Brutal Gladiator's Wildhide
by Zach Yonzon 
Jun 24th 2008 at 3:20PM
The Brutal Gladiator's Wildhide is the armor set for Balance Druids. It is a wyrmhide, or leather armor usable only by Druids and is usually matched with Guardian's Wyrmhide armor pieces. The armor set can be purchased from Big Zokk Torquewrench in Netherstorm and Ontokk Shatterhorn in Shattrath City. The matching Guardian items may be purchased from Doris Volanthius in the Hall of Legends and Lieutenant Tristia in the Champion's Hall.
Brutal Gladiator's Wyrmhide Gloves
The Brutal Gladiator armor piece for the hands are the cheapest and easiest Season 4 Arena gear to obtain. With no personal rating requirements, most players will be able to purchase this piece and is the Arena gear likely to be most widespread as soon as the season begins. The PvP-oriented bonus of Cyclone cast time reduction is the same for the Brutal Gladiator's Kodohide Gloves. The gloves have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
Brutal Gladiator's Wyrmhide Legguards
The leg armor possesses a personal rating requirement of 1550, which isn't too difficult to obtain, even for Moonkin Druids. While not as accessible as the gloves, the leg armor is highly visible on a character and is also likely to be a popular purchase, even at 1875 Arena points. The legguards have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
492 Armor (+35)
+65 Stamina (+7)
+40 Intellect (+5)
+27 Spell Critical (+5)
+31 Resilience (+0)
+67 Spell Damage / Healing (+5)
11 Mana / 5 Secs (+2 / 5)
Classes: Druid
WoW Insider says: The lack of sockets mean that the only customization that can be done will be through Tailoring or Leatherworkingenchants. Even then, the low ratings requirement for these legguards make it very appealing for all the stats it gives, including a 1.72% spell crit from the +Intellect and +Spell Crit Rating.
Brutal Gladiator's Wyrmhide Tunic
With three sockets, the chestpiece is the most customizable Arena armor piece, and is the next best purchase after the gloves. In PvE, the chest armor is traditionally a drop from the final boss in a series (Magtheridon drops Tier 4 chest token, Kael'thas drops Tier 5 chest token, Illidan drops Tier 6 chest token, etc.). Arenas are different in this regard, but the item level of the chest is identical to PvE chest pieces. Sunwell Plateau breaks from tradition in that the final boss, Kil'jaeden, does not drop chest tokens or armor. However, the Brutal Gladiator chest armor is equivalent in item level to the drops from Entropius and is the best combination of cost and restriction among all the armor pieces. The tunic has the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
541 Armor (+40)
+62 Stamina (+7)
+33 Intellect (+5)
+18 Spell Critical (+5)
+27 Resilience (+0)
+59 Spell Damage / Healing (+6)
7 Mana / 5 Secs (+2 / 5)
Socket Bonus: +4 Resilience Rating
Classes: Druid
WoW Insider says: Although 1600 personal rating might be restrictive to some beginning Moonkin Druids, the chest piece is worth the grind because it's a decent upgrade over its Season 3 counterpart. Because of its PvE equivalent, obtaining the Brutal Gladiator chest armor is almost like killing Entropius in Sunwell Plateau. Well, ok not really, but if you don't raid, that's about as close to a raid drop as you're going to get.
Brutal Gladiator's Wyrmhide Helm
The helm is very likely the last Brutal Gladiator armor piece that many players will obtain. With the shoulders at an extremely prohibitive 2200, most players will only manage 4/5 of Season 4. Moonkin Druids, although not very popular in Arenas, can manage 1700 for this helm, which costs the same as the chest and leg armor pieces. With a personal rating attached to it, the Brutal Gladiator helm might be one helm graphic that players would like to leave on. It is also identical in model to the pieces that drop off Kil'jaeden in Sunwell Plateau. The helm has the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
447 Armor (+32)
+65 Stamina (+7)
+35 Intellect (+6)
+22 Spell Critical
+28 Resilience (+0)
+59 Spell Damage / Healing (+13 / +5)
8 Mana / 5 Secs (+3 / 5)
Socket Bonus: +4 Resilience Rating
Classes: Druid
WoW Insider says: The spell crit on this helm isn't quite as good as on the legguards, but Meta and Yellow Sockets give enough options for customization to make it a worthy purchase.
