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111 responses to “Guide to Heirlooms: Patch 6.1

  1. Cynwise

    May 2, 2011 at 2:53 PM

    Awesome guide. Well done, sir!

     
  2. nostalgeek

    May 2, 2011 at 4:14 PM

    Looks like an amazing guide but I have a basic heirloom question.

    What are the advantages to heirlooms?
    With the new designs, guild perks and such I already feel like i’m outleveling zones too fast so I’m concerned that the XP boost of heirlooms would just make this process even worse.

    So are heirlooms really just for altoholics who are going to plow through zones and even skip some just the get to 85 the fastest way possible?

     
    • Psynister

      May 2, 2011 at 4:54 PM

      There are several potential advantages of them, but whether they really are an advantage or not depends on your own views.

      To list a few:
      Using heirlooms saves you the hassle of hunting down specific gear upgrades for their slots. Have you ever looked at your gear on a non-level capped toon and been kind of shocked that you’re still wearing a piece or two you picked up 20+ levels ago? It happens to me all the time. Having items that scale with your level removes that hassle because the items grown in power with your character.

      The experience bonus is a really big advantage to a lot of people who claim they despise the leveling process because they only care for end game. The bonus is also an advantage for those people who don’t have a lot of play time but like to feel more progress during the time they do have, or for people who enjoy rerolling to different classes a lot as it speeds the time it takes to get back to where they were before.

      Another advantage is the power trip. A lot of people really enjoy feeling overpowered in the game, and heirlooms can help you get that feeling (especially early on). As you get higher in level the advantage, stats-wise, of heirlooms versus quest rewards and especially dungeon drops, begins to become less and less.

      As far as your feeling of out-leveling zones goes; what is it that bothers you about that? Do you not like questing in an area once your quests turn grey? Do you not like feeling overpowered where there’s no challenge? Do you not like missing out on the story? What is it that makes you feel like you have to move on to another zone?

      This is an argument that comes up frequently when we talk about heirlooms, especially when we include enchanting them. In almost every case where it becomes an issue, the root of the problem actually has nothing at all to do with heirlooms.

       
      • Mel

        May 4, 2011 at 8:19 AM

        Well you kind of hit it on the head. I have no issues with heirlooms but I’m just not sure they are for me.

        I don’t mind so much quests turning grey or feeling overpowered but if you’re too overpowered it just becomes a boring grind, albeit a fast one.
        Mostly it’s that I won’t leave a zone until I’ve done most of the quests. I haven’t played through them that much so I soak in the story and lore as much as I can.

        So yeah like you said it’s not so much a heirloom problem but the way I play the game.

         
        • Psynister

          May 4, 2011 at 8:37 AM

          Well there are a few different options here. First, you could just not use them and still go about playing the game as you have been.

          Second, you could go ahead and use some of the heirlooms, leaving out some or all of the pieces that reward experience bonus (chest, shoulder, cloak, helm – leaving weapons, rings, and trinkets). That still gives you some of the main benefits of the heirlooms without the drawback of extra experience in this case.

          Third, you could start turning your experience on/off as desired to experience content at the desired level range. Turning it off and on is a 10g fee each time, but you gain no experience when it’s off. You could do this at level 15 for example and quest until you’re getting into a level 20 zone. Turn your experience back on until you catch up, turn it back off when you get overpowered. I can’t say for sure how many times you’d need to turn it off and on, and it would probably become a hassle over time, but it’s the surest way to force yourself to experience content at the level you want to. And this method allows for full, enchanted heirlooms minus all the potential drawbacks while also providing the benefit of helping you catch up to the next level range you want to be in.

           
          • tom

            January 24, 2013 at 12:16 PM

            My name’s Tom, and I fail at trolling.

            Psyn would be so disappointed.

             
    • tom

      January 24, 2013 at 12:14 PM

      My name’s Tom, and I tried to post a stupid, trolling comment to one of the other reader’s questions.

      Unfortunately, Psyn caught me.

       
  3. Mhorgrim

    May 2, 2011 at 5:16 PM

    Psynister,
    Thanks for a concise guide. I still like the idea of Hierlooms while I am leveling and or PvPing in the lower zones. The tips and enchants are awesome as well.

     
    • Psynister

      May 3, 2011 at 9:11 AM

      Enchants just make the great things even better.

