phatlootphriday
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Phat Loot Phriday: The Decapitator
A name so nice Blizzard used it twice, this axe is so B.A. Baracus you can even throw it.Name: The DecapitatorType: Epic Main Hand AxeDamage / Speed: 167-312 / 2.60 (92.1 DPS)Abilities: +27 critical strike rating Here's the fun part: on use, you can throw it at a target up to 40 feet away for 513-567 damage. Oh, and the throw can crit as well (at about 5%, most players say), so while you can't really use it to spike your DPS in PvE (most bosses are immune to it, apparently), it's very helpful in PvP. Got a runner with just a little health left? Toss this guy and watch the numbers fly and the dude die. Then go eat some pie. 3 minute cooldown on the use, which is kind of lame. Also happens to share a cooldown with trinkets that increase your attack power, which is kind of a bummer, but not a gamebreaker. How to Get It: Drops from the Prince in Karazhan at around 11.5%, so chances are your guild may have Voided one already. But if you're a Fury Warrior or a Shaman with an axe fetish who really likes the sound of throwing this thing around in PvP, you can probably convince them to give it to you.Getting Rid of It: Bored of tossing axes around already? Disenchants into a Void Crystal, and sells to a vendor for 12g44s56c.
Phat Loot Phriday: Primal Mooncloth Bag
This is it. If you want to hold your stuff, ain't nothing better than this. The only thing is, the mats might drive you up a wall first.Name: Primal Mooncloth BagType: BagAbilities: It's a whopping 20-slot bag, which is the biggest in the game. There are a few bigger ones out there-- in fact, quite a few. But those are all specialty bags, and this one will hold whatever you want in it. If you want to hold stuff-- a lot of stuff-- this is what you need. How to Get It: And here's the catch (there always is one, isn't there?): even with the mats, it could take you two weeks just to get this thing made. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.
Phat Loot Phriday: Helmets of Second Sight
Today's Phat Loot isn't just one helmet-- it's actually your choice of six available from a neat questline in Outlands. So stick with me here. Things may get a little complicated.Name: (Overlord's, Shamanistic, Druidic, Stealther's, Evoker's, Stalker's) Helmet of Second SightType: Rare (Cloth, Leather, Mail, Plate) HeadArmor: VariesAbilities: They all have different abilities, of course, according to their title. You can see a list of all the available helmets here (the Scintillating Headdress is not one of the quest rewards, actually). Altogether, if you run this quest, you'll get a pretty nice pre-Epic helmet out of it. Also: All the helmets "allow the bearer to see into the ghost world while in Shadowmoon Valley." It's a lore thing, stick with me. And if you haven't noticed yet, all the helmets are reskins of the Tier 2 helmets (and in some cases, Tier 1-- see Warrior Helm above) that originally dropped from Onyxia and Molten Core. So if you never got to get your Dragonstalker's Helm or your Helmet of Ten Storms, here's your chance to get a lookalike. With better stats, if you ask me. How to Get It: You've got to do the Teron Gorefiend quest chain in Shadowmoon Valley. It's quite fun, will net you a lot of XP (if you're not 70 yet), a little bit of gold, and your choice of these helmets.For Alliance, it starts with a quest called "Ghost in the Machine" from Zoram the Judicator (geez, what did his mom have against him?) at Wildhammer Stronghold. Horde go to Chief Apothecary Hildagard in Shadowmoon Village for a quest called "A Haunted History." That chain will take you through about seven quests, most of which are soloable (one of them asks for two players, and one of them requires a full 5man group to do). At the end of the quest chain, you'll meet up with the man himself (and make a "mistake" that really wasn't your problem in the first place.As for Gorefiend himself, I don't want to spoil anything, but you'll meet up with him later in the Black Temple (I'm not sure if you actually need the helmet to face him, as the questgiver hints, but you might want to keep it anyway). Meanwhile, you'll get a spiffy helmet that will get you ready to start up the level 70 instances at endgame. Grats!Getting Rid of It: They all sell for different values, from about 2g for the cloth helmet, up to 4g for the plate version. Disenchanting any of them will hook you up with a Large Prismatic Shard.
