Gearing a restoration druid, part 3, page 2

One-handed weapons
Enchant Power Torrent or Heartsong, as you prefer. At current levels of gear, I would tend to recommend Heartsong.
One-handed weapons with an offhand continue to be the better choice if you're on the lookout for raw stats, particularly because offhands can now be enchanted.
- Incineratus (heroic) Every caster in the raid will be rolling on this. Dropped by heroic Magmaw in Blackwing Descent.
- Twilight's Hammer (heroic) Dropped by heroic Cho'gall in the Bastion of Twilight.
- Andoros, Fist of the Dragon King (heroic) Finally, something with spirit on it! Too bad there's no haste. Dropped by heroic Nefarian in Blackwing Descent.
- Blade of the Witching Hour (heroic) Dropped by heroic Theralion/Valina in the Bastion of Twilight.
- Incineratus The normal version of the dagger above. Dropped by Magmaw in Blackwing Descent.
- Twilight's Hammer The normal version of the mace above. Dropped by Cho'gall in the Bastion of Twilight.
- Andoros, Fist of the Dragon King The normal version of the mace above. Dropped by Nefarian in Blackwing Descent.
- Blade of the Witching Hour The normal version of the dagger above, dropped by Theralion/Valiona in the Bastion of Twilight.
- Scepter of Power (heroic) Perfect itemization; too bad it's not a raid drop. Dropped by Setesh in heroic Halls of Origination.
- Elementium Hammer A BoE from blacksmithing.
- Torturer's Mercy (heroic) Dropped by Rom'ogg Bonecrusher in heroic Blackrock Caverns.
- Shimmering Morningstar (Alliance) or Shimmering Morningstar (Horde) Available at revered with Baradin's Wardens and Hellscream's Reach, respectively.
- Biting Wind (heroic) Dropped by Grand Vizier Ertan in heroic Vortex Pinnacle.
- Scepter of Power The normal version of the mace above. Dropped by Setesh in normal Halls of Origination.
- Gurgthock's Garish Gorebat Quest reward from The Crucible of Carnage: The Twilight Terror! in the Twilight Highlands.
- Mace of Apotheosis A BoE world drop from the higher-level Cataclysm zones and dungeons.
- Lifeforce Hammer A BoE from blacksmithing (considerably cheaper to make than the Elementium Hammer above).
- Biting Wind The normal version of the dagger above. Dropped by Grand Vizier Ertan in normal Vortex Pinnacle.
- Torturer's Mercy The normal version of the mace above. Dropped by Rom'ogg Bonecrusher in normal Blackrock Caverns.
- Geomancer's Mace Quest reward from Sealing the Way from Deepholm.
- Glyphtrace Ritual Knife Quest reward from The Third Flamegate in Mount Hyjal.
- Clam Shucker (Alliance) or Filet Knife (Horde) Quest reward from Bellies Await in Vashj'ir (Alliance) or Something Edible in Vashj'ir (Horde).
- Druidic Channeler's Mace Quest reward from The Return of Baron Geddon in Mount Hyjal.
Two-handed weapons
Enchant Power Torrent or Heartsong, as you prefer. At current levels of gear, I would tend to recommend Heartsong.
Two-handed weapons (which is to say staves) are generally better if you're on the lookout for a particular secondary stat (which is to say haste).
Enchant Power Torrent or Heartsong, as you prefer. At current levels of gear, I would tend to recommend Heartsong.
Two-handed weapons (which is to say staves) are generally better if you're on the lookout for a particular secondary stat (which is to say haste).
- Chelley's Staff of Dark Mending (heroic) Very nice, but man, I wish it had haste. Theoretically this should be a zone drop in heroic Bastion of Twilight.
- Staff of Sorcerer-Thane Thaurissan Another very nice piece from archaeology, but you'll probably put dozens of dwarven artifacts together before it pops up. Sadly, no spirit. Just as sadly, it reuses an old Outland model, which is curious indeed given that dwarves had no presence in Outland until the events of The Burning Crusade ... and you kids GET OFF MY LAWN.