       
  4. typhoonandrew

    May 2, 2011 at 5:31 PM

    Incredible guide Psynister, all my alts thank you.

     
    • Psynister

      May 3, 2011 at 9:07 AM

      Your alts are all most welcome. ;)

       
  5. Becky Shimko

    May 3, 2011 at 10:48 AM

    I’m thrilled with your new guide. Up until today I referred back to your original heirloom guide constantly, this will greatly help advising guildies and friends with all the new gear choices. I have only one question about all your advice here. Crusader diminishes in effectiveness rapidly after level 60. What would you advise once you level beyond it’s usefulness?

     
    • Psynister

      May 3, 2011 at 11:01 AM

      The DR on Crusader’s effect is that it procs for +60 Strength instead of +100. The only decent alternative to it for Strength classes is +20 +15 Strength, which is still only 30% 25% of the proc’s effect.

      So for Strength classes, don’t change it, just stick with Crusader. For Agility classes, go ahead and switch to the appropriate +15/25 Agility enchants.

       
  6. aster4jaden

    May 24, 2011 at 3:22 PM

    Fantastic you sir are beyond amazing. I love heirlooms I collect them, because I love leveling rather than the endgame.

    Now i’m just curious, I have the 100+ mana/ health on my chest heirlooms. Could you explain why, greaters stats woukd be better because I don’t understand,

     
    • Psynister

      May 24, 2011 at 4:15 PM

      Aster, thank you for your reply.

      As for why +4 Stats is better than +100 Health/Mana, it’s going to come down largely to which class you’re using.

      To give you a quick breakdown though, we know the value of 100 Health/Mana as they are static across the board.

      Let’s take a closer look at +4 Stats, though:
      +4 Strength = +8 Attack Power for Strength-based class/spec or +4 Attack Power for Agility-based class/spec

      +4 Agility = +8 Attack Power for Agility-based, a scaling amount of melee crit and (for now) dodge for all classes

      +4 Stam = +40 Health for all classes

      +4 Intellect = +60 Mana for all classes, +4 Spell Power for casters, a scaling amount of spell crit for all classes

      +4 Spirit = passive mana regen for all, converts to Hit rating for hybrid classes who spec for it

      The +4 Stats enchant does all of that, to all of the classes, though different classes benefit to different degrees. Pet classes for instance get extra use out of it because pet stats are based on character stats so +4 also buffs your pet while +100 Health does nothing for them.

      Agility-based melee classes benefit the most (especially Enhancement Shamans) because they get a total of +12 Attack Power (8 from Agi, 4 from Str) in addition to the 40 Health and 60 Mana (Shaman also benefits from the spell power from 4 Int).

      While you’re really, really low in level that the extra 60 Health or 40 Mana might seem like a big deal, but the higher you go the less and less it matters. At level 80 that +100 H/M enchant is basically worthless where a +4 Stats still provides you with a bonus that every class benefits from.

       
      • aster4jaden

        May 24, 2011 at 5:07 PM

        Thank you I ‘m changing to greater stats, much better than health/mana.

        1 more question could you explain, why 22 intellect/ mighty intellect is better than 30 spell power please?

         
        • Psynister

          May 24, 2011 at 5:56 PM

          22 Int > 30 SP for basically the same reason.

          30 Spell Power is just that, nothing more and nothing less.

          22 Intellect though gives you 22 Spell Power, 330 mana, and spell crit.

          If SP were your only desire then the +30 wins because that singular value is 8 higher than +22 Int, but the int enchant offers much more overall.

           
          • Ryan Swan

            March 10, 2012 at 9:25 PM

            22 Int > 30 SP in Cata. Once MoP comes, 22 Int = 22 SP with zero mana pool increase, so 30SP is once again KING.

             
          • Psynister

            March 11, 2012 at 6:40 PM

            @RyanSwan

            Well, perhaps it will be in MoP, but MoP is still months away so for the time being 22 Int is still the best option. There’s plenty of time for them to change their mind AGAIN before then.

             
      • Allex

        October 27, 2012 at 9:21 AM

        I was thinking to put +4 all stats or +100 mana on my 24 lvl twink. I did not have all mats what I need for that enchant, than I make 100 mana before I put +4. Than I was surprise because it say +100 mana and before I put that enchant I have on lvl 24 700 mana pool, after I put +100 mana enchant I have 1300 mana pool ??? How is that ?

