There is quite a bit of shiny new gear in Magisters’ Terrace, and initially I wanted to do a more “all class inclusive” list, but there are just too many things to look at! So we’ll take a quick gander at some of the drops that might appeal to the healing-inclined Druids out there. I’ll split it up between the regular mode drops and the heroic mode drops.

Normal Mode

[item]34793[/item] is actually a quite nice healing belt drop. Sure, it’s cloth, but armor doesn’t matter all that much to a resto druid anyhow. Let’s face it, in most cases, if we get aggro we go down as easily as any cloth wearer in the wrong situation. Now, it isn’t nearly as nice as our [item]Windhawk Belt[/item], but not everyone out there has taken up Leatherworking. Like most drops from MagT in normal mode, this is a real nice piece for a healer who’s still trying to gear up for Kara.

[item]34707[/item]. These dropped for me the very first time I hit up the instance, on patch day. I do still have them banked, and have kicked around the idea of using them in place of my [item]28663[/item]. Again, I’m looking at an epic item in comparison to a blue, but overall the blue boots compare pretty well. Sure, you’re losing the intellect entirely and losing some stamina and spirit, but you’re also gaining two gem slots to play with. I could offset some of the stat losses with gems. Or, I could just go all out for +heal, and carry them around for those nasty fights where I need all the +heal I can get. Overall, these are VERY nice boots for blue!

[item]34796[/item] is the last normal mode drop I’ll look at. Again, I’m finding that it doesn’t compare all that unfavorably to an epic from Kara, [item]28600[/item]. You’re losing 19 stamina, 17 intellect, 5 spirit, 9 MP5 and 4 heal, but you gain 3 slots for flexibility. With a little bit of cheap gemming, [item]Teardrop Living Ruby[/item], [item]Luminous Noble Topaz[/item] and [item]Solid Star of Elune[/item], we’re not losing ALL that much off the epic, probably getting it sooner, and actually gain 23 +heal. For me, Druids are ALL ABOUT +heal. I rarely have mana problems! It’s not going to replace my [item]Windhawk Hauberk[/item], but if you’re not yet into Kara, this is a GREAT chest to try to pick up.

Heroic Mode

Now, I know you didn’t come here to talk about blues. Let’s look at that shiny purple gear from the tough version!

First, [item]34471[/item]. This is one of the first drops I heard tell of, and one of the most interesting. As a tree druid, one of my greatest challenges is overcoming spike damage. If the tank or multiple party members suffer a few huge blows in a row, I might be in trouble. The Tree Druid is designed to ease those hits, not erase them immediately like some of our healing brethren. With this item, I could finally have an additional instant heal to throw out in times of duress. Tantalizing! The added MP5 is a bonus, and it’s just too bad they didn’t stick some +heal on it just for kicks. Still, this is an awesome trinket for just about any healer, and I hope to get one soon.

[item]34608[/item] is an excellent healing staff, and when gemmed easily surpasses [item]28604[/item] that drops in Karazhan. The new staff gives 3 additional stamina and 3 sockets, but loses 2 intellect and 14 spirit. That can EASILY be made up with even green gems if you so choose. I personally have no interest in this staff, as I’m nearly fully Kara geared and sporting the [item]Shard of the Virtuous[/item] and [item]28728[/item]. If I were still trudging around with a blue like [item]31304[/item], I’d take a hard look at this staff. If for no other reason, I love the flexibility of slots. You could make this the ultimate +spirit Innervate staff with 3 [item]Sparkling Empyrean Sapphire[/item]s and a +spirit enchant. Uber mana regen.

[item]34602[/item]. This is the first pair of bracers I’ve seen in awhile that make me consider switching out my [item]29523[/item]. I lose a bit in stamina, but gain some intellect and spirit. And, as I’ve said before, I’m all about +heal and these are an upgrade, though mild, in that department. I would probably hold off on them until I could replace the other pieces of my Windhawk set, as once I break it up the set bonus of +8 MP5 is history. Still, these are very nice bracers and won’t cost you a single badge. You just have to get through heroic MagT to get them!

[item]34625[/item] is one of the most intriguing pieces in the instance for any healer. From what I’ve read on Wowhead, there aren’t very many rings with sockets. Throw a [item]Teardrop Crimson Spinel[/item] in these bad boys and you’re looking at +70 heal. It gets even better if your an enchanter and can bump that by another 20 +heal for a whopping 90 +heal out of a ring slot. Wow. I could finally retire my pumpkin ring from the Halloween event.

Conclusion

Well, there you have it. Those are the highlights, and I hope I’ve given you some goals to shoot for as far as drops in the new instance. If you’re a freshly minted 70 druid or healer type, you could do a lot worse than the stuff that drops in regular mode. If you’re fully Kara geared like myself, you still might find some nice upgrades in Heroic. Overall, I believe Blizzard did a great job itemizing this particular instance.  They just get better and better at itemization, and it makes me anxious to see what they will do in Wrath.

Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention [item]35516[/item] and the [item]Phoenix Hatchling[/item]. Anybody would want those!