- Chelley's Staff of Dark Mending The normal version of the staff above, and a BoE zone drop in normal Bastion of Twilight. At some point down the line, you might find this on the auction house, but for the time being, don't bet on it.
- Staff of Ammunae Another archaeology project, and better than the Thaurissan piece if you're worried about your mana. Again, too bad it's got crit and not haste.
- Soul Releaser (heroic) A very nice piece. Dropped by Earthrager Ptah in heroic Halls of Origination.
- Insidious Staff (Alliance) or Insidious Staff (Horde) Available at revered with either Baradin's Wardens or Hellscream's Reach.
- Staff of Isolation (heroic) Dropped by Lord Godfrey in heroic Shadowfang Keep.
- Staff of Siphoned Essences (heroic) Dropped by Erudax in heroic Grim Batol.
- Emberstone Staff (heroic) Dropped by Foereaper 5000 in heroic Deadmines.
- Soul Releaser The normal version of the staff above. Dropped by Earthrager Ptah in normal Halls of Origination.
- Officer's Formal Baton A surprisingly good quest reward from The Great Escape in Uldum.
- Very Manly Staff Uh, okay. There's a filthy joke just begging to be made here, but this is a family blog. Another reward from the quest The Crucible of Carnage: The Twilight Terror! in the Twilight Highlands.
- Staff of Solemn Secrecy A BoE world drop from the higher-level Cataclysm zones and dungeons.
- Staff of Siphoned Essences The normal version of the staff above. Dropped by Erudax in normal Grim Batol.
- Sealing Heartstaff A BoE world drop from the lower-level Cataclysm zones and dungeons.
- Breathpipe A quest reward from Quicksilver Submersion in Deepholm.
- Repurposed Twilight Stave A quest reward from War on the Twilight's Hammer in Mount Hyjal.
- Staff of Post-Facto Preparation (Alliance) or Staff of Post-Facto Preparation (Horde) Quest reward from Come Prepared in Vashj'ir (Alliance) or Come Prepared in Vashj'ir (Horde).
- Medusoid Staff Quest reward from Come Hell or High Water in Vashj'ir.
- Heraldcall Censer A quest reward from An Ancient Reborn in Mount Hyjal.

Offhands
Enchant As offhands can be enchanted now, you can (and should) slap Enchant Off-hand -- Superior Intellect on yours.
Enchant As offhands can be enchanted now, you can (and should) slap Enchant Off-hand -- Superior Intellect on yours.
- Scepter of Ice (heroic) Dropped by the Elementium Monstrosity in heroic Bastion of Twilight.
- Scepter of Ice The normal version of the above. Dropped by the Elementium Monstrosity in normal Bastion of Twilight.
- Heartbound Tome A BoE zone drop from Cataclysm heroics and the Bastion of Twilight. You can always try your luck on the auction house, but it's likely to be snapped up by casters gearing up for the forseeable future.
- Apple-Bent Bough Available for 950 justice points. Another recycled model, but at least it's got haste.
- Divine Companion Almost as good as the Bough and technically better for regen with a tad more spirit, this is a BoE piece from inscription.
- Prophet's Scepter Dropped by High Priestess Azil in heroic Stonecore.
- Bioluminescent Lamp Dropped by Neptulon's Cache in heroic Throne of the Tides.
- Skyflight Beacon (Alliance) or Air Raid Beacon (Horde) Quest reward from Doing It Like a Dunwald in the Twilight Highlands (Alliance) or Krazz Works! in the Twilight Highlands (Horde).
- Book of Origination A BoE zone drop in Halls of Origination.
- Bone-Inlaid Sarcophagus Key A BoE zone drop from higher-level Cataclysm dungeons.
- Lord Rottington's Pressed Wisp Book I was unaware that wisps could be pressed. A BoE from inscription.
- Prophet's Scepter The normal version of the Scepter above. Dropped by High Priestess Azil in normal Stonecore.
