WoW Rookie: Emblem gear for the fresh level 80
by Lisa Poisso 
Jun 10th 2010 at 4:00PM
Emblems of this, emblems of that ... What are all these emblems that everyone swears you simply must have once you hit level 80? WoW Rookie's got your back with the basics. An advanced, comprehensive path to the best gear for your class and spec to raid in? No, not really. A down-and-dirty orientation to which of these currencies matters most to you as a new level 80? Absolutely.
First, understand this: There's more to gearing at level 80 than emblem gear. Questing, instance drops, reputation gear, BoEs from the auction house and crafted pieces all play a role in your evolving gear set. Get your feet wet with our fresh 80's guide to getting started in 5-mans. If you especially enjoy digging your way through and savoring all the content, if you're a completist or if you're making your way toward raiding at something less than today's typically breakneck pace, you'll want to explore all of these options as you build your character.
If you're headed straight for end-game raiding, you'll want to focus on emblem gear. Emblems are probably the single most important tool for vaulting yourself to raid readiness. That's not to say that the other options are without merit; you'll definitely want to shore up your kit with non-emblem items. But emblem gear offers a clear, reliable, seamless path from level 80 right into raiding. Let's see how it all comes together.
Emblems are a currency system introduced in Wrath of the Lich King, awarded for defeating bosses in heroic instances and raids. (Click over to the link in the previous sentence for a look at emblems past and present, including where they come from, which are still in use and which can be converted or downgraded into other forms.) By contrast, badges are outdated currency from The Burning Crusade content or reputation tokens from Dalaran daily quests and Argent Tournament vendors. Older players tend to use the terms "emblems" and "badges" interchangeably; rest assured that it's emblems you want.
Emblems of Triumph
Emblem of Triumph are the bread-and-butter emblem that earns your tier 9 gear. You'll earn lots of them quickly, as soon as you can start running level 80 heroic 5-mans. Turn them in to purchase gear at vendors in Dalaran, the Argent Tournament grounds and the Crusader's Coliseum. Here's a complete list of available gear, and here's where the emblems themselves drop:
- each boss defeated in any level 80 5-man heroic instance
- each boss defeated in any normal Icecrown Citadel 5-man instance
- each boss defeated in all level 80 raids (except Icecrown Citadel raids, which award Emblems of Frost)
- your first random regular Lich King dungeon of the day (two emblems)
- your second (and subsequent) random heroic Lich King dungeon instances (the first awards Emblems of Frost) (two emblems)
- the random weekly raid quest (five emblems)
If your character won't be raiding, Emblems of Triumph gear makes a great capstone to gear dropped in the heroic 5-mans. Collect, spend, wear the results with pride. Anything beyond this is gravy. If you are gearing up to raid, Emblems of Triumph are merely a stepping stone along the way; your destiny lies with Emblems of Frost, which we'll cover in a moment.
One caution: Future raiders shouldn't spend Emblems of Triumph on gear with an item level lower than 232. The Icecrown Citadel 5-mans offer equal or stronger choices, so don't waste your hard-earned emblems on slots you're likely to fill with loot drops.
Collecting Emblems of Frost to buy tier 10 gear is a slow process for a new, non-raiding level 80 player. If you don't plan to raid, these emblems are gravy; you don't need gear of this power to succeed in non-raid content, so you can be a little more relaxed about your choices. Future raiders will want to spend their precious frosties strategically to provide the most bang for the buck and catapult them to raid-readiness.
Most Emblems of Frost come from raiding. However, you can accumulate 14 per week by consistently completing the daily random heroic 5-man, where you'll earn two each day. If you're up for pugging a Toravon raid in Wintergrasp, you can snag another two each week from 10-man plus two more from 25-man. This page has all the details on where these emblems drops, where to cash them in and what you can buy with them.
Which tier should you be aiming for?
If you're not planning to raid, choosing tier 9 versus tier 10 isn't a big deal. You'll end up outmuscling non-raid content in any of this gear, so relax. If you're a slower emblem collector, it's probably smart to take advantage of the immediate upgrades. That way, you're not putting your gear on long-term hold during a long, slow buildup. If you are already running raids, though, you may need to plug key holes in your gear quickly with T9 and equivalent, or you may want to save up for the big bang of a two-piece T10 set bonus.
If you decide to go with T9, getting the two-piece set bonus is likely to be a strategic early choice. (Check our class columns to find out how worthwhile the bonus is for your particular spec.) If you buy the gloves and shoulders first (30 emblems each), you'll get a two-piece bonus for the lowest possible number of emblems. Otherwise, it's generally smart to shore up your weakest slot first.
