Teldrassil Sapling: Summon your brand new level 80 Restoration Druid and gear them!
I don’t talk about her very often but I have a sapling – a fresh level 80 Restoration Druid – called Restori. Yes, I have two Restoration Druids. Restori currently resides on Nagrand and she’s a big Tauren.
I’ve found myself starting to focus on how to best gear up Restori without raiding (well not much) so that when I’ve got the spare time in the future I’ll be able to PUG the occasional raid for pure fun.
Gearing as a Casual
The best way to gear her is by running heroics. While doing this research I couldn’t stop thinking that this is quite a time consuming and painful way to go about gearing.
I’m sure that joining a guild that runs 10 mans twice a week gearing up would actually be easier. If you have a playing schedule that allows you to join a 10 man raiding guild I strongly recommend you consider that path.
Saplings and Haste
When I first went back to Restori last week I had a grand total of 88 Haste. Those first couple of heroics were painful. While the haste cap isn’t a strict requirement for 5 man dungeons I’ve been spoiled playing Lathere. I’m working and gemming to reach at least 735 Haste and I’ll use a build that talents into Celestial Focus.
What to buy first?
While there are some nice items in heroics, the majority of really good pieces available to baby trees come from Emblems and crafted gear. Restori has very limited gold at her disposal so most of her gear is going to come from Emblems.
I’ve included a list of the best pieces available below so you can make up your own mind how to best gear your sapling but if you want to do the majority of gearing via Heroics this is the order of how I’m spending my Emblems of Triumph and Emblems of Frost.
Note: Don’t follow this as gospel – shuffle it around a little based on what you pick up while doing random heroics. There is no point upgrading the Shoulders first for instance if you have a good ilvl 200 Blue piece yet your wearing a terrible pair of green gloves.
| Triumph Order | ||
| 1. | Runetotem’s Spaulders of Conquest | 30 |
| 2. | Idol of Flaring Growth | 25 |
| 3. | Band of the Invoker | 35 |
| 4. | Runetotem’s Robe of Conquest | 50 |
| 5. | Runetotem’s Handguards of Conquest | 30 |
| 6. | Runetotem’s Leggings of Conquest | 50 |
| 7. | Mask/Helm of Abundant Growth | 75 |
| 8. | Heartmender Circle | 35 |
| Total | 330 | |
| Frost Order | ||
| 1. | Volde’s Cloak of the Night Sky | 50 |
| 2. | Purified Lunar Dust | 60 |
| 3. | Circle of Ossus | 60 |
| 4. | Lasherweave Gauntlets | 60 |
| 5. | Lasherweave Legplates | 95 |
| Total | 265 | |
If the average Heroic gives you 5 Emblems of Triumph you are looking at 66 heroics to get all those pieces.
To get the first 3 Frost pieces (the last 2 are just wishful upgrades) it will take 9 weeks if you stick to doing the daily heroic and weekly raid each week.
The Big Picture
The set I’m aiming for with Restori can be seen here along with my talents, gems and enchants: “Best in slot” Restoration Druid Gear without Raiding.
If you have plenty of cash available and want to inject this into your Sapling there are some great crafted and Bind on Equip epics you can pick up from the Auction House. On Barthilas these items cost approximately 15000g each so unless you are at gold cap I would suggest making sure that a resto druid is what you like playing before splurging! This list can be seen along with a different talent build and gems can be found here.
The Gear List
I’ve tried to keep the number of options limited. Basically if there are two ilevel 245 pieces that can both be bought for Emblems of Triumph I’ve only listed here the better itemised of the two. This is the same for crafted gear.
Sometimes the cloth pieces are better than the leather so while there is nothing wrong with choosing the leather piece, I am only listing the item that has the best itemisation for a tree.
* There are a couple of fantastic items in here that drop from easily pugged raids. Feel free to ignore them and go straight to better options. Or use this list to compare those items to others available in that slot.
