Thursday 2 May 2013

Gear plan for 5.2 revisited

So, this was my gear plan for 5.2 ( ← the link on the left also shows how I was dressed at the end of April)
Head:Falling Blossom Cowltailoring
Neck:Destroyer's BattletagsShadow-Pan Assault neutral
Shoulders:Shoulders of
Demonic Dreams
Shadow-Pan Assault exalted
Chest:Fire Support RobesShadow-Pan Assault revered
Cloak:Shadowspike CloakShadow-Pan Assault honored
Wrists:Troll-Burner BracersShadow-Pan Assault friendly
Hands:Flameweaver HandwrapsShadow-Pan Assault honored
Waist:Firestrike CordShadow-Pan Assault revered
Legs:Charfire LeggingsShadow-Pan Assault honored
Feet:Falling Blossom Treadstailoring
Finger 1:Signet of the
Shado-Pan Assault
Shadow-Pan Assault friendly
Finger 2:Eye of Oondasta
(ilvl 522)
It dropped for me last week
when killing Oondasta.
If you don't have such luck,
you can use Restored Hexxer's
Signet instead. 
Trinket 1:Volatile Talisman of
the Shado-Pan Assault
Shadow-Pan Assault friendly
Trinker 2:Wushoolay's Final Choice
(ilvl 502)
A lucky ToT LFR drop last
week. Apart from praying for
lucky drops, best choice is
the Shock-Charger Medaillon
from Operation Shieldwall
Main Hand:Loshan, Terror IncarnateTsu-Long in TES
Off Hand:Inscribed Jade FanInscription
or Staff:Jin'ya,
Orb of the Waterspeaker
Lei-Shi in TES


How am I getting on? Not hard to answer that one. I'm currently honored with the Shado-Pan assault, so nothing for revered or exalted is yet mine. And the headpiece, Falling Blossom Cowl, cannot be had in the market. Not even for ready money. However Horridon was kind enough to drop the Flamecaster's Burning Crown in LFR last week.and I can't really expect to improve much on that. STOP PRESS: I luckily discovered the recipe for Falling Blossom Cowl today, and I'll be making myself one just as soon as I can buy enough Haunting Spirits. I need eight, and they go for upward of 15000g each on my realm, but they still get snapped up quickly at that price.

For the neck, I've got the Destroyer's Battletags, as expected.

As for the shoulders, I've replaced my old Mantle of the Golden Sun with an ilvl 502 LFR drop from Jin'rokh, Fissure-Split Shoulderwraps. Exalted with the Shado-Pan assault is a long way off! Jin'rokh is the easiest boss in the throne of Thunder to kill, so I may be able to get the ilvl 522 version on of these days.

For the chest, I've replaced my Imperial Ghostbinder's Robes (ilvl 489) with Robes of the Lightning Rider, a world drop from Galleon. I also won the LFR Robes of Mutagenic Blood from Primordius, but I haven't gemmed, enchanted and equipped it. I don't think it's worth it, as I'm on the cusp of revered with the Shado-Pan Assault, so I should have the Fire Support Robes as soon as I have enough Valor Points.

Cloak: Shado-Spike Cloak: 

Wrists: Troll-Burner Bracers ✓

Hands: Flameweaver Handwraps ✓

Waist: I'm still stuck with the ugliest belt in the universe, the Belt of Malleable Amber. Oh, how I'd love to get rid of it. as soon as I hit revered with the Shado-Pan Assault, I'm getting the Firestrike Cord, even before I get the Fire Support Robes.

Legs: Even though I'm honored with the Shado-Pan assault now. I'm not yet planning to replace my old Leggings of the Burning Scroll (which I got from Amber-Shaper Un'sok in HoF Normal, by way of a Shadowy Vanquisher token). I think I'm better replacing my waist and chest, first. I just don't have enough VP yet to buy the Charfire Leggings.

Feet: No sign of the Falling Blossom treads on the AH, and I haven't got the recipe yet, so for now I'm sticking with my Sandals of Oiled Silk.

Finger 1: Signet of the Shado-Pan Assault ✓
Finger 2: Eye of Oondasta ✓(I already had this at the start of April)

Trinket 1: Again, my shortage of Valor Points means that I haven't yet bought the Volatile Talisman of the Shado-Pan Assault. I'm still sporting my Relic of Yu'Lon.
Trinket 2: Wushoolay's Final Choice ✓ (I already had this at the start of the start of April)

Main hand: I'm in a quandary here. Although I won the ilvl 502 version of Athame of the Sanguine Ritual from Dark Animus in the Throne of Thunder, I'm havering about equipping it instead of my sword, Loshan, Terror Incarnate, which is twice upgraded to ilvl 491, and has the sha-touched gem in it. Usually when I'm vacillating like this, what happens is that I keep both items and wait for something unequivocally better to drop for me, but in this case there is nothing that I can realistically get that is head-and-shoulders above them. I know that the dagger is a bit better, but after all the trouble I went to to get the sha-touched gem, I'm loth to give it up.

Off-hand: I still have the Inscribed Jade Fan, and I'm waiting for something better to drop in LFR.

So there you have it. About half-way through executing my plan. But with 5.3 on the near horizon, and the balmy days of summer with us, I'm seriously wondering if I wouldn't be better off taking it easy and waiting to replace my ilvl 522 gear with 5.3 LFR gear. Certainly, all my hard-won 5.1 gear was no sooner acquired than replaced in 5.2. I have the feeling that the pace of the gear treadmill has picked up. In 5.1 I made a real effort to keep up, because I was guesting with another guild's raid team. But now my guild is raiding, so I'm no longer guesting with the other team, and I no longer feel the same pressure that I might lose my raid spot, being as how my gear is still pretty decent.


2 comments:

  1. Just a note, there is not a new raid in 5.3, so 522 is going to be the best ilvl you can get unless you start doing heroic raids. There are new heroic scenarios, but those will only give 516 gear, so your 522 gear will still be very relevant.

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  2. What? We aren't taking on Garrosh in a new raid? Ah, thanks for the heads-up. I see now that there's no new raid until 5.4. Thanks!

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