The Argent Tournament Grounds

OK, this post has been much harder to collate than I expected.  Blizzard have made this especially difficult considering they have the same items with different names for Horde & Alliance. They have also named items that drop from both normal and heroic versions of the Trial of the Crusader raid the same… but given them different stats arghhh!  To top this off items that have been data mined by MMO Champion, are not showing in Wowhead yet so its hard to get a full view of which items are best.

Instead of waiting for everything to be added properly, I’m still releasing this now, however will most likely edit the post with an update in a few weeks after all the bosses are unlocked to ensure the information is still accurate. For any Horde looking that this post, all the items I’ve listed are the Alliance versions – do not fear! You also have the same items available to you, the names are just slightly different.

Notes:

• I’ve tried wherever possible to only include leather items. Some slots for example wrists & feet had an abysmal selection of decent items to choose from so I’ve added some cloth options also.  For a completely expanded list, check out my Loot Rank Template with weightings included!
• I’ve included the Item Levels for each piece to try to help simplify everything considering many items have the same name.
• For some slots the Balance tier gear actually ranks better than the Restoration pieces. I’ve not included these because I’m assuming trees will be aiming for the 4 piece bonus.
• I’ve tried to only add 4 items per slot, however to ensure that the raiders out there who do 25s but don’t do Hard Modes still have an option, some slots will have 5 or 6 to choose from.
• Items that aren’t yet showing in WowHead but have been data mined are linking to the MMO Champion Database.  Unfortunately you actually have to click on these links to view the item statistics.

Head
ilvl258 Malfurion’s Headpiece of Triumph: Regalia of Triumph, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl245 Helm of Abundant Growth: 75 x Emblems of Triumph, Dalaran
ilvl245 Malfurion’s Headpiece of Triumph: Trophy of the Crusade, Trial of the Crusader 25
ilvl232 Helm of the Snowy Grotto: Twin Val’kyr, Trial of the Crusader 10H

Neck
ilvl258 Wail of the Valkyr: Twin Val’kyr, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl245 Amulet of Binding Elements: Lord Jarraxus, Trial of the Crusader 10H
ilvl239 Charm of Meticulous Timing: XT-002 Deconstructor, Ulduar 25H
ilvl239 Sapphire Amulet of Renewal: Iron Council, Ulduar 25H
ilvl226 Watchful Eye of Fate: Iron Council, Ulduar 10H

Shoulder
ilvl258 Malfurion’s Spaulders of Triumph: Regalia of Triumph, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl245 Malfurion’s Spaulders of Triumph: Trophy of the Crusade, Trial of the Crusader 25
ilvl245 Shoulders of the Fateful Accord: 45 x Emblem of Triumph, Dalaran
ilvl239 Shoulderpads of Dormant Energies: Flame Leviathan, Ulduar 25H

Back
ilvl272 Bolvar’s Devotion: Tribute Chest, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl272 Jaina’s Radiance: Tribute Chest, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl258 Shawl of the Refreshing Winds: Northern Beasts, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl258 Maiden’s Favor: Anub’arak Raid, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl245 Shawl of the Refreshing Winds: Northern Beasts, Trial of the Crusader 25
ilvl258 Cloak of Displacement: Faction Champions, Trial of the Crusader 25H

Chest
ilvl258 Vestments of the Shattered Fellowship: Faction Champions, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl258 Malfurion’s Robe of Triumph: Regalia of Triumph, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl245 Vestments of the Shattered Fellowship: Faction Champions, Trial of the Crusader 25
ilvl245 Lunar Eclipse Chestguard: Crafted

Wrist
ilvl258 Bracers of Autumn Willow: Lord Jaraxxus, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl245 Bracers of Autumn Willow: Lord Jaraxxus, Trial of the Crusader 25
ilvl239 Grasps of Reason: XT-002 Deconstructor, Ulduar 25H
ilvl245 Royal Moonshroud Bracers: Crafted

Hands
ilvl258 Malfurion’s Handguards of Triumph: Regalia of Triumph, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl258 Gloves of the Lifeless Touch: Anub’arak Raid, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl245 Malfurion’s Handguards of Triumph: Trophy of the Crusade, Trial of the Crusader 25
ilvl239 Gloves of the Frozen Glade: Hodir, Ulduar 25H

