Skip to Content

WoW Insider has the latest on the Mists of Pandaria!

Posts with tag Regalia

The Light and How to Swing It: Nobody's wearing the Reinforced Sapphirium Regalia

Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Light and How to Swing It for holy, protection and retribution paladins. Every Sunday, Chase Christian invites you to discuss the finer side of the paladin class: the holy specialization. Feel free to email me with any questions you want answered, like why the above bowl of hot water is better than our holy tier set.

While it may have been a while since you've last seen a paladin sporting it, our Lightsworn Garb set from Icecrown Citadel was once the top tier gear available. Tirion Fordring even bought himself a full set to wear. The two-piece bonus was simply amazing, as it gave us our healing a boost while Divine Illumination was active. The four-piece bonus was less than attractive due to the way it scaled with haste, but there were two good pieces of the set (helm and shoulders) that nearly every holy paladin focused on acquiring.

I lamented then that less than half of our tier pieces were optimal and that the four-piece bonus was nowhere near compensating for the lack of haste. Our current tier set, the Reinforced Sapphirium Regalia, is even worse. Not a single piece is itemized with our strongest secondary stat, haste. In addition, the set bonuses are so ineffective that it's almost a joke to wear the gear. There are better-itemized options available elsewhere, and so our set is left sitting in the valor point vendor's inventory.

Read more →

Filed under: Paladin, (Paladin) The Light and How to Swing It

Brutal Gladiator's Regalia


The Brutal Gladiator's Regalia is the armor set for Mages. It is a dreadweave, or cloth armor usable only by Mages and is usually matched with Guardian's Silk 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 Silk Handguards
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 bonus is essential to crowd control in PvP, giving a bonus against spell interruption when casting Polymorph. The handguards have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
306 Armor (+13)
+56 Stamina (+6)
+23 Intellect (+5)
+26 Spell Critical (+4)
+23 Resilience (+0)
+44 Spell Damage / Healing (+4)
Gives 50% chance to avoid interruption caused by damage while casting Polymorph.
Classes: Mage
WoW Insider says: These gloves are low-cost and have no rating requirements, making it a good purchase specially for starting Arena players. It is identical in every way with the exception of the special bonus to the Warlock's Felweave Handguards.


Brutal Gladiator's Silk Trousers
The leg armor possesses a personal rating requirement of 1550, which isn't too difficult to obtain, specially for the popular Mage (usually Frost). 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 trousers have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
442 Armor (+18)
+66 Stamina (+7)
+40 Intellect (+6)
+39 Spell Critical (+6)
+30 Resilience (+0)
+60 Spell Damage / Healing (+7)
Classes: Mage
WoW Insider says: The lack of sockets mean that the only customization that can be done will be through Tailoring or Leatherworking enchants. A 39 Spell Critical Rating and 40 Intellect translates to 2.27% for a Level 70 Mage, which should make the trousers a good buy for Season 4.


Brutal Gladiator's Silk Raiment

With three sockets, the chestpiece is the most customizable Arena armor piece, and is the next best purchase after the gloves. For Mages, 1600 is a modest target considering the reward. 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 to the drops from Entropius and is the best combination of cost and restriction among all the armor pieces. The raiment has the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
476 Armor (+22)
+68 Stamina (+7)
+21 Intellect (+6)
+39 Spell Critical (+6)
+26 Resilience (+0)
+46 Spell Damage / Healing (+7)

Socket Bonus: +4 Spell Critical
Classes: Mage
WoW Insider says: Two Yellow Sockets mean more spell crit, including the offense-oriented socket bonus. It is identical in all stats to the Warlock's Felweave Raiment. Like most Arena chest pieces, the Silk Raiment is the one of the best pieces for its cost and ratings requirement. 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 Silk Cowl
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. Mages should find a 1700 personal rating a manageable goal to get this cowl, 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 cowl has the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
426 Armor (+17)
+66 Stamina (+7)
+29 Intellect (+6)
+30 Spell Critical (+6)
+33 Resilience (+0)
+54 Spell Damage / Healing (+7)

Socket Bonus: +4 Resilience Rating
Classes: Mage
WoW Insider says: The Silk Cowl is a moderate upgrade from Season 3, but is definitely worth the price of admission. Unfortunately, like most Mage gear, Stamina is still considerably low in comparison to other cloth classes' gear.


