Retribution Paladin pre-raid gear list 4.0.6

This is the set I would go for pre-raid based on the gear list.  This set will see you 2 points off the hit cap (with hit gems in blue slots).  You will need to reforge to meet the expertise cap.  Its a bit of a change from items you may have gone for beforehand, due to the changes in 4.0.6.  You could add one other epic item to this list the Valor Points boots are BoE and probably

Head – Stonemason’s Helm (Heroic Deadmines)
Neck – Gift of Nadun (Ramkahen – Exalted)
Shoulder – Pauldron’s of the High Requiem (1650 Justice Points)
Back – Geordan’s Cloak (Heroic Lost City of Tolv’ir)
Chest – Elementium Deathplate (Blacksmithing)
Wrist – Alpha Bracers (Heroic Halls of Origination)
Hands – Reaping Gauntlets (1650 Justice Points)
Waist – Belt of the Ferocious Wolf (Guardian’s of Hyjal – Exalted)
Legs – Greaves of Gallantry (2200 Justice Points)
Feet* – Greaves of Wu the Elder (Heroic Lost City of Tolv’ir)
Rings – Nova Band (Heroic Halls of Origination) and Circle of Bone (Heroic Grim Batol)
Weapon – Foe Reaper (Heroic Deadmines)
Relic – Weapon of the Brotherhood’s End (Heroic Deadmines)

*If you are Drenai replace Greaves of Wu the Elder with Waywatcher’s Boots from Wildhammer – Revered.

So what do you need to get this gear?

Heroic Deadmines (3 items)
Heroic Lost City of Tol’vir (2 items)
Heroic Halls of Origination (2 items)
Heroic Grim Batol (1 item)

Ramkahen – Exalted (do all the quests in Uldum and then use the tabard – there are two dailies you can use to give a bit of a boost)
Guardian’s of Hyjal – Exalted (do all the quests in Mount Hyjal taking you to Revered and then use the tabard – there are no dailies)

5500 Justice Points

100 Elementium Ore
20 Volatile Earth
36 Pyrium Ore
60 Volatile Fire
60 Volatile Air
60 Volatile Water
3 Chaos Orbs (the crafter will have these, and if thats not you then you’ll need a big chunk o’ gold instead)

I’ll post separately about trinkets when I’ve done the numbers, but I am going to guess that as of 4.0.6 you might want Baradin’s Wardens reputation and marks …

Cataclysm Gearing for Ret Palas – Head

Cataclysm is a few days away and its all about the GEARZ.  What to get, where to go, etc.

I’ve pieced together what I can based on MMO-Champion and Wowhead.  Also Redcape has released his latest spreadsheet and I’ve drawn on the default Seal of Truth scores:

Strength 2.07
Hit 1.55 until capped and 0 after cap
Expertise 1.13 until capped and negligible after cap
Critical strike rating 0.80
Haste rating 0.79
Mastery rating 0.41
Weapon speed 1102.65
Weapon DPS 7.27

The jumps above are fairly large.  Mostly we gear for strength, then for Hit and Expertise until capped, then Crit and Haste before Mastery.

Please note that all of this is highly provisional.  Item stats and scores might well change – a lot.  But this should get you started at least.

And so on with the show!

Head
Gearing for the Head slot is a bit different to any of the other slots because of the relative value of the meta gem.  A meta gem slot is worth 50-67% of the scores assigned to a head.  Therefore its likely to be the item you hang on to the longest of your old gear.  As long as you have at least the ilevel 251 tier helm then you can ignore anything without a meta gem slot in Cataclysm.

This means your first possible upgrade is the Redsteel Helm at level 83.  This is a Blacksmithing BoE item.  I wouldn’t spend a huge amount on this though, as it will only last two levels and doesn’t score that much higher than the previous tier items.  The only exception to this is for Engineers who can get the Reinforced Bio-Optic Killshades at level 81 and with 525 Engineering (you need 525 for both the item and the Cogwheels).

As you hit 85 you want to run Heroic Deadmines for the Stonemason’s Helm.  This is the best pre-raid Head item.

