- Author: Jamielolx
- Date: January 8, 2024
- Updated: January 10, 2024
- Expansion: WotLK Classic
Equipment will be the main source of your character’s power, contributing the biggest bulk of your stats. It is therefore very important that you choose the correct equipment for each slot — commonly referred to as “best in slot” equipment – in order to maximize your power.
This guide is divided into two sections. The first section is basic lists, providing you full sets for a fresh level 80 pre-raid, a level 80 preparing for their first foray into Trial of the Crusader, and an example of ideal gear to aspire to from Trial of the Crusader. The second section provides more alternatives for each slot, giving an example of gear progression between these three areas of gearing.
Heroic++, otherwise known as Defense Protocol Beta drops gear from 10-man Ulduar and Naxxramas. Heroic+, otherwise known as Defense Protocol Alpha, drops gear from 10-man Naxxramas, as well as regular Heroic gear. Future Phases are likely to add further Heroic difficulties.
This will be the best option for this slot.
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Alternatives:
- Heroic Precious’s Putrid Collar
- Sindragosa’s Cruel Claw
- Heroic Rimetooth Pendant
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This will be the best option for this slot.
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Alternatives ~ Main-Hand:
Alternatives ~ Off-Hand:
- Heroic Rib Spreader
- Heroic Heartpierce
- Heaven’s Fall, Kryss of a Thousand Lies
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Alternatives:
Progressive BIS
Before proceeding to the in-depth part of our guide, we will grant you some very important tips that you will have to keep in mind, especially as you progress through your journey and come across many different items.
As a fresh level 80, you have several choices for each separate slot. You will either be able to directly buy BoE items from the Auction House and other players, or, you will go through a progressive item hunt from Normal Dungeons, Heroic Dungeons, and the brand-new Heroic ++ Dungeons. Depending on your group, you may be able to directly join a Heroic ++ Dungeon, effectively skipping a harsh gearing process.
With the release of Phase 3 of the expansion, the new Heroic Defense Protocol Beta Dungeons will grant you both T7 and T8 items, per Boss Kill, with a guaranteed former Ulduar 10 (225) Ilvl drop. Heroic++, otherwise known as Defense Protocol Beta drops gear from 10-man Ulduar and Naxxramas. Heroic+, otherwise known as Defense Protocol Alpha, drops gear from 10-man Naxxramas, as well as regular Heroic gear. Future Phases are likely to add further Heroic difficulties.
However, those dungeons no longer provide any blue gear, meaning that if you seek a particular rare (Blue) item, you will have to venture through the Heroic version of the Dungeon.
Your Pre-ToC options will often be defined by the BiS items from the previous raid tiers, and any other new dungeons or raid BoE items that arrive with the new phase.
Your Best-in-Slot items will often vary depending on the rest of your equipment and the situation you find yourself in. Depending on the class itself, the specialization, the phase you find yourself in, and the PvE encounter you currently face, your BiS items can completely change to better adjust to whichever situation you may find yourself in. In some cases, you will find a single BiS set that can be 100% functional in any situation, while in other cases, you will need to adjust your item sets from one PvE encounter to another.
The Fresh 80 set has an overall balanced stat spread with only one issue that you will have to manage by tweaking your Gem Sockets! The main issue of the Fresh 80 set is a major lack of Expertise Rating due to a lack of Expertise Rating items that can be acquired by a Fresh 80 Character without entering any actual raid!
As an Assassination Rogue in this phase of the expansion, you will have a unique interaction with items that grant you Hit Rating/Critical Strike Chance and items that grant Hit Rating/Haste Rating. You will find that the majority of your Best-in-Slot options will grant you a combination of Hit Rating/Critical Strike Chance and Hit Rating/Haste Rating, resulting in a large quantity of Hit Rating. Unlike the Combat Rogue Specialization, you will also focus on items that grant you Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating and Critical Strike Chance/Armor Penetration. This means that while the Combat Specialization will hover around ~22-23% Hit Rating while fully buffed, the Assassination Specialization will hover around ~18% Hit Rating in this phase of the expansion.
This special interaction with Hit Rating is closely related to the way your Poisons proc and the damage resulting from your Basic Attacks
Assassination Rogue also has a special gimmick that none of the other Rogue Specializations utilize! Instead of the typical slow Main-Hand & Fast Off-Hand weapon combination, Assassination Rogue utilizes a fast weapon in both Weapon Slots with a focus on a fast Main-Hand Weapon! Apart from the moments in which you will use double fast weapons, you will also find yourself in the position in which you will use a fast Main-Hand & slow Off-Hand!
For this phase of the expansion, the T9 item-set bonuses can be quite strong for Assassination Rogue, with the 4-item set bonus being a lot stronger than the 2-item set bonus. In theory, the 2-item set bonus is extremely strong, however, the main issue with it is that it only has a 2% proc chance with an internal cooldown of 15 seconds. This means that the bonus generated through the T9 2-item set bonus will heavily depend on RNG, and may even never proc during an encounter!
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – The Black Knight (Heroic) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) |
With the arrival of the third phase of the expansion and its Heroic ++ Dungeons, we now have access to a plethora of options that can suit our needs. For this slot, the gear options will be split into three main categories as a fresh level 80, with choices that range between Hit Rating, Expertise Rating, and overall damage increase through Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating.
For increasing your overall damage output, the best possible options will be either one of Mimiron’s Flight Goggles or the Valorous Terrorblade Helmet. Both options are great, however, if you manage to gain other T8 items in order to activate the T8 item-set bonuses, you should prioritize the Valorous Terrorblade Helmet.
For increasing your overall Expertise Rating, you can choose between the Guise of the Midgard Serpent and the Heroes’ Bonescythe Helmet, with the former option being stronger. This is due to the sheer amount of stats that the item grants, with the main difference between the two items being access to the T7 item-set bonuses.
As for Hit Rating options, you may choose between the Mask of Distant Memory and the Helm of the Vast Legions. The former option is stronger due to higher overall stats and the Critical Strike Chance it grants. By comparison, the Helm of the Vast Legions grants Haste Rating and lower stats, which results in an overall lower damage output.
Pre-Toc/Onyxia’s Lair
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Thorim (25) HM | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) |
For increasing your overall damage output, the best possible options will be either one of Mimiron’s Flight Goggles or the Valorous Terrorblade Helmet. Both options are great, however, if you manage to gain other T8 items in order to activate the T8 item-set bonuses, you should prioritize the Valorous Terrorblade Helmet.