Phat Loot Phriday: Stinging Viper
Our It came from the Blog guild is going to be going into instances this evening, including (I hope) at least a few runs through Wailing Caverns. While they're in there, they can get this very nice and cool-looking lowbie (read: twink) mace.Name: Stinging ViperType: Rare One-hand MaceDamage/Speed: 30-57 / 2.80 (15.5 DPS)Abilities: Chance on hit: Poisons target for 7 Nature damage every 3 seconds for 15 seconds. For you non-math majors, my calculator says that's 35 damage to a proc. Unfortunately, there aren't any other stats on it, but it's still a nice weapon for the level (I had it on my Shaman for quite a while as I came up past 20). Especially good for offhand on Rogues, as the higher damage range and the proc help out DPS quite a bit. Pair this with a Cruel Barb or a Wingblade and you're set. (Update: also see good points for using this as a Main Hand in the comments below) How to Get It: Comes as a drop off of Lord Pythas, one of the four druid snake guys you have to put down in Wailing Caverns (in order to fight the giant Murloc, that is). Seems to drop all the time-- there's an 18% drop rate on it-- but as you all probably know, going in there specifically hoping for it to drop means it probably won't. Always seems to happen that way, right? What's up with that?Getting Rid of It: Vendors for 30s 18c, disenchants into a Small Glimmering Shard.
Phat Loot Phriday: Gnomish Mind Control Cap
So for this PLP, I tried to come up with what I thought was the funniest looking hat in Azeroth. There are some funny looking hats out there (and I almost wrote up the Druid's Tier 4 hat because it makes me laugh every time I see it), but I eventually ended up choosing this Engineering toy with a fun proc.Name: Gnomish Mind Control CapType: Cloth HeadArmor: 50Abilities: +14 Spirit And here's the fun part: on Use (see restriction below), "engage in mental combat with a humanoid target to try and control their mind." If you succeed, you get a little hunter bar (not like the Priest's MC) to play around with your new pet. Unfortunately, it's not as fun as it used to be. The MCC only works out of combat now, so while it's still possible to use it on players with hilarious consequences, you have to plan out your attack. And over level 60, this thing gets a much reduced chance to work, in accordance with Blizzard's wishes of making CC less effective overall in BGs. But in some of the early twink battlegrounds, you can have a lot of fun with it. Plus, look at it! It's a funny hat! How to Get It: You've got to be an Engineer of any spec, level 215 (BoE) to wear this one, although if you just want the hat without the MC ability, you can always go get the Ghaz'ridian Detector, which is not nearly as fun, but looks just as funny.Anyway, you have to be a Gnomish Engineer, at least 235, to make it-- the recipe can be obtained from Oglethorpe Obnoticus in Booty Bay (he's the guy you talk to for the quest to become a Gnomish tinkerer, after it starts in Rachet or Ironforge, depending on your faction). It ain't cheap: 10 Mithril bars, 4 Truesilver bars, a Gold Power Core, 2 Star Rubies, and 4 Mageweave cloth are necessary to roll this one together, but when you do, you'll be able to MC to your heart's content. Well, once every 30 mins. And then only out of combat, and only sometimes. In fact, at this point, the mats probably don't make this worth it, unless you really like that proc enough to wait for it. But it does look funny, right?Getting Rid of It: Now hold on now, this is something you keep forever. But just in case you do want to throw it away, a vendor will give you 55s 2c for it, or you can DE into a Dream Dust, Large Radiant Shard, or Greater Nether Essence. But before you do, take a look at this spinning wheel right here, please. Are you feeling sleepy? No? Me neither...
Phat Loot Phriday: Earthwarden
Mmmmmm feral druid gear. (Yes, in a Undead rogue's hand for some reason, but still.)Name: EarthwardenType: Epic Two-hand MaceDamage / Speed: 142-279 / 3.20 (65.8 DPS)Abilities: 500 Armor. Yes, on a 2h mace. Hawt. +39 Stamina. Increases defense rating by 27, feral skill combat rating by 24, and attack power by 556 in Cat, Bear, Dire Bear, and Moonkin forms only. Yes, 556 attack power. 14 AP = 1 DPS, so this baby gives an extra 39 DPS when in those forms. Whoah mama. There are a few better Druid items floating around out there, but the armor on this especially makes it perfect for Bear tanks. Boy is it perfect-- Blizz wasn't kidding when they said, way back when, that feral gear would show up in BC. And you don't even have to raid to get it! How to Get It: It's a rep reward from Cenarion Expedition in Zangarmarsh (one of the easier Outlands rep grinds, if you ask me). The only real problem is that you've got to get to Exalted. While it's pretty easy to get to Revered (a few runs through Slave Pens and Underbog, a few turn-ins, and a few quests after you reach Honored), Exalted will require quite a few run through Steam Vaults (although Heroic Slave Pens and Underbog will also give the rep you need). You can also turn in Coilfang Armaments, and since those are BoE, it is possible, if you've got the cash, to buy your way up to this item.Don't spend all your money though-- even with the rep, you'll have to shell out 265g 68s 17c for it. Although if your guild is in need of tanks, maybe you could convince them to help you pick up the tab?Getting Rid of It: If you're a Bear tank, you won't, at least until Serpentshrine Cavern, which is a long way off for most people. But a vendor will eventually give you 53g 13s 63c for it.