Brutal Gladiator's Silk Amice

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. Although it is the cheapest item after the gloves, 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 amice has the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
339 Armor (+16)
+56 Stamina (+6)
+18 Intellect (+5)
+21 Spell Critical (+4)
+23 Resilience (+0)
+44 Spell Damage / Healing (+4)

Socket Bonus: +3 Resilience Rating
Classes: Mage
WoW Insider says: Brutal Gladiator Shoulders are peacock gear. The Mage's shoulders are identical in all stats to the Warlock's Felweave Amice. Blue sockets are uncommon for PvP gear, but is useful for casters and helps activate the Chaotic Skyfire Diamond.



Guardian's Silk Belt
Because it is a visual match for the Brutal Gladiator's Regalia, 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):
219 Armor (+11)
+49 Stamina (+6)
+35 Intellect (+5)
+32 Spell Critical (+4)
+26 Resilience (+0)
+40 Spell Damage / Healing (+5)
Classes: Priest, Mage, Warlock
WoW Insider says: Usable by all cloth-wearing classes, the Guardian's Silk Belt is also the only option for spell crit and might be one of the most popular Season 4 pieces. It has no personal ratings requirement, making it a great PvP starter purchase.


Guardian's Silk Cuffs
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, there's little urgency to get them. A 1575 personal ratings requirement also requires decent performance in Arenas. The cuffs have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
183 (+10)
+33 Stamina (+4)
+25 Intellect (+3)
+18 Spell Critical (+3)
+13 Resilience (+0)
+30 Spell Damage / Healing (+3)

Socket Bonus: +2 Spell Damage
Classes: Priest, Mage, Warlock
WoW Insider says: The Silk Cuffs are the only spell crit cloth bracers for Season 4, and the Yellow Socket allows for more crit or haste. The 1575 personal ratings requirement isn't too high, so most Mages (or Shadow Priests and Destruction Warlocks)


Guardian's Silk Footguards
The most visually important match of all Guardian items, 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 greaves have the following stats (number in parentheses are the improvements over its Season 3 equivalent):
253 Armor (+15)
+49 Stamina (+6)
+35 Intellect (+5)
+32 Spell Critical (+5)
+26 Resilience (+0)
+40 Spell Damage / Healing (+5)
Classes: Priest, Mage, Warlock
WoW Insider says: Although the visual impact of these boots is irrelevant considering most cloth classes wear robes that cover it, it is the only choice for spell crit boots this season. It has slightly lower survivability than the spell damage equivalent due to lower Stamina and Resilience.



Looking for more Season 4 info? We've rounded up everything you need to know about the Brutal Gladiator season right here.

Filed under: Mage, Items, Analysis / Opinion, PvP, Guides, Battlegrounds, Arena

Season 4 Brutal Gladiator gear guide


Now that Season 4 has finally arrived, it would probably be good to take a look at the Arena gear you'll be purchasing with all those stored Arena points. Even though most people have concurred that the new Brutal Gladiator gear is appropriately brutally ugly, a lot of the pieces are excellent and many players will need to purchase them in order to stay competitive in the latest, harshest Arena season.

Most of the Brutal Gladiator armor sets and equipment require personal ratings in order for players to be able to purchase them, so the new Season 4 gear will not flood the community the same way past seasons did. Even Honor-bought items such as bracers, boots, and rings will require participation in the Arenas in order for players to qualify for purchasing them.

We've put together a review of all the Brutal Gladiator armor sets for you to review, with a brief analysis of each piece and an assessment of whether it's worth the Arena points and the bother to grind for the personal ratings. We've also compared Season 4 gear with their equivalent Vengeful Gladiator pieces so you can tell at a glance how much of an improvement each piece is from its predecessor. Take a look after the jump at our extensive gear guide.


Read more →

Filed under: Druid, Hunter, Mage, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, Warrior, Items, Analysis / Opinion, PvP, Guides, Battlegrounds, Arena

Around Azeroth

Around Azeroth

Featured Galleries

It came from the Blog: Occupy Orgrimmar
Midsummer Flamefest 2013
Running of the Orphans 2013
World of Warcraft Tattoos
HearthStone Sample Cards
HearthStone Concept Art
Yaks
It came from the Blog: Lunar Lunacy 2013
Art of Blizzard Gallery Opening

 

Categories