For increasing your overall Expertise Rating, you can choose between the Guise of the Midgard Serpent and the Heroes’ Bonescythe Helmet, with the former option being stronger. This is due to the sheer amount of stats that the item grants, with the main difference between the two items being access to the T7 item-set bonuses.
As for Hit Rating options, you may choose between the Mask of Distant Memory and the Helm of the Vast Legions. The former option is stronger due to higher overall stats and the Critical Strike Chance it grants. By comparison, the Helm of the Vast Legions grants Haste Rating and lower stats, which results in an overall lower damage output.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Onyxia’s Lair – Onyxia (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Ulduar – Thorim (25) HM | |
The best possible option for this slot in the third phase of the expansion will be VanCleef’s Helmet of Triumph/Garona’s Helmet of Triumph. This is not only due to the amazing baseline and secondary stats, with a focus on Expertise Rating, that the item has but also due to the access to the T9 item-set bonuses. Naturally, you will want to use the 245 Ilvl version of the item, VanCleef’s Helmet of Triumph/Garona’s Helmet of Triumph as the next-best alternative.
However, there is an option that will be better in terms of damage output than the 232 Ilvl version of the T9 Helmet, provided you at least have the 2-item set bonus activated from the T9 set. The Bloodfang Hood is a powerful alternative that can be even used as a better option than the 245 Ilvl of the T9 Helmet! It grants a great amount of stats with a focus on providing Critical Strike Chance/Armor Penetration. It is a far better option for builds that already have plenty of Expertise Rating, as you will lose a considerable amount of Expertise Rating from not using the T9 Helmet.
Both the Mimiron’s Flight Goggles and the Conqueror’s Terrorblade Helmet remain great options from the previous phase of the expansion that can still be used efficiently! This is all true, of course, if you have enough Hit Rating and Expertise Rating. However, even if their stats are completely offense-oriented, if you don’t have access to the T9 2-item set bonus, you should definitely use VanCleef’s Helmet of Conquest/Garona’s Helmet of Conquest. This is especially true even in the case in which you already have plenty of Expertise Rating, as the 2-item set bonus is simply overpowered.
On the same note, the Hood of Lethal Intent/Mask of Lethal Intent is a great alternative if you lack Hit Rating and you already have the T9 2-item set bonus activated. However, realistically, almost all your other gear slots grant you Hit Rating, meaning that you will most likely want to avoid this item.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – Eadric the Pure (Heroic) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former The Eye of Eternity 10) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
For this slot, you will have multiple viable options, depending entirely on whether you already have plenty of Hit Rating or not. The majority of options available for this slot will have a combination of either Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating or Critical Strike Chance/Armor Penetration as secondary stats, with only a few options deviating from this pattern.
The only available option for increasing your Hit Rating while also gaining a large amount of Armor Penetration will be the Seed of Budding Carnage. If you have issues with your Hit Rating, there is no other Necklace you can acquire as a Fresh 80 that can increase your overall Hit Rating!
Considering that all other options are specifically designed to increase your damage output, the best option you can gain is the Choker of the Abyss. The rest of the options provide a progressively lower damage output, with the Ancient Pendant of Arathor serving as the next-best alternative. The difference between the two items is only 14 DPS.
You can expect the same type of performance from the rest of the items with the Titanium Impact Choker providing the lowest damage output when compared to the Choker of the Abyss. However, the Titanium Impact Choker is the only BoE-crafted item from the list, meaning that it will be easily accessible, even if it provides a lower damage output.
Pre-Toc/Onyxia’s Lair
Item | Source |
Ulduar – General Vezax (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) |
For the Pre-Toc gearing phase, there are two powerful options that you can seek from the previous phase of the expansion, with one of them being very close to the Phase 3 BiS. Due to the changes done to Ulduar’s items, the Pendulum of Infinity becomes the most powerful item that you can acquire for the neck slot, even if it does not grant Armor Penetration. Its high raw stats, high Critical Strike Chance, and Haste Rating provide the best DPS output.
The next viable alternatives are either Seed of Budding Carnage or Nymph Heart Charm, with Seed of Budding Carnage being the clear superior choice for its Armor Penetration and its high stats. Nymph Heart Charm is a better choice if you severely lack Hit Rating.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – General Vezax (25) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (10) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (25) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (10) | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) | |
The best possible option for this slot will be the Charge of the Demon Lord/Charge of the Eredar! This is because the item grants the highest possible baseline and secondary stats when compared to any other ToC option. The item also has the same types of stats as the former BiS from phase 2, offering an increase in Critical Strike Chance, Haste, and Attack Power. While it doesn’t grant any Armor Penetration, the combination of Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating actually grants a far better bonus in this current phase of the expansion.
The next-best alternative is the former BiS, namely the Pendulum of Infinity. The reason why this item maintains its position while also providing better bonuses than other ToC items is due to the overall sheer amount of stats that it grants. Since its stats are objectively higher than the other available items, you will gain a better damage output. However, you can expect only a slight damage increase of around 30-50 DPS according to the simulations when compared to an item such as the Collar of Ceaseless Torment/Collar of Unending Torment which grants Armor Penetration.
If you can’t gain access to any of the previously mentioned items, you may use either one of the Charge of the Demon Lord/Charge of the Eredar or the Collar of Ceaseless Torment/Collar of Unending Torment as a valid alternative. The former option is a stronger option than the latter due to the motives expressed earlier. The main difference between the items in terms of pure raw damage output is about 50 DPS, meaning that you can use either one of the options confidently.
Apart from items that grant full offense-oriented stats, you also have the option of increasing your overall Hit Rating through 3 different items. While Hit Rating will not be an issue for an Assassination Rogue in the third phase of the expansion, those options will prove useful if you chose fully offense-oriented items for your other gear slots.
The Sparkling Onyxia Tooth Pendant will be the best option for increasing your overall Hit Rating while also granting a decently high amount of Critical Strike Chance. It is followed up closely by the Seed of Budding Carnage which offers nearly the same amount of bonuses, even with a different set of stats. While it might seem that the Seed of Budding Carnage would be the better option, the actual DPS difference between the two items is 10 DPS.