Brutal Gladiator's Wyrmhide Spaulders
The 2200 personal ratings requirement for the shoulders are almost Gladiator-level for most Battlegroups, and will likely be a very rare sight in most realms. It's not certain we'll see many Moonkin Druids sport these. It is the cheapest item after the gloves, but it is also the most difficult to get. Blizzard's reasoning for this is that the shoulders are the most "visually impacting" armor piece, confirming Blizzard's opinion that PvP achievements should be on display. The spaulders has the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
416 Armor (+30)
+49 Stamina (+6)
+24 Intellect (+4)
+13 Spell Critical (+8)
+22 Resilience (+0)
+41 Spell Damage / Healing (+5)
5 Mana / 5 Secs (+2 / 5)
Socket Bonus: +3 Resilience Rating
Classes: Druid
WoW Insider says: Brutal Gladiator Shoulders are peacock gear. The stats for the Wyrmhide shoulders are so minimal to even warrant a 2200 personal ratings tag outside of showing off.
The Brutal Gladiator armor piece for the hands are the cheapest and easiest Season 4 Arena gear to obtain. With no personal rating requirements, most players will be able to purchase this piece and is the Arena gear likely to be most widespread as soon as the season begins. The PvP-oriented bonus of Cyclone cast time reduction is the same for the Brutal Gladiator's Kodohide Gloves. The gloves have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
354 Armor (+25)
+47 Stamina (+4)
+28 Intellect (+4)
+16 Spell Critical (+4)
+22 Resilience (+0)
+49 Spell Damage / Healing (+6)
6 Mana / 5 Secs (+2 / 5)
Reduces the cast time of Cyclone by .1 secs.
Classes: Druid
WoW Insider says: These gloves are low-cost and have no rating requirements, and the high Stamina and good +Healing make it making it one of the best Season 4 purchases, specially for starting Arena players. +47 Stamina (+4)
+28 Intellect (+4)
+16 Spell Critical (+4)
+22 Resilience (+0)
+49 Spell Damage / Healing (+6)
6 Mana / 5 Secs (+2 / 5)
Reduces the cast time of Cyclone by .1 secs.
Classes: Druid
Brutal Gladiator's Wyrmhide Legguards
The leg armor possesses a personal rating requirement of 1550, which isn't too difficult to obtain, even for Moonkin Druids. While not as accessible as the gloves, the leg armor is highly visible on a character and is also likely to be a popular purchase, even at 1875 Arena points. The legguards have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
492 Armor (+35)
+65 Stamina (+7)
+40 Intellect (+5)
+27 Spell Critical (+5)
+31 Resilience (+0)
+67 Spell Damage / Healing (+5)
11 Mana / 5 Secs (+2 / 5)
Classes: Druid
WoW Insider says: The lack of sockets mean that the only customization that can be done will be through Tailoring or Leatherworkingenchants. Even then, the low ratings requirement for these legguards make it very appealing for all the stats it gives, including a 1.72% spell crit from the +Intellect and +Spell Crit Rating.
Brutal Gladiator's Wyrmhide Tunic
With three sockets, the chestpiece is the most customizable Arena armor piece, and is the next best purchase after the gloves. In PvE, the chest armor is traditionally a drop from the final boss in a series (Magtheridon drops Tier 4 chest token, Kael'thas drops Tier 5 chest token, Illidan drops Tier 6 chest token, etc.). Arenas are different in this regard, but the item level of the chest is identical to PvE chest pieces. Sunwell Plateau breaks from tradition in that the final boss, Kil'jaeden, does not drop chest tokens or armor. However, the Brutal Gladiator chest armor is equivalent in item level to the drops from Entropius and is the best combination of cost and restriction among all the armor pieces. The tunic has the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
541 Armor (+40)
+62 Stamina (+7)
+33 Intellect (+5)
+18 Spell Critical (+5)
+27 Resilience (+0)
+59 Spell Damage / Healing (+6)
7 Mana / 5 Secs (+2 / 5)
Socket Bonus: +4 Resilience Rating
Classes: Druid
WoW Insider says: Although 1600 personal rating might be restrictive to some beginning Moonkin Druids, the chest piece is worth the grind because it's a decent upgrade over its Season 3 counterpart. Because of its PvE equivalent, obtaining the Brutal Gladiator chest armor is almost like killing Entropius in Sunwell Plateau. Well, ok not really, but if you don't raid, that's about as close to a raid drop as you're going to get.