Phat Loot Phriday: Icon of the Silver Crescent
The difference between a good caster and a great caster? Knowing when to pop the trinkets. And when you do so, this is the one of the best you can get.Name: Icon of the Silver CrescentType: Epic TrinketAbilities: Equip: Increases spell damage and healing by up to 43. Use: Increases spell damage and healing by up to 155 for 20 seconds A two minute cooldown, which, I've found, goes pretty darn fast. Depending on how fast your groups move, you can usually pop a trinket at least every other fight in an instance, if not more if you take a while eating and drinking between fights. And as I said: trinkets are the difference between pouring out amazing DPS or healing, and just being average. If you've got trinkets, you should be using them almost every chance you get-- the +43 damage/healing on this is nice, but if you're casting, the +155 is much better. Put those suckers on your hotbars, and light them up near the beginning of the fight (just as you're about to start casting). And as most veteran players can tell you, you can use these things twice on some boss fights-- a player casting without his trinkets in use or cooldown is a player not living up to their full potential. How to Get It: You *are* running Heroics by now, right? If you're not, that's exactly what you got to do to get this baby. G'eras in the middle of Shattrath City will take your Heroic badges and give you epix for them, so bring him 41 Badges of Justice (that's 8 and 1/5 successful Heroic Mechanar runs, or about 60 curse and stress-filled failed Shattered Halls runs, in case you're counting), and the Icon is yours.Oh, and speaking of trinkets, here's an extra piece of Phat Loot for you: If you're a caster, and you are keyed to run Heroic Mechanar, that means you're Revered with Sha'tar, so stop by the Quartermaster, also in the middle of Shattrah City and pick up Xiri's Gift. Great trinket, easy to grab, and while the equip isn't as good as this one, the use is almost as nice, without having to pick up tons of Badges.Getting Rid of It: You don't want to get rid of it. Even if you do, it's a trinket-- put it in your bags and keep it for later. Personally, I carry about six trinkets around with me, and every one has its own place and time for use.
Phat Loot Phriday: Battlecast Hood
For a crafted item, this caster hood is pretty darn sweet. It won't be cheap, but you get what you pay (farm?) for.Name: Battlecast HoodType: Epic Cloth HeadpieceArmor: 145Abilities: +43 Stamina, + 28 Intellect (those are what it will be after 2.1 gets put in, anyway), which points towards a warlock, or a mage or shadow priest who wants to stay alive in PvP +43 damage and healing (see next point) Two sockets, one red, one blue, and a socket bonus of +3 spell crit rating. Glowing Nightseye or a Potent Noble Topaz work great (as does almost any good caster jewels), at least until you can find an epic Jewelcrafter to make the even better stuff. Is part of a set with the Battlecast Pants, which grants +5% resist to spell interruption (like Kick) and spell pushback (which is what happens when you take damage while casting a spell). Wear it with another epic tailoring set for much ownage. How to Get It: It's craftable at 375 Tailoring, and since it's BoE, you either need to be a tailor or just know one. The pattern drops off of Warlord Kalithresh, the last boss in the Steam Vaults (in Heroic mode, as well) at at very small .4% drop. The pattern itself is BoP, but there's enough of them floating around that if you need one, some time in any /trade channel will probably get you to a tailor who can make one.And then there's the matter of mats. It's not cheap at all: 12 Imbued Netherweave, 8 Primal Might (eeyow!), and one Primal Nether (actually, that's not too bad). The Might will be the hardest to come by-- you've got to farm 8 of each Primal element and then find an alchemist to transmute them for you (each transmute has a 24 hour cooldown, so you've got 8 days to farm everything at least). The others aren't real hard-- Netherweave requires a Mana Loom, some cloth, and a lot of Arcane Dust, but it's comparably easy. Primal Nether drops from the end bosses of dungeons (a chance in Normal, and guaranteed in Heroic), and the problem with that is that it's BoP, so the tailor has to have one, not you. Get the mats, get the crafter, get them all in one place and boom, you're ready to go Battlecasting. Then again, you could just buy it-- since it's BoE, you'll find it on the AH sometimes, usually for upwards of 1000g (more like 1500-1700).Getting Rid of It: You probably don't want to-- even if you have something better for raiding, this is probably still nice PvP gear. But if you're just that leet and you want to toss it, a vendor will give you 3g 10s 6c for it. Which makes me ask: Why can't crafters dissemble their products to get some of the mats back? Seems like such a waste, considering they already spent all that time and money leveling the profession...