The Nymph Heart Charm is another valid alternative for increasing your overall Hit Rating that has almost the same damage output as the Seed of Budding Carnage. The difference between the two items in terms of pure damage output is roughly ~2-5 DPS. This means that you can use whichever is more accessible to you!
Lastly, you can use the Sparkling Onyxia Tooth Pendant as a better option than the Seed of Budding Carnage due to the higher Hit Rating that it offers.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – The Black Knight | |
Naxxramas – Instructor Razuvious BoE | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
With the release of the new phase, you will gain multiple options for this particular slot. Objectively, the most powerful item that you can acquire is the Valorous Terrorblade Pauldrons. This is not only due to the massive amount of Hit Rating it provides but also thanks to the access to the T8 item-set bonuses. Since you will find yourself using other T8 items, you will most probably manage to activate the 4-item set bonus of the T8.
The next-best alternative will be the Treacherous Shoulderpads, thanks to the high Hit Rating it provides. While it doesn’t grant access to the T8 item-set bonuses, it will provide a similar damage output thanks to the Armor Penetration that it grants. On the same note, if you can’t find any of those two items, you may use the Shoulderpads of the Infamous Knave as it grants precisely the same types of stats as the Treacherous Shoulderpads, only in lower overall amounts.
The Spaulders of Resumed Battle is yet another Hit Rating alternative that you may use, yet, it is considerably weaker than any of the other presented items. This means that if you encounter this item, you can safely use it as a “Buffer Item” until can gain an upgrade.
If you already have plenty of Hit Rating from tweaking your other gear slots, you can use either one of the Spaulders of Egotism or the Heroes’ Bonescythe Pauldrons as viable alternatives for increasing your overall damage output. While they might not bring the best possible stats, you can consider them “Buffer Items” until you can actually create a set that synergizes better. While the Heroes’ Bonescythe Pauldrons will force you to go through a dungeon crawl in order to obtain it, you may directly buy the Spaulders of Egotism from the Auction House or from another player. This means that you can use the Spaulders of Egotism as a temporary option which should allow you to enter the new Heroic ++ Dungeons in order to acquire better gear.
Lastly, you can acquire the Trollwoven Spaulders if you can’t find the Spaulders of Egotism as a temporary option that should fulfill the same role of granting passage into the new Heroic ++ Dungeons. Of course, you could also enter the new dungeons while wearing full “Blue Armor”, without acquiring any of those options, as long as you find a strong enough group to carry you.
Pre-Toc/Onyxia’s Lair
Item | Source |
Ulduar – The Iron Council (25) HM | |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (25) | |
Ulduar – Kologarn (25) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) |
The BiS option for the Pre-Toc gearing phase will be the Shoulderpads of the Intruder due to the massive amount of Expertise Rating that they grant! In this particular set, we won’t use the T8 4-item set bonus, which means that the Conqueror’s Terrorblade Pauldrons will only be an alternative instead of the actual BiS!
Besides the access to the T8 item-set bonuses, the Conqueror’s Terrorblade Pauldrons is also the next-best alternative for builds that lack enough Hit Rating. On a similar note, the Treacherous Shoulderpads act as a valid alternative to the T8 Shoulders due to the Hit Rating they provide!
If you already have plenty of Expertise Rating and Hit Rating from your other gear slots and gem sockets, the next-best alternative if you can’t find any of the first two options will be the Shoulderpads of the Monolith. If you manage to tweak the rest of your gear slots, it will provide a similar damage output to the Shoulderpads of the Intruder.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – The Iron Council (25) HM | |
Trial of the Crusader – Anub’arak (10) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Anub’arak (10) |
The best possible option for this slot will be VanCleef’s Pauldrons of Triumph/Garona’s Pauldrons of Triumph! This is due to several factors, with the primary reasons being the very high amounts of Expertise Rating and Armor Penetration that it grants besides the access to the T9 item-set bonuses. When looking at the rest of your gear slots, you will quickly realize that the T9 Shoulders will be one of your primary sources for acquiring Expertise Rating.
Since we want to increase our Expertise Rating as much as possible from this slot, the Shoulderpads of the Intruder from the previous phase of the expansion will actually be the next viable alternative after the 258 Ilvl version of the T9 piece. The only issue with this item is that we lose access to the T9 4-item set bonus if we don’t replace our Legs Slot with the T9 piece!
The next-best alternative will be VanCleef’s Pauldrons of Triumph/Garona’s Pauldrons of Triumph, since it grants the precise same types of stats as the 258 Ilvl version of the T9 Shoulders in slightly lower amounts. It is important to keep in mind that the T9 item-set bonus will remain the same, no matter what Ilvl version of the item you are currently using.
However, there is one item that performs better than the 232 Ilvl version of the T9 piece if you manage to get all the other BiS options, namely the Spaulders of the Snow Bandit/Shoulderpads of the Snow Bandit. This is due to the massive amounts of Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating that it offers, which make up for the loss of Expertise Rating. Of course, as mentioned previously, this is only true if you have all the other BiS options!
The Duskstalker Shoulderpads/Duskstalker Pauldrons is another possible alternative, however, it has two major issues. The first issue is that it performs slightly worse than VanCleef’s Pauldrons of Conquest/Garona’s Pauldrons of Conquest. The second issue is that it actually costs more Emblems of Triumph than the 232 Ilvl version of the T9 shoulders. This means that the item is by far suboptimal and should actually be ignored!
Lastly, if you don’t have enough Emblems of Triumph to acquire the 232 Ilvl version of the T9 Shoulders, you can use the Spaulders of the Snow Bandit/Shoulderpads of the Snow Bandit as a valid alternative for a brief amount of time. You may also choose to use this item if you filled your other main slots with T9 items!
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
With the release of the third phase, we will now have easy access to one of the strongest possible items that you can acquire for this slot. We are talking about the Drape of the Faceless General, an item that previously held the position of BiS in the previous phase of the expansion. This is mainly due to the Gem Sockets that it grants paired up with great amounts of Critical Strike Chance and Armor Penetration.
The next-best alternative will be Winter’s Frigid Embrace as it grants the closest damage output. This is due to the high baseline stats combined with the Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating secondary stats. Even if the item has no Gem Sockets, it still performs quite well thanks to its stat spread.
On the same note, yet considerably weaker than the Winter’s Frigid Embrace, you can use the Cloak of Darkening to gain a considerable damage output. However, even if the item grants Armor Penetration, the lower amount of stats will result in reduced damage output, meaning that you will only want to use this option in case you can’t access any of the previously mentioned items yet.