There is good reason for raiding characters to head straight for T10. While T9 represents transitional gear to a raider, T10 is fully upgradeable. You'll win tokens in raids that allow you to upgrade your existing T10 pieces. If your two-piece T10 bonus is strong for your spec, head for that first; if not, start by replacing whatever is your weakest piece of gear. As you develop your long-term scheme, plan ahead for future set bonuses and the upgrades you'll be able to make from tokens as you progress deeper into raiding content.
Class-specific emblem gear advice
WoW.com has a number of class-specific guides detailing the very best emblem gear choices for your class and spec. If you don't see your class or spec here yet, keep your eyes open for more articles in this ongoing series.
- Death Knights: Emblems of Frost
- Death Knights: Emblems of Triumph
- Druids: Bear
- Druids: Cat
- Druids: Restoration
- Hunters
- Mages
- Paladins: Holy
- Paladins: Retribution
- Paladins: Tanks
- Priests: Healers
- Priests: Shadow Priests
- Rogues
- Warlocks
- 15 tips for brand new healers
- 10 ways to build a healing mentality
- Surviving battleground PUGs
- Griefers in arena
- Take your tanking to the next level
Visit the WoW Rookie Guide for links to all our tips, tricks and how-to's. WoW Rookie walks you through all sort of new-player concerns, from game lingo for the beginner to joining your first guild as a mid-level player and on to what to do when you finally hit level 80.Filed under: WoW Rookie
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Shiro Jun 10th 2010 4:13PM
I would recommend saving your frost badges for a trinket, first, if you're not planning to raid. They are normally the hardest slot to fill with something decent that has a higher ilvl. It will help with your GearScore as well as being major upgrades from your other trinket options.
Pyromelter Jun 10th 2010 4:28PM
If you want to jack your GS upward, then you should just fill everything with 245 items including trinkets. You can also "borrow" a trinket from the frost emblem vendor and then sell it right back. I don't care if you are never going to set foot into ICC, you should almost always 100% be going for your T10 2-piece bonus - grab your shoulders first and pray for a VOA drop. (There are exceptions, like the disc priest bonus isn't all that great.)
Also, I disagree about buying items with less than 232 ilevel. Cloaks, necks, and belts can be hard to come by at times, and you can downgrade your EoTs for Eo Conquest for belts and Eo Valor for decent cloak and neck choices, for really cheap (less than 30 emblems each).
clundgren Jun 10th 2010 4:29PM
This is really class dependent advice. The tank trinket you can buy with frost emblems is indeed awesome, but the melee dps trinket is only a bit better than a Darkmoon Card: Greatness even when fighting raid bosses, and against non-raid bosses and trash, the Greatness Card is much better.
For ret paladins, the two piece tier 10 set bonus will make you the God of all Heroics, if this is your thing. Barring some good luck in VoA, it will take you 120 emblems to get the gloves and shoulders, but this should be your frost emblem priority. Of course, it's massive overkill for the level of mobs you'll be facing, but go forth and faceroll to your heart's desire. It's good times.
If you ARE planning on raiding, the dirty secret of the ret tier 10 set is that that same, sexy-seeming 2 piece bonus no longer does much for you, and you need the 4 piece to see a significant dps bump.
So, for ret paladins who aren't raiding, get your 2 piece asap. If you are raiding, never miss a VoA, and DON'T buy the gloves or legs first, or you have just wasted a lot of emblems if they drop in your next VoA. Get you shoulders and helm/chest as your first two purchases.
clundgren Jun 10th 2010 4:35PM
Also, consider other avenues for filling in your tier 10 gap, as frost emblems take a long time to build up unless you are doing both 10 and 25 ICC every week. For example, a tier 10 cloak is available for emblems, but is probably one of the last purchases you'll make, and cloaks can be hard to get...until you go to the Hall of Legends and notice that you can buy a pretty sweet one for honour, which is dead easy to get these days.
Yes, it has resilience, which doesn't do much for you in PvE, but it is still WAY better than anything you will get from a heroic drop or the one you can buy by trading down to emblems of valour.
Shiro Jun 10th 2010 4:44PM
@Pyromelter
I never really found this to be true for the case of all 2p t10 bonuses. The stat increase from t9 to t10 is negligible at best for a person that doesn't want to raid and, at times, can provide confusion about rotations or abilities. (such as the case of the ret paladin 2p bonus: "Should I use Divine Storm first or just treat it as an extra?").