Phat Loot Phriday: Fang of the Leviathan
I was really bummed out the other day that shaman can't use swords-- Mana Wrath dropped for us in Mechanar, and I really wanted to use it for spell damage gear. Oh well, guess I'll have to level up my mage. And while I was looking around for encouragement, I found this sweet caster blade.Name: Fang of the LeviathanType: Epic Main-hand SwordDamage/Speed: 23-125 / 1.80 (41.3 DPS)Abilities: Right now: +13 Stamina, +13 Intellect, +14 spell crit, and +187 spell damage and healing After 2.1: +28 Stamina, +19 Intellect, +20 spell crit, and a whopping +209 spell damage and healing, which makes this currently the highest +spell damage weapon in the entire game. Careful, you got a little drool on you there. Those stats are, of course subject to change, but no matter what, this is one of the nicest caster blades in the game. There are a few floating around with more spell crit (and one BoE Epic with a really nice proc on it), but for pure +damage, this is probably the one you should be dreaming about. Until we see what comes out of the Black Temple, anyway. How to Get It: All you've got to do is kill Leotheras the Blind, a demon hunter boss in Serpentshrine Caverns. The fight apparently isn't that tough if you're already raiding at that level, but it does have some cool elements to it-- the boss splits into his human and demon forms at 15%, and throughout the fight, his demon half will summon a few raid members' "inner demons." Those are dopplegangers that you have to fight and kill before the boss flips back to human, otherwise those raiders become mind controlled for 10 minutes. Wacky stuff, but a few guilds are rolling through there now, and more all the time.Anyway, down Leo, and there's about a 15% chance this'll drop for you.Getting Rid of It: Sells to vendors for 12g 34s 13c. Disenchants (probably-- obviously no one has gotten rid of it yet) into a Void Crystal.
Phat Loot Phriday: Glaive of the Pit
So I was thinking about what to do for Phat Loot this week, and it occurred to me that we've never done a Polearm. The reason is probably because most polearms suck (they tend to be faster than most 2hands, and what you really want with a 2hander is high damage and slow speed), but if you really want a polearm, this one's not bad. I kind of wanted to do Vendorstrike, because I think it's a cool idea, but I know none of you hardcore guys would let me get away with calling it "phat."Name: Glaive of the PitType: Epic Two-Hand PolearmDamage / Speed: 330-497 / 3.70 (111.6 DPS)Abilities: Three red sockets, with a socket bonus of +4 crit rating Chance on hit: steals 238 to 262 life from enemy (although the word on this proc is that it doesn't happen that often) It's a polearm, so chances are no one will really want it (hey, at least I got to post that picture, right?). If you're a Mortal Strike warrior who doesn't yet have an epic weapon (which isn't very likely, considering where this comes from), or you just really, really, really want to wield a polearm sometimes, it might be the phat loot for you. Just throw some gems in it, and then wait a bit, because something better will come along pretty quickly. How to Get It: Then again, there's lots of item tweaking going on, so maybe things will change-- who knows? Anyway, this is a drop from Magtheridon, one of the first 25 man raids in Outland. If you've ever run the Blood Furnace, and looked down through the grate after you've killed the final boss, you'll see Mag (he's also the voice yelling throughout the instance). Mag, of course, is a Pit Lord, hence the name.Drop him and hope for about an 8% chance, and this baby will drop. And hey, think about it this way-- if you really want it, you'll probably get it. Because no one else does.Getting Rid of It: I feel so bad for polearms now. I guess The Eye of Nerub isn't so bad for hunters at 60, but I can't seem to find a really amazing polearm. I guess the arena polearm isn't too bad. Anyway, the Glaive will give you 14g 58s and 33c from vendors, and will disenchant into a Void Crystal.