If you struggle early on with your Hit Rating, the best possible option will be the Shawl of the Shattered Giant, followed up closely by the Cloak of Mastery. In terms of providing pure Hit Rating, you will most definitely want to acquire the Ulduar cloak, however, the Cloak of Mastery will be just fine in case you can’t afford to specifically hunt for the Shawl of the Shattered Giant.
Lastly, in case you can’t gain any of the previously mentioned items, you may use the Ice Striker’s Cloak before entering any Heroic ++ Dungeons! While its stats are terrible when compared to the rest of the items, it should grant you access to the new Heroic ++ Dungeons and allow you to gain potent upgrades.
Pre-Toc/Onyxia’s Lair
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Hodir (25 HM) | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Ulduar – Iron Council (25) |
The best possible option for the Pre-Toc gearing phase will be the former BiS from phase 2, namely the Drape of Icy Intent. This is due to the combination of Hit Rating/Haste Rating that it offers as secondary stats which complement the rest of the BiS items from this set perfectly.
The next-best alternative in terms of pure damage output will be the Drape of the Faceless General! Since you will lose a portion of your Hit Rating by using this item, you will want to supplement it with some Hit Rating gems in order to remain at a favorable Hit Rating amount.
If you can’t acquire any of the previously mentioned items, the Drape of the Lithe serves as a great alternative for increasing your overall Hit Rating! It is, however, considerably weaker than the other two options, meaning that you will want to replace it as fast as possible. Since the Drape of the Faceless General can now be acquired with Sidereal Essence, you will want to maintain the Drape of the Lithe until you manage to gather enough Sidereal Essence.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) HC | |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Tribute Chest (10) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Hodir (25) HM | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) |
The best possible option will be Vereesa’s Dexterity/Sylvanas’ Cunning. This is mostly due to the item having the highest amount of stats when compared to any other choice in the third phase of the expansion, paired up with the secondary stats that it grants. While Assassination Rogue doesn’t benefit the most from Armor Penetration, the sheer amount of stats will still provide the best damage output.
As for the next-best alternative, you have two main options to pick from, with both items displaying an extremely close damage output. The main difference between them is roughly 1-5 DPS, meaning that you can safely use any of them efficiently. The items are the Cloak of the Silver Covenant/Cloak of Serrated Blades and the Drape of the Untamed Predator/Cloak of the Untamed Predator.
In a less surprising manner, the Drape of Icy Intent retains its position as one of the strongest items, providing even better damage output than the Drape of the Untamed Predator/Cloak of the Untamed Predator. However, the difference in terms of damage output is quite low, with only a 50 DPS difference on multiple simulations. The main difference between the two items is the way you can acquire them, with one of them being available as a drop from Ulduar while the other one is available for purchase as a BoE once a player posts the item on the Auction House.
Lastly, you may still use the Drape of the Faceless General as a viable alternative that can be compared to the Drape of the Untamed Predator/Cloak of the Untamed Predator in terms of pure damage output in our current setup. If you already have all the other BiS options, the difference between the two items is 1-2 DPS, meaning that you can use either of them depending on which one you can acquire easier.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former The Obsidian Sanctum 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) |
The best possible option for this slot will be the Valorous Terrorblade Breastplate. Besides its overall high stats, the main reason why you will want to use this item is the access to the T8 item-set bonuses. Since you will want to use other T8 items as well, you should prioritize this option to reach the 4-item set bonus. Apart from the item-set bonuses, you will also gain a considerable amount of Expertise Rating which will help you reach your Soft Expertise Cap without focusing on too many items that grant Expertise Rating.
If you still require Expertise Rating and you can’t find the T8, the Tunic of Dislocation will be the best possible alternative. However, if you already have plenty of Expertise Rating, this option will actually be the weakest in comparison to the other available options.
If your build lacks enough Hit Rating, the best possible option will be the Tunic of the Limber Stalker due to the sheer amount of stats that it grants. The only other viable Hit Rating alternative that you can easily gain as a fresh level 80 will be the Blade-Scarred Tunic which actually grants nearly the same amount of Hit Rating as the Ulduar item. The main difference between the two items is the rest of the stats, as the Blade-Scarred Tunic is overall weaker if you compare its other stats to the Tunic of the Limber Stalker. Nonetheless, you can use it until you manage to find the Ulduar item!
The Heroes’ Bonescythe Breastplate is an exception when compared to the other items due to how hard it is to acquire. It grants a better overall damage output than the Blade-Scarred Tunic or the Tunic of Dislocation, however, its steep cost makes it an unrealistic goal. Unless you somehow manage to get into a VoA and gain the item, you should ignore it entirely since it costs 80 Emblems of Heroism.
Pre-Toc/Onyxia’s Lair
The best possible option for the Pre-Toc gearing phase will be the Embrace of the Gladiator! This is due to two main factors: The first being that this item grants the highest possible stat yield for this slot. The second is that as an Assassination Rogue, we can benefit from the T8 4-item set bonus, however, we will choose to not activate it and use off-pieces instead! By using off-pieces, we will actually generate a higher damage output than by using 4 T8 items according to multiple simulations.
If you can’t gain the Embrace of the Gladiator, the next-best alternative will be the Conqueror’s Terrorblade Breastplate as it will grant you access to the T8 item-set bonuses. It is better to use the Conqueror’s Terrorblade Breastplate in conjunction with the T8 Shoulder since the T8 chest grants Expertise Rating. By doing so, you will replace the Expertise Rating lost by not using the Shoulderpads of the Intruder!
Lastly, you can use the Valorous Terrorblade Breastplate as the next-best alternative to the Conqueror’s Terrorblade Breastplate since it grants the same types of bonuses, only in lower amounts.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Thorim (25) HM | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (25) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (10) HC | |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (10) |
Compared to the other gear slots, the Chest Slot will offer you a multitude of options! The best possible option will be VanCleef’s Breastplate of Triumph/Garona’s Breastplate of Triumph. This is not only due to the access it grants to the T9 item-set bonuses but also due to the overall high baseline and secondary stats. While there might be other options that grant an almost equal amount of stats or even better stats, Assassination Rogue benefits a great deal from items with Hit Rating/Critical Strike Chance in this phase of the expansion. According to various simulations, the damage output is quite similar, and even better in some cases, than simulations in which you use items with Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating or Critical Strike Chance/Armor Penetration.
