This is not intended as a best-in-slot list, but merely a general listing of possible sources of caster gear for druids. I have included quest, dungeon (normal and heroic) and crafted pieces. Due to the buff provided by wearing leather, I have considered no other armor type. In order to get the most bang for your buck, try to prioritize the following stats:
- Restoration: Haste cap (if obtainable, otherwise start at Int) > Int > Haste > Crit >=Mastery > Spirit
- Balance: Hit (Until cap) > Int > Haste > Crit >=Mastery
Note: These values are currently based on L80 priorities since there is no firm consensus on 85 priorities. However, I anticipate minimal changes in the stat allocation.Regardless of spec, intellect is a major stat, so I have included it as a requirement when determining gear for this list. Any suggestions, additions, or corrections are appreciated. I may follow with a best in slot starter list if I have time before people begin raiding! However, in many cases, grabbing the best you can before your team starts in on raids is the only option, so I hope this listing makes finding the right places to quest and dungeon before raid day makes the transition smooth.Data compiled from Wowhead.
Armor
Head
Engineering
Dungeon
- Cowl of Rebellion, Deadmines (H)
Dungeon Quest
- Helm of Reorigination, Halls of Origination
Quest
- Hood of Lost Solitude, Twilight Highlands
- Wax-Filled Hood, Twilight Highlands (Horde version of item and quest)
- Hood of the Scorpion, Uldum
- Interrogator’s Hood, Deepholm
- Cowl of the Leptochelae, Shimmering Expanse
- Muffling Hood, Mount Hyjal
Chest
Leatherworking
Dungeon
- Cursed Skardyn Vest, Grim Batol | Heroic
- Robes of the Loving Ursine, Deadmines (H)
- Heroic Vest of the Curious Visitor, Deadmines (H)
Dungeon Quest
- Acid Eaten Vest, Blackrock Caverns
Quest
- Wrap of the Fallen City, Uldum
- Keegan’s Windswept Chestguard, Twilight Highlands (Horde version of item and quest)
- Chestguard of the Weak Scarab, Uldum
- Rippling Ooze Chestguard, Deepholm
- Pteropod Robes, Kelp’thar Forest (Horde version of item and quest)
Legs
Leatherworking
Dungeon
- Leggings of the Path, Lost City of the Tol’Vir | Heroic
Dungeon Quest
- Leggings of the Lost Child, The Stonecore
Quest
- Woundseal Leggings, Twilight Highlands
- Substitute Gunner’s Leggings, Uldum
- Spore-Soaked Leggings, Deepholm
- Leftover Leggings, Kelp’thar Forest (Horde version of item and quest)
- Treegrip Pants, Mount Hyjal
Feet
Leatherworking
Dungeon
- Awakening Footfalls, Halls of Origination | Heroic
- Heroic Decapod Slippers, Throne of the Tides (H)
Quest
- Treads of Revelation, Stormwind City (Horde version of item and quest)
- Sandals of Corrupted Water, Uldum
- Shattered Bond Treads, Deepholm
- Gulper Eel Sandals, Shimmering Expanse (Horde version of item and quest)
Waist
Leatherworking
Dungeon
- Underworld Cord, Halls of Origination | Heroic
Quest
- Belt of Bloody Dreams, Twilight Highlands (Horde version of item and quest)
- Waistguard of Fallen Hearts, Uldum
- Press Gang Girdle, Deepholm
- Earthmender’s Sawfish Girdle, Shimmering Expanse
- Primal Force Girdle, Mount Hyjal (Horde version of item and quest)
Hands
Leatherworking
Dungeon
- Deep Delving Gloves, The Stonecore (N)
- Heroic Gloves of the Uplifted Cup, Shadowfang Keep (H)
Dungeon Quest
- Gloves of Baleflame, Grim Batol
Quest
- Barrel-Belly Gauntlets, Twilight Highlands(Alliance Only)
- Fencer’s Nimblefingers, Twilight Highlands (Horde version of item and quest)
- Marshseeker Gloves, Uldum(Alliance Only)
- Rose-Grip Gloves, Uldum
- Firm Grips, Deepholm
- Gloves of Nurtured Truth, Mount Hyjal
- Gloves of Delicate Mixture, Abyssal Depths (Horde version of item and quest)
- Sea-Bending Gloves, Shimmering Expanse
Shoulder
Leatherworking
Dungeon
- Mantle of Soft Shadows, Halls of Origination | Heroic
Quest
- Spaulders of Rolling Incineration, Uldum
- Fire-Dodged Shoulderpads, Twilight Highlands
- Pristine Coyote Spaulders, Uldum
- Seafletcher Shoulderpads, Shimmering Expanse (Horde version of item and quest)
- Shoulderpads of Dead Memories, Mount Hyjal
- Smoot-Smacking Shoulderpads, Azshara(Horde Only)
- Soulgrowth Spaulders, Twilight Highlands (Horde version of item and quest)
Wrist
Leatherworking
Dungeons
- Oasis Bracers, Lost City of Tol’vir (N)
- Bracers of Caustic Purification, Blackrock Caverns (H)
- Heroic Armbands of Courage, Blackrock Caverns (H)
Quest
- Keg-Stealer Bracers, Twilight Highlands(Horde version of item and quest)
- Bracers of the Verdant Cradle, Uldum
- Burning Bind Bracers, Deepholm
- Bracers of the Vanquished God, Abyssal Depths
- Apocryphic Bindings, Mount Hyjal
- Harp Shell Wristguards, Shimmering Expanse (Horde version of item and quest)
Neck
Jewelcrafting
Dungeon
- Charm of the Muse, Halls of Origination (N)
- Tauntka’s Necklace, City of Tol’vir | Heroic
- Heroic Pendant of the Keep, Shadowfang Keep (H)
Dungeon Quest
Quest
- Eye of Despair, Twilight Highlands (Horde version of item and quest)
- Giltstone Necklace, Twilight Highlands
- Confiscated Dog Tags, Uldum
- Re-Wound Cogspring, Deepholm
- Brain-Connector Chain, Abyssal Depths(Horde only)
- Calcified Gizzard, Mount Hyjal?
