WoW Guides: Selecting Raid Gear for Paladins

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Updated Thu, Dec 17, 2009 by Medeor

A Paladin in all his/her Raiding Gear Glory

Why are we raiding? Sure we like hearing the discussions about strategy, laughing at horrific pulls, and the occasional F-bomb. But I would hazard a guess that even the most gregarious raiders who may pass occasionally on the purples is in this for the loot. If that is indeed the case, then what can we expect for all of our hard work, perseverance and repair bills? With the introduction of Ulduar, the discussions about Best-in-Slot just got more interesting.

For those trying to keep score at home, each item of gear has an Item Level, aka iLevel. The iLevel is not shown through the stock user interface, but if you use Rating Buster or other gear evaluation mods, the iLevel is typically shown. The iLevel shows a piece of gear’s status relative to other gear – the higher the iLevel, the better the gear. The majority of gear from Naxxramas 10 Man has an iLevel of 200. Heroic Naxx (aka 25 Man) gear runs at an iLevel of 213. Ulduar regular mode (10 Man) will net you gear with an iLevel of 219. Setting the bar for uber gear is Heroic Ulduar (25 Man) loot carrying an iLevel of 226.

From the previous paragraph is appears that we should all just slot gear of iLevel 226 and call it good. That is an easy way to set some goals, but being strategic and sticking with the right statistics may actually show a lower iLevel item to be more advantageous. Always keep in mind your ideal stats and ratios because they will get thrown out of whack periodically during gearing upgrades. Being heavy in one stat at the expense of another equally important stat is not in your best interest.

A quick programming note prior to launching the guide; I rely heavily on the theorycrafters at Maintankadin and ElitistJerks. The number crunching reaches fever pitches on those sites. If you read too closely it can burn your skin, but the end results are invaluable.

Fear the Retribution

With DPS exceeding 6,400 a Retribution Paladin in Ulduar gear can quite literally tear a hole in the place. There are some options for mixing and matching non-Plate armor, but that’s not what we’re about is it? Sticking with Plate (especially since it won’t cost more than a few dozen DPS (fractions of a percent) we can create quite a nice set of gear:

Slot	Item Name and Description	Drops Off
Helm	Conqueror’s Aegis Helm 1,908 Armor +105 Strenght; +129 Stamina Meta and Red Sockets Improves Critical Strike Rating by 66 and Haste Rating by 58	Thorim in Heroic Ulduar
Neck	Pendulum of Infinity +64 Agility +70 Stamina Blue Socket Increases: Attack Power by 86; Critical Strike Rating by 48 and Haste Rating by 41	General Vezax in Heroic Ulduar
Shoulder	Conqueror’s Aegis Shoulderplates 1,761 Armor +90 Strength; +102 Stamina Yellow Socket Improves Critical Strike Rating by 56 and Hast Rating by 45	Yogg-Saron
Back	Drape of the Faceless General 157 Armor +69 Agility; +31 Stamina Red and Yellow Sockets Improves Critical Strike Rating by 40; Attack Power by 92 and Armor Penetration by 30	General Vezax in 10 Man Hard Mode
Chest	Steelbreaker’s Embrace 2,348 Armor +121 Strength; +129 Stamina Blue Socket Improves Critical Strike Rating by 82 and Expertise Rating by 58	Iron Council in Heroic Ulduar
Wrist	Armbands of Bedlam 1,059 Armor +74 Strength; +81 Stamina Red Socket Improves Critical Strike Rating by 48 and Haste Rating by 40	Mimiron in Heroic Ulduar
Hands	Conqueror’s Aegis Gauntlets 1,467 Armor +90 Strength; +102 Stamina Blue Socket Increases Critical Strike Rating by 60 and Expertise Rating by 38	Emalon the Storm Watcher
Waist	Belt of the Titans 1,321 Armor +69 Strength; +126 Stamina Red and Blue Sockets Improves Critical Strike Rating by 57 and Expertise by 40	Crafted
Legs	Conqueror’s Aegis Legplates 2,054 Armor +113 Strength; +129 Stamina Red and Blue Sockets Improves Hit Rating by 58 and Critical Strike Rating by 74	Emalon the Storm Watcher
Feet	Battelord’s Plate Boots 1,614 Armor +69 Strength’ +126 Stamina Red and Blue Sockets Improves Critical Strike Rating by 49 and Haste Rating by 48	Crafted
Rings	Seal of the Betrayed King +74 Strenght; +81 Stamina Blue Socket Improves Hit Rating by 40 and Critical Strike Rating by 48 Sif’s Promise +72 Strength; +72 Stamina Improves Critical Strike Rating by 42 and Expertise Rating by 42	Yogg-Saron in Heroic Ulduar Thorim in Heroic Ulduar
Trinkets	Darkmoon Card: Greatness +90 Strength When you heal or deal damage you have a chance to gain Greatness increasing Strength, Agility, Intellext or Spirit by 300 for 15 sec. Your highest stat is always chosen. Blood of the Old God Improves Hit Rating by 108 Chance on Melee and ranged critical strike to increase your attack power by 1,284 for 10 sec.	Darkmoon Faire Yogg-Saron in Heroic Ulduar
Weapon	Dark Edge of Depravity - Polearm 665-999 Damage (Speed of 3.4) 244.7 DPS +112 Agility; +129 Stamina Red and Blue Socket Improves Hit Rating by 64, Attack Power by 164, Haste Rating by 85	Yogg-Saron in Heroic Ulduar