The next-best alternative will be the Cuirass of Calamitous Fate/Vest of Calamitous Fate due to the reasons mentioned above. It grants a similar amount of stats to the 258 Ilvl T9 Chest, which results in a slightly lower damage output due to how strong the Hit Rating/Critical Strike Chance stat combination is in this current phase of the expansion. The difference between the two items is roughly around 70 DPS, according to multiple simulations.
In a similar fashion, the VanCleef’s Breastplate of Triumph/Garona’s Breastplate of Triumph will provide a slightly lower damage output than the Cuirass of Calamitous Fate/Vest of Calamitous Fate, however, the results are very close. The difference between the two items is only 30 DPS, meaning that you can use the 245 Ilvl version of the T9 Chest as a potent alternative while completely ignoring the other option.
The next options will simply offer you a progressively lower damage output, with the Embrace of the Gladiator offering the best output. It is closely followed up by the Cuirass of Calamitous Fate/Vest of Calamitous Fate and the Armor of Shifting Shadows , with both items offering very similar damage outputs. The Knightbane Carapace/Knightbane Carapace is a special exception since it is a BoE item that also grants Hit Rating. You can use it as a powerful alternative if you can’t gain the T9 chest as long as you have the 2-item set bonus active.
Lastly, the Armor of Shifting Shadows/Vest of Shifting Shadows is the weakest possible option and should only be used if you already have the T9 2-item set bonus active or until you manage to gather enough Emblems of Triumph in order to buy the VanCleef’s Breastplate of Conquest/Garona’s Breastplate of Conquest.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Trial of the Champion – Eadric the Pure (Heroic) | |
60 Emblem of Valor (BoE) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
The Wyrmrest Temple- Exalted |
The best possible option that you can acquire fairly easily as a Fresh 80 with the release of the new Sidereal Vendor is the Fluxing Energy Coils. This option will be especially useful throughout the entirety of your progression, as it grants a large amount of Hit Rating. It also grants a large amount of Armor Penetration, providing a great damage output. While Armor Penetration is not the most powerful stat for an Assassination Rogue, it will still increase your overall damage output when you have an overall balanced stat spread!
The next-best alternative for increasing your overall Hit Rating will be the Armbands of the Wary Lookout. It grants precisely the same types of stats as the Fluxing Energy Coils with a slightly lower stat spread.
The rest of the options are tailored toward increasing your overall damage output, however, they will be weaker than the previously mentioned items. You can consider them as placeholder options that will aid you in your gearing journey until you can get the Fluxing Energy Coils.
Either one of the Wristwraps of the Cutthroat, the Cuffs of Dark Shadows, or the Dragonfriend Bracers will prove themselves to be great initial options. Each of them grants a progressive damage output, with the Dragonfriend Bracers being the weakest, while the Wristwraps of the Cutthroat provide the best output out of the three options.
Pre-Toc/Onyxia’s Lair
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Algalon The Observer (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Ulduar – Flame Leviathan (25) |
For the Pre-Toc gearing phase, the best option for this slot depends entirely on your current Expertise Rating and your current Hit Rating. For increasing your overall Expertise Rating, the Solar Bindings will be the best choice, especially since our build does not grant enough Expertise Rating.
The Fluxing Energy Coils will be the best Hit Rating option while also granting a great quantity of Armor Penetration. However, the overall DPS output of the Solar Bindings will be higher in this item set since you will struggle with your Expertise Rating prior to ToC or Onyxia’s Lair. You also have to keep in mind that in the majority of situations, Assassination Rogues benefit more from Haste Rating than Armor Penetration. However, there will be some specific cases, depending on the rest of your gear slots, in which Armor Penetration grants an almost equal amount of offensive prowess.
A viable alternative before acquiring any of the previously mentioned items will be the Mechanist’s Bindings. however, their overall DPS output will be lower.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Anub’arak (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Anub’arak (25) | |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) |
Just like with the majority of your gear slots, the best possible option for this slot will grant you Hit Rating! The BiS option for the Bracers Slot in the third phase of the expansion is the Bracers of Dark Determination/Armbands of Dark Determination. This is thanks to the overall high stats that the item provides, providing an interesting damage output even after you pass the Soft Hit Cap. While it doesn’t grant Haste Rating, the Critical Strike Chance provided by the item will enhance your overall damage output.
The next-best alternative will actually be its 245 Ilvl version, the Bracers of Dark Determination/Armbands of Dark Determination as it grants the precise same types of stats, only in slightly lower amounts. While you might expect the Bracers of Swift Death/Bracers of Swift Death to be the best alternative, it actually grants a lower damage output, even if it grants Haste Rating/Armor Penetration. The reason for this is that Hit Rating will actually empower us in this current phase of the expansion, especially when paired up with Critical Strike Chance. Based on a large number of simulations, in every simulation, the Bracers of Dark Determination/Armbands of Dark Determination produce a better damage output than the Bracers of Swift Death/Bracers of Swift Death.
The Solar Bindings is another strong alternative that can be used instead of the Bracers of Dark Determination/Armbands of Dark Determination that provide a very close damage output. The difference between the two items is only ~25-27 DPS, meaning that you can use either option as long as you have the rest of the BiS items in your other gear slots!
Lastly, the Fluxing Energy Coils is a great alternative for increasing your overall Hit Rating if you can’t yet access any of the previously mentioned items or if your build still lacks Hit Rating from your other Gear Slots. You can consider this item as a temporary solution until you gain an upgrade!
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 24 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – Eadric the Pure | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
60 Emblem of Heroism/Vault of Archavon ( Archavon the Stone Watcher) |
The new phase of the expansion brings quite a lot of interesting options for a Fresh 80 character, with the best possible option being the Gloves of the Endless Dark. During the early phase of your gearing journey, you will find yourself struggling with Hit Rating, and the Gloves of the Endless Dark provide the best possible amount of Hit Rating if we consider all the pre-raid options.
The next-best alternative will be the Valorous Terrorblade Gauntlets. The reason for this is that it grants a decently high amount of Hit Rating while it also grants access to the T8 item-set bonuses. This item becomes considerably stronger if you manage to gain other T8 items in order to activate the T8 item-set bonuses. If you can’t find gain access to any of those two items, you may also use the Heroes’ Bonescythe Gauntlets as a viable alternative for gaining more Hit Rating. However, you should consider the T7 item the worst possible choice, as it is quite difficult to acquire.
