Every week, WoW Insider brings you Shifting Perspectives for cat , bear , restoration and balance druids. Welcome to our feral cat edition, brought to you by Chase Hasbrouck, aka Alaron of The Fluid Druid blog. Let the face clawing begin!

Gear, gear, everybody wants gear! Happily, we get our first piece of visible progression gear in, well, forever. A flaming kitty is a raiding kitty ... awesome.

This update to my gear list focuses on items from new 4.2 content and bottoms out with ZA gear. If you're just starting out, the list compiled a few months ago is still quite good.

A few notes before we get to the items:

One of my most common questions is "Which secondary stat is best?" Well, the small Rip nerf, plus the eventual loss of the two-piece T11 bonus once you upgrade into tier 12, knocks mastery down a peg. The buff to Savage Roar boosts haste up a peg. Unfortunately, this means our secondary stats are pretty much even. I've tested this extensively, and at the 359 to 378 gear levels, reforging to different stats affects simulated DPS by less than 1%. Personally, I'd recommend sticking with mastery until you break two-piece T11, then try a hit/expertise cap setup; see how it works for you. As always, any fight with little to no off-boss time will favor haste, while fights with large interruptions in DPS time will favor mastery.

PVP gear and offsets

Thankfully, the leveling out of secondary stats makes rough gear comparisons quite easy. You can generally consider 1 agility to be worth about three points of secondary stats. Looking at PVP gear, then, I'd say a PVP piece is roughly equal to a PVE piece that's 1.5 tiers lower (about 20 points in ilevel). An ilvl 371 Vicious item, for example, will work about as well as a 353 item from ZA. This is not considering the PVP set bonuses; add half a tier to each PVP item in terms of estimation if you have the two-piece set bonus, or a full tier for two-piece and four-piece.

Finally, if you're planning which item to use as an offset going into T12, I'd recommend the hands or legs, due to superior socket coloration. Definitely try to stick with two-piece T11 as long as you can, though; the two-piece T11/two-piece T12 combination is very strong and only a tiny bit behind full four-piece T12 in terms of DPS.

Weapons

• Fandral's Flamescythe, Staghelm
• Ranseur of Hatred, Firelands trash drop
• Malevolence, heroic Halfus
• Witch-Hunter's Harvester, blacksmithing BOE
• Malevolence, Halfus
• Mobus's Dripping Halberd, Vash'jir world boss
• Jin'do's Verdict, Zul'Gurub

Let the hunters get the Ranseur, and you get Fandral's. K? K. The Witch-Hunter's Harvester is one of the new unlockable craftables from the Molten Front -- don't expect to see these for a while, but as the base materials aren't overly expensive, they should come down in price pretty quickly.

Head

• Obsidian Arborweave Headpiece, Firelands token (probably Staghelm or Baleroc)
• Hood of Rampant Disdain, Lord Rhyolith
• Stormrider's Headpiece, heroic Nefarian
• Membrane of C'Thun, heroic Cho'gall
• Tsanga's Helm, Bastion of Twilight BOE
• Agile Bio-Optic Killshades, engineering-only BOP
• Stormrider's Headpiece, Nefarian
• Membrane of C'Thun, Cho'gall

For what it's worth, I really dislike the look of the T12 headpiece; yay for Hide Helm.

Legs

• Obsidian Arborweave Legguards, Occu'thar/2,200 VP (assumed)
• Cinderweb Leggings, Beth'tilac
• Stormrider's Legguards, heroic Maloriak
• Wind Stalker Leggings, heroic Al'Akir
• Aberration's Leggings, heroic Maloriak
• Stormrider's Legguards, Argaloth/2,200 JP
• Wind Stalker Leggings, Al'Akir
• Aberration's Leggings, Maloriak
• Leggings of Dancing Blades, Zul'Aman

And the BH slot machine starts up again! Note that Occu'thar drops and VP costs for T12 gear are still unknown.

Chest

• Obsidian Arborweave Raiment, 2,200 VP (assumed)
• Breastplate of the Incendiary Soul, Baleroc
• Sark of the Unwatched, heroic Atramedes
• Stormrider's Raiment, heroic Halfus
• Morrie's Waywalker Wrap, world drop
• Sark of the Unwatched, Atramedes
• Stormrider's Raiment, 2,200 JP
• Assassin's Chestplate, leatherworking BOE
• Shadowtooth Trollskin Breastplate, Zul'Aman

I suspect quite a few raiders have the heroic Stormrider's piece (heroic Halfus is the easiest, after all), so this will probably be a lower priority spot for VP.

Trinkets

• Matrix Restabilizer, Ragnaros
• The Hungerer, Staghelm
• Ancient Petrified Seed, Avengers of Hyjal, revered
• Prestor's Talisman of Machination, heroic Nefarian
• Essence of the Cyclone, heroic Halfus
• Fluid Death, 1,650 JP
• Unheeded Warning, Bastion of Twilight trash drop
• Prestor's Talisman of Machination, Nefarian
• Essence of the Cyclone, Halfus
• Unsolvable Riddle, Baradin Hold, revered

Just my personal opinions on these: Many could use more testing. UW, in particular, sims really well, but I'm not convinced of its actual value. I'm also holding off on ranking Ricket's Magnetic Fireball until I get some more info on the proc.