Brutal Gladiator's Wyrmhide Helm
The helm is very likely the last Brutal Gladiator armor piece that many players will obtain. With the shoulders at an extremely prohibitive 2200, most players will only manage 4/5 of Season 4. Moonkin Druids, although not very popular in Arenas, can manage 1700 for this helm, which costs the same as the chest and leg armor pieces. With a personal rating attached to it, the Brutal Gladiator helm might be one helm graphic that players would like to leave on. It is also identical in model to the pieces that drop off Kil'jaeden in Sunwell Plateau. The helm has the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
447 Armor (+32)
+65 Stamina (+7)
+35 Intellect (+6)
+22 Spell Critical
+28 Resilience (+0)
+59 Spell Damage / Healing (+13 / +5)
8 Mana / 5 Secs (+3 / 5)
Socket Bonus: +4 Resilience Rating
Classes: Druid
WoW Insider says: The spell crit on this helm isn't quite as good as on the legguards, but Meta and Yellow Sockets give enough options for customization to make it a worthy purchase.
Brutal Gladiator's Wyrmhide Spaulders
The 2200 personal ratings requirement for the shoulders are almost Gladiator-level for most Battlegroups, and will likely be a very rare sight in most realms. It's not certain we'll see many Moonkin Druids sport these. It is the cheapest item after the gloves, but it is also the most difficult to get. Blizzard's reasoning for this is that the shoulders are the most "visually impacting" armor piece, confirming Blizzard's opinion that PvP achievements should be on display. The spaulders has the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
416 Armor (+30)
+49 Stamina (+6)
+24 Intellect (+4)
+13 Spell Critical (+8)
+22 Resilience (+0)
+41 Spell Damage / Healing (+5)
5 Mana / 5 Secs (+2 / 5)
Socket Bonus: +3 Resilience Rating
Classes: Druid
WoW Insider says: Brutal Gladiator Shoulders are peacock gear. The stats for the Wyrmhide shoulders are so minimal to even warrant a 2200 personal ratings tag outside of showing off.
Guardian's Wyrmhide Belt
Because it is a visual match for the Brutal Gladiator's Wildhide, and because it comes with no personal ratings requirement, the belt is most likely to be the most widely distributed Season 4 gear. It is purchasable with Honor points, so even players who do not participate in Arena PvP can obtain it. The belt has the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
322 Armor (+22)
+49 Stamina (+6)
+35 Intellect (+5)
+26 Resilience (+0)
+44 Spell Damage / Healing (+4)
11 Mana / 5 Secs (+2 / 5)
Classes: Rogue, Druid
WoW Insider says: Even though it has no spell crit, this belt has a low Honor cost and is ratings-free. It's a must have item for all aspiring Moonkins, definitely the best Season 4 purchase even for players who have no intention of stepping into Arenas.
Guardian's Wyrmhide Bracers
The only other Guardian piece with a socket is the amulet, which doesn't have a personal rating requirement. Coupled with the fact that bracers are visually insignificant, being hidden under gloves or robes, most players feel that there's little urgency to get them. A 1575 personal ratings requirement also requires decent performance in Arenas. The bracers have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
253 (+17)
+35 Stamina (+4)
+23 Intellect (+3)
+18 Resilience (+0)
+27 Spell Damage / Healing (+4)
8 Mana / 5 Secs (+1 / 5)
Socket Bonus: +2 Resilience Rating
Classes: Rogue, Druid
WoW Insider says: The great thing about these bracers are the Red Socket as opposed to the typical Yellow Socket for bracers, although the upgrade from last season's version is very moderate. If a Moonkin can manage 1575 and spare the dirt cheap 11,794 Honor, why not?
Guardian's Wyrmhide Boots
The most visually important match of all Guardian items -- although it won't be seen on Tauren feet, the boots are a big jump from a 1575 personal ratings requirement and is as demanding to get as the head piece at 1700 personal ratings. It is also as expensive to purchase as the belt, which has no ratings requirement. The slippers have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
385 Armor (+28)
+49 Stamina (+6)
+35 Intellect (+5)
+26 Resilience (+0)
+44 Spell Damage / Healing(+4)
11 Mana / 5 Secs (+2 / 5)
Classes: Rogue, Druid
WoW Insider says: 1700 is the highest personal ratings requirement outside of the weapons and shoulders, and might be a challenge for Moonkins only starting to do Arenas. A decent item, to be sure, but players looking for more spell crit for more burst should look at better raid drops if they can manage it.
Looking for more Season 4 info? We've rounded up everything you need to know about the Brutal Gladiator season right here.