In terms of pure damage output, either one of the Gloves of Smoldering Touch or the Gloves of the Argent Fanatic will be a great alternative if you can’t access any of the previously mentioned items or if you already have plenty of Hit Rating. The former option is stronger than the latter due to the sheer amount of stats it grants, even if the secondary stats themselves are not the same.
Lastly, you may use the Rapid Attack Gloves as an alternative until you can gain enough Expertise Rating from your other gear slots. However, you should keep in mind that this item is among the weaker options that you can access, meaning that you will only want to keep it for a brief period of time.
Pre-Toc/Onyxia’s Lair
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Mimiron (25) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Animated Constellation – 24 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Emblem of Conquest (28) |
For the Pre-Toc gearing phase, the best possible option for this slot will be the Conqueror’s Terrorblade Gauntlets. This is mainly due to the Hit Rating that the item grants, paired up with access to the T8 item-set bonuses. While we will not want to necessarily activate the 4-item set bonus, we will surely want to activate the 2-item set bonus. Naturally, the next-best alternative will be the Valorous Terrorblade Gauntlets as it fulfills the exact same purpose, albeit with its lower stat spread.
If you already activated your 2-item set bonus from your other slots, the next-best alternative will be the Gloves of the Endless Dark! The item grants a large amount of Hit Rating while it also grants a substantial amount of Haste Rating that is very beneficial to Assassination Rogues.
If you already have plenty of Hit Rating from your other gear slots and if you can’t access any of the previously mentioned items, you may use the Gloves of the Blind Stalker as a valid alternative thanks to its Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating secondary stat combination. While it is not as strong as the other options, you can consider it a temporary item until you manage to gain an upgrade.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (10) Heroic | |
Animated Constellation – 24 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (10) |
The best possible option for this slot will be VanCleef’s Gauntlets of Triumph/Garona’s Gauntlets of Triumph. This is mostly due to the abundant stats that it grants paired up with access to the T9 item-set bonuses. In terms of secondary stats, the Hit Rating granted by the item will be crucial as the Assassination Rogue Specialization has a special interaction with Hit Rating in the third phase of the expansion.
Naturally, the next-best alternative will be its 245 Ilvl version, VanCleef’s Gauntlets of Triumph/Garona’s Gauntlets of Triumph, as it grants the exact same types of bonuses. The only difference is the sheer stat values granted by the item, with the T9-item set bonuses remaining the same.
On a different note, there is another interesting alternative that grants a similar damage output, namely the Gloves of the Silver Assassin/Sunreaver Assassin’s Gloves. This item will grant you a large amount of Critical Strike Chance/Armor Penetration which will result in a very similar damage output to the T9 245 Ilvl gloves. The main thing you got to keep in mind is that this item will be worse than the 232 Ilvl version of the T9 gloves in the case in which you don’t have the T9 2-item set bonus active.
The curious thing about this item is that while Assassination Rogue doesn’t benefit as much from Armor Penetration as the Combat Rogue does, the item itself still grants a very high damage output!
The VanCleef’s Gauntlets of Conquest/Garona’s Gauntlets of Conquest will be mandatory if you don’t have other T9 items, as you will want to activate the T9 2-item set bonus as fast as possible! Since their cost is also the lowest among the other T9 items, you may want to prioritize this item.
The Gloves of the Endless Dark are a great alternative to the 232 Ilvl T9 gloves, however, the same concept related to the T9 2-item set bonus applies to them. They can be a great alternative as long as you manage to activate the T9 2-item set bonus from your other slots!
Even if the T9 2-item set bonus has a low chance to proc and has an internal cooldown of 15 seconds as we mentioned in the “General Explanations Tab”, you will still want to activate it at all costs. The reason for this is that you will want to gain every possible advantage, even if it has an extremely low proc chance of only 2%!
The Gloves of the Silver Assassin/Sunreaver Assassin’s Gloves are inferior to all the previously mentioned items and should be treated as a placeholder until you can acquire them! This is mostly due to the sheer amount of stats that they grant, being considerably lower than all other possible alternatives.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – Grand Champions | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Utgarde Pinnacle – Ingvar the Plunderer (Heroic) |
As a Fresh Level 80, you have multiple choices for this slot, with two of them particularly strong. Among the best possible options will be the Soul-Devouring Cinch and the Death-warmed Belt. The former option is specifically tailored for builds that lack Expertise Rating while the latter is made for builds that require additional Hit Rating. As a general rule of thumb, the Soul-Devouring Cinch will be the stronger option until you come across items from ToC.
If you can’t access any of those options, the next-best alternative in terms of increasing your overall Hit Rating will be the Nimble Climber’s Belt while the most accessible alternative for increasing your overall Expertise Rating will be the Sharp-Barbed Leather Belt.
In the case in which you already have plenty of Expertise Rating and Hit Rating, you may use either one of the Belt of Fierce Competition or the Blistered Belt of Decay. While they are certainly not as strong as the other options, they should provide a great buffer until you can actually acquire any of the previously mentioned items. With the way we tailored our builds, you will still want to consider those two items as simple “placeholder” items and try to gain either one of the first two mentioned items.
The Sharp-Barbed Leather Belt can be considered an initial item for the beginning of your gearing journey! It is considerably weaker than all the other options and will only be useful for granting you passage into the new Heroic ++ Dungeons in order to gain better items.
Pre-Toc/Onyxia’s Lair
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Emblem of Conquest (28) | |
Ulduar – Mimiron (25) HM |
The best possible choice for this slot in the Pre-Toc gearing phase will depend entirely on your current Expertise Rating. If you are currently lacking enough Expertise Rating, the best option will be Soul-Devouring Cinch. It grants overall high stats, a high Critical Strike Chance, and an Expertise Rating, generating the best possible DPS output. The Belt of the Twilight Assassin is the next-best alternative for gaining Expertise Rating, even if it provides overall lower stats than the Soul-Devouring Cinch!
If you already have plenty of Expertise Rating after tweaking the rest of your gear slots, the next-best alternative will be the Death-warmed Belt. This option is considerably better for builds that lack Hit Rating or simply wish to boost their overall Hit Rating above the Soft Hit Cap.