Action plan so far:

• 15 Elementium Bars + a friendly blacksmith or cash (83-85 Head)
• Heroic Deadmines – Vanessa VanCleef (Pre-raid Head)

Retribution Gear List 3.3. ed. > Hands

Welcome back to the Retribution Gear List.  Its back with a new format!  You can find the consolidated 3.3 gear list here.  There are new stats for 3.3 based on a revised Redcape Spreadsheet.

Rank	Hands	Source	ilevel	Score	Hit score
1	Fleshrending Gauntlets (Heroic)	Festergut 25 (Heroic)	277	547.26	547.26
2	Fleshrending Gauntlets	Festergut 25	264	489.49	489.49
3	Gatecrasher’s Gauntlets	60 Emblems of Frost	264	475.64	475.64
4	Gloves of Bitter Reprisal (H)	Anub’arak 25 (Heroic)	258	453.32	453.32
5	Sanctified Lightsworn Gauntlets (Heroic)	Tier 10.3 token	277	445.08	628.76
6	Festering Fingerguards (Heroic)	Festergut 10 (Heroic)	264	420.6	599.8
7	Sanctified Lightsworn Gauntlets	Tier 10.2 token	264	396.76	558.04
8	Throatrender Handguards (Heroic)	Queen Lanathel 10 (Heroic)	264	395.64	574.84
9	Gloves of Bitter Reprisal	Anub’arak 25	245	386.95	386.95
10	Turalyon’s/Liadrin’s Gauntlets of Triumph (Heroic)	Tier 9.3 trophy	258	377.84	530.16
11	Festering Fingerguards	Festergut 10	251	377.04	536.08
12	Gauntlets of Rising Anger (H)	Northrend Beasts 10 (Heroic)	245	365.92	466.72
13	Lightsworn Gauntlets	60 Emblems of Frost	251	355.72	496.84
14	Throatrender Handguards	Queen Lanathel 10	251	355.59	514.63
15	Conqueror’s Aegis Gauntlets	Emalon the Storm Watcher 25/Mimiron 25	226	348.72	348.72

Also of note:

17	Weeping Gauntlets	Brohnjahm (Heroic)	232	334.22	334.22
22	Turalyon’s/Liadrin’s Gauntlets of Conquest	30 Emblems of Triumph	232	302.16	418.64
23	Plated Grips of Korth’azz	ICC trash 5	219	296.86	296.86

Commentary

Heres another case where you have to look at the hit score.  The tier 10 gloves are the only tier piece with hit on them and are in fact very good once you account for that.  I would recommend going for these.  Also remember that hands can be obtained from Vault of Archavon and make sure to run there each week.  Hands are also amongst the cheaper pieces of both tier 9 and tier 10 for non-raiders.

Retribution Gear List 3.3 ed. > Wrists

Welcome back to the Retribution Gear List.  Its back with a new format!  You can find the consolidated 3.3 gear list here.  There are new stats for 3.3 based on a revised Redcape Spreadsheet.

Rank	Wrists	Source	ilevel	Score	Hit score
1	Boneshatter Armplates (H)	Northrend Beasts 25 (Heroic)	258	361.28	361.28
2	Taiga Bindings (Heroic)	Valithra 10 (Heroic)	264	357.92	357.92
3	Polar Bear Claw Bracers (Heroic)	Gunship 25 (Heroic)	277	340	474.4
4	Taiga Bindings	Valithra 10	251	317.97	317.97
5	Boneshatter Armplates	Northrend Beasts 25	245	305.44	305.44
6	Polar Bear Claw Bracers	Gunship 25	264	304.2	420.68
7	Titanium Spikeguards	Blacksmithing	245	291.14	291.14
8	Armbands of Bedlam	Mimiron 25 (Heroic)	239	289.44	289.44
9	Armguards of the Nether Lord (H)	Jaraxus 10 (Heroic)	245	287.58	287.58
10	Bitter Cold Armguards	Hodir 10 (Heroic)	226	248.98	248.98
11	Armguards of the Nether Lord	Jaraxus 10	232	241.08	241.08

Also of note:

13	Wristbands of the Sentinel Huntress	60 Emblems of Valor	213	225.28	225.28
14	Vambraces of Unholy Command	The Black Knight (Heroic)	219	211.46	211.46
15	Malykriss Vambraces	Garfrost (Heroic)	232	207.24	308.04

Commentary

Wrists are again a bit of a sore point. After a rash of good options in 3.2, I’m very disappointed with the 3.3. options.  The Polar Claw Bracers are my personal choice – coming from a relatively easy boss they should be accessible to most raiders (the first four ICC 25 bosses are considered puggable on my server).  I am choosing to go with the hit option here, as the others are a bit lacklustre.