Hands

• Obsidian Arborweave Grips, 1,650 VP (assumed)
• Gloves of Dissolving Smoke, Shannox
• Clutches of Evil, leatherworking BOE
• Double Attack Handguards, heroic Chimaeron
• Stormrider's Grips, heroic Magmaw
• Aviana's Grips, Molten Front dailies
• Double Attack Handguards, Chimaeron
• Liar's Handwraps/Stormbolt Gloves, Dragonmaw/Wildhammer, exalted
• Stormrider's Grips, 1,650 JP
• Knotted Handwraps, Zul'Aman

A good choice for (eventually) using off set, due to the blue socket on tier. I believe the recipe for the LW BoE drops in Firelands, though that's unconfirmed.

Shoulders

• Obsidian Arborweave Spaulders, Firelands token (probably Ragnaros)
• Shoulderpads of the Forgotten Gate, Baleroc
• Poison Protocol Pauldrons, heroic Omnitron Council
• Stormrider's Spaulders, heroic Cho'gall
• Poison Protocol Pauldrons, Omnotron Council
• Stormrider's Spaulders, Cho'gall
• Tusked Shoulderpads, Zul'Aman

Unlike the helm, I like the T12 shoulders.

Waist

• Belt of the Fallen Brood, Sinestra
• Flamebinding Girdle, Avengers of Hyjal, honored
• Riplimb's Lost Collar, Shannox
• Dispersing Belt, heroic Twilight Council
• Wind Stalker Belt, heroic Council of Wind
• Dispersing Belt, Twilight Council
• Wind Stalker Belt, Council of Wind
• Belt of Nefarious Whispers, leatherworking BOE
• Belt of Slithering Serpents, Zul'Gurub
• Belt of a Thousand Gaping Mouths, Akma'hat (rare Uldum mob)

Congratulations! If you were one of the very few guilds that successfully defeated Sinestra in 4.0/4.1, you have a belt that's a tiny bit better than a 4.2 honored rep belt. Don't you feel accomplished?

Feet

1. Sandals of Leaping Coals, Staghelm
2. Treads of the Craft, leatherworking BOE
3. Storm Rider's Boots, heroic Halfus
4. Storm Rider's Boots, Halfus
5. Treads of Fleeting Joy, 1,650 VP
6. Fasc's Preserved Boots, Zul'Gurub

Yay, an offset that isn't named the same as the set! As with the gloves, I expect the Treads to be a Firelands drop recipe.

Neck

• Choker of the Vanquished Lord, Ragnaros
• Necklace of Smoke Signals, 1,250 VP (assumed)
• Necklace of Strife, heroic Valiona
• Necklace of Strife, Valiona
• Don Rodrigo's Fabulous Necklace, world drop
• Amulet of the Watcher, Zul'Gurub

Boring neck slot, as always. The Rag gear is a half-tier higher, which is nice, I suppose.

Rings

• Viridian Signet of the Avengers, Avengers of Hyjal, exalted
• Widow's Kiss, Beth'tilac
• Splintered Brimstone Seal, 1,250 VP
• Lightning Conductor Band, heroic Omnotron
• Mistral Circle, heroic Council of Wind
• Matoclaw's Band, Molten Front dailies
• Band of Glittering Lights, Molten Front dailies
• Band of Ghoulish Glee, Hallow's End (HH)
• Signet of the Elder Council, Earthen Ring, exalted
• Hornet-Sting Band, 1,250 JP
• Mistral Circle, Council of Wind
• Lightning Conductor Band, Omnotron
• Gilnean Ring of Ruination, world drop
• Arlokk's Signet, Zul'Gurub
• Quickfinger Ring, Zul'Aman BOE

Well, time to work on Ashen ... no, Earthen ... no, Avengers rep for a nice ring. If you can hold off until Halloween, there looks to be a new Headless Horseman one also.

Back

• Dreadfire Drape, Lord Rhyolith
• Sleek Flamewrath Cloak, Avengers of Hyjal, friendly
• Mantle of Doubt, Elemental Bonds quest reward
• Cloak of Biting Chill, heroic Maloriak
• Cloak of Biting Chill, Maloriak
• Dory's Finery, world drop
• Viewless Wings, 1,250 JP
• Recovered Cloak of Frostheim, Zul'Aman
• The Frost Lord's War Cloak, Midsummer Festival (Ahune)

I believe the developers are overcompensating for the lack of cloaks in Wrath. You'll get your good cloak just by following the Elemental Bonds quest line. A better one is shortly to follow via Avengers rep, though.

Wrists

• Flamebinder Bracers, Firelands trash drop BOE
• Parasitic Bands, heroic Magmaw
• Parasitic Bands, Magmaw
• Amani'shi Bracers, Zul'Aman

The boring slot. At least it's a BOE this time, so you can buy/sell as you need. Hopefully, it has a reasonable drop rate.

Relic

• Covenant of the Flame, 700 VP
• Relic of Elune's Shadow, Molten Front dailies
• Relic of Golganneth, 700 JP

Still the last place to put VPs.

The best for now

That wraps up the gear. I haven't included heroic Firelands items, for space reasons; obviously, if you have a heroic Firelands item, it'll likely be best in slot (except for the Avengers exalted ring). Have fun in the Firelands, and remember: Friends don't let hunters roll on feral weapons!

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Looking for the latest and greatest in feral cat druid guides? Shifting Perspectives has the answers! Check out our cat 101 for Cataclysm. Also don't miss gearing your cat for Cataclysm raiding, addons for cat druids and raiding strats for feral cats.

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