Other than items that increase your overall Expertise Rating or Hit Rating, you can use the Waistguard of the Creator as a damage-oriented alternative due to its Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating secondary stats. However, this option is viable only if you tweaked the rest of your gear to cover up for any missing Hit Rating or Expertise Rating!
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjolla Lightbane (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjolla Lightbane (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Compared to other slots, this slot offers far fewer possible options from ToC. The best possible option will be the Belt of the Merciless Killer/Belt of the Pitiless Killer. This is due to a large amount of Hit Rating granted by the item, combined with 2 Gem Sockets and a large amount of Haste Rating. Naturally, the next-best alternative will be its 245 Ilvl version, the Belt of the Merciless Killer/Belt of the Pitiless Killer.
Since there are no other possible alternatives from ToC, you will want to use two options from the previous phase of the expansion as valid alternatives.
The Soul-Devouring Cinch remains a powerhouse item with its incredible stat spread, however, it won’t provide the most optimum setup since our build already grants us a large amount of Expertise Rating. This item can be fairly strong if you haven’t acquired all the best items for Expertise Rating from your other gear slots yet.
The Death-warmed Belt is very close to the Soul-Devouring Cinch with both items having a very close damage output when used with the rest of the BiS options from the other gear slots. The main difference between the two items is that the former is better if you haven’t acquired enough Hit Rating yet, acting as an effective placeholder until you acquire stronger Hit Rating items.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – Eadric the Pure | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Gundrak – Gal’Darah (Heroic) |
The best possible option for this slot will be either one of the Valorous Terrorblade Legplates or the Leggings of Swift Reflexes. Both items share the precise same types of stats, however, you will want to prioritize the T8 Legs due to the T8 item-set bonuses. Since you will want to use other T8 items as your best options, activating the item-set bonuses will be one of your first priorities at the beginning of your gearing journey.
Other than the Ulduar items, you can split the rest of the options into two main categories. Options that provide Hit Rating and options that provide Expertise Rating.
For increasing your Hit Rating, the best possible option will be the Leggings of Brazen Trespass that become available with the new Trial of the Champion dungeon. You will also be able to use the Heroes’ Bonescythe Legplates from the first phase of the expansion as a valid alternative, albeit a weaker one since you won’t have much use for the T7 item-set bonuses. Lastly, you can use the Gored Hide Legguards as an option that provides better Hit Rating than the T7 Legs. The main issue with the item is the fact that apart from its Hit Rating, its other stats are considerably lower.
As for Expertise Rating options, the best and only viable alternative that you can acquire quickly as a fresh level 80 will be the Leggings of Discord. They do grant a decently high amount of Expertise Rating, however, you will ultimately want to acquire Expertise Rating from other gear slots, meaning that this option will merely be temporary.
Pre-Toc/Onyxia’s Lair
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (25) HM | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) | |
Razorscale (25) – BoE |
The best possible choice for the Pre-Toc gearing phase will be the Legguards of Cunning Deception. They offer extraordinarily high base stats, 3 sockets, and a high Critical Strike Chance and Armor Penetration Rating to reach the best DPS output. This option will remain one of the best possible options, even among the ToC options, as it grants an incredible amount of stats after the Ulduar update.
As a viable alternative, you can use Conqueror’s Terrorblade Legplates which offer a solid DPS output as it grants fairly high baseline stats and Critical Strike Chance paired up with a high Haste Rating.
Another very viable alternative will be the Proto-hide Leggings, especially since you can acquire it fairly easily as a BoE! This item is better suited for builds that lack Expertise Rating! For example, you may choose to use this item if you haven’t managed to acquire the Shoulderpads of the Intruder for your Shoulders Gear Slot!
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (25) HM | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) | |
The best possible option for this slot will be the Leggings of the Broken Beast/Legwraps of the Broken Beast. This will be the only offset piece that you will use in this current set. It has very similar stats to the T9 Legs, however, it is stronger due to the additional Gem Socket that it offers. The Haste Rating it offers is the best possible Stat for an Assassination Rogue when compared to the Armor Penetration granted by the T9 Legs! While Assassination Rogue benefits the most from Haste Rating as a standalone stat, you will need the rest of the BiS items in order to maximize the damage output granted by the Leggings of the Broken Beast/Legwraps of the Broken Beast.
The next-best alternative will be the VanCleef’s Legplates of Triumph/Garona’s Legplates of Triumph as it grants very similar stats to the Leggings of the Broken Beast/Legwraps of the Broken Beast while also providing access to the T9 item-set bonuses. As explained earlier, the Armor Penetration stat will grant a very similar damage output to the actual BiS, however, the sheer amount of stats will result in a slightly lower output than the Leggings of the Broken Beast/Legwraps of the Broken Beast.
The Legguards of Cunning Deception will remain one of the best options, just as it was in the previous phase of the expansion. Just as mentioned previously, the high baseline and secondary stats combined with the Gem Sockets will generate a stronger damage output than the majority of the ToC items.
The rest of the three options will provide a nearly identical damage output when compared to each other, with the VanCleef’s Legplates of Conquest/Garona’s Legplates of Conquest being the weakest option. Depending on your access to Ulduar, you may want to begin with VanCleef’s Legplates of Conquest/Garona’s Legplates of Conquest or simply gain the Legguards of Cunning Deception and use them until you can manage to gain the actual BiS.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – Grand Champions (Heroic) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) |
For this slot, you will have access to a special item that you will be able to use throughout the entirety of your gearing journey and even as one of the most potent alternatives while you are raiding ToC! The Footpads of Silence will be the best possible option, granting you high amounts of both Critical Strike Chance and Hit Rating while also providing 2 Gem Sockets. It is fair to say that any other alternative that you may possess simply pales in comparison to this item until you can gain access to the ToGC items.
The next-best alternative will be the Treads of the Invader due to the high baseline and secondary stats that it grants. While it might not grant Hit Rating, the Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating combination will provide a decently high damage output. However, if you severely lack Hit Rating and you can’t acquire it from another gear slot, this option will be extremely weak in comparison to the Footpads of Silence.
You may use the Boots of the Worshiper as a valid alternative to the Treads of the Invader since they grant precisely the same types of starts. The only difference between the two items is the sheer amount of stats granted, with the latter being the clear superior option.
If you struggle with increasing your overall Expertise Rating from your other slots, you may use the Treads of Dismal Fortune as a valid alternative until you can manage to gain enough Expertise Rating from your other gear slots. Ideally, you will want to reserve this slot specifically for the Footpads of Silence!