| Head |
ilvl
|
Source |
Haste
|
| Mask/Helm of Abundant Growth |
245
|
75 Emblem of Triumph |
74
|
| Lasherweave Helmet |
251
|
95 Emblem of Frost | |
| Stormrage Antlers* |
232
|
Onyxia |
72
|
| Helm of the Snowy Grotto* |
232
|
Twin Val’kyr | |
| Malfurion’s/Runetotem’s Headpiece of Conquest |
232
|
50 Emblem of Triumph | |
| Neck | |||
| Love’s Prisoner |
232
|
Bronjahm |
34
|
| Evoker’s Charm |
226
|
19 Emblem of Conquest |
42
|
| Arcane Loops of Anger |
232
|
The Devourer of Souls |
45
|
| Shoulders | |||
| Pauldrons/Mantle of Revered Mortality |
245
|
45 Emblem of Triumph |
59
|
| Lasherweave Pauldrons |
251
|
60 Emblem of Frost | |
| Malfurion’s/Runetotem’s Spaulders of Conquest |
232
|
30 Emblem of Triumph |
60
|
| Shoulderpads/Pauldron’s of the Glacial Wilds* |
232
|
Northrend Beasts |
52
|
| Back | |||
| Volde’s Cloak of the Night Sky |
264
|
50 Emblem of Frost | |
| Disguise of the Kumiho |
213
|
25 Emblem of Valor |
41
|
| Cloak of the Fallen Cardinal |
219
|
Scourgelord Tyrannus | |
| Cloak of the Dying* |
213
|
Kel’Thuzad | |
| Drape of Surgery* |
200
|
Patchwerk |
25
|
| Chest | |||
| Vestments of Spruce and Fir |
264
|
95 Emblem of Frost |
108
|
| Lasherweave Robes |
251
|
95 Emblem of Frost | |
| Merlin’s Robe |
245
|
Crafted |
90
|
| Chestguard of Broken Branches |
232
|
The Captain’s Chest |
72
|
| Malfurion’s/Runetotem’s Robes of Conquest |
232
|
50 Emblem of Triumph |
89
|
| Wrist | |||
| Bejeweled Wizard’s Bracers |
245
|
Crafted |
50
|
| Wristguards of Subterranean Moss |
219
|
Ick |
37
|
| Ghostly Wristwraps |
232
|
Trash Mobs | |
| Cuffs of the Shadow Ascendant |
213
|
60 Emblem of Valor |
38
|
| Hands | |||
| Gloves of False Gestures |
264
|
60 Emblem of Frost |
64
|
| Lasherweave Gauntlets |
251
|
60 Emblem of Frost |
63
|
| Essence of Desire |
232
|
The Devourer of Souls |
55
|
| Malfurion’s/Runetotem’s Handguards of Conquest |
232
|
30 Emblem of Triumph | |
| Suspiciously Soft Gloves |
232
|
Marwyn | |
| Waist | |||
| Circle of Ossus |
264
|
60 Emblem of Frost |
80
|
| Belt of Arctic Life |
226
|
Crafted |
40
|
| Braid of Salt and Fire |
232
|
Ick |
60
|
| Belt of the Living Thicket |
226
|
28 Emblem of Conquest |
56
|
| Strip of Remorse |
232
|
The Captain’s Chest |
62
|
| Legs | |||
| Leggings of Woven Death |
264
|
Crafted |
108
|
| Lasherweave Legplates |
251
|
95 Emblem of Frost |
78
|
| Malfurion’s/Runetotem’s Leggings of Conquest |
232
|
50 Emblem of Triumph |
72
|
| Wildstrider Legguards |
226
|
39 Emblem of Conquest | |
| Leggings of the Snowy Bramble |
219
|
The Black Knight |
69
|
| Feet | |||
| Blessed Cenarion Boots |
264
|
Crafted |
72
|
| Spellslinger’s Slippers |
226
|
Crafted |
56
|
| Prelate’s Snowshoes |
232
|
Scourgelord Tyrannus |
57
|
| Ice-Steeped Sandals |
219
|
Forgemaster Garfrost |
57
|
| Slippers of the Holy Light |
213
|
40 Emblem of Valor |
37
|
| Finger | |||
| Ashen Band of Wisdom |
251
|
The Ashen Verdict Quartermaster |
53
|
| Band of the Invoker |
245
|
35 Emblem of Triumph Vendor |
50
|
| Runed Loop of the Kirin Tor |
251
|
Harold Winston | |
| Heartmender Circle |
245
|
35 Emblem of Triumph Vendor | |
| Oath of Empress Zoe |
232
|
The Captain’s Chest | |
| Trinket | |||
| Purified Lunar Dust |
264
|
60 Emblem of Frost | |
| Ephemeral Snowflake |
232
|
Marwyn | |
| Talisman of Resurgence |
245
|
50 Emblem of Triumph | |
| Abyssal Rune |
200
|
The Black Knight |
84
|
| The Egg of Mortal Essence |
200
|
Emblem of Heroism | |
| Embrace of the Spider* |
200
|
Maexxna | |
| Nevermelting Ice Crystal |
232
|
Scourgelord Tyrannus | |
| Staves (2-Hand) | |||
| Engraved Gargoyle Femur |
232
|
Scourgelord Tyrannus |
86
|
| Unspeakable Secret |
219
|
Forgemaster Garfrost | 93 |
| Blood Boil Lancet |
219
|
The Devourer of Souls | |
| Greatstaff of the Nexus* |
213
|
Malygos | 104 |
| Charmed Cierge* |
200
|
Four Horsemen Chest | 89 |
| Main Hand | |||
| Surgeon’s Needle |
232
|
Forgemaster Garfrost | |
| Spectral Kris |
219
|
The Black Knight | 46 |
| Bone Golem Scapula |
219
|
The Captain’s Chest | 37 |
| Mariel’s Sorrow |
219
|
The Black Knight | |
| Ice Spire Scepter* |
213
|