Taking a Punch with Protection

With more items than not carrying stamina bonuses of almost +150, the tanking gear is sure to bring a smile to your healer’s face. The armor values of the tanking plate will help protect that health pool but no matter how you slice it, the Protection Paladin in the following gear is going to be beefed up with over 40,000 hit points.

Slot	Item Name and Description	Drops Off
Helm	Conqueror’s Aegis Faceguard 1,908 Armor +97 Strength; +147 Stamina Meta and Yellow Sockets3 Increases Defense Rating by 60; Dodge Rating by 59 and Shield Block Rating by 43	Hodir in Heroic Ulduar
Neck	Bronze Pendant of the Vanir +71 Strength; +96 Stamina Yellow Socket Increases Defense Rating by 37; Dodge Rating by 30 and Parry Rating by 37	Freya in Heroic Ulduar on Hard Mode
Shoulder	Conqueror’s Aegis Shoulderguards 1,761 Armor +84 Strength +115 Stamina Red Socket Increases Defense Rating by 44; Shield Block Rating by 37 and Block value by 68	Yogg-Saron in Heroic Ulduar
Back	Titanskin Cloak 162 Armor +48 Strength; +96 Stamina Red Socket Increases Defense Rating by 71; Hit Rating by 24 and Expertise Rating by 31	Mimiron in Heroic Ulduar on Hard Mode
Chest	Conqueror’s Breastplate 2,348 Armor +113 Stregnth; +147 Stamina Blue and Red Sockets Increases Defense Rating by 60; Dodge Rating by 51 and Parry Rating by 51	Hodir in Heroic Ulduar or 58 Emblems of Conquest
Wrist	Mimiron’s Inferno Couplings 1,027 Armor +46 Strength; +94 Stamina Increases Defense Rating by 39; Dodge Rating by 44 and Hit Rating by 36	Flame Leviathan in Heroic Ulduar
Hands	Handguards of Revitalization 1,512 Armor +84 Strength; +127 Stamina Red and Yellow Sockets Increases Defense Rating by 44; Dodge Rating by 44 and Parry Rating by 46	Freya in Heroic Ulduar on Hard Mode
Waist	Indestructible Plate Girdle 1,321 Armor +84 Strength; +103 Stamina Red and Blue Sockets Increases Defense Rating by 36; Dodge Rating by 45 and Parry Rating by 37	Crafted
Legs	Legplates of the Endless Void 2,117 Armor +128 Strength; +156 Stamina Red, Blue and Yellow Socket Increase Defense Rating by 59; Dodge Rating by 51 and Parry Rating by 67	Algalon in Heroic Ulduar on Hard Mode
Feet	Spiked Deathdealers 1,614 Armor +85 Strength; +103 Stamina Yellow and Blue Sockets Increases Defense Rating by 37; Dodge Rating by 44 and Parry Rating by 37	Crafted
Rings	Platinum Band of Aesir +42 Strength; +94 Stamina Increase Defense Rating by 46; Dodge Rating by 36; Expertise Rating by 42 Fate’s Clutch +51 Strength; +96 Stamina Yellow Socket Increase Defense Rating by 48; Dodge Rating by 39 and Expertise rating by 41	Auriaya in Heroic Ulduar Thorim in Heroic Uldaur on Hard Mode
Trinkets	Heart of Iron +162 Stamina Use: Increases Dodge Rating by 432 for 20sec. Royal Seal of King Llane +155 Stamina Use: Increases Parry Rating by 380 by 20 sec	Ignis in Heroic Ulduar Yogg-Saron in Regular Ulduar (10 Man)
Weapon	Sorthalis, Hammer of the Watchers 210-392; Speed 1.6; 188.1 DPS +40 Strength; +70 Stamina Increases Defense Rating by 29; Parry Rating by 36 and Expertise Rating buy 32	Deconstructor in Heroic Ulduar on Hard Mode
Shield	The Boreal Guard 7,890 Armor 221 Block +53 Strength; +86 Stamina Blue and Red Sockets Increases Defense Rating by 33 and Shield Block Value by 31	Hodir in 10 Man Ulduar on Hard Mode

Holy Paladin, now with extra holes (chain mail gear)

Last but not least, the Holy Paladin isn’t being left out of this smorgasbord of yummy gear. With the Retadin and Protadin above we stuck with Plate only. That’s not the case with healing gear. As a healer, the odds are very good you won’t be getting hit that often so we can mix in some Mail armor. Especially when (a) we can take it from a Shaman, and (b) we deserve it more than Shaman.