- Book of Blood A BoE Inscription piece.
- Bioluminescent Lamp The normal version of the Lamp above. Dropped by Neptulon's Cache in normal Throne of the Tides.
- Broken Emergency Brake Quest reward from Close Escort in Deepholm.
- Bottled Neurons Quest reward from All That Rises in Vashj'ir.
- Claw of Corroded Hope Quest reward from Disassembly in Mount Hyjal.
Relics
Fortunately for us, we have more choices available these days now that relics aren't class-restricted or tied to individual spells/talents.
Fortunately for us, we have more choices available these days now that relics aren't class-restricted or tied to individual spells/talents.
- Relic of Norgannon Available for 700 valor points.
- Relic of Eonar Available for 700 valor points. Pick this up instead of Norgannon if you want/need the spirit.
- Captured Lightning (heroic) Dropped by Asaad in heroic Vortex Pinnacle.
- Book of the Well-Sung Song (heroic) Dropped by Vanessa Van Cleef in heroic Deadmines.
- Book of Dark Prophecies (heroic) Dropped by High Priestess Azil in heroic Stonecore.
- Tattooed Eyeball A BoE from inscription.
- Book of Dark Prophecies The normal version of the Book above. Dropped by High Priestess Azil in normal Stonecore.
- Captured Lightning The normal version of the item above. Dropped by Asaad in normal Vortex Pinnacle.
- Fetish of the Fiery Sands A BoE world drop from the lower-level Cataclysm zones and dungeons.
- Spearwarden's "Lucky" Charm (Alliance) or Spearwarden's Unlucky Charm (Horde) Quest reward from Precious Goods in the Twilight Highlands (Alliance) or Precious Goods in the Twilight Highlands (Horde).
- Cannon Stabilizer Quest reward from Riding Shotgun! in Uldum.
- Goblin Surgeon's Kit A BoE world drop from lower-level Cataclysm zones.
- Fine-Toothed Comb Quest reward from A Case of Crabs in Vashj'ir.
What race should you choose for your druid? What happened to Tree of Life? How can you get started as a bear or cat in Cataclysm? How do you gear a resto druid at 85? Shifting Perspectives has the answers!Filed under: Druid, (Druid) Shifting Perspectives






Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Necromann Jan 11th 2011 7:18PM
Couldn't you use the jar of ancient remedies after a pull to reduce down time?
elvendude Jan 11th 2011 7:30PM
You could...or you could drink and save that use effect for in the middle of a fight, when you can't just drink.
Arizor Jan 11th 2011 7:21PM
In reference to your comment on it being a shame Blizzard never created any differently statted Alchemist's Stones - they'll be arriving in the next minor patch, 4.0.6! Hooray!
There's the Quicksilver Alchemist Stone - agility and crit,
Volatile Alchemist Stone - strength and mastery,
and last but not least, the most delicious for us, the Vibrant Alchemist Stone - intellect and haste!
All of them retain the 40% bonus to healing and mana potions - aswell as all having red sockets with a bonus of the associated primary stat!
Rather nice to be honest!
elvendude Jan 11th 2011 7:31PM
Oooo! I'd missed that! Good news indeed.
Now, if I could trade in my already created one, that would be even better.
Sidone Jan 11th 2011 9:55PM
its really cheap already, if you dont believe me i know many staying in queue for folks with both alch/chanting so they can make stones and DE them for crystal afterwards..
Metric Jan 12th 2011 5:52PM
Does this mean my bear tank can make the AGI stone and equip both the STAM and AGI stones with AGI gems.....i can only hope.
Pandalicious Jan 11th 2011 7:33PM
You would be well-served to reconsider your comments about "Mandala of Stirring Patterns" in light of the changes coming in 4.0.6. The change to a +Int proc will make this a valuable trinket.
Jardal Jan 11th 2011 7:38PM
I assume you're leveling horde.
I'm curious if the numbers are different on the Alliance side with the influx of Worgens.