If you're going to raid you're going to get frost badges quickly. In which case, Getting the T10 items would be a good investment. You can upgrade the T10 item and everything making it the biggest bang for your buck, but in the case of people that are just looking to do VoA and daily quests, for frost, I find that the trinket slot is much more desirable.
Pyromelter Jun 10th 2010 5:27PM
Here's a dirty secret about tank trinkets: The triumph trinket is better. As a good friend of mine says "Stack armor or you hate your healers." This friend was the lowest health tank I've raided 25man with (57k buffed with 20% buff), and he never dropped below 85% health on Festergut. The EoF trinket is something you should borrow if you are ranged tanking keleseth (where armor doesn't matter).
If you really, really want the Herkuml War Token instead of your 2p-T10, borrow it. You can re-sell your trinkets before 2 hours for a full 60 EoF refund. As far as 2t10 bonuses not really being beneficial, I'll give a quick breakdown. For healers: Priest set is okay, but not completely necessary. Paladin 2 piece is pretty decent (better than t9), but still not all that necessary. Druid 2piece is pretty awesome. Shaman 2 and 4piece sets are almost godly
Here's a quick (in my opinion) DPS breakdown for 2piece Tier10:
1. DK - great bonus
2. Druid - amazing bonus for balance, decent for feral
3. Hunter - amazing set bonuses
4. Mage - 2piece is beyond godly for arcane, and is awesome for fire.
5. Paladin - amazing bonus. Yes, divine storm resetting is that good. I'm not sure how you can screw up a FCFS rotation.
6. Priest - somewhat boring but very effective bonus
7. Rogue - amazing set bonus
8. Shaman - interesting set bonuses (for enhance and ele) that are amazing if you use them right
9. Warlock - 2piece bonus boring but effective.
10. Warrior - an RNG based bonus that is amazing when it occurs.
For tanks, 2piece t10 doesn't do anything for survivability, so if you aren't planning on getting 4piece, it probably isn't worth it to go for 2piece.
TL;DR: If you are a tank or a pally/priest healer, you can skip tier. If you are a dps or a resto shaman/resto druid, your first emblems of frost should be going to your tier10.
Royal Jun 10th 2010 5:33PM
Another reason GS is a terrible measure of a character, by encouraging poor itemization just for abitrary metric. Some ilvl200 emblem trinkets would be better than some of the ilvl245 ones. But let's encourage gimping our toons all in the name of GS.
clundgren Jun 10th 2010 6:15PM
@ Pyromelter,
The paladin 2 piece bonus is only amazing against trash, where you will indeed put up amazing dps. Thus, it rules in heroics or when clearing the halls of ICC.
Against raid bosses, it only provides a roughly 1% dps boost, according to elitist jerks, and my experience bears this out. It cuts down on gaps in the rotation, but doesn't change it significantly. The 4 piece bonus is boring as hell, but pretty much a flat 3% increase, so three times as good.
Oh, as for screwing up a FCFS rotation, it's actually a FCFS *priority* rotation, and a lot of paladins do in fact manage to screw up the priority order, leading to significantly lower dps.
Pyromelter Jun 10th 2010 7:02PM
clund, if you are raiding, then you are going to get 4piece anyway. If you are not raiding, 99% of all dungeons are trash, so go ahead and be an all-star on trash.
Also, there are 4 fights in icc where a ret does useful AOE (Lady D, Putricide, Dreamwalker, and most important, the Lich King; you could include adds on your home gunship fight if you wanna toss in a 5th). EJ theorized it as a 2% increase, and the increase is as much for seal proccing as anything else. I'm guessing if you have TIAJ that 2piece becomes even more powerful.
The dps trinket is pretty decent for rets, but not worth purchasing when you can borrow it for 2 hours at a time. The cloak options from emblems are not itemized that great for rets. The libram you can also borrow for 2 hours if you really want that boost before you fill up your 2 or 4 piece.
Really, the biggest problem with rets 2piece bonus is the fact that you will unwittingly become an off-tank in basically every 5man heroic dungeon. :)
Pyromelter Jun 10th 2010 4:20PM
Generally speaking, you should always be aiming for your 2-piece (and in most cases, 4-piece) sets first and foremost. As much as that trinket or relic slot is enticing, your set bonus well generally be a much, much bigger upgrade.