         
  7. Jamin

    August 30, 2011 at 4:49 PM

    First comment – THANK YOU SO MUCH!

    This must have taken so much work, I really appreciate your effort and dedication. Especially as I take steps into the creation of my first alt character.

    Glad I found this blog (via google search for the above topic). Had heard the blog name scattered about the blogosphere a number of times, but had yet to come here. So of course – new subscriber /wave.

    Great stuff,

    – Jamin

     
    • Psynister

      August 30, 2011 at 5:08 PM

      Always a pleasure to help, Jamin.

      It did take a fair amount of time to slap all of that together, but not everyone out there is as obsessive about optimization as I am or have all of the enchants memorized so it’s one of the more useful and reliable guides I could have put out there for people to use.

      If you need help with the alt, feel free to send the questions my way. I’ve leveled almost everything you can imagine at one point or another (or several) and have 4.x guides written for quite a few as well.

       
  8. Alshazari

    October 26, 2011 at 1:37 AM

    Just wanted to point out that the Venerable Dal’rend’s Sacred Charge is a Main Hand weapon, and cannot be duel wielded with the Bloodsoaked Skullforge Reaver. Any idea on the next best possible thing? I was thinking Bloodsoaked with crusader, and a Battleworn Thrash Blade with strength. Would it be of greater benefit to have crusader on the Thrash Blade though, because of the chance at that extra hit which means an extra chance fro crusader to proc? Love to know :)

     
    • Psynister

      October 26, 2011 at 8:50 AM

      Well, summon a monkey…

      I have to assume I simply missed that rather than that it was changed to a main hand when I wasn’t looking, but I can’t believe I missed that.

      You have two options then for replacing the Sacred Charge:
      – Venerable Mass of McGowan
      – Battleworn Thrash Blade

      The Venerable Mass has almost the exact same stats as the Sacred Charge. The only difference (besides being a mace instead of a sword) is that the Mass trades roughly 1/3 of the Crit Rate for for twice that amount in Haste. At level 80 the Charge has 29 Crit where the Mass has 19 Crit and 19 Haste.

      What sucks about the Thrash Blade is that it has no stats other than Resilience, and it’s a faster weapon which means that while it’s DPS is the same, it’s top end damage is lower. It does work great for getting procs from enchants, you just miss out on all of the stats (which really isn’t that big of a deal when you’re in full heirlooms anyway).

      My personal preference between the two is going to be the Venerable Mass of McGowan with a Crusader enchant. Yes, you miss out of the extra chances to proc Crusader from the Thrash Blade, but the Mass offers base stat bonuses and a higher damage potential which should pay off more in the long run. When your’e wearing heirlooms you’re more likely to be killing monsters so quickly that Crusader being active is a huge benefit but at the same time you’re actively engaged in combat for such short amounts of time that the buff is often wasted or worth only a single hit.

      TL;DR: Venerable Mass of McGowan with Crusader

       
      • Alshazari

        October 27, 2011 at 12:02 AM

        The reason I ask if because I am looking to level my low level fury warrior through battlegrounds. Im not to concerned with higher level stuff because I can simply replace it / switch to arms, but for low level I want to dominate. So with that, would you still recommend the mace?

        [Edited by Admin]

         
        • Psynister

          October 27, 2011 at 12:14 AM

          I would. That being the case, you definitely want the mace for the crit from its Agility buff. The proc from the thrash blade is somewhat rare, so it’s better to rely on damage you can trust more.

           
  9. Alshazari

    October 27, 2011 at 1:18 AM

    Greeeeeat! I can’t remember if I have the mace >.<

     
  10. Gunta

    October 29, 2011 at 9:33 PM

    Hi Psynister, thanks for a great guide.

    One thing I feel is missing though is the use of Lifestealing as an enchant for melee weapons. Crusader is a great enchant, particularly for levelling in duingeons or AOE, but if you’re levelling solo with quests, most mobs are killed within 5 seconds and then you’re moving on to the next one.