Pre-raid I recommend finding someone to craft you a set of Titanium Spikeguards.  The mats are relatively cheap.

Retribution Gear List 3.3 ed. > Chest

Welcome back to the Retribution Gear List.  Its back with a new format!  You can find the consolidated 3.3 gear list here.  There are new stats for 3.3 based on a revised Redcape Spreadsheet.

Rank	Chest	Source	ilevel	Score	Hit score
1	Sanctified Lightsworn Battleplate (Heroic)	Tier 10.3 token	277	728.14	728.14
2	Blade-Scored Carapace (Heroic)	Saurfang 10 (Heroic)	264	673.56	673.56
3	Sanctified Lightsworn Battleplate	Tier 10.2 token	264	648.24	648.24
4	Castle Breaker’s Battleplate	95 Emblems of Frost	264	647.52	647.52
5	Gendarme’s Cuirass (Heroic)	Marrowgar 25 (Heroic)	277	632.04	869.48
6	Blade-Scored Carapace	Saurfang 10	251	604.2	604.2
7	Turalyon’s/Liadrin’s Battleplate of Triumph (Heroic)	Tier 9.3 trophy	258	592.86	592.86
8	Lightsworn Battleplate	95 Emblems of Frost	251	578.88	578.88
9	Gendarme’s Cuirass	Marrowgar 25	264	566.84	772.92
10	Chestplate of the Frostborn Hero (H)	Faction Champions 25 (Heroic)	258	551.82	744.46
11	Titanium Razorplate	Blacksmithing	245	547.66	547.66
12	Turalyon’s/Liadrin’s Battleplate of Triumph	Tier 9.2 trophy + 75 Emblems of Triumph	245	529.98	529.98
13	Turalyon’s/Liadrin’s Battleplate of Conquest	50 Emblems of Triumph	232	473.16	473.16
14	Steelbreaker’s Embrace	Iron Council 25	226	466.28	466.28
15	Chestplate of the Frostborn Hero	Faction Champions 25	245	459.66	625.42

Also of note:

16	Frost Wyrm Ribcage	Tyranus (Heroic)	232	454.62	454.62
25	Lost Reliquary Chestguard	Devourer	219	323.4	489.16
26	Breastplate of the Imperial Joust	Confessor/Eadric	200	309.4	416.92

Commentary

For me this will be where I use a non-set item.  Despite the Armor Pen on the Castle-Breaker’s Battleplate its still a good option for 10 man raiders (I have a scoring system and it includes a value for ArP – where that value is good, its good – I’m not going to refuse to use ArP just for fun).  Hopefully I will replace this with the Heroic version of the Blade Scored Carapace I am currently using.  I thought, for a long time, about the Gendarme’s Cuirass which is very easy to obtain with a lot of hit, but I could not find good items to replace some of the other hit pieces I had chosen.

Pre-raid I would tend towards using this slot for a set item, as the 75 badge head is a good alternative to a set piece.  There is a crafted chest at the previous tier, but again it is ArP based and this time there is a better alternative available.

Retribution Gear List 3.3 ed. > Shoulders

Welcome back to the Retribution Gear List.  Its back with a new format!  You can find the consolidated 3.3 gear list here.  There are new stats for 3.3 based on a revised Redcape Spreadsheet.  I have also updated the Head and Neck editions with the new format and commentaries.

