Gearing up in 3.3

I started writing this article, thinking I would eliminate item pieces from which you couldn't get an equivalent emblem piece. This left me with basically feet items, and weapons. due to a simple overlook, I also realized even feet items and weapons could be bought. Silly me, however I do believe those pieces and trinkets and rings, and even back pieces tends to be some of the hardest to come by. This is due to no small part that the valor and heroism vendors give very lame pieces for their cost, especially that shifty valor vendor.

Instead of telling you what pieces to get, I'm going to guide recommendations. In general every class of every spec is going to want to hit the tier 9 four piece, and then get either a 245 helmet or 245 shoulder. I'll let you use your best judgment. Personally I went with the 245 shoulders, because the tier 10 shoulders are cheap, and gets you half way to that tier 10 2 piece bonus if you so wish. You should also pick up the "ranged" slot piece and a single ring from that triumph vendor.

Get that trinket too, unless you're a healer. If you're a healer you should heavily debate the merit of the trinket. Use trinkets I find to be too cool down oriented, and healing I've always found to be too reactive, to make significant use of. If you're the kind of healer that has multiple "oh crap" buttons, you might like it. I tend to rely on pure and simple skill, and forget I even have cool downs until I see single digit percentages.

Now trinkets are your first goal for gearing, since there aren't a ton of them. I will from this point call trial of the champion, pit of saron, forge of souls, and halls of reflections "the new places". These places have very few trinkets for classes, but for the few they do, they're some of the best stuff you'll find. Weapons are good here too. Really anything you find in these instances will outclasses anything you'll find if you haven't been raiding. Don't assume the good stuff is in the heroic mode only either. Regular modes of the new places have been jammed full of loot that while not quite as good as heroic mode, will be the only place you'll be finding stuff. Me personally? I've run regular HoR a crap ton to get "muddied boots of brill" because there simply isn't as good a boot elsewhere.

Like I've said, keep a special eye out for rings, boots, cloaks, trinkets and your weapons (or shields and off hands, you know). Doing this, along with triumph and conquest gear will mean you'll keep your ilvl average at a minimum of 219 (stuff from heroic toc) all the way up to 245 (stuff you actually get from triumph guy, love you triumph guy!)

Now trinkets, once again, are a tricky bunch. You have to get two of them, and the ones from the instances might not be good for you. This is the only time I endorse heroism vendor guy. His trinkets are solid until you find something else you may prefer more. Once again, personally I have the mark of supremacy from triumph guy, and mirror of truth from heroism guy. I could have gotten the needle encrusted scorpion, but armor pen ain't such a hot stat for enhancement shaman, so I passed on it.

Try and research your class about trinkets, and don't trust item levels for them at all. Darkmoon cards are amongst the best trinkets you can find, for instance, but their ilvl 200 is very deceptive.

Don't you just hate trinkets? Yeah me too.

Low population server

I wake up most mornings, and log onto wow, not having a particularly hectic job, and a great deal of time to waste. One of the most disappointing things I deal with is not being able to see content due to my realm choice. When I started wow, I picked mal'ganis. This was the server my significant other was on, having a mid-level warlock. It was a high to locked population server. I had lots of alts and I have about 8 characters hanging around level 50 there right now.

Trade chat was just terrible there, I couldn't stay. There was an elitism there that just angered me. Everyone required gear scores, and achievements for content. I never reached 80, but I knew I wasn't going to like it if I did.

Sweet relief came when said significant other had a friend that played on a "recommended/new players" realm. We were very much for the prospect of synchronized leveling. While I eventually would outpace (I'm floating around in t9/t10 and shes still in tanaris). Said friend was originally one of the top alliance guilds. Literally number one in the server. Given that alliance was the unpopulated side, it didn't mean much, but it was neat being the only lv20 in a guild of several 80s with no alts visible. Drama occured, guild split, faction transfers happend. Now I'm in some random algamation of the original guild, which I enjoy very much other than their distaste for my pronouncation of the most common resource in the game (mana)

Now while very much my own fault for sticking with this server, theres a ton of downsides. There are literally 5 or 6 guilds taking on higher level content and by higher level, I mean naxx and up, not icc. There is a gross imbalance in the H:A ratio with my last informal records being about 8:1. There's simply not a lot of options for guilds. Our guild is probably 3rd for our faction, and the problem we face is getting enough players for a ten man. Doing a quick scan for main specced healers there were literally only about 160 or so who were even in heroic gear. Now granted these numbers may be skewed. Maybe some of those healers are dps specced primarly, maybe some pvp. I know I myself get shoehorned into heal due to the general lack of healing avaible (but hey, if we get a lolret, he'll be forced to spec holy, as I put out just disgustinly good dps as a shaman being the only one who seems to care about his terrible hybrid specced class. ;])

I don't really know where to turn at this. I would faction transfer to once again join the guild that split off from me original, but I don't consider it of vital importance, plus my guild is just a good set of people, and I don't want to further halt progress (apperently ktang! of heroism is that important?) My only problem is specifically I'd like to play my spec. I don't like healing, (if my first post didnt make that clear) and I'm one who strives for perfection within reason. When I heal and I see only one melee dps hitting marrowgars spikes I cry a little. Especially when we only have one ranged dps...

Oh limited options, how you pound me in the face. Maybe I should rerollon a medium-high pop server...