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Gear and loot guides

Item guides

• Battleworn Tuskguard (Phat Loot Phriday)
  "Is this the highest non-shield armor item in the game? We've covered some nice shields before (and those are pretty much all Armor), but this helm from Zul'Aman has the highest armor value of a non-shield piece of armor that we could find.
  Update: Yup, commenters have a few pieces with more armor on them (although, yes, PLP only deals with gear on the live realms, so 2.4 gear doesn't count yet). We'll get you next time, readers!"
• Dartol's Rod of Transformation
  "Dartol's Rod of Transformation turns you into a furbolg for three minutes, with a one-minute cooldown. Unlike many disguises, you can still fight while in furby form, although the form is removed if you are damaged, so it's possible (and we've seen it done) to furbolg-heal and furbolg-ranged-DPS. Read on for our walkthrough of how to obtain it."
• The Decapitator (Phat Loot Phriday)
  "The phat loot is back, this time with an axe that not only has one of the best names in the game, but can give you a little ranged help as well."
• Dragonheart Flameshield (Phat Loot Phriday)
  "Boy, is it hot in here, or is it just my SHIELD THAT BREATHES FIRE!?"
• Earthshaker (Phat Loot Phriday)
  "A reader request: RetPallyJil sent us a note and said that we should cover this much-maligned mace. So here you go: the Earthshaker, hated by all guilds who've ever run Molten Core back in the day."
• Everlasting Underspore Frond
  "The Everlasting Underspore Frond is an item that, when activated, conjures up 10 Underspore Pods, which you can eat for 4410 health and mana over 30s. That's slightly more than Conjured Crystal Water (though not as much as Conjured Mountain Spring Water), and has the added bonus of not disappearing when you log out and not requiring you to bug a mage friend all the time."
• Felstone Good Luck Charm (Phat Loot Phriday)
  "Now's a good a time as any to talk about a "husky loot" item (one that anyone can get) that will give you the luck o' the Irish, and one that has a pretty good quest story behind it too."
• Hortus' Seal of Brilliance (Phat Loot Phriday)
  "Haven't done an offhand in a while, so while this one isn't exactly at the top of the heap, it's a nice item for your newly-70 alt to pick up, and it has a fun nod to a guy who's been working hard lately."
• Last Year's Mutton (Phat Loot Phriday)
  "This week we take a trip once again into husky loot (a.k.a. cool items that anyone can grab) and dip into ye olde garbage bin at the Darkmoon Faire."
• The Luffa's Return
  "The Luffa is back. Apparently in Karazhan, there's a rogue boss named Moroes who lays down a debuff called "Garrote"-- it's a whopping 1000 damage per 3 seconds for five minutes (or until he dies, as of 2.0.6), which is a lot of damage. And yet, while Stoneform, Divine Shield and Ice Block will all remove it, the only other way you'll get it off is, you guessed it, the ol' Luffa."
• Jin'rohk, the Great Apocalypse (Phat Loot Phriday)
  "No husky loot this week -- with a name like "the Great Apocalypse," this sword is nothing but badass."
• Orb of the Sin'dorei (Phat Loot Phriday)
  "Like the ol' Orb of Deception, here's another fun toy -- that's brand new in patch 2.4."
• Rifle of the Stoic Guardian (Phat Loot Phriday)
  "A gun... for tanks. But that speed makes things a little weird. Maybe some of the theorycrafters in the crowd can come up with some good reasons for that one (or just debate my own) in the comments."
• Shivering Felspine (Phat Loot Phriday)
  "Our second polearm ever is a brand new shiny piece from Sunwell Plateau, perfect for Hunters who want to talk softly and carry a big stick."
• Shroud of Chieftain Ner'zhul (Phat Loot Phriday)
  "Finally, some resto Shammy gear! Not only is this sweet helm statted out (yes, we just made that up), but it's named after someone you may have heard of in passing -- that other half of the Lich King."
• Vengeful Gladiator's Touch of Defeat (Phat Loot Phriday)
  "We haven't done a lot of PvP gear here (any, we think) on Phat Loot, but we figured this phat wand might be a good place to start."
• Winterfall Firewater (Phat Loot Phriday)
  "This is probably old news to a lot of you, but just in case you happened to join us after Burning Crusade dropped, you might not know about this magical liquid available only in the snowy wastes of Winterfall. Here's something fun that almost anyone after 55 can get."
• Zhar'doom, Greatstaff of the Devourer (Phat Loot Phriday)
  "Been a while since we did a staff, and considering how badass (and just plain weird) this baby looks, why not this one?"

General guides

• Loot Etiquette
  "I've recently come across a few situations where I'm not sure of the proper etiquette, even though I've been playing for a couple years. This is mainly because new items have appeared that have blurred the lines in my mind."
• Mooncloth - Read all about it!
  "Primal mooncloth tailoring is where it's at for healers -- and it offers some tasty treats for PvP casters as well as anyone who wants more bag space."
• Tabards: A Guide
  "Tabards can say a lot about your character. They can be a way to show pride in your guild's ferocity or skill, or a way to show that you have a twisted, sadistic guild leader who makes everyone wear a pink fuzzy bunny tabard. What kind of tabards can you get in WoW? Read on!"
• When is it fair to upgrade an epic?
  "All DKP ideas aside, when is it fair to upgrade an epic over an epic?"

Ongoing features

• Phat Loot Phriday
  One new tasty piece of gear profiled each week.

Class guides

• An Outland gear guide for feral druids
  What to wear as a bear.
• BigRedKitty: Gear up for Karazhan
  BRK lays out what Hunters should be wearing as they head into the most popular 10man in the game.
• The Light and How to Swing It: Ret gear, part 1 and part 2
  Breaking out the best gear you can for your Retribution Paladin.
• The Care and Feeding of Warriors: Gearing up
  Good plate for good warriors.

Stats analysis

• How does tier gear work?
  "As a new level 60, I have no tiered gear. Whats worse is I have no idea where to start. Do I need tier 1 through 5 gear before I can get tier 6?"
• Quick guide to endgame hit rating
  How to get the most bang out of your bash.
  

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