Neck

Rank	Shoulders	Source	ilevel	Score	Hit score
1	Sanctified Lightsworn Shoulderplates (Heroic)	Tier 10.3 token	277	531.18
2	Sanctified Lightsworn Shoulderplates	Tier 10.2 token	264	472.36
3	Raging Behemoth’s Shoulderplates (Heroic)	Rotface 25 (Heroic)	277	469.56	635.32
4	Lightsworn Shoulderplates	60 Emblems of Frost	251	421.87
5	Raging Behemoth’s Shoulderplates	Rotface 25	264	421.24	564.6
6	Scalpel-Sharpening Shoulderguards (Heroic)	Putricide 10 (Heroic)	264	398.99	533.39
7	Turalyon’s/Liadrin’s Shoulderplates of Triumph (Heroic)	Tier 9.3 trophy	258	377.84	530.16
8	Scalpel-Sharpening Shoulderguards	Putricide 10	251	359.89	476.37
9	Pauldrons of the Devourer	Devourer (Heroic)	232	336.87
10	Turalyon’s/Liadrin’s Shoulderplates of Triumph	Tier 9.2 trophy + 45 Emblems of Triumph	245	336.8	468.96
11	Pauldrons of Trembling Rage	45 Emblems of Triumph	245	336.8	468.96
12	Conqueror’s Aegis Shoulderplates	Yogg-Saron 25	226	336.61
13	Valorous Aegis Shoulderplates	Thorim 10	219	313.49
14	Majestic Silversmoth Shoulderplates	Eadric (Heroic)	219	276.68
15	Turalyon’s/Liadrin’s Shoulderplates of Conquest	30 Emblems of Triumph	232	262.16	378.64

Commentary:

Theres quite a few hit options on the shoulders if you’re struggling to find hit.  This excludes the tier 10 option (I think this is the first time ret gear has not had hit on the shoulders in Wrath of the Lich King).  There are shoulders that are worth considering for 10 or 25 man raiders looking for hit, but they aren’t spectacular. The tier piece, being cheaper, is a good option.

Pre-raid you might eventually look at tier 10, but before that you will likely want to go for the tier 9 shoulders from emblems.  This provides hit and a contribution towards your four part set bonus.

Retribution Gear List 3.3. ed. > Neck

You can find the consolidated 3.3 gear list here.  There are new stats for 3.3 based on a revised Redcape Spreadsheet.

Neck

Rank	Neck	Source	ilevel	Score	Hit score
1	Lana’thel’s Chain of Flgellation (Heroic)	Lanathel 25 (Heroic)	277	420.68
2	Infected Choker (Heroic)	Putricide 10 (Heroic)	264	377.08
3	Sindragosa’s Cruel Claw (Heroic)	Sindragosa 25 (Heroic)	277	372.86
4	Collar of Haughty Disdain (Heroic)	Queen Lanathel 10 (Heroic)	264	357.97
5	Lana’thel’s Chain of Flgellation	Lanathel 25	264	354.65
6	Rimetooth Pendant (Heroic)	Sindragosa 10 (Heroic)	264	344.22
7	Ahn’kahar Onyx Neckguard (Heroic)	Deathwhisper 25 (Heroic)	277	340	474.4
8	Infected Choker	Putricide 10	251	335.84
9	Sindragosa’s Cruel Claw	Sindragosa 25	264	332.1
10	Charge of the Demon Lord (Heroic)	Jaraxxus 25 (Heroic)	258	329.47
11	Collar of Haughty Disdain	Queen Lanathel 10	251	319.07
12 13	Wodin’s Lucky Necklace Ahn’kahar Onyx Neckguard	ICC trash 25 Deathwhisper 25	264 264	306.54 304.2	391.66 420.68
14	Collar of Ceaseless Torment (Heroic)	Northrend Beasts 10 (Heroic)	245	299.02
15	Rimetooth Pendant	Sindragosa 10	251	298.35
16	Precious’s Putrid Collar (Heroic)	Festergut 10 (Heroic)	264	294.51	433.39
17	The Executioner’s Malice (Heroic)	Twin Valkyrs 25 (Heroic)	258	288.48	398.24
18	Pendulum of Infinity	General Vezax 25 (Heroic)	239	280.65
19	Charge of the Demon Lord	Jaraxxus 25	245	275.52
20	Precious’s Putrid Collar	Festergut 10	251	262.51	385.71