Jadrie Jan 11th 2011 7:42PM
My thoughts exactly.. Troll Druids may be a draw for some, but compared to the draw of Worgen, I don't think it quite compares.
As for high Paladin count - I think the Horde's just celebrating being able to make Pallies without being Belfs.
(I'm guilty of this! Tauren Pally FTW. already 80 since 4.0.1 hit :D :D :D Astrael on Aggramar )
ahsanali Jan 11th 2011 8:39PM
Does the LDF tool try to balance classes? If so, will your being in the group as a Druid make it less likely for you to get a bear tank?
Rai Jan 11th 2011 9:14PM
I've been levelling a gnome priest (pause for jokes) who hit 42 today, and I am slightly surprised by the high number of paladin tanks I've encountered. The Alliance didn't get any new paladin races so I can't see any correlation.
Don't worry though, kids. The smoothest run by far was with a druid tank.
Matthew Jan 11th 2011 10:47PM
The reason why there are so many more low level Paladin tanks is because at low levels, Paladins are about 100 times as effective.
Don't get me wrong, a good player can make a druid or warrior tank work, and well, but Paladin tanking is a lot less headache-inducing. With a druid in particular, any pull that's mismanaged is a nightmare to fix, because you've only got taunts and single-target attacks. So if the hunter pulls and the mage is focusing on the wrong person, you've got to scramble. Multiple that by 30-40 pulls, and even Ragefire Chasm is a nightmare run.
Pallies, on the other hand, put up Righteous Fury, run ahead of the dps and toss Avenger's Shield without breaking stride, instantly getting a decent aggro lead, and then start cycling through opponents and hitting them, because they've got full mana as opposed to no rage at all. That's right at level 15, and I can't even recall if they've got Word of Glory to self heal every couple of seconds at that point.
By the time druid tanks get Swipe, their first multi-target ability aside from a taunt, paladins have all the aforementioned, plus Consecration, Hammer of the Righteous, and Holy Wrath. At that point, it doesn't matter what the dps are targetting, and it barely even matters that they're there at all.
They don't have to work as hard, basically, which is a very compelling idea for an alt.
REDMJOEL Jan 12th 2011 3:11AM
I think you missed a tank class, unless you have not seen a single DK?
Matthew Jan 12th 2011 5:11AM
@REDMJOEL:
Have you see any DK's that are level 15-40?
Nyx Jan 11th 2011 8:12PM
A few things I didn't see noted
- Fall of Mortality is currently bugged and not proccing on hots/swiftmend
- Heartsong shares ICD with some spirit trinkets
- at higher gear levels, especially with mana tide change, power torrent looks to be the preferred enchant
brammage Jan 11th 2011 8:43PM
Another nice option for a Relic is the Bloodthirsty Gladiator's Relic of Salvation. (http://www.wowhead.com/item=64821)
Yes it has some wasted resilience on it, but it's ilevel 352 and you can pick it up for only 700 Honor Points.
deathy Jan 11th 2011 9:22PM
I've tried tanking on my lowbie druid, god its hard. from lvl 15-25 our only move that hits more then one mob is, demo roar... which give us almost nil threat, then at 25 we have to buy a glyph to make maul hit more than one target. life is not easy.
Also i think it will be hard to see many druid tanks because it is hard to tank at the lower lvls, players might keyhole them selves into another role and just use that instead as they level.
Matthew Jan 11th 2011 9:22PM
Thats a very cool pic.
Sidone Jan 11th 2011 10:00PM
http://www.wowhead.com/item=56463#comments
isnt that bad trinket as well, obviously as you get more gear it become only worst in compare with others, but interesting mechanism neverthless.p
( pro tip_ is_seems_priests_cannot_need_on_thos_grab_it_fast!)
Saeadame Jan 12th 2011 12:20AM
If it didn't have a CD when you put it on, I would say that it's more useful as a way to regen mana without drinking. It's not particularly useful in combat, because the shield only absorbs one hit (well, less), so you get almost no mana from it. Unless you're putting it on yourself, or something, which I guess could work.