    Lifestealing procs very often and it’s effect is instantaneous, shortening many fights in earlier levels by a significant amount. Crusader’s proc, whilst better, doesn’t occur as frequently (from my understanding) but more importantly is often wasted because the mob is down quickly enough anyway so most of the proc is being used whilst en route to the next mob.

    Which one is better is debatable, I understand, but I feel that Lifestealing is a great enchant and at least worthy of a mention.

    Cheers, and thanks for all your work on these pages.

     
    • Psynister

      October 29, 2011 at 10:05 PM

      Lifesteal is a good enchant, I don’t argue that for a second.

      However, the enchanting aspect of this particular guide is designed around leveling with them all the way. While Crusader is wasted sometimes at low levels, that’s not the case as you get higher in level and mobs have more hit points. At that point Crusader becomes even more beneficial and the Lifesteal enchant becomes more and more useless.

       
  11. Majik

    November 4, 2011 at 3:57 PM

    Dear Psynister,

    this is great! thanks! i have just started a PVP char (mage).. now level 30… Could you help with those PVP enchants that you mentioned?

    Thanks,

    Majik

     
    • Psynister

      November 4, 2011 at 4:28 PM

      The enchants are virtually identical to the ones that I listed in the guide itself. Since heirlooms are always item level 1, you can never upgrade to the second tier of enchants. The only differences that come into effect are typically small.

      For example, you might want to use the +100 Health enchant on your chests instead of +4 Stats because the extra health means better survivability. Or you might prefer an enchant on your cloak such as +5 All Resistances if you have a weakness against casters, +15 Arcane Resistance if Mages are your downfall, or +70 Armor if your weakness is melee.

      Only the enchants that I listed which require your character to be a certain level (mostly helms and shoulders) will have any significant impact on your PvP performance that would require you to use a different set of enchants that what I have listed already, and even those won’t have nearly such a severe impact as ditching heirlooms all together in favor of old PvP gear sets at level 60, 70, 80+.

       
  12. Blahman

    November 7, 2011 at 5:28 AM

    In relation to Fury Warriors isn’t the Venerable Da’Rend’s Sacred Charge better for the extra crit? This referring to stat priority

     
    • Psynister

      November 7, 2011 at 9:25 AM

      You would have to talk to someone who specializes in Fury Warriors for the answer to that question.

      There are a couple of things to keep in mind for this situation though. First is that crit is always a percentage chance that something’s going to happen. Having more crit means that chance is higher, but with the exception of a handful of twink builds built around crit you’re never going to have 100% chance to crit every single time you attack. Second, Haste might be low on your priority list totem pole, but Haste always has an impact on your performance, no matter how large or small it’s always helping in one way or another.

      So, crit is definitely a good stat to look for in your gear, but it’s by no means crucial as it doesn’t always happen. It’s like enchants that proc versus enchants that just boost stats – when they proc they’re great and when they don’t it’s like the stat doesn’t exist at all.

      Looking at the two of them though, even at level 68 (the highest level you’ll dual wield one-handers, unless the one-hand version has magically become better since last I looked), the difference in crit is a 0.3% chance to critically hit between the two weapons. I don’t see that as a big enough difference to default to the sword over the mace, but that’s the only difference between the two so if that much crit is more important to you than 0.85% Haste at level 68, then by all means go with the sword.

       
  13. Woweurodude

    November 13, 2011 at 7:10 AM

    Hello, great guide! Super to have all the info in one place!

    I have one question that came up when kitting out my feral druid tank. I was trying to use both a knothide and heavy knothide armor kit on the helm Stained Shadowcraft Cap. Neither would work since they both have a level requirement. My druid is level 54 atm.

    Woweurodude

     
    • Psynister

      November 14, 2011 at 9:15 AM

      Yeah, that’s why they don’t work. You have to be the minimum level for the enchant/kit before you can use it.

       
  14. Gregorstuff

    November 28, 2011 at 1:04 AM

    lol didnt know that thx guys!

     
  15. Micky Cooper

    December 28, 2011 at 11:23 PM

    Thanks so much for the info; quite helpful.

    I do have an issue with the Heavy Knothide armot Kit you mentioned above; You wrote

    •Heavy Knothide Armor Kit: +10 Stamina
    The Armor Kit only requires level 60, but no grinding is necessary and you can have it crafted by a leatherworker.

