BlizzCon 2013: Huge changes coming to itemization

In the gameplay and systems panel, Greg "Ghostcrawler" Street just revealed some massive changes to gear itemization in Warlords of Draenor. The fabled item squish is finally coming, stats are being removed, new stats are being added, and reforging is gone. There's a lot to cover so let's get right down to it.

Enchanting, reforging, and gems

• They feel like there is too much modification needed to be done every time you get a new piece of gear: enchants, gemming, and reforging your caps.
• There will be fewer items which can accept enchants, but the items which can still be enchanted will have more powerful enchants and more choice.
• Fewer gem sockets, but gems will be much more powerful. No more socket bonuses or metagems. Sockets are a bonus which can appear on gear and do not count towards item budget.
• Reforging is gone!

Stat changes

• Hit and expertise are gone. Blizzard felt like they didn't feel like a bonus.
• Dodge and parry stats are gone. Tanks will still be able to dodge and parry, but they will no longer be gear stats.
• New stat for tanks: bonus armor which can appear on items such a rings and necks
• New tertiary stats are being added. These are bonuses which can appear on gear and do not count towards the item budget.
• Examples of tertiary stats: lifesteal (gain life per hit), avoidance (reduce AoE damage taken), sturdiness (item doesn't lose durability), speed (makes you move quicker, and stacks), cleave (chance of AoE damage on your attacks).

Armor changes

• There is no longer "strength plate" or "int plate" -- there is simply "plate." This also applies to cloth, leather, and mail.
• The primary stat on an item will change based on the spec of the character wearing it, i.e. intellect for a holy paladin, strength for a retribution paladin.
• Allows almost every item that drops in a raid to be useful for someone.
• These stats also change when you respec.
• Only one tier set per class (no longer separate healing and DPS sets), and the set bonuses will also change when you respec.
• The one exception to this new armor system is the following items which will not dynamically adjust stats based on spec: jewelry, cloaks, trinkets, and weapons.

Item squish

• Yes, the item squish is finally coming.
• Your relative power will not change whatsoever.
• Soloing old content is still possible.
• If it takes you 5 seconds to kill a Gulp Frog, it will still take you 5 seconds after the item squish.
• You should still feel powerful when getting new gear, it's just the numbers will have a few zeroes knocked off the end.

What do you think of these changes? I am most excited about hit and expertise being removed, the rest is only a bonus!

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