Phat Loot Phriday: Mark of the Chosen
Last week, someone requested an item that anyone can get, and so this week we're going for this nice midgame trinket.Name: Mark of the ChosenType: Uncommon TrinketAbilities: Chance on hit: a 2% chance of increasing all stats by 25 for 1 minute. Yup, that's a darn nice proc. Your attributes affect all kinds of things, and so a +25 buff for one minute is a nice bonus. Especially if, in the late 40s, you don't have a really good trinket yet. Of course, this is especially good for classes that get hit a lot-- tanks and rogues especially. 2% proc isn't a lot, but I had this trinket on my rogue all the way up to 60 (he was an alt, what do you expect?) and it procced plenty, especially when I grabbed adds. Oh, and while it doesn't stack (if it happens to proc within the minute that you get the buff), a second proc will just extend the duration, which is nice-- no wasted procs. How to Get It: You get to experience one of my favorite instances: Maraudon. This comes from a quest called "The Pariah's Instructions," which begins with a questgiving centaur wandering around the southern hills of Desolace (he's behind a big hill in the middle). He'll give you a little slip of paper called (surprise) the Pariah's Instructions.You'll basically head into Maraudon (so you'll need a 5-man group), kill one of the mobs in front for an amulet drop, and then find five ghostly Khans, the founders of the Centaur tribes in Azeroth. They're sprinkled all throughout Maraudon-- two are inside and outside the purple side of Maraudon, and two more are inside and outside the orange side. The last one (although it'll probably be the first one you kill), is right in the middle before the instance splits into two colors (right near where you later create the portal to the end of Mara). At each Khan, you use the amulet on them, and they'll become corporeal and try to kill you. Kill them, take the jewels for each, and then when you've collected all five, use the Amulet again to combine them, and take the whole shebang back to the Pariah.He'll rejoice that he's got the power to unite the clans, and you'll get your trinket. Except that I gave him that amulet a long time ago, and he still hasn't united the clans... What's he waiting for?Getting Rid of It: Truth be told, you won't keep this thing too long-- definitely by the time you hit 60, you'll probably run across at least two more better trinkets (you'll get offered one more for sure at the class-specific Sunken Temple quests in the early 50s). When you are done with it, you can get 61s 33c by selling it to a vendor, or disenchant it into Dream Dust, a Greater Nether Essence, or a Large Radiant Shard.
Phat Loot Phriday: Blinkstrike
Last week we did a little joke with Phat Loot Phriday (and, if I can brag for a moment, did everyone read my completely-made-up WoWWiki article that the beautiful people over there didn't delete?), but there's nothing funny about the loot this week-- it's one of the most droolworthy world drops you'll find in the game.Name: BlinkstrikeType: Epic One-hand Sword (which means, yes, it can be dual-wielded)Damage/Speed: 143 - 267 / 2.60 (78.8 DPS)Abilities: chance on hit: adds an extra attack to your swing. What, no other stats? Nope, it doesn't need any other stats-- that proc might be the best one in the game. Players who've had one say it procs about 5-6% of the time, which is nice, but here's the big deal: unlike most "extra attack" procs, this one supposedly chains. As in, you hit once, get an extra attack, and then get another extra attack from the extra attack. One player reported seeing 8 hits chained in a row-- that's around 1300 damage without any crits with one swing. Ummm... yeah. Unstoppable much? Because of that, this thing is perfect for combat rogues, but fury warriors will love it too (Tanks will find better defensive swords, but they have to PvP sometimes, too, right?). Bewarned: the chaining thing is very likely a bug, but even if Blizzard nerfs that, extra attacks are teh win. How to Get It: With a weapon as crazy as this one, you know they're not going to just give it out. In fact, that's exactly what they're doing, but very, very rarely-- it's a very rare World Drop, which means it could drop from anywhere at any time. Some servers haven't even seen them yet, though, so if you really want one from a drop, you'll be killing things for a long time.The better option would probably be to just farm the gold-- they're selling on the AHs for anywhere from 1500 to 3000g. At least it's not as much as an epic mount, right? If you do go the raising money route, make sure you can find a seller first-- make friends with your guildies, in case they get one, and keep an eye on your AH and your realm forums to see if anyone's found a Blinkstrike to sell.A Blinkstrike is more of a weapon you just come across if you're lucky, rather than grinding or questing for. But everyone can dream, right?Getting Rid of It: If you're crazy, a vendor will give you 10g, 19s, 34c for it, and it'll DE into... well, it'll DE, but no one has DE'd it yet-- probably a Large Prismatic Shard or a Nexus Void Crystal, if I had to guess. Of course, if you have one that you can't get rid of and can't use, feel free to drop it in the mail to Punishment on Thunderhorn-- I'd love one!
Phat Loot Phriday: Tabard of Laos Flipor
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/The_Tabard_of_Laos_Flipor'; When Blizzard introduced the Tabard of the Protector, it was pretty much a given that before long, we'd see more useful tabards coming in the game. And now, after the latest patch, players have unearthed this piece of phat loot.Name: Tabard of Laos FliporType: TabardArmor: NAAbilities: It's a tabard with stats! +10 Strength, +10 Agility, +10 Stamina, +10 Intellect,, and +10 Spirit (kind of like The 1 Ring, but ten times better!) You may not think +10 is much of a bonus, but +10 Intellect means an extra 150 mana. And +10 Agility actually grants a whopping +20 Armor. Added up, these all mean a lot, and the fact that they're on a tabard makes them just icing on the cake. Laos Flipor, if you weren't already aware, is a little-known lore figure-- she used to be a jester in the Court of Lordaeron. She was known for telling bad jokes, and apparently she told one too many and got Arthas angry at her. Right after he murdered Dad in WC III, he offed her, too. How to Get It: If you've ever done the CLUCK! quest in Westfall, you'll be able to do this one. You can get the tabard from (where else?) the guild tabard vendor in every capital city. But they won't offer it to you unless you can prove, like Laos, how funny you are. So just go up to a guild tabard vendor, target them, and do the /silly emote 200 times.200 jokes later, a ? will pop up above the tabard vendor's head, and this baby is yours.Getting Rid of It: It's BOP, but any vendor will give you 4 silver, 1 copper for it. Then again, at that price, you'd be a fool not to keep it!Update: Pishnaa (thanks, this is awesome) has given us photographic proof! And if it's in a screenshot, it must be true.