    Well my character is 65 and I have the Burnished Pauldrons of Might and when I go to apply the kits it says they are not the right level

    Shoulders say:

    Requires level 1 to 80 (65)
    Item Level 1

    Am i doing or thinking something wrong?

    Thanks for your help

     
    • Psynister

      December 29, 2011 at 11:02 AM

      No, it looks like Blizzard stealthed on an item level requirement in one of the patches during the last 7 months. This armor kit didn’t have an iLevel requirement when this post was written, but now it requires a iLevel 60 item.

      Your next best option for armor kits then becomes Vindicator’s Armor Kit (+8 Dodge), Magister’s Armor Kit (+8 Spirit) or Medium Armor Kit (+16 Armor). Looking over all of the armor kits it looks like they went and put item level requirements on almost every one of them.

       
  16. Micky Cooper

    December 29, 2011 at 1:37 PM

    Yeah that what I figured. Thank you so much for your help

     
  17. Ryan Swan

    March 17, 2012 at 3:07 PM

    For the *TRULY* hardcore, either with enough gold not to care or enough item currency(Justice Points, Honor Points and Champion’s Seals) for extra heirlooms, there is a superior enchant setup for at least the first 10 levels.

    Every class should use gloves enchanted with “Enchant Gloves – Minor Haste” since +10 haste for levels 1-10 equals 26% haste. At some point after Level 10, one should swap out these gloves for +16 SpellPower, +15 Agility or +7 Strength. I use Level 1 non-binding white cloth gloves like “Tattered Cloth Gloves” http://www.wowhead.com/item=711 to do this.

    For Druids, Paladins and Warriors using two-handers, “Iron Counterweight” http://www.wowhead.com/item=6043 has +20 haste which equates to 52% haste. Once you hit Level 11, the haste rating starts taking a hit. By Level 15, +20 haste is only 14.86% and by Level 20 it’s only 8.67%. There is a cut-off point near here where Crusader and +25 Agility overtake the Iron Counterweight in superiority.

    For levels 1-10, one could easily have 78% haste! It certainly makes swinging those two-handers a bit ridiculous in a funny way. Enjoy!

     
  18. Barrot

    April 15, 2012 at 11:11 AM

    I just wanted to extend a big thankyou to you for taking your time to make this extremely well made guide!

     
    • Psynister

      April 15, 2012 at 1:40 PM

      Thank you for taking the time to read it and reply.

       
  19. Magerpayne

    May 3, 2012 at 11:27 PM

    Great guide thanks for writing it, but I have a question on the enchants. Some of them say that enchanting will make the item soulbound. Does that apply to the BoAs also? I want to try it but i have 2 mages that share the items. Thanks

     
    • Psynister

      May 3, 2012 at 11:39 PM

      Heirlooms never become bound to anything other than your account, regardless of messages from enchanting them.

       
      • Magerpayne

        May 3, 2012 at 11:46 PM

        Thanks for the quck reply

         
        • Psynister

          May 3, 2012 at 11:54 PM

          Thanks for reading the guide. I hope you continue to find it useful, and feel free to send any other questions you have.

           
  20. Stevasmajser the Squishy

    August 1, 2012 at 12:30 AM

    Hi, tnx for the guide (*praises). Abother li’l thing could be added to the allready great set of things here: the profession-based item enhancements that stack with the “normal ench.” stuff, such as Engineering tinkering.
    (Imagine my surprise when i realized that it no longer destroys the common enchantment i had on my cloak, as i tinkered it to get “flexy parachute”! I WAS afk 2 years+, but still, is that commonly known to pple?) On the other hand, when i tried attaching some shield spike on my shield, i got a note asking if i wanted to replace my 10 STA&SPI ench with the spike. :(
    Those things would mean A LOT to many of us. :) Cheers :)

     
  21. Tom

    October 13, 2012 at 6:45 AM

    Since Intellect no longer increases your mana pool now, would the +30 Spellpower enchant be better then the +22 Intellect one?

     
    • Ryan Swan

      October 30, 2012 at 4:02 PM

      Yes, +30 SP > all the rest now the +int no longer increases your mana pool. But, very early on, the +INT will add a lot of crit. At level 1, each 1Int adds .372 crit, so +22Int will add 8.184 crit at level 1. This will drop off quickly as you level, where +30 SP will win out.