You may not know this off the bat, due to my normal Druidic (is that a word? -Ed) slant, but I also play a 70 Beast Mastery hunter. He was actually my first 70, but due to a lack of healers in guild I picked up the Druid, and he’s been my main ever since.

Anyhow, since my post about Druid Casual Gear in 2.4, I’ve kicked around the idea of doing something similar for the hunter class. Without further adieu, let’s get cracking.

Updgrades on the Cheap – For Those with No Patience

[item]34887[/item] – 60 Badges

Wow, what a good place to start on the cheap! If you’re not the type that can generate 50+ badges per week (and I am most certainly one of you!) this could be an excellent place to start if you want to upgrade NOW. There are many classes that could benefit from this ring, and the Hunter is certainly one of them. It has GREAT stats for a ring, and manages to take care of 2 of the big 3 for hunters. The AP is great as is the armor penetration. You’d be hard pressed to find a better ring, and at 60 badges it’s a steal. It even rivals the rep ring from Hyjal, [item]29301[/item].

[item]34916[/item] – 75 Badges

Ok, if you can manage to hold yourself off of buying anything for 3 more heroic runs, you can get your mitts on these….mitts. Isn’t it nice that there is now loot comparable to T6 gear for us casual types? These most certainly are comparable to [item]31001[/item]. If you pick these up over T6 here is the difference:

• -1 Agility (Nullified if you gem for the socket bonus)
• -1 Stamina
• -2 Intellect
• +3 Crit Rating
• +16 AP
• -140 Armor Ignore

Now, I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know much about Armor Ignore, but it seems like hardly a loss considering you don’t have to raid T6 content or roll against anyone for the token! These are a great pair of gloves and a nice investment for you impatient types.

For the More Patient

[item]34914[/item] – 100 Badges

Ok, now we’re into 100+ badge territory. (100 badges = 1 Kara clear/week+ 2 heroics a week X 4 weeks….not so bad!) Anyhow, about those legs. Are they worth the 100 badge investment? Let’s try to compare them to [item]33527[/item], the “old” badge gear pants for hunters.

• +10 Agility
• -9 Stamina
• +15 Hit
• +14 AP
• -175 Armor Ignore

Again, we find ourselves looking at a loss of armor ignore. If you look at the many gains, however, these are certainly a nice upgrade. You’re going to lose some hitpoints, but gain overall AP, crit and some +hit. This can be VERY helpful if you’re getting into content beyond Kara. They are also comparable to [item]30900[/item], a drop from Mount Hyjal, which most casual hunters won’t get a crack at! They come for only 25 more badges than the old pants. (Too bad you can’t trade in your old ones like a car, eh? )I think these are a solid investment of 100 badges.

[item]34912[/item] – 100 Badges

In the case of this chestpiece, there really is no “old” badge gear mail chest for hunters. We could look at it in comparison to [item]29515[/item], though that only applies for the leatherworkers out there. Maybe compare it to [item]28599[/item]? IMO, this is a slam dunk upgrade over the chest from Kara. You’re losing some MP5 and some Int, but you also get a gem slot, and a boost of 69 attack power. I would call this one of the first upgrades you should look at, though I might hesitate if you already have your T4 chest, [item]29082[/item]. I’d also make sure that the haste on this chest won’t interfere with an effective 1:1 shot rotation.

The Big Ticket Items

[item]34892[/item] – 150 Badges

That’s a lot of badges. It’s also a lot of Crossbow! Do I really have to talk about this one? If you’re a BM hunter for sure, this is probably the best ranged weapon you can get short of the new legendary bow in Sunwell. It’s got +hit, +crit and AP, along with a nice, big DPS number. What else could a hunter want? The speed rating, coupled with some haste, will help you reach that 1.7 or so weapon speed for an optimal shot rotation. Score!

[item]34891[/item] – 150 Badges

Where 150 badges is well spent on the crossbow, I’m not so sure about this axe. Sure, it’s a nice weapon, but after already blowing 150 badges (and don’t fool yourself, if you’re going to blow 150 badges, use them for the crossbow), I would be hard pressed to blow 150 more on a melee weapon. Still, it’s a strong axe, and the haste rating might help us get that new crossbow down to the speed we want. 150 badges, though? Just grab [item]28587[/item] or something and live with it.

Conclusion

So, we’ve established that these are all VERY nice upgrades. Which should you buy first? Well, a lot of that depends on what you have now. If you have a decent pair of legs, maybe start with the chest, or vise versa. But, all things being equal, with a gun to my head I’d say go for the Crossbow first. It’s a huge upgrade over just about anything, and I’m usually a “weapon first” upgrader. There’s a good chance, however, that I’d crack part of the way through and pick up the gauntlets or the ring. If I could control myself, though, I’d start with the Crossbow, then grab either the ring or the legs. Any way you go with this stuff, though, you can’t go wrong!

Tune in later this week and I’ll take a look at the drops from Magisters’ Terrace. (Not the Sunwell, though – this is a CASUAL blog! )