Phat Loot Phriday: Death's Bargain
Great stats. An awesome name. And glowy skulls! What more do you want from one of the best caster shields in the endgame?Name: Death's BargainType: Epic ShieldArmor: 3570 (78 Block)Abilities: Green glowy skulls! +12 Stamina, +12 Intellect On equip, you get a +14 to spell crit strike rating, as well as +29 healing (not damage, unfortunately), and +4 mana per 5 seconds The crit is what really makes this sucker great. There are shields with more healing on them, so strictly resto shaman or paladins might look elsewhere (in the Heroic instances, for example). But the crit on this one is excellent especially for elemental shaman. At level 70, you get a whole extra .63% crit from just this one item. And if you've got Clearcasting now, since it's based on critical strikes, that's a nice little patch of mana that you'll get for free just from the shield. How to Get It: Unfortunately, while getting this isn't as hard as it used to be, it's still tough, but for different reasons. The thing is, you've got to find a group that will take you into Naxx (are there any guilds still left running Naxx?). This shield drops from Gluth, the third boss in the Abomination wing there, at a 14.8% rate. So if you can find a guild that's still going to Naxx, get to the boss, and win the roll for this baby, you're golden.Getting Rid of It: BoP of course. Sells to vendors for 5g 74s 2c, but even if you find a shield with more healing or damage on it, you might want to keep this one around just for the crit. And look at those skulls!Update: No one likes the green skulls. Brandon points out this one, a BoE shield found in Sethekk Halls, easier to get and with better crit. But no skulls. Thanks Brandon.
Phat Loot Phriday: Mirren's Drinking Hat
Unfortunately for us Hordies, this snazzy hat is Alliance-only. But if you're the right faction, the MDH is the perfect headgear for drinks on the go!Name: Mirren's Drinking HatType: Rare Cloth HeadArmor: 92Abilities: +18 Intellect Increases spell damage and healing by 35, which makes it a nice quest reward for any caster around level 62 or so Restores 5 mana per 5 sec, which makes it even better And here's the fun part: Use: Reach into the hat for a drink. That's right, once every 60 minutes, you can use this hat and get a free drink in your inventory. The drink changes all the time, but it's usually some type of alcohol (naturally-- you get it from a dwarf). And some of the drinks that come out actually work as mana drinks, too, although at one every hour, it's not quite enough to live off of. How to Get It: It's cake if you're already in Outland. Down in the southwest of Hellfire Peninsula, just south of Falcon Watch (the Blood Elf tower), there's a little dwarf camp where you'll find Mirren Longbeard. He's got a short chain of two quests-- the first one will be a quick run back to Honor Hold to fetch the guy some beer (but wait, if he's got this hat, why does he need beer?), and the second one will send you just south to the Arrakoa camp to kill their pet birds and collect the feathers.Bring back the feathers and he'll give you this pimp hat, obviously named after 2007 Best Actress Oscar Winner Helen Mirren.Now, Horde, like I said, this quest isn't for you-- this is, unfortunately, an Alliance-only item. But don't worry-- you still get free booze! Down in Stonebreaker Hold, there's a barrel to the left of the inn that you can click to get some free Stonebreaker Brew! (the barrel despawns when too many players use it at one time, so if it's not there, check back later) Free booze!Apparently there's also a clickable barrel for Alliance at Allerian Point. But since they get this hat, we just won't tell them about that one.Getting Rid of It: Sells to a vendor for 1g 85s 22c, or disenchants (req 225) into either Arcane Dust, Lesser Planar Essence, or a very small chance of a Small Prismatic Shard.