       
  22. Allex

    October 27, 2012 at 9:15 AM

    I am trying to found on internet what is best enchant for balance druid tvink 24 lvl and I did not found. Can you help about that. Second question is there any enchant for shoulders/pants or head from what I will have benefit on lvl 24.

     
    • Psynister

      October 31, 2012 at 8:12 AM

      Which enchant is best for a 24 balance druid depends on which item you want to enchant. Stack Spell Power where you can, Intellect where you can’t, and Stamina on everything else.

      As for shoulders and helm, no there are no enchants that will help you at level 24. Pants can get a +Armor enchant from an armor kit that will help at least a little bit against melee classes, but that’s as good as it gets for that level range.

       
  23. Ryan Swan

    October 30, 2012 at 3:49 PM

    ” Your best choices are professions-specific and will give you no benefit until you’re in your 60′s at the earliest.” I saw a bug where a level 1 tailor could use the embroidery if another toon with the proper level of tailoring “enchanted” the cloak. Has this bug been fixed?

     
  24. CtrlAltDeny

    February 4, 2013 at 9:02 AM

    You still have helm enchants in this guide, they were removed in MoP

     
  25. Joe Black

    March 14, 2013 at 3:04 PM

    Great guide really helped me out picking out the various enchants for my toons.
    keep up the good work

     
  26. Agapetos

    April 25, 2013 at 8:56 PM

    Hey, Psyn. I’m not sure if this topic has already been addressed or not, but I’m wondering if heirloom weapons become obsolete as you quest, do dungeons and make weapons with BS? I’m a relatively new WoW player, so I’m slowly learning, and your guide has been a HUGE help!

     
    • Psynister

      April 25, 2013 at 9:59 PM

      Heirlooms will overall outperform everything during the leveling process. You might find a weapon that’s “better” right now, but then you gain a level or two and the heirloom blows it away again.

      The majority of things you make with BS are worthless until you get to max level.

      Your heirlooms will only become obsolete once you reach the maximum level of their benefit, which 80 for the original versions, 85 for the new upgraded versions. Once you get to that point, you’ll find quest rewards and drops that blow them away.

       
      • Agapetos

        May 1, 2013 at 10:58 PM

        Awesome! Thanks for that tip! I was also wondering about the Musty Tome of the Lost. Is that worth having for casters? Or just use the staff?

         
        • Psynister

          May 2, 2013 at 12:17 AM

          The Tome is worth it for a Holy Paladin,but that’s about it. Keep in mind also that the only non-staff caster weapons are maces which some of the caster classes cannot use. The staff has better stats overall anyway, but there’s also versatility to keep in mind. Of all the casters in the game, only one class cannot use the staff, which is the Paladin, and only one paladin spec uses caster gear anyway. For maces, there are two casters that cannot use them (Mage, Warlock) and all six of those specs use caster gear.

           
  27. Taylor Thomas (@PackOfHighly)

    May 1, 2013 at 4:22 PM

    Why do you suggest the PVP off hand for a dual dagger rogue? Why not two Balanced Heartseekers?

     
    • Psynister

      May 1, 2013 at 6:36 PM

      You can find the math behind it at shadowpanther.net, but basically it comes down to the weapon’s speed. Despite the difference in their stats, you’ll get higher DPS from the PvP dagger in your offhand because the faster attack speed will mean more poison applications and so forth. The PvP dagger is better from level 10 to level 80.

      The Heartseeker is a decent offhand, but the higher your level gets, the more options you have for non-heirlooms that are better than the Heartseeker, yet the Kris continues to be one of the top choices.

       
      • Taylor Thomas (@PackOfHighly)

        May 3, 2013 at 7:56 PM

        Cool! Wish I didn’t already have two non-refundable heartseekers :(

         
        • Psynister

          May 3, 2013 at 8:38 PM

          The Heartseeker is one of your best choices for mainhand, so the one is definitely a good choice. Having one as an offhand isn’t necessarily bad, it’s just not optimal. You’ll still do perfectly fine dual wielding them. It’s not like optimization is required for leveling these days.

           
  28. Agapetos

    June 12, 2013 at 12:01 AM

    Hey, Psy. I wanted to comment about the heirloom shields. I assume that the one with spirit on it is for casters, (shaman, holy paladin) and the other is for DPS/tank, correct?