- Hippolyte’s Glittering Necklace, Kelp’thar Forest
World Drop
Rings
Jewelcrafting
Dungeon
- Abandoned Dark Iron Ring, Grim Batol (N/H)
- Band of Life Energy, Halls of Origination | Heroic
- Band of Rays, Halls of Origination | Heroic
- Rose Quartz Band, The Stonecore
- Spirit Creeper Ring, City of Tol’vir | Heroic
- Veneficial Band, City of Tol’vir | Heroic
- Heroic Anthia’s Ring, Throne of the Tides (H)
- Heroic Lavishly Jeweled Ring, Deadmines (H)
- Ring of Frozen Rain, Vortex Pinnacle (H)
Dungeon Quest
- Caliph’s Band, Vortex Pinnacle
- High Priestess’ Signet, The Stonecore
- Finkle’s Twinkle, Blackrock Caverns (Alliance only)
Quest
- Red Dragonheart Ring, Twilight Highlands
- Eye of the Stars, Uldum
- Redistributed Signet, Twilight Highlands (Horde version of item and quest)
- Starscaper Signet, Deepholm (Horde version of item and quest)
- Sekhemet’s Seal, Uldum
- Signet of the Lookout, Abyssal Depths (Horde version of item and quest)
- Dusky Pearl Ring, Shimmering Expanse (Horde version of item and quest)
- Signet of Nascent Fire, Mount Hyjal?
Trinkets
Archaeology
Inscription
Inscription profession not required.Jewelcrafting
Dungeon
- Tear of Blood, The Stonecore
Quest
- Talisman of Sinister Order, Uldum
- Harmlight Token, Twilight Highlands(Horde only)
- Mindfletcher Talisman, Mount Hyjal?
- Stonemother’s Kiss, Deepholm
Idols
Inscription
Dungeon
- Book of Dark Prophecies, The Stonecore
- Heroic Book of the Well Sung Song, Deadmines (H)
- Heroic Captured Lightning, Vortex Pinnacle (H)
Quest
- Cannon Stabilizer, Uldum?
- Fine-Toothed Comb, Kelp’thar Forest
- Spearwarden’s “Lucky” Charm, Twilight Highlands (Horde version of item and quest)
Cloak
Dungeon
- Azureborne Cloak, Grim Batol | Heroic
- Solar Wind Cloak, Halls of Origination | Heroic
- Periwinkle Cloak, Throne of the Tides (H)
- Shadow of Perfect Bliss, Vortex Pinnacle (H)
- Springvale’s Cloak, Shadowfang Keep (H)
Dungeon Quest
- Beauty’s Cootie-Ridden Blarkie, Blackrock Caverns (Alliance only)
Quest
- Stonebinder’s Cloak, Deepholm
- Cloak of Grand Leadership, Twilight Highlands (Horde version of item and quest)
- Corrupted Eggshell Drape, Uldum
- Ancient Beth’moran Cloak, Shimmering Expanse (Horde version of item and quest)
- Cloak of Cheerful Flowers, Mount Hyjal
Weapon
One-Handed Mace
Blacksmithing
Dungeon
- Scepter of Power, Hall of Origination
- Heroic Torturer’s Mercy, Blackrock Caverns (H)
Quest
- Gurgthock’s Garish Gorebat, Twilight Highlands
- Druidic Channeler’s Mace, Mount Hyjal
- Geomancer’s Mace, Deepholm
- Sambino’s Old Hammer, Shimmering Expanse
Dagger
Blacksmithing
Dungeon
- Biting Wind, Vortex Pinnacle | Heroic
- Modgud’s Blade, Grim Batol | Heroic
Quest
- Clam Shucker, Shimmering Expanse (Horde version of item and quest)
- Glyphtrace Ritual Knife, Mount Hyjal?