Also of note:

22	Barbed Ymirheim Choker	Garfrost (Heroic)	232	250.55
23	Favour of the Dragon Queen	Sapphiron 25 + Malygos 25	226	250.17
24	Collar of Ceaseless Torment	Northrend Beasts 10	232	242.37
29	Sparkling Onyxia Tooth Pendant	Onyxia Quest Reward	245	223	330.52
30	Ancient Pendant of Arathor	Confessor/Eadric (Heroic)	219	221.75
31	Painfully Sharp Choker	Tyranus	219	216.42
42	Spiked Battleguard Choker	16 Emblems of Conquest	226	174.36	275.16

Commentary:

There are lots of necks available at this time.  Although strength based necks are generally best in slot, you should always consider non-strength based ones.  Especially at intermediate levels and especially when juggling the hit cap.

Lana’thel’s Chain of Flagellation is a good option from 25 man, as is the Infected Choker from 10 man (though its expertise based, so you need to think about this in terms of your expertise cap.  The Ahn’kahar Onyx Neckguard and Wodin’s Lucky Necklace provide solid hit based options.  Wodin’s Lucky Necklace can drop from both 10 and 25 man trash (I’ve seen it) and can drop from the weekly quest reward bag in ICC.

If you don’t raid, the Barbed Ymirheim Choker is available from Heroic Pit of Saron, or the Painfully Sharp Choker from Normal Pit of Saron.  To help you reach the hit cap, the Spiked Battleguard Choker is still worth considering.

Updated 24 February 2010.

Retribution Paladin Gear List 3.3 ed. > Head

You can find the consolidated 3.3 gear list here.  There are new stats for 3.3 based on a revised Redcape Spreadsheet.

Head

Rank	Head	Source	ilevel	Score	Hit score
1	Sanctified Lightsworn Helmet (Heroic)	Tier 10.3 token	277	845.20
2	Sanctified Lightsworn Helmet	Tier 10.2 token	264	765.30
3	Landsoul’s Horned Greathelm (Heroic)	Blood Princes 25 (Heroic)	277	733.90	971.34
4	Deathspeaker Zealot’s Helm (Heroic)	Deathwhisper 10 (Heroic)	264	733.25
5	Turalyon’s/Liadrin’s Helm of Triumph (Heroic)	Tier 9.3 trophy	258	729.60
6	Lightsworn Helmet	95 Emblems of Frost	251	695.94
7	Deathspeaker Zealot’s Helm	Deathwhisper 10	251	691.46
8	Judgement Hood	Onyxia 25	245	678.62
9	Faceplate of the Silver Champion (Heroic)	Faction Champions 10 (Heroic)	245	678.16
10	Landsoul’s Horned Greathelm	Blood Princes 25	264	668.70	874.78
11	Turalyon’s/Liadrin’s Helm of Triumph	Tier 9.2 trophy + 75 Emblems of Triumph	245	664.32
12	Helm of Thunderous Rampage	75 Emblems of Triumph	245	647.04
13	Judgement Helm	Onyxia 10	232	621.34
14	Faceplate of the Silver Champion	Faction Champions 10	232	619.34
15	Turalyon’s/Liadrin’s Helm of Conquest	50 Emblems of Triumph	232	605.50

Also of note:

22	Helm of the Violent Fray	The Black Knight	200	506.50
23	Skeleton Lord’s Cranium	Tyranus	219	505.74	649.10

Commentary:

For those raiding 10 or 25 man content, the tier head is an excellent option here and a good place to spend 95 badges.  In 25 man Landsoul’s Horned Greathelm is worth a look for the hit.  It scores well even before considering the hit and could be a useful way of reaching the cap, which is a little harder in 3.3 as there is less hit available on tier gear.

For non-raiders I would recommend the Helm of Thunderous Rampage and that the head is your non-set piece of choice.

When you first find yourself venturing into dungeons, there are two reasonable heads in the ‘also of note’ section which drop from Normal instances.