1337.geek Jun 10th 2010 4:24PM
Whats with all the Gear posts? Do that many people really not understand whats the best gear to upgrade?
1st, Farm as many frost badges as u can, search wowhead for items that cost frost badges, filter, and find the best upgrade.
2nd, Farm Heroics for Triump badges, Icc 5 mans and Toc have comparable upgrades. With the Triump badges fill in the gaps for items that are best in slot that you cant afford with frost badges.
It really is that simple, do we need posts for every new lvl 80 whatever, or trying to gear up a new raider? Seriously, most alts i know rarely actually farm badges mainly, they get carried through icc and are geared up overnight.
Eregos ftw! Jun 10th 2010 4:27PM
I believe they are for the NEW new 80's. The people new to the game, not alts.
Galestrom Jun 10th 2010 4:30PM
I appreciate these posts, as I'm sure many others do. Fact is, many of us haven't had to focus on gearing from 80 for quite some time. The end of an expac doldrums are encouraging many to level alts, which makes these articles both timely and informative.
Also, it kinda goes without saying, but wow.com isn't written just for you.
Eregos ftw! Jun 10th 2010 4:37PM
Also, getting geared is MUCH MUCH different now then before. If people have only focused on 1 80 that dinged before 3.2, and just got another 80 up, he might be confused on what to do.
Kuro Jun 10th 2010 7:09PM
I wish people would carry my alts through ICC to get em geared up. :( The alliance pugs on the server I moved him to seem to have terrible Gearscoreitis. (Never see that on the horde realms I play on.)
WTS: Free Bloodlus.. err Heroism to any ICC raider needing a resto shammy!!
clevins Jun 10th 2010 11:59PM
Actually, in many ways I agree with this post - gearing is pretty straightforward right now and some of the article's advice is bizarre at this point in the Xpac. For example:
"There's more to gearing at level 80 than emblem gear. Questing, instance drops, reputation gear, BoEs from the auction house and crafted pieces all play a role in your evolving gear set."
Now, yes, instance drops are good and there's a few cases where crafted or quest gear can be worth it, but if you have friends or a guild that runs randoms most nights your best strategy if you want to gear up as fast as possible is to run heroics, ideally the ICC 5 mans. I just hit 80 on my hunter very late Thursday (2am Friday actually). She was in quest gear, blues and greens and a couple of heirlooms. By Tuesday night I'd run enough heroics to have 4 pc T9, gotten a couple of blue drops and a couple of 232 epics from the ICC 5s, including a very good bow off Arthas in reg HoR.
The thing is, by focusing on heroics, I get the instance drops anyway PLUS the badges. I went from doing about 1200-1500 dps in green and blue gear to doing 3000dps. In 5 days. Now, yes, I played a lot over the weekend, but you could easily do that amount of heroics over a couple of weeks which is still very fast.
Do the weekly raid and get those frost and triumphs and make sure one of the heroica you do daily is a random so you get those 2 Frost.
What I wouldn't do is to worry about crafted gear or rep gear at this point - the rep gear is blue and not as good as what you'll get as drops or from badges and the crafted gear is either pricey (for the ToC and better patterns) or, again, not as good as what you can get from drops/badges.
dinnercoat Jun 10th 2010 4:23PM
Looking forward to the new emblem system in Cata where you have good and no-so-good emblems with that they can buy shifting with the new tier availability rather than requiring new emblems.
Wouldn't have been so bad now if legacy vendors could've accepted higher tier emblems in place of the deprecated ones, "Hello sir you want to buy this gem for 20 emblems of heroism, you do not have any emblems of heroics but you have 260 emblems of triumph, would you like to use 20 emblems of triumph to purchase this gem?"
MNelson Jun 10th 2010 6:06PM
Why no Shammie love?
No class-specific emblem gear advice for any of the shaman specs?
Eregos ftw! Jun 10th 2010 5:12PM
I don't recall there ever being a moonkin 101
Oh well, this is all that's needed: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=12661300942&sid=1
Rob Jun 10th 2010 6:34PM
Article is right, check the AH for cheap blues, check your rep vendors for something worthwhile. After this and buying 245 bracers I was doing pretty good. If you are dps or heals this doesn't really matter, you can heal/dps in greens, given the typical (overgeared) tank that people demand nowadays. It really does come down much more on your rotations, your cooldowns, and your talents, not to mention any buffs you can get (food, flasks, etc). This will be enough to get your feet wet, and before you know it you'll be getting all sorts of upgrades.