Phat Loot Phriday: Bloodmoon
That's what I'm talkin' bout. We've been messing around lately on PLP, doing all kinds of quirky and strange items. Not this week-- we came here to do some DPS and chew gum, and we're all out of gum.Name: BloodmoonType: Epic Two-hand AxeDamage/Speed: 366 - 549 / 3.70 (123.6 DPS)Abilities: Improves crit rating by 52, and attack power by 106 Requires Master Axesmith (we'll get to that in one second) Since it's a two-hander, it's not great for tanking. But if you're a fury warrior looking to split some skulls in PvP or PvE (extra lovin' for Orcs, who get a bonus to their Axe skill), this thing is about as nice as it gets How to Get It: There's a price for everything cool, and this one is no exception. First of all, you've got to be a blacksmith, and then you've got to do a quest when you've got 200 skill to become a weaponsmith. Then, you've got to check back in with the special blacksmithing trainer at 250 to become an axesmith. Finally, you've got to get into Outland and get your Master Axesmith level all the way up to 375.And that's just to learn the plans. This axe is at the top of the new upgradeable weapons for blacksmiths, which means to make it, you've first got to make an axe called the Lunar Crescent, which will cost you Eternium Bars, plus Primal Air, Primal Earth, and Primal Might (that last one is the kicker, as those are really hard to come by). And once you've made the Crescent, you use a bunch of Primal Nether (which drops from heroic mode bosses in Outland 5mans) and Primal Mana to upgrade it to an axe called the Mooncleaver.And finally, you've got to somehow round up a stack of 20 Nether Vortexes, which drop only from Outland 25man raids, with a fairly low drop rate, especially considering that they are necessary for about 15 different recipes, all at the highest levels of Tailoring, Blacksmithing, and Leatherworking. So unless you've got a whole, well-geared guild behind you who really wants to get this weapon, it's not very likely you're getting it anytime soon.But if you somehow make the Lunar Crescent, and then find the mats to upgrade it, and then get those Vortexes, you can upgrade the Mooncleaver to this, the 123.6 DPS Bloodmoon. Neat, isn't it?Getting Rid of It: Speaking of the guild that helps you make this, they would be pretty angry if you sold it to a vendor. But you'd get 17g 4s 35c for it. It will also disenchant, of course, but considering it's BOP for Blacksmiths, it's extremely unlikely one of these will ever be disenchanted. Ever.
Phat Loot Phriday: Torchlight Wand
Since Paladins are now just starting to raid in both factions, a lot of Horde casters might find this wand handy. Alliance can get one that's a little better, but if you want mana in raids, this is the wand to find.Name: Torchlight WandType: Uncommon WandDamage / Speed: 14-27 fire / 1.3 (15.8 DPS)Abilities: So what's the big deal about a 16 DPS wand? It's not the damage, it's the speed-- it's 1.3, which makes it one of the fastest weapons in the game. There are faster daggers, and the fastest wand is the Consecrated Wand, but that's only available to Alliance from a quest in Duskwood, so this is the one of these (see Update) fastest wands Horde can get. So why do you want a fast wand? Because Paladins bring along with them to raids a little spell called Judgement of Wisdom. Whenever they "judge" a mob with it, every attack against that mob has a chance to add mana to the attacker's pool. So if you're a wand user who needs mana from JoW, you want to attack a lot-- more attacks mean more chances to gain mana. Enter this, the fastest wand in Westfall. How to Get It: That's right, I said Westfall. To get it, you'll have to visit Captain Grayson-- he's the Captain ghost outside the lighthouse on the southwest coast of Westfall, and he'll give a quest called The Coastal Menace to both Horde and Alliance alike (I know, I thought it was weird too that he gave the quest to Horde, but I went out there last night on my UD rogue and checked just for you, dear readers). All you have to do is kill Old Murk-Eye, an elite named that wanders the coast near there, and the wand is yours. When you're raiding and JoW gets put on a mob, pull this baby out and wand away.Getting Rid of It: 12s 44c to vendors, DEs into Greater Magic Essence.Update: CiM points out a few more 1.3 wands in the comments, including a few really nice Outland wands.