Malygos | 38 |
| Off Hand | |||
| Shriveled Heart |
232
|
The Captain’s Chest |
50
|
| Handbook of Obscure Remedies |
200
|
25 Emblem of Heroism | 25 |
| Faces of Doom |
200
|
Crafted | |
| Scepter of Murmuring Spirits* |
200
|
Instructor Razuvious | |
| Watchful Eye* |
200
|
Grand Widow Faerlina | |
| Relic | |||
| Idol of the Black Willow |
264
|
30 Emblem of Frost | |
| Idol of Flaring Growth |
245
|
25 Emblem of Triumph | |
| Idol of Lush Moss |
200
|
15 Emblem of Heroism |
I really recommend running the top end instances – TOC, FOS, POS, HOR – on regular a few times, getting some nice solid drops, and then queueing for them on heroic. It will make the grind a lot less painful to have some solid pieces in slots that hold quest greens. Make the Idol of Flaring Growth your first Triumph badge priority, ignore the Frost idol until you’ve got everything else you want with frosts.
FYI I think they nerfed the drop rate on the Ghostly Wristwraps. I saw them drop three times the first day I ran PoS and since then I’ve seen them drop twice. Go for the crafted ones if you can afford it.
The Circle of Ossus was my second Frost priority and I’m skipping the trinket for now (went for my two set bonus instead). That’s a personal choice but I have a half dozen trinkets I’ve picked up places that I swap in and out depending on the fight. (Pst: you’ve got the Abyssal Rune trinket in your trinkets list, is that right? Are you listing it because of the haste? I think there were a few times I put that one on for the haste so I wouldn’t blame you…)
.-= Analogue’s last blog: Gearing Up is Easy =-.
I guess I’m a bit confused on the gear list, as you’ve listed several items that drop in raid instances, yet stated you were gearing up without raiding, but maybe I misunderstood. I have a resto druid that’s never raided, and likely never will due to my playstyle, so your post is of extreme interest to me.
I wanted to mention another source for a good starter weapon is the Argent Tournament. The Dagger of Lunar Purity http://www.wowhead.com/?item=45078 (or the Horde equivalent) is a great starter main-hand for resto druids and a bargain at only 25 Champion’s Seals. The Iron-bound Tome http://www.wowhead.com/?item=38322 is a crafted off-hand, but not an expensive one,and while it doesn’t have the spirit and intellect of the other offhands, it does offer a generous amount more spellpower. Since resto druids are so mana-efficient, it’s my opinion it’s worth the trade-off.
.-= Bri’s last blog: The "Whoa" Moment =-.
I think Lathere has put in a few really “standout” pieces from the easy to pug raids (like Naxx). I’ll go through and asterisk them so you can ignore them. Fortunately none of them are the most desirable item listed
I’m a raider at heart so even in the midst of dungeoning with crappy gear I’m always on the look out for a PUG VOA, TOC or anything I think I can get away with!
I’ve tried to add some of these items in just because quite a few casuals are willing to give the odd PUG raid a show and some of the items are worthwhile and not worth overlooking as alternative options.
I’d advise running regular ToC for a little bit first before you start grinding heroics. Getting a few 200 epics from there to replace your awful leveling gear will help a lot when you hit heroics.
Awesome… I’m just about to hit 80 on my resto druid and I’ve been dying to find a good gearing guide for “fresh 80s.” One quick question though; Runetotem’s Vestments of Conquest under your Triumph list… isn’t that a boomkin piece? Was this on purpose for some reason?
Yep that was a mistake – I’ve corrected the list and linked the Restoration item instead.
Okay, I swear I’m not trying to spam here =) But… on a previous post of yours (Patch 3.3 Resto Druid Gear for the Casual…), I noticed a couple differences in items. I would love you get your input on why. Specifically, for wrists, I see you’ve listed the Wizard’s Bracers here and Moonshadow Armguards there. Also, for legs, you’ve listed Woven Death here, and Unleashed Legwraps there. The difference I primarily see is between haste vs. crit.