- Salhet’s Ornate Dagger, Uldum
Off-hand
Inscription
- Battle Tome, Mats
- Book of Blood, Mats
- Divine Companion, Mats
- Dungeoneering Guide, Mats
- Lord Rottington’s Pressed Wisp Book, Mats
Dungeon
- Book of Origination, Halls of Origination (N/H)
- Prophet’s Scepter, The Stonecore
Quest
- Skyflight Beacon, Twilight Highlands (Horde version of item and quest)
- Bottled Neurons, Abyssal Depths
- Broken Emergency Brake, Deepholm
- Claw of Corroded Hope, Mount Hyjal
- Shining Scorpid Eye, Uldum
Staff
Archaeology
Dungeon
- Soul Releaser, Halls of Origination | Heroic
- Staff of Siphoned Essences, Grim Batol | Heroic
- Heroic Cerith Spire Staff, Throne of Tides
- Heroic Emberstone Staff, Deadmines (H)
- Staff of Isolation, Shadowfang Keep (H)
Quest
- Very Manly Staff, Twilight Highlands
- Spire of Defiance, Deepholm
- Ihsenn’s Staff of Terror, Uldum
- Officer’s Formal Baton, Uldum
- Breathpipe, Deepholm
- Heraldcall Censer, Mount Hyjal
- Medusoid Staff, Kelp’thar Forest(Horde only)
- Repurposed Twilight Staff, Mount Hyjal
- Staff of Post-Facto Preparation, Shimmering Expanse (Horde version of item and quest)
This is a great list. I'm going to have to bookmark it.
I do think that spirit is going to be very important for healers during the first part of the expansion. Our mana regen has been nerfed to the ground in recent patches and I'm already feeling the burn (admittedly only really badly on the LK fight which is about as opposite of the Cataclysm raiding model as I can think)
It's hard to tell at the moment, and I've yet to see a solid answer from any healing class on the importance of spirit who's been beta testing. Fortunately, spirit seems to follow intellect around like a duckling, so I'm thinking spirit will maintain it's low priority (i.e. don't gem or enchant it).
I've been healing heroics at the minimum gear score allowed (nothing in my bags is boosting my average item level). I have been focusing on maximum intellect and crit, and I haven't had much trouble. My mana regen was fine at 1600 mp5 (which is low). At 15+ crit %, you'll be fine on a druid. Haste is nerfed hard, I wouldn't advise stacking haste – it lets you spend mana faster, which was fine in the infinite mana days of wrath. Crit improves healing per mana, so I think it's better.
I really should really re-do these with the 4.0.6 changes going live. My current stat priority is Intellect>Spellpower>Spirit>Haste to obtainable breakpoint>Mastery>Crit. Haste, which can increase the number of ticks per cast on our HoTs is infinitely better than critical strike, which only increases the healing of spells that actually crit by 1.5 times. Critical strike is always the weakest secondary stat for balance druids, so focusing on crit instead of mastery or haste and not reforging it to achieve a greater balance and parity among better stats is not advised.
True, but if you don't have enough haste to get one more tick, then the haste is having no effect. For example, if something ticks every two seconds, then you need a ridiculous amount of haste to make it tick one more time over the whole duration of the HoT. On the other hand, when you do wild growth or tranquility, it will crit like crazy (6 things ticking minimum = at least one crit per second, and often massive bursts of crit). Sometimes my screen goes crazy with the crit numbers popping out at me. Haste just makes you able to use more mana to do more healing, which isn't what you want. If you are any good at playing a resto druid, you're healing almost entirely using direct heals, the tick rate is not very significant anyway. Making heals hit harder is more important than being able to spend more mana per second to heal. But we're all entitled to our own opinion 🙂
The goal is to hit a haste breakpoint for your HoT and then begin stacking something else; however, this priority changes as you have additional stats become available (such as going from pre-heroic gear to heroic gear to raid gear–at each point you must evaluate your breakpoint potential before considering other options). I am not proposing haste over all other stats all the time, but it's definitely more valuable at breakpoints than either critical strike or mastery, and once you reach those breakpoints, mastery is more valuable than critical strike. Saying that haste has no benefit whatsoever if you're not hitting a breakpoint is also false — the benefit there depends entirely on your role.
Critical strike is "fun" in that you get to see big numbers more often; however, to say its more valuable because you're in a stat poor situation that doesn't allow you to reach the next haste breakpoint (so you're just wasting stats dumping them in haste) or better than the alternative, mastery, which depends on your dungeoning role (heroics, which only give you five characters vs. 10 or 25 to heal) is just plain silly. Making zero effort to acquire critical strike rating (and reforging what I can away) I'm still sitting at 16%. Except for Rejuvenation, haste benefits throughput more than critical strike, and you can go look at the mad math here.