Phat Loot Phriday: Chained Essence of Eranikus
I know we've been pretty centered on Outland loot lately, just because all the stuff there is so, well, phat. But here's a cool little trinket you don't need the expansion to get, and it's just steeped in lore.Name: Chained Essence of EranikusType: TrinketDamage / Speed: N/AAbilities: On use, it'll poison all enemies in an 8 yard radius, giving them 50 Nature damage every 5 seconds for 45 seconds, on a 15 minute cooldown. Not great, but not too shabby for a level 55 trinket. I found this really helpful on my Warrior (at least until around level 60 or so), but YMMV, of course. Also, whenever you use this, you get a personal, only-you-can-hear-it whisper from non other than the tortured soul of Eranikus the dragon (he's the big green monster above). Yes, that is a voice in your head, and it's coming from this trinket. More on that in a second. How to Get It: This is a long one. I'll leave the details for one of Elizabeth's great Know Your Lore posts, but all you need to know is that the Green Dragonflight is tied to a realm called the Emerald Dream, and that place is currently being corrupted into the Emerald Nightmare. Deep within Sunken Temple (on the same level as all the other dragons and Jammalan the Prophet), a Shade of the dragon Eranikus is sleeping. He was sent there by Ysera, leader of the Green Dragonflight, to take care of all the trolls messing about. But instead, corrupted by the Emerald Dream's troubles, he's sleeping on the job, which is when you come upon him.After you take him down, everyone in the party can loot a gem from his body, called the Essence of Eranikus. You have to get a quest from that gem, and then take it to the font located in the back of the same room where you fight him. Instead of releasing Eranikus, however, it turns out the font itself is corrupted, and he becomes Chained inside the gem, creating this trinket as a quest reward from that quest.Now, the trinket is actually a quest item in another series of quests that currently isn't done. You can take the gem to Itharius, an elf (some players say he's a green dragon in disguise) inside a cave in the Swamp of Sorrows, and give it to him to get a quest to meet up with someone else in Winterspring. But the questline ends right after that, with no final rewards or lore to show for it. It's widely assumed that this quest chain will eventually be where we have a chance, whenever Blizzard gets around to it, to actually enter the Emerald Dream, and confront whatever's causing the corruption in there.Eranikus also makes a quick appearance in the questline to open up the Gates of Ahn Qiraj (along with Tyrande Whisperwind!), but that's a long story for another day...Getting Rid of It: You can give it to Itharius if you want, but I wouldn't recommend it until Blizzard actually updates that quest chain. A vendor will give 64s 64c, or it will usually disenchant into Illusion Dust.
Phat Loot Phriday: Retainer's Blade
Last week on PLP, we took a look at a great Aldor item, and this week it's Scyer time. By now, you've probably learned (if you've visited Shattrath City) that players get to choose one of two factions to follow, and each has its own items, recipes and rewards to try for. From the Scryer side comes this very fast, very excellent offhand dagger.Name: Retainer's BladeType: Epic One-Hand DaggerDamage / Speed: 94-142, 1.50 (78.7 DPS)Abilities: +21 Agility, +21 Stamina This is a terrific dagger for anyone who needs a fast offhand for procs-- dual wielding Shaman will benefit from it, but Rogues will probably get the most out of it, with the extra Agi and Stamina, not to mention the 1.50 speed that applies poisons almost faster than you can keep them on. And it can't hurt for Fury warriors either, especially if you've already grinded the rep necessary. How to Get It: Just like Aldor last week, you've got to do Scryer quests and bring them the turnins they ask for all the way to Exalted. You can find what you need to do by poking around the Scryer area in Shattrath, but mostly it'll involve getting Firewing and Sunfury Signets (and, eventually, Arcane Tomes) from killing various Blood Elves around Terrokar Forest. Once you've made your way to Exalted, head towards the Scryer Quartermaster in Shattrath, but here's the kicker: bring some cash with you. A lot of it, actually. This baby will set you back 198 gold and change.Getting Rid of It: When you find an upgrade (which might be tough if you're not looking in the right places-- this baby is one of the highest DPS offhand daggers in the game), a vendor will take it off your hands for 39g 74s 25c.
Phat Loot Phriday: Auchenai Staff
One of the more interesting twists in the expansion is the introduction of two new, completely opposed factions: the Aldor and the Scryers. Players first entering Shattrath City are asked to choose one, and each has different rewards and recipes available. It's an intriguing proposition, and we'll probably see more effects of the decision (some have even speculated that eventually we'll have an Aldor vs. Scryer battleground, so Horde and Alliance will for the first time be able to fight side by side against players).So this week on Phat Loot Phriday, we're covering a droolworthy Aldor weapon, and the Scryers will just have to sit back and be jealous. Next week, we'll switch. If you want more info on the Aldor/Scryer decision, WoWwiki is the guide to read.Name: Auchenai StaffType: Rare Two-Hand StaffDamage / Speed: 92-171 / 2.10 (62.8 DPS)Abilities: +46 Intellect Improves spell hit rating by 19, spell crit rating by 26, and healing and damage by up to 121, so it's pretty darn amazing for almost any caster, especially damage-based Available only to people Revered by the Aldor faction How to Get It: You've got to be Aldor-- hopefully you've caught that much already. To get Revered, you have to do quests labeled for Aldor rep-- there's a bunch of them in the Lower City of Shattrath, and quite a few in the Aldor area there. You can also turn in various Marks from around Outland (Kil'jaeden until Honored, and Sargeras after that) and Fel Armaments. Hit Revered, and then bring 56 gold and some change (so 57 gold, really) to the Aldor quartermaster to get this pretty stick o' power.Getting Rid of It: Once you've got this thing, you probably won't lose it until you start rolling through the endgame instances in Outland. After you do find something nicer, though, a vendor will give you 11g 26s 53c for it.
