gear-guide
Latest
MaxDPS.com maps out your DPS gear
On Saturday's Gear Wishlist post, a few people brought up a site that was mentioned in the item weighting choices there: MaxDPS.com. And later that day, Dan Hyde himself, maker of the site, emailed asking us to take a look at it. It's been around for quite a while (and quite a few of our readers already like and use it), but this was the first time I'd really inspected it -- turns out it's a pretty complicated gear guide that's aimed at one thing: maxing out your DPS.In fact, that's the only thing it does -- there are no options, for instance, for Resto Shammies or Holy Priests (although Dan is working on healing gear rankings -- Holy Paladin is one of the newer options). All the site does is look at the stats on gear (and your own stats, if you punch them in), and then rank all the gear in the game to tell you how much DPS that piece will let you turn out. And if that's your goal, the thing can be pretty helpful -- I saw a few quest pieces on my Hunter that I could pretty easily upgrade to if I just wanted to up my DPS by about 10 or so.The only problem, of course, is that it's DPS only -- if you want to put together a set that is all about plus healing, or max out Intellect for whatever reason, you're still going to have to parse the gear that shows up in the ranks (which is one reason I liked Gear Wishlist so much -- you can rank for MaxDPS, or switch the rank over to item level or the Wowhead ratings for each piece). But once you've figured out what you want your character's main goal to be with gear at endgame, all of these sites will do their best to provide suggestions for upgrades to you, from all the stuff available in quests and PvP at level 70, up to the highest pieces you can find in endgame raiding.
Blizzard updates armor sets page with Season 4
The World of Warcraft official armor sets page has been updated to feature the Season 4 or Brutal Gladiator pieces. Just as with past sets, you'll be able to review the armor pieces on each class and their respective races as well as view the stats for each item. Season 4 started on June 24, after a long 30 week wait since Season 3 began, finally opening the floodgates for Sunwell Plateau-level PvP gear. Check out WoW Insider's extensive Brutal Gladiator gear guide and comprehensive gallery for more detailed information on Season 4 gear.
The Light and How to Swing It: Gearing up your Retadin for Karazhan part III
Alright. So you got your weapon. I can't stress enough that this is the single most important piece of equipment in a Retribution Paladin's possession. Then there's your armor. Your armor pieces are only slightly more important than the stuff we'll be covering if only because 1) they confer larger stat bonuses, and 2) having a matching set makes you look cool. And Retadins must always look cool. It's bad enough that the pre-Wrath population laughs you out of raids and 5-mans. When the expansion hits, of course, you'll smash all their faces with the Divine Storm just to put them in their place. Until then, you gear up. Today we're looking at the last few pieces of the puzzle. Amulets, cloaks, librams, rings, and trinkets. Unlike the weapons or armor pieces, where the real meat is Strength, you can have a little creativity with these slots because many items confer non-stat bonuses. Strength is obviously a premium, but it all comes down to taste. Once you've filled about half your gear slots, you should be ready enough for Karazhan and not gimp the raid.
Breakfast Topic: How's Season 4 going for you?
The first day of Season 4 has come and gone, and with it, I'm sure a lot of players spent a lot of time recovering from the switchover and beginning the climb to Gladiator rank for the end of Season 4. Arena players rushed out to buy new Season 4 gear -- at least the stuff that didn't need a high rating -- while many battleground regulars probably went to get their hands on the Season 2 gear for Honor points. I'm sure a lot of teams started play today if only to try to push up their rating and get more gear earlier. If you're a little overwhelmed by all the Season 4 hubbub whipping around, let WoW Insider get you squared a way a bit better. You can check out our Season 4 Information roundup, chock full of useful articles that will help you get the most out of this season, or you can check our Season 4 brutal gladiator gear roundup for information on all the new stuff you can spend your Arena and Honor points on. If you plunged right into the thick of things, how did you do? Did you fight enough Arena battles to get a set of bracers, or are you waiting for the teams to settle into proper brackets before you dive in? Did you just stick with buying some season 2 gear or a new belt with some saved up Honor points? Or, did you just sell armor patches and gem cuts to everyone looking to kit out their new gear? Let us know how the new season's treating you!
