Legionfoe is a good slow two-handed axe that should be an awesome upgrade from perennial favorites like the Crow Wing Reaper. The Truestrike Crossbow compares well to the Emberhawk Crossbow. Seeker's Gavel and Archmage's Guile are a 130 spell damage sword and mace, respectively, that should be great alternatives to current 5-man mainstays such as the Runesong Dagger and the Greatsword of Horrid Dreams. Innuro's Blade provides some defense along provides a bit of hit rating and expertise, perfect for threat grabbing, which should make a great tanking sword to bridge between quest blues like Grom'tor's Charge and epic swords like King's Defender. K'iru's Presage is a 228 healing mace, which stacks up favorably against 5-man mainstays like the Lightsworn Hammer or the Hammer of the Penitent.
Finally, at exalted, we get into the epics, which look to be pretty juicy. The Dawnforged Defender, a tanking shield, looks nearly as good as the Shield of Impenetrable Darkness off Nightbane of Karazhan, at least stat-wise. The Sunward crest, while it has block rating, Also has spell hit rating and a little bit more spell damage than the Dragonheart Flameshield (Which is also dropped by Nightbane), which should make it a hot item with Elemental Shamans and the odd Holy Shock loving Paladin. Then we come to the Necklaces. There's one for healing, one for spell damage (but no spell critical strike rating), one for attack power (with some agility besides), and one with hit rating and expertise, as well as a ton of stamina. The really fun part is an interesting effect that hearkens back to the lore of the Shattered Sun Offensive as a united effort by the Aldor and Scryer factions. All four necklaces will "call upon" arcane powers or the power of the light when you attack, cast a spell, or heal, depending on which necklace it is and whether you are exalted with either the Aldor or the Scryers. If you can't get on the PTR, you might want to spend some of your time between now and 2.4 farming Arcane Tomes or Fel Armaments. It's likely a lot of people will want them so they can get full use out of their shiny new necklaces.
As for the final verdict, the Shattered Sun Offensive loot looks like it'll be worth pursuing for a good amount of folks. The epics seem like they'll see a lot of mileage, at least well into Karazhan level content, and could be even nicer than they first appear depending on what, exactly, the reputation effect on the necklaces does, and how often it goes off. The blue weapons are a good goal for anyone who's in need of alternatives to level 70 dungeon drops, or is willing to drop some gold on a slight upgrade to them, though you can probably expect to replace at least some of them soon after you start running Heroics or Karazhan, depending on your drop luck.