Updated 24 February 2010.

Retribution paladins in patch 3.3

So its here. Icecrown Citadel, the Fall of the Lich King. I have to say I have been looking forward to this patch more than any other. I am really enjoying the game right now. My new guild, Dreamstate, has a great atmosphere and has renewed my enthusiasm for raiding. Our raids so far (we are only a week old!) have been smooth. A whole bunch of us got Glory of the Hero this week and several more should get it over the next week or so.

What does a new guild do in patch 3.3?
Lots of things! This is the Dreamstate to do list:

• Start ICC. There’s no reason for us to wait – we’re still busy recruiting to get a last couple of people for hard modes (what we really need right now is a shaman!) but we already have players to raid normal modes. That’s on for tomorrow.
• Today, given the HIGH likelihood of random disconnects, server lag and getting stuck trying to do something that looked perfectly reasonable at the time (using vehicles on a ramp, trying to enter a raid), we’ve gone for TotC 10 farming and the new weekly raid!  A great deal of fun was had by all.
• Help some of our new members get some lootz. We’ve been really lucky and a few old friends have come back to WoW to play with us. They are a bit behind on gear, but that’s something we can easily fix!
• Get everyone Glory of the Hero.  Yes I know this isn’t part of the new patch, but many people helped me and now I shall help them!
• Have fun!

That last part is the most important.

Ok. Enough with the rambling. About that gear list…?
Its in progress. I’ve not forgotten you! I’ll start with a series of slot posts and then update the whole shebang at the end. That way you’ll get something useful sooner rather than later. However, RL is fairly hectic at the moment. I anticipate having the big list completed before the new year, with the individual posts coming between now and then.

I’ll give you a few useful things now, that won’t appear in the later math (based on ‘received wisdom’ from the ret pala community:

• 2P tier 10 = ~3% dps increase. Get it!
• 4P tier 10 = ~5% dps increase and is likely to be part of BiS.
• The new tier 10 libram becomes better than the tier 9 libram after 39 seconds. Given that the tier 9 libram only works with Seal of Vengeance, this leaves a small gap in which the tier 9 libram is still the best option.  Hang onto it and keep it in mind.

So has anything really changed for retribution this patch?

Tier Set Bonus Rotation Juggling
We’re now going to play a new game, called tier set bonus rotation juggling. Current thinking seems to be:

• Anything before you get 2P tier 9:
  Hammer of Wrath > Crusader Strike > Judgement > Divine Storm > Consecration > Exorcism > Holy Wrath
• Then, once you have 2P tier 9 (fairly easy from today onwards given that Emblems of Triumph will be so freely available) then Judgement moves all the way up the list to your first priority:
  Judgement > Hammer of Wrath > Crusader Strike > Divine Storm > Consecration > Exorcism > Holy Wrath
• This is now complicated by the addition of tier 10 bonuses, specifically the 2P set bonus that supports Divine Storm. When you start running with 2P tier 9 and 2P tier 10 Divine Storm will move up your list, and you want to go for:
  Judgement > Divine Storm > Hammer of Wrath > Crusader Strike > Consecration > Exorcism > Holy Wrath
• Then, to keep you on your toes, when you get 4P tier 10, you need to drop Judgement back down the list since you no longer have the extra boost to that from 2P tier 9. However, 4P tier 10 affects Judgements and Seals, so the whole thing gets jiggled around anyway, and you’ll end up with:
  Divine Storm > Crusader Strike > Judgement > Hammer of Wrath > Consecration > Exorcism > Holy Wrath

So count those set bonuses up and choose your best option.

Talent Specs
The other change you might need to think about is your build. Divine Sacrifice has been heavily nerfed. You now have the problem that to get a talent that looks even remotely like the DSac of old, you need to sacrifice DPS points somewhere. What I’ve read says NO! DSac is gone. So your utility choices are now Vindication, Improved Blessing of Might and Aura Mastery. AM is questionable. Since I didn’t have DSac anyway I will not be changing my build at this point. I’ll stick with Vindication and Imp BoM. If I find a fight where AM would help, I’ll spec into that (I had the same approach to DSac).