This leads to my primary question. I’m going to primarily spend my time in heroics as a healer. I don’t have the time to raid (10 or 25 man), and I have plenty of spouse aggro to ensure that =). Once in a blue moon I may step into my guild’s 10-man runs if they need a healer. My goal is really to get the best possible gear I can prior to Cataclysm by grinding heroics and spending gold on BoEs/crafted. Which of these gear lists should I focus on, and how can I resolve the discrepancies I’ve pointed out above?
Thank you so much!
With the 3.3 Raiding guides I only included leather items because quite a few raiding guilds including my own don’t allow restos to roll on cloth items over priests and other clothies. I have found as a casual player doing 5 mans and PUGs people need on anything that is actually an upgrade for them so I loosened the search terms and included cloth items.
One of the other links I want to post is a Profile for people who have a fair bit of gold to throw into gearing. There are some great Bind on Equip epics that if you have cash lying around will make a huge difference – definitely better than the pieces I can afford.
Excellent post! Will bookmark this for later on, if I ever bother to level Kensa, she’s still at 68.
.-= Jaedia’s last blog: Dragons and Pilla’s =-.
OK I’m sorry I didn’t realise that Cass was going to post this article! I hadn’t finished going through it to make sure all the item links worked correctly and made sure I was 100% happy with the items I was going for. Last night for example I already changed to my mind on the chest and decided to fork out for the Merlin’s Robe instead of going for the badge list.
I’ve updated and added the extra things I wanted to talk about now
Thank you so much for this list, it’s exactly what I needed for my own druid. I found using Rawr/wowhead and other tools effective, but had trouble with stat weight choices and it doesn’t conveniently organise them into a page I can bookmark.
I realise I’m a little late to this post but it’s been very useful in gearing up my resto druid
Anyway I just wanted your thoughts on a specific problem I’m having – when to break my 4 piece T9. When I do raid its 10 mans only (and not that often) so I don’t have access to the higher level or heroic versions of the T9 or vast amounts of T10. I was lucky enough to get the T10 legs from VoA last night but am really stuck on when it’s worth breaking T9. Half the problem seems to be the amount of crit rather than haste on the T9… I mean there’s crit on 3/4 of the non-leg pieces!
Any thoughts?
I know a lot of druids chose to keep 4 piece tier 9 until they had 4 pieces of tier 10 to exchange it with. To be honest I’m not too sure if the 4 piece tier 10 bonus is even that great for 10 man raiders – I rarely see my rejuvenation jump and it gets overwritten by one of the other trees in my guild most of the time anyway and that’s in 25 mans. Keeping rejuv on 10 players isn’t too hard as it is, so will the jump benefit you a great deal?
I swapped out to 2 pieces of tier 10 – the shoulders and gloves when I had the badges and I didn’t feel like I lost out at all. It certainly wasn’t anywhere near as bad as switching out my tier 8 while still picking up tier 9!
If you can save enough frost emblems for your 2nd piece of tier 10 I think that would be a big upgrade from your current 232 items. If haste is a problem then upgrade the gloves (30 badges) as the tier 10 legs and hands are the 2 haste pieces. You can then use emblems of triumph to get the Helm of Abundant Growth & Mantle of Revered Mortality which are 245 items and also have a heap more haste and spell power on them.
Going from 4 pieces of 232 tier 9 to 2 pieces of 251 tier 10 (with wild growth bonus) + 2 pieces of 245 will definitely give you greater bang for your buck then the 4 piece tier 9 bonus!
Quick follow up question – are these pieces rank ordered from best to worst in this list? Some of the stats on same-slot pieces are quite comparable, and I was just wondering how or why they were ordered as you have them. For example, through running heroics, I’ve accumulated all 3 of the neckies you have listed and I’m stuck on which one to equip =)
Thanks!
The data is pulled from Loot Rank – so it is ranked from best to worst, though all options provided are still meant to be tasty. I agree – the neck pieces are definitely all very comparable – in fact I actually choose to wear Arcane Loops of Anger (ranked 3rd) at the moment because I really want the extra haste and MP5 hasn’t been too big an issue for me
Like others I’m a bit late on this (well a lot late), but this is bookmarked and what I refer to when I have enough emblems to purchase something. Thanks for putting this up. I’m still gearing, but I hope to get into a 10 man raid in the not so distant future. Right now random heroics are boring to heal and I’m not that well geared..I think!
Extremely interesting details!Perfect just what I was looking for!