     
    • Psynister

      June 12, 2013 at 8:22 AM

      The spirit shield will be for all casters who can use a shield regardless of whether they are healing or DPS, and the other is for tanks. The only DPS that would use a shield is the Shaman, and they should also be using the spirit shield as it will give them additional Hit.

       
      • Agapetos

        June 13, 2013 at 9:38 PM

        Thanks!

         
  29. Anahitaxz

    June 30, 2013 at 12:45 PM

    Very comprehensive guide for leveling. I’ve been working through some MoP materials and there are many BoA non heirlooms that you can now find. I.e. 450 ilv BoA weapons that require lv 86. Just something to ponder if you want to add it to the guide. The “Relic Hunter” title has a ton of higher level BoAs for that grind between 85-90 to do more.

     
    • Psynister

      June 30, 2013 at 1:24 PM

      I have considered doing this and been asked by a couple of people to consider it. If people are interested in guides for these even though they’re only good for a few levels, then I could go ahead and put one of those together.

       
      • Ryan Swan

        June 30, 2013 at 1:55 PM

        @Ana
        The Archaeology spear is BiS for five classes, 85-90, so throw Dancing Steel on it after you level your DK. The off-hand and trinket are so-so.

        @Psy
        Leveling 86-90 takes longer than 1-60, in my experience. 86-90 is about 12-15 hours. 1-60 can be done in one sitting with full heirlooms and Zygor Guides.

         
  30. KingNothing

    August 30, 2013 at 10:42 PM

    Hey man, great guide! This is exactly what I have been looking for for a long time! I entered my search differently this time and voila! Found your post here! Thanks for taking the guess work out of my alt-leveling process!

     
    • Psynister

      August 31, 2013 at 1:04 AM

      Always happy to help, King. Good luck with your alts!

       
  31. Julien

    September 20, 2013 at 8:32 AM

    hello, will we see an update for patch 5.4 in the near future?

    thanks for this amazing guide

     
    • Psynister

      September 20, 2013 at 8:39 AM

      Probably not, as I’ve been unsubbed for about 3-4 months now and don’t have any particular urge to get back into it. The gear itself hasn’t changed all of that is still accurate.

      The enchants are the only thing that may or may not be up to date, and that’s going to take a whole lot of data collection and number analysis that I won’t be doing since I’m not currently playing the game. I might take a look around the net next week to see if any of the twink sites have broken down the enchants already, and then I can update based off of that. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait for that part until (IF) I get back into the game.

       
  32. Luca

    September 23, 2013 at 12:01 PM

    Thanks for the guide. Used it to gear my warrior accept one thing. Bloodsoaked Skullforge Reaver is not a mainhand anymore. It’s one-hand now so you can use it both hands.

     
  33. Jerry Curiel

    September 27, 2013 at 8:00 PM

    Hey Psy!

    Great guide! As someone who just got back into wow from Pre-BC, what would be the most efficient way to grab some of these pieces? I am currently leveling a feral cat Druid and am at lvl 67 and am in a level 25 guild. Thanks in advance!

     
    • Psynister

      September 28, 2013 at 10:19 AM

      At your level, the best thing to do will be PvP. Stick to the highest honor-yielding BG’s as much as you can, which are Alterac Valley, Isle of the Crusader, and Strand of the Ancients (if I remember correctly). Basically, the more people that are on the map, the higher honor yield it has, and the more objectives the better as well.

      Darkmoon Fair is another great way for you to farm the heirlooms. Personally, I like to do the fair on as many characters as I can stand each month so that I can maximize my purchases. Then once I have all of the pieces I really want (since I jump servers fairly often) I’ll go ahead and stop on most of the characters.

       
  34. Bryan Shon (@guntitan)

    November 23, 2013 at 5:12 PM

    Psynister are you going to update this to include the new leg and shoulder enchants that now scale with level? There is a google doc guide that is very good explaining the changes.

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtvDnbklEKrodGdnNl9SM3g0SVpWdV9SdHJTazhLc3c&usp=drive_web#gid=17

     
    • Psynister

      November 25, 2013 at 2:02 PM

      These scaling enchants are confirmed and working in Live right now, or just on the PTS?