You’ll notice a lack of spirit and an abundance of Critical Strike Rating. The Holy Paladin should be wallowing in Crit Rating to get the big heals and all the tasty Procs that come with them. We’ll take a little Mana per five, but leave the Spirit in the bank. Likewise, there is no +Hit rating because heals always hit. If we were trying to be a plate wearing mage, we may want some +Hit, but not for us Healadins.

Slot	Item Name and Description	Drops Off
Helm	Ancient Iron Heaume 1,908 Armor +99 Stamina, +81 Intellect Meta and Yellow Sockets Improves Critical Strike Rating by 67; Haste Rating by 60 and Spell Power by 115	Assembly of Iron in Heroic Ulduar
Neck	Pendant of the Shallow Grave +45 Stamina; +43 Intellect Yellow Socket Improves Critical Strike Rating by 41; Haste Rating by 31 and Spell Power by 74	General Vezax in 10 Man Hard Mode
Shoulder	Conqueror’s Aegis Spaulders 1,761 Armor +63 Stamina; +64 Intellect Blue Socket Increase Spell Power by 90, Critical Strike Rating by 48 and Haste Rating by 57	Yogg-Saron in Heroic Ulduar
Back	Drape of the Sullen Goddess 162 Armor +61 Stamina; +51 Intellect Yellow Socket Increases Spell Power 75; Critical Strike Rating by 40; and Restores 19 Mana/5	Freya in Heroic Ulduar on Hard Mode
Chest	Breastplate of the Devoted 2,420 Armor +111 Stamina; +92 Intellect Blue, Red and Yellow Socket Improves Critical Strike Rating by 76; Haste Rating by 58 and Spell Power by 131	Xt-002 in Heroic Ulduar on Hard Mode
Wrist	Bindings of Winter Gale 592 Armor +61 Stamina; +51 Intellect Blue Socket Improves Critical Strike Rating by 48; Haste Rating by 39 and Spell Power by 75	Hodir in Heroic Ulduar on Hard Mode
Hands	Gauntlets of the Thunder God 1,467 Armor +51 Stamina; +56 Intellect Blue and Red Sockets Improves Critical Strike Rating by 41; Haste Rating by 54; and Spell Power by 99	Thorim in 10 Man Ulduar on Hard Mode
Waist	Girdle of Unyielding Trust 1,321 Armor +84 Stamina; +57 Intellect Improves Critical Striking by 49; Spell Power by 100 and Restores 24 Mana/5	28 Emblems of Conquest
Legs	Frostplate Greaves 2,054 Armor +99 Stamina; +81 Intellect Blue Socket Improves Critical Strike Rating by 75; Spell Power by 124 and Restores 27 Mana/5	Hodir in Heroic Ulduar
Feet	Lightning Grounded Boots 903 Armor +63 Stamina; +64 Intellect Red and Blue Sockets Improves Critical Strike Rating by 57; Spell Power by 81 and Restores 16 Mana/5	Crafted
Rings	Pyrelight Circle +63 Stamina; +42 Intellect Improves Critical Strike Rating by 46; Spell Power by 74 and Haste Rating by 36 Ring of the Faithful Servant +63 Stamina; +42 Intellect Improves Critical Strike Rating by 36; Spell Power by 74 and Restores 18 Mana/5	Ignis in Heroic Ulduar Auriaya in Heroic Ulduar
Trinkets	Pandora’s Plea +108 Intellect Your Spells have a chance to increase your spell power by 850 for 10 sec. Sif’s Rememberance Increases Spell Power by 110 Each Time you cast a spell there is a chance you will gain up to 156 mana per 5 for 15 sec.	Mimiron in Heroic Ulduar Thorim in 10 Man Ulduar on Hard Mode
Weapon	Val’anyr, Hammer of the Ancient Kings 93-298; speed of 1.8 for 108 DPS +52 Stamina; +54 Intellect Improves Critical Strike Rating by 47; Haste Rating by 46; Spell Power by 587. Your healing spells have a chance to cause Blessing of Ancient Kings for 15 sec allowing your heals to shield the target absorbing damage equal to 15% of the amount healed.	Quest Reward of Fragments found in Heroic Ulduar
Shield	Wisdom’s Hand 8,130 Armor 227 Block +70 Stamina; +48 Intellect Blue Socket Improves Critical Strike Rating by 40; Haste Rating by 47 and Spell Power by 75	Thorim in Heroic Ulduar on Hard Mode

You’ll notice that the latest legendary item is in this list – Val’anyr. Yes, a true goal oriented list would not be complete without the best healing weapon in the game. Many of us won’t see that weapon, but we should all do our best to get our hands on it. It’s obviously a Paladin weapon, and if your raid leader thinks otherwise then remind them how many times you’ve saved his bacon.

I hope this window shopping will help you see how the latest crop of end-game items can really boost your character’s stats. Wearing gear highlighted above will not only bring envy in Dalaran, you’ll also be one of the first to be sporting most of it. Of course in a few months it won’t be so special, so get in there and start working on Ulduar!