Waist
ilvl258 Cord of Pale Thorns: Twin Val’kyr, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl245 Cord of Pale Thorns: Twin Val’kyr, Trial of the Crusader 25
ilvl239 Star-beaded Clutch: Algalon, Ulduar 25
ilvl226 Belt of Arctic Life: Crafted

Legs
ilvl258 Malfurion’s Leggings of Triumph: Regalia of Triumph, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl258 Leggings of the Awakening: Anub’arak Raid, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl245 Malfurion’s Leggings of Triumph: Trophy of the Crusade, Trial of the Crusader 25
ilvl232 Malfurion’s Leggings of Conquest: Emblem of Triumph, Dalaran

Feet
ilvl258 Boots of the Unrelenting Storm: Northrend Beasts, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl258 Boots of the Mourning Widow: Faction Champions, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl239 Boots of Fiery Resolution: Flame Leviathan, Ulduar 25H
ilvl245 Boots of the Unrelenting Storm: Northrend Beasts, Trial of the Crusader 25

Ring
ilvl258 Ring of the Darkmender: Lord Jaraxxus, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl258 Band of Deplorable Violence: Anub’arak Raid, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl245 Band of the Invoker: 35 x Emblem of Triumph, Dalaran
ilvl245 Band of Deplorable Violence: Anub’arak Raid, Trial of the Crusader 25
ilvl258 Ring of the Darkmender: Jaraxxus, Trial of the Crusader 25
ilvl239 Conductive Seal: Mimiron, Ulduar 25H

Trinkets
ilvl258 Solace of the Defeated: Lord Jaraxxus, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl245 Solace of the Defeated: Lord Jaraxxus, Trial of the Crusader 25
ilvl219 Spark of Hope: Kologarn, Ulduar 10
ilvl226 Meteorite Crystal: Algalon, Ulduar 10
ilvl239 Show of Faith: Yogg-Saron, Ulduar 25H
ilvl226 Pandora’s Plea: Mimiron, Ulduar 25
ilvl213 Illustration of the Dragon Soul: Sartharion, The Obsidian Sanctum 25

Staves
ilvl258 Clemency: Tribute Chest, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl239 Staff of Endless Winter: Hodir, Ulduar 25H
ilvl232 Icecore Staff: Hodir, Ulduar 10H
ilvl232 The Lifebinder: Freya, Ulduar 25

Main Hand
ilvl258 Misery’s End: Anub’arak Raid, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl245 Blade of the Silver Disciple: Faction Champions, Trial of the Crusader 10H
ilvl245 Misery’s End: Anub’arak Raid, Trial of the Crusader 25
ilvl245 Argent Resolve: Anub’arak Raid, Trial of the Crusader 10H

Off Hand
ilvl258 Chalice of Searing Light: Twin Val’kyr, Trial of the Crusader 25H
ilvl245 Chalice of Searing Light: Twin Val’kyr, Trial of the Crusader 25
ilvl226 Ironmender: Kologarn, Ulduar 25

Relics
ilvl245 Idol of Flaring Growth: 25 x Emblem of Triumph, Dalaran
ilvl213 Idol of Awakening: Multiple Bosses, Naxxramas 25 OR 25 x Emblems of Valor
ilvl226 Idol of the Flourishing Life: Trash Drop, Ulduar OR 19 x Emblems of Conquest

Mmmmm.... Yummy Tasty Triumph Items

With the changes to mana regen (again) and the boost to MP5, I’ve been scouring through Elitist Jerks posts and articles to try and find some consensus on Resto Druid gear weightings for Patch 3.2.  It took me ages, and I ended up going into Northrend Beasts last week with absolutely no idea if there was an potential drop I should be looking out for.

Now that I’ve finished my reading & research I want to make it easier for other trees out there,and have created a gear wish list so you know what to look out for.  I’m splitting this into 2 parts, this first part aimed at players who fit into the below 4 descriptions:

1. The fairly serious 10 Man raider who sometimes PUGs the easy 25 Mans
2. The 25 Man Raider who is trying to gear up a Resto alt or dual spec set
3. The casual player who knows there stuff, runs heroics with friends & PUG easy 25 mans
4. The player who has just come back from a break and wants to get back into 25 man raiding

I’ve listed 3 or so options for each slot, because some players won’t have access to the new 10 man raid.