       
      • cokezero

        November 28, 2013 at 1:54 AM

        Confirmed working in Live.

         
  35. nonominator

    January 1, 2014 at 1:36 AM

    SICK GUIDE BRO!!!

     
  36. Pea Tear Griffin

    January 17, 2014 at 7:04 PM

    Awesome guide. I know you set this up for leveling. But if someone is interested in lowbie pvp, do you have a rule if thumb on honor points looms vs JP looms? (pvp vendors vs raid vendors)

    So for example, I have a low level feral that is wearing superior storm shroud shoulders but you recommend the stained shadow craft spaulders. Trade off is agility hit vs stam pvp resil. I guess the AG and hit is preferred?

    How about elder staff of Jordan vs JP staffs?

    Or gun vs bow for hunters?

    Thanks!

     
    • Psynister

      January 18, 2014 at 12:09 AM

      It depends on what it is you’re really going for. If you want to perform at your best, then I’d stick to JP heirlooms. The PvP looms are alright, but you’re missing out on power for the sake of a fairly small amount of defense that won’t really pay off all that much. If you’re facing other people who aren’t in heirlooms, then the defense isn’t needed at all in the first place, and if you’re facing off against other people who are wearing looms your reduced power is going to equate to them having more time to kill you which counters the extra defense.

      Now, you’re not losing a huge amount of power so it’s not like you’re gimping yourself if you go with the PvP looms. Just overall, it’s better to go with the JP in most cases. If you’re really wanting to optimize a specific build, then there might be some changes here and there, but you’d have to really break down all of the math to figure it out, and if you’re really all that serious about optimizing, then there are probably better items than heirlooms for some of those slots.

       
  37. Anthony Cortese

    February 28, 2014 at 12:53 AM

    idk if anyone has said this but for rogue weapons don’t you want a 2.6 speed weapon on MH?

     
    • Psynister

      February 28, 2014 at 9:10 AM

      Depends on your spec and whether or not you need/want to use dual daggers instead. If you’re combat, then sure you want a 2.6 weapon, but otherwise you want dual daggers. Combat does just fine with daggers while you’re leveling as well, so if you want to be fully optimized then you probably would want to get a slower weapon, but it’s not necessary.

       
  38. Leilee

    March 9, 2014 at 6:32 AM

    Awesome! Your guide has become my go-to for… well, let’s just say five alts and leave it at that ;) I probably could have done it without this easy, simple and informative guide. But it sure does save a lot of time searching and compiling information from all over the place. Thank you! :)

     
  39. Coty Ford

    May 8, 2014 at 5:37 PM

    Just a fyi kind of thing… The claws are better for enhance shamans as they are a little faster :)

     
  40. Coty Ford

    May 8, 2014 at 5:42 PM

    and mongoose rocks way harder than crusader at low levels

     
  41. Coty Ford

    May 8, 2014 at 5:46 PM

    at level 1 mongoose procs 90agi and 23 haste

     
  42. Rawan Al

    February 25, 2015 at 4:53 PM

    Hey Psynister, are you going to update this guide for patch 6.1?
    I hope you do cause this is the best guide I’ve been using for like a year now!

    PLEASE UPDATE! D=

    – Rawan <3

     
  43. Jono

    October 8, 2015 at 5:55 PM

    Please update for 6.2.2 : )

     
  44. Preben

    December 7, 2015 at 9:16 AM

    U have not made a guid for guardian druid.

     
  45. Talyrius

    January 17, 2016 at 8:40 AM

    • Patch 5.4: Enchants no longer have specific level requirements. They scale to any level below their item level. See: https://goo.gl/4jQrrm
    • Mists of Pandaria/Cataclysm shoulder and leg enchants must be applied by a level 85-99 character.
    • Patch 6.2: A plate intellect set has been added (Lightforge).
    • Patch 6.2.3: Mythic Dungeon bosses now have a chance to drop a new heirloom trinket that will scale from level 100-110.

     
    • Talyrius

      January 17, 2016 at 9:16 AM

      • Patch 6.2: Three new heirloom rings (Captain Sander’s Returned Band, Signet of the Third Fleet, Admiral Taylor’s Loyalty Ring) and a trinket (Touch of the Void) are available as rewards from rare naval missions at your garrison.

       

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