Because it is a visual match for the Brutal Gladiator's Wildhide, and because it comes with no personal ratings requirement, the belt is most likely to be the most widely distributed Season 4 gear. It is purchasable with Honor points, so even players who do not participate in Arena PvP can obtain it. The belt has the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
322 Armor (+22)
+49 Stamina (+6)
+35 Intellect (+5)
+26 Resilience (+0)
+44 Spell Damage / Healing (+4)
11 Mana / 5 Secs (+2 / 5)
Classes: Rogue, Druid
WoW Insider says: Even though it has no spell crit, this belt has a low Honor cost and is ratings-free. It's a must have item for all aspiring Moonkins, definitely the best Season 4 purchase even for players who have no intention of stepping into Arenas.
Guardian's Wyrmhide Bracers
The only other Guardian piece with a socket is the amulet, which doesn't have a personal rating requirement. Coupled with the fact that bracers are visually insignificant, being hidden under gloves or robes, most players feel that there's little urgency to get them. A 1575 personal ratings requirement also requires decent performance in Arenas. The bracers have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
253 (+17)
+35 Stamina (+4)
+23 Intellect (+3)
+18 Resilience (+0)
+27 Spell Damage / Healing (+4)
8 Mana / 5 Secs (+1 / 5)
Socket Bonus: +2 Resilience Rating
Classes: Rogue, Druid
WoW Insider says: The great thing about these bracers are the Red Socket as opposed to the typical Yellow Socket for bracers, although the upgrade from last season's version is very moderate. If a Moonkin can manage 1575 and spare the dirt cheap 11,794 Honor, why not?
Guardian's Wyrmhide Boots
The most visually important match of all Guardian items -- although it won't be seen on Tauren feet, the boots are a big jump from a 1575 personal ratings requirement and is as demanding to get as the head piece at 1700 personal ratings. It is also as expensive to purchase as the belt, which has no ratings requirement. The slippers have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
385 Armor (+28)
+49 Stamina (+6)
+35 Intellect (+5)
+26 Resilience (+0)
+44 Spell Damage / Healing(+4)
11 Mana / 5 Secs (+2 / 5)
Classes: Rogue, Druid
WoW Insider says: 1700 is the highest personal ratings requirement outside of the weapons and shoulders, and might be a challenge for Moonkins only starting to do Arenas. A decent item, to be sure, but players looking for more spell crit for more burst should look at better raid drops if they can manage it.
Looking for more Season 4 info? We've rounded up everything you need to know about the Brutal Gladiator season right here.Filed under: Druid, Items, Analysis / Opinion, PvP, Guides, Battlegrounds, Arena
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
sZimm Jun 25th 2008 5:15AM
"The leg armor possesses a personal rating requirement of 1550, which isn't too difficult to obtain, even for Moonkin Druids."
"Moonkin Druids, although not very popular in Arenas,..."
"...and will likely be a very rare sight in most realms. It's not certain we'll see many Moonkin Druids sport these."
"1700 is the highest personal ratings requirement outside of the weapons and shoulders, and might be a challenge for Moonkins only starting to do Arenas."
are you a moonkin hater? :D
i know they arent cookie cutter for arena, but that's no reason to put the hate on the owlbears. :)
Zach Jun 25th 2008 5:16AM
lol, no, I LOVE Moonkins. Unfortunately, they really are underrepresented in Arenas. I wish it were otherwise, but some specs just don't see as much success in Arenas. If a Moonkin can get the shoulders, more power! It's more than likely that it'll be a Resto Druid with points to spare, though. =(
sZimm Jun 25th 2008 6:03PM
cool, good to hear. ^^
my main is one such beautiful, rotund owlbeast u see! :P
personally, i only play arena casually - but i know a couple of moonkins that reside in the 2000+ bracket.
i'm more into pve, but pvp is so much fun and helps me fill the gap between raids and farming... :9
Ramalina Jun 26th 2008 8:29AM
Previous seasons the Moonkin gear was itemized poorly enough (aside from the weapons which are great) that it was entirely reasonable for a Moonkin to spec deep balance but wear Kodohide and carry a caster weapon, trinkets, and idol. It looks like this season is enough of an improvement on that to make the Wyrmhide clearly superior to Kodohide for moonkins in arena.
Honestly for PvE though, the best gear is still going to be Cloth and Badge gear. It'll be nice to finally have a set where you'll be able to swap in a piece or two for extra stamina without taking as big a hit in performance as was the case with previous seasons.