Notes:

• All options included here are leather only & from normal modes.  For an expanded list, check out my Loot Rank Template with weightings included!
• I define PUGable 25 Mans as Naxxramas, Obsidium Sanctum: 0 Drakes & Eye Of Eternity
• With the patch 3.2 changes to badges be prepared to run heaps of heroics! You’ll notice that many of the best items available require Emblems of Triumph.  You can get 2 emblems every day by doing the daily heroic dungeon which means 14 emblems per week!
• While waiting for a good store of Triumph emblems, you can build yourself a great set between Emblems of Conquest/Valour pieces & splashing out some cash on crafted items.

Head
ilvl245 Helm of Abundant Growth: 75 x Emblems of Triumph, Dalaran
ilvl232 Helm of the Snowy Grotto: Twin Val’kyr, Trial of the Crusader 10
ilvl226 Conqueror’s Nightsong Headpiece: 58 x Emblems of Conquest, Dalaran

Neck
ilvl226 Life-Binder’s Locket: Requires Quest Item from Sapphiron, 25 Man Naxxramas & 25 Man Malygos
ilvl226 Evoker’s Charm: 19 x Emblems of Conquest, Dalaran
ilvl213 Symbol of Redemption: The Black Knight, Trial of the Champion Heroic

Shoulder
ilvl245 Shoulders of the Fateful Accord: 45 x Emblems of Triumph, Dalaran
ilvl232 Malfurion’s Spaulders of Conquest: 30 x Emblems of Triumph, Dalaran
ilvl232 Shoulderpads of the Glacial Wilds: Northrend Beasts, Trial of the Crusader 10
ilvl219 Valorous Nightsong Spaulders: Thorim, Ulduar 10

Back
ilvl226 Cape of the Unworthy Wizard: Kel’Thuzad, Naxxramas 25
ilvl226 Asimov’s Drape: Mimiron, Ulduar 25 OR Auction House
ilvl213 Cloak of Kea Feathers: 25 x Emblem of Valor, Dalaran
ilvl213 Shawl of the Caretaker: Ignis the Furnace Master, Ulduar 10

Chest
ilvl232 Malfurion’s Robe of Conquest: 50 x Emblems of Triumph, Dalaran
ilvl226 Conqueror’s Nightsong Vestments: 58 x Emblems of Conquest, Dalaran
ilvl226 Phaelia’s Vestments of the Sprouting Seed: Iron Council, Ulduar 25 OR Auction House

Wrist
ilvl213 Esteemed Bindings: Instructor Razuvious, Naxxramas 25
ilvl213 Bands of the Great Tree: 60 x Emblem of Valor, Dalaran OR Auction House
ilvl219 Bindings of the Depths: General Vezax, Ulduar 10

Hands
ilvl232 Malfurion’s Handguards of Conquest: 30 x Emblem of Triumph, Dalaran
ilvl213 Valorous Dreamwalker Handguards: Sartharion, The Obsidian Sanctum H
ilvl226 Grips of the Secret Grove: 28 x Emblem of Conquest, Dalaran

Waist
ilvl226 Belt of Arctic Life: Crafted (With Runed Orbs coming down in price, this is definitely worth making)
ilvl226 Belt of the Living Thicket: 28 x Emblem of Conquest, Dalaran
ilvl226 Unravelling Strands of Sanity: Malygos, The Eye of Eternity Heroic

Legs
ilvl232 Malfurion’s Leggings of Conquest: 50 x Emblem of Triumph, Dalaran
ilvl226 Wildstrider Legguards: 39 x Emblem of Conquest, Dalaran
ilvl219 Valorous Nightsong Leggings: Hodir, Ulduar 10

Feet
ilvl226 Boots of Wintry Endurance: Crafted (With Runed Orbs coming down in price, this is definitely worth making)
ilvl213 Rainey’s Chewed Boots: 40 x Emblem of Valor, Dalaran
ilvl219 Boots of the Petrified Forest: Iron Council, Ulduar 10

Finger
ilvl245 Band of the Invoker: 35 x Emblem of Triumph, Dalaran
ilvl245 Heartmender Circle: 35 x Emblem of Triumph, Dalaran
ilvl226 Etched Loop of the Kirin Tor: Tiffany Cartier, Dalaran
ilvl219 Lady Maye’s Sapphire Ring: Iron Council, Ulduar 10
ilvl213 Band of Channeled Magic: 25 x Emblem of Valor, Dalaran

Trinket
ilvl219 Spark of Hope: Kologarn, Ulduar 10 (This trinket is just made for trees)
ilvl213 Illustration of the Dragon Soul: Sartharion, The Obsidian Sanctum Heroic (Every man & his dog seems to have this trinket – I’ve yet to see it drop)
ilvl213 Forethought Talisman: Multiple Bosses, Naxxramas 25
ilvl200 Je’Tze’s Bell: World Drop, Auction House
ilvl219 Eye of the Broodmother: Razorscale, Ulduar 10 (Be prepared to fight some caster clothies for this trinket!)

