Getting Raid Ready

[Viledead]

Hello All,

Even though I'm a casual and can't raid with any consistency, I can help with providing some information on how to get raid ready. This is meant to be a light starter guide - I'm sure there is much more to add.

Quick fresh 90 guide:

- get ilvl up to heroic ready and run heroics. Scenarios are good too - ie Arena scenario gives a blue 450 weapon. Other gear is not good, but does net you VP. Buying crafted 450 pvp gear is cheap and will be an upgrade anyways if you need something to push you over. Hell I'm at 451 ilvl and i've run a single heroic with no loot drop.

- do dailies for rep - you'll be glad in a week or two.

- enchant even your gear you might replace if you get a drop. Why? 1. more dps = faster heroics. 2. Enchants are dirt cheap right now - and it won't stay that way once raid finder comes out. Many enchants are cheaper than mats on AH because of all the leveling going on and supply > demand.

- LOOT SHA OF ANGER!!!!!!!!! You get a quest with i476 item! I got: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/item/90913

- want a relatively cheap, but great trinket? Get an engineer or buy of AH: http://www.wowhead.c...by-spell - 1800 in extra stats!

- there is a cheaper and more expensive shoulder enchant, created by inscriptionists.

Other Highlights:

- you want as close to 463 ilvl as possible to be raid ready. It's actually the minimum for queuing for LFR - so 463 is a min for normal modes...

- There are some quite cheap 450 crafted gear you can easily get. Even the starter pvp gear is often an upgrade for recent 90's, and this will make heroics go faster.

- All JP gear from rep quartermasters have had their rep requirement (honored) removed. So 450 gear is easy and cheap.

- Heroics are dead easy - nowhere near the cata hurdle.

- Consumables: pots, food, flasks are now all better if individual. There is no equal cauldron anymore. I have a pot-spec'd alt if anyone wants anything, just send mats over (Chainn). Let me know though - I don't log onto that toon often.

- perfect cut gems I believe are equal in stats to blue gems. However, most blue gear don't have gem slots, so likely not an issue right now.

- DPS seems to hover around 40-50k+ for the average person, so you want to feel comfortable around there. For stat priority, it seems many classes/specs aren't yet agreed on. For instance, Mr Robot might disagree with simcraft who disagrees with someone else. Just practice in heroics. As always, dancing right > 3% more dps.

REP Vendors

Where are they? http://wow.joystiq.c...e-to-find-them/

Why do they matter? Free 450 gear to start off, and then later at honored (ie golden lotus) 476 ring, and for many some great VP gear at revered.

Here is a post by Matticus on getting a priest quickly geared to be raid-ready. Worth it for any class to read as it gives you an idea on paths to take:

http://www.worldofma...90-priest-fast/

Edited October 5, 2012 by Viledead

[Mantra]

i can make the shoulder enchants and that engineering trinket+cogwheel gems, its actually an awesome trinket especially on aoe fights since the dragonkin does chainlightning lol

and thats good to know on the arena scenario ive been farming heroics for a good weapon but they never drop lol

[Sazda]

GREAT!

THIS is a good start to what i was asking for here: http://www.atremains...2-raid-tonight/

Do you mind updating this post as more suggestions come in?

Here are a few:

SHA OF ANGER

Do this once a week. It is somewhat like "the new Baradin Hold". It grants powerful gear items if you are lucky. Pikachu got 496 pants on his first kill (http://us.battle.net/wow/en/item/85376).

WHICH REPUTATION DAILIES TO DO?

Do all of the Golden Lotus dailies each day (in the level 90 zone), 2 hubs each day - the second one alternates location. You want to get to revered as quick as possible, as that unlocks dailies with shado-pan and others that have great gear for you later.

You can also do the Klaxxis right away in Dread Wastes. They have good gear at honored and a great chest at revered.

There are others - but it will take you to get to Golden Lotus revered first.

HEROICS

Check your class forums for a list of what items to get in which heroic dungeon (if there is no such post -> CREATE IT). It doesn't take that long and helps everyone else playing and gearing that class. Keep a personal list that you constantly update. You can sort it by dungeon/items to figure out which dungeons are the most beneficial for you to run in order t get the most important gear upgrade. I stopped random queueing after a while and only queued for the most beneficial dungeons to have the biggest chances on gear upgrades. The VP that I miss this way I can get elsewhere.

SCENARIOS

You are doing scenarios for FUN, VP, GOLD and the lucky 463 gear drop here and there. I actually found two gear drops there that are better than the heroic 463 stuff I had already. Especially good are scenarios for VP grind. You always have instant queues, they are very quick and award half the VP of a whole heroic run. I would bet my left foot that this is a faster way to grind VP than doing heroics - and it is also sooooooooooo much more fun.

Edited October 5, 2012 by Sazda

[Viledead]

@mantra i got it right away for that scenario, but others said you have to get a quest for it (from kunlai summit somewhere)

@sazda I'd rather not make a full sticky - if responses stick to the point people can scan through.. Also Pika is why I pointed out to make sure to loot sha..

[Lyntha]

Good info, thanks. I had no idea that you could loot the claw off of Sha to get a quest item. Awesome!

[Viledead]

Oh one more thing - start your legendary quest!!! Hint: Wrathion..

Another interesting thing - Charms of Good Fortune.

http://www.wowhead.com/currency=697#comments

What does this mean? An extra, personal shot at loot from a boss...not just LFR - also normal and possibly heroic! You use it, and you get something if you're lucky. Well, you'll always get something. So imagine if next tuesday all 25 players use it when you down the first boss....