Staff
ilvl232 Enlightenment: Twin Val’kyr, Trial of the Crusader 10
ilvl232 Cold Convergence: Anub’arak Raid, Trial of the Crusader 10
ilvl219 Devotion: Yogg-Saron, Ulduar 10
ilvl219 Pillar of Fortitude: Trash Drop, Ulduar 10

Main Hand
ilvl232 Blade of the Silver Disciple: Faction Champions, Trial of the Crusader 10
ilvl232 Argent Resolve: Anub’arak Raid, Trial of the Crusader 10
ilvl226 Torch of Holy Fire: Kel’Thuzad, Naxxramas 25 (Yes this once coveted piece is still fantastic)
ilvl219 Stormtip: Iron Council, Ulduar 10

Off Hand
ilvl232 Chalice of Benedictus: Twin Val’kyr, Trial of the Crusader 10
ilvl213 Matriarch’s Spawn: Maexxna, Naxxramas 25
ilvl219 Igniter Rod: Ignis the Furnace Master, Ulduar 10

Idol
ilvl245 Idol of Flaring Growth: 25 x Emblem of Triumph, Dalaran (This has got to be the best idol ever designed! It’s the first thing Lath is spending her emblems on)
ilvl213 Idol of Awakening: Multiple Bosses, Naxxramas 25 OR 25 x Emblem of Valor, Dalaran

I hope some trees out there find this helpful! Next up a gear list for the 25 Man raider…

Cheers

Lath

Lathere and I came somewhat late to the raiding game in Burning Crusade, dipping our toes into Karazhan several months later than the serious raiding guilds on Barthilas. We were pretty noob. We wiped, oh man, we wiped. But, in our casual two-nights-a-week way, we understood we would be forever playing catch-up, and we didn’t mind. We kept raiding and trying to kill bosses at our level.

Greater rewards for more difficult challenges? Nah.

At the near end of the Burning Crusade, Blizzard created a ton of purchasable items for players using Badges of Justice, the precursor to Emblems, in order to bring newcomers and recently turned level 70s up to Tier 6 item stats (the items were equivalent in stat level – not actual Tier armor pieces) and therefore have a chance to participate in Mount Hyjal and Black Temple raiding. They also removed the attunements so you didn’t have to complete the Tier 5 raids – a significant challenge on its own.

Well at the time I can tell you that I was absolutely a “casual” player. And I ran Karazhan over and over again for Badges in order to upgrade my gear. Did it push us to do Tier 6 raiding as a guild? Not really. All we did was spend more and more time collecting badges.

Sunwell Plateau, the final raid instance of the expansion, was released at the same time as all this new Badge gear. I knew that I would never be skilled, geared and committed enough to enter Sunwell Plateau. Guilds who cleared Black Temple each week impressed the heck out of me. But I thought, if we could just get a bit better and wipe less, maybe one day we’d be good enough a group to gain entry into those raid zones.

Let me repeat, when the rest of us were clawing our way to Tier 6 equivalent items, the leading guilds were given a shiny new raid zone with depth to experience. We’re not talking just one or two bosses here completed in a hour or two.

When Wrath of the Lich King was released it only included one Tier level, Tier 7, implemented in the game. Naxxramas, whilst having a ton of bosses, was simply too easy/quick to complete. Obsidian Sanctum and Eye of Eternity are both really really short – 1 boss. You could do the three combined within a few raid nights per week.

Ulduar has satisfied me as a raider (and as a semi-serious raider at that). The early fights are easier than the last bosses. There are unusual challenges along the way. The instance itself is a good length to clear in the space of a lockout week once you’ve downed each boss. Friends who have beaten some of the tricky hardmodes earn my respect.

We’ve been in Ulduar for about 4 months. In that time our casual friends from Burning Crusade have talked about doing 10 Ulduar on and off but it never seems to happen. Doesn’t really surprise me, because they tend to organise events on the spur of the moment based on who’s online. You could have 8 people ready to go and then one person will change their mind and say they’re going to log off to watch some TV.

In comes Patch 3.2. Theoretically I knew that Emblems of Conquest were going to be made freely available, instead of limited to Ulduar bosses, but the reality is much more disturbing than I thought. Two points of view:

Option A – Miss Dedicated

• “Experience” Ulduar as soon as it is released
• Attend as many of your guild raids as possible and be patient when you wipe. Make time to do 10 mans as well because Emblems of Conquest drop there too and it takes weeks to get enough Emblems for a Tier armor token.
• Consider splashing out gold to get Runed Orbs to upgrade your belt and boots… nah too expensive
• After 4 months be content with your gear – it’s not the hardmode stuff, but it’s good, and sprinkled with Naxx 25 items anyway

Option B – Mr Patient

• Know that eventually you and some mates will go check out Ulduar when you’re ready
• Run raids when you feel like it, DC when you’ve had enough
• Consider splashing out gold to get Runed Orbs to upgrade your belt and boots… nah too expensive
• Hope you’ll get lucky and get the BiS Naxx stuff – Torch of Holy Fire ftw!

After four months. If only WoW were a fashion parade...

Now, 4 months later, all Mr Patient has to do is run alot of heroic instances (something he finds pretty darn easy) and he too can get Ulduar equivalent gear and three pieces of Tier 8.5 armor. If he got those BiS Naxx/OS/EoE stuff, well his gear models might not match as prettily as someone wearing 5/5 Conquerors, but the stats will be as good.

I’m not being stereotypical here. Mr Patient is my brother. I live with him. When I’m up 4 nights a week to dutifully complete my raids and not leave before raid’s over, he’s watching TV. On the weekends he’ll make an effort and PuG Naxx, but after a couple wings he’ll DC and take a break. In the last few days he has earnt more Emblems of Triumph than I, does daily dungeons while I raid, and has already gotten his Tier 8.5 helm.

He has been running the new dungeon – the 5 man Trial of the Champion – on normal and heroic and has picked up several great epics including the tanking one that my guild’s main tank – in full Ulduar gear – is desperate for. Even I swapped out Cosmic Lights for a new neckpiece from the heroic for my healing set. And the heroic wasn’t hard.

It’s as simple as this. You can’t compare the difficulty of Ulduar and Heroics and give out the same rewards.

This is a complete turn around from Blizzard’s stance at the launch of Wrath of the Lich King. When it was announced that each raid instance would be tuned for 10 man group (normal) and 25 man groups (heroic) they made it clear that the item level of dropped loot would be different, just as the Emblems would be different. And the rewards would be commensurate.

People are not jumping from Tier 4 to Tier 6 here. They’re going from the easiest, entry level raid (Naxx – Tier 7) to the next tier of gear (Ulduar – Tier 8). Is this the way of the future? Wiping the slate clean with each new patch?

Has nothing been learned from the Badges of Justice days?

So my brother, Mr Patient, can close the gear gap now. That’s true. Is it going to open up “doors” for him and allow him to experience Ulduar and other end-game raids? Nope. He’ll just keep running heroics and Naxx 10. Why not?

I wouldn’t be so disappointed by this if it weren’t for the new raid instance: Trial of the Crusader. We’re being given 1 new boss per week. And if that doesn’t satisfy you, you can’t try it on Heroic mode until you’ve cleared the whole place on Normal. The Northrend Beasts encounter was fun. But it took up 1 hour of our time. Then we headed back to Ulduar, uncertain if it was worth pursuing Ulduar hardmodes at all. Trial of the Crusader is where our next Tier upgrades are after all.

So, other than Algalon, I’m pretty confident that I’ve experienced all the end game bosses available in Wrath. Yet I have nothing left to strive for. Blizzard can dream up a new boss and drip-feed it to us each week in the Trial of the Crusader and until they believe it’s gone on long enough. And then they can open up Heroic mode.

In the days of Burning Crusade I knew it was my skill that held me back. Now there is no boss/raid to anticipate and strive towards implemented in the game, Blizzard will give it to us when they’re ready, not when we are.