Pre-Toc/Onyxia’s Lair
The best possible choice for this slot in the Pre-Toc gearing phase, just as previously mentioned, will be the Footpads of Silence. They grant you a high Critical Strike Chance, 2 sockets, and a much-needed Hit Rating.
Alternatively, you can use either Flamestalker Boots or Runed Ironhide Boots as the next best option. The Flamestalker Boots will be a better option, once you manage to gain enough Expertise Rating.
As a starting viable option, if you can not get your hands on the Footpads of Silence, you can use the Treads of the Invader until you gain an upgrade.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (25) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (10) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (10) |
The best possible option for this slot will be the Treads of the Icewalker/Icewalker Treads. Just like with the other Gear Slots, this BiS retains the same characteristics of granting a large quantity of Hit Rating, paired up with an offensive stat. While you will not be able to amass a large quantity of Armor Penetration from the entirety of your set, the small amount of Armor Penetration that will be available at your disposal will make a clear difference in terms of pure damage output.
Naturally, the next-best alternative will be its 245 Ilvl version, the Treads of the Icewalker/Icewalker Treads as it grants precisely the same types of stats. Just as mentioned previously, the Footpads of Silence remain one of the strongest items since their release in the second phase of the expansion. Their damage output is fairly similar to the 245 Ilvl version of the Treads of the Icewalker/Icewalker Treads, even if they grant Critical Strike Chance instead of Armor Penetration.
However, if you find yourself missing some of your Expertise Rating items, you may use the Acidmaw Boots/Acidmaw Treads as a valid alternative to supplement your Expertise Rating. Naturally, the next-best alternative for increasing your Expertise Rating will be its 232 Ilvl version, the Acidmaw Boots/Acidmaw Treads. While you generally do not want Expertise Rating from this slot, you have to keep in mind that certain adjustments must be made until you can reach the true BiS set that you require!
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Dalaran- Harold Winston | |
Trial of the Champion – The Black Knight | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) |
With the release of the new phase of the expansion and its Heroic ++ Dungeons and Sidereal Essence Vendor, we will be able to gain access to some of the most powerful rings from the previous phase of the expansion without having to endlessly grind for them.
The most powerful ring combination that you can acquire as a fresh level 80 will be the Loop of the Agile & Band of Lights. Both items combined will grant you a great stat spread, providing Hit Rating/Armor Penetration/Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating in nearly equal amounts.
If you don’t have enough Sidereal Essence to gain those two rings yet, you may use the Kirin Tor ring, Inscribed Band of the Kirin Tor, paired up with the Band of Draconic Guile to achieve a similar stat spread! The Sealing Ring of Grobbulus is a very similar choice to both items and can be used as a viable alternative, however, it will bring considerably weaker stats.
Lastly, you may use Uruka’s Band of Zeal as a viable alternative for increasing your overall Expertise Rating if you haven’t reached your Soft Expertise Cap yet. While this option might provide a good amount of Expertise Rating, you should keep in mind that you will ideally want to gain Expertise Rating from your other gear slots.
Pre-Toc/Onyxia’s Lair
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (25) | |
Ulduar – General Vezax (25) | |
All Is Well That Ends Well (Quest) |
The Pre-Toc gearing phase will see some changes when compared to the BiS list from the last phase of the expansion as we now have access to a convenient Sidereal Essence Vendor which allows us to easily acquire some of the most powerful rings from Ulduar.
Ideally, the Band of Lights and Brann’s Signet Ring will be the best possible choices as they grant overall great baseline and secondary stats. They both provide ample offensive stats and high base stats, granting us the best DPS output. However, a more realistic choice without having to grind Ulduar endlessly will be the Loop of the Agile & Band of Lights. Just as mentioned in the Fresh 80 category of this slot, those two rings can pack quite the punch when considering all the great stats that they can offer you and the easy way you can acquire them.
As viable alternatives, we have several choices which grant us potent DPS output, each of them being defined by a progressive “upgrade” system, meaning that items such as Godbane Signet and Metallic Loop of the Sufferer will be your initial choices with items such as Brann’s Sealing Ring and Band of Lights being the middle tier choice.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (25) Heroic | |
Heroic: All is Well That Ends Well | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (10) Heroic | |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
All is Well That Ends Well | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (10) |
The best possible Ring combination will be the Ring of Callous Aggression/Band of Callous Aggression & Brann’s Signet Ring. This is due to the overall very high stats gained while using those two items paired up with the overall great stat spread that you gain. The Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating/Armor Penetration gained by using those two rings together will boost your overall damage output by a considerable amount.
Ideally, you will want to keep the Ring of Callous Aggression/Band of Callous Aggression as your main ring while alternating between the other options for your secondary ring. However, in case you can’t find the Ring of Callous Aggression/Band of Callous Aggression, you can create various combinations by alternating between the other available items until you manage to find it.
Planestalker Signet/Planestalker Band will prove itself to be a great alternative to Brann’s Signet Ring. This option is better when you haven’t reached the BiS items for your other gear slots, as you will already have a large amount of Hit Rating with the full BiS set. However, if you can’t find it, you may use the Band of Lights which grants a similar damage output through the Hit Rating/Armor Penetration stat combination that it offers.
Since you can no longer combine two items that have the same name, even if they have a different Ilvl version, the Ring of Callous Aggression/Band of Callous Aggression can be considered a standalone alternative that should be used until you can gain its 258 Ilvl version.
The Loop of the Agile will still prove itself to be a valuable alternative even during the ToC gearing process as its stats are overall high. It also grants a great amount of Critical Strike Chance combined with Haste Rating which will generate a decent damage output.
Lastly, both the Brann’s Sealing Ring and the Planestalker Signet/Planestalker Band should be considered temporary options that you will want to replace as soon as possible. Since you now have access to some of the stronger Ulduar items through the new Sidereal Essence Vendor, you should maintain those two items until you gather the necessary Sidereal Essence in order to gain upgrades.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Animated Constellation – 24 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Darkmoon Faire – Darkmoon Nobles Deck | |
Trial of the Champion – Argent Confessor Paletress |
With the release of the new phase of the expansion and its Heroic ++ Dungeons and Sidereal Essence Vendor, we will be able to gain access to some of the most powerful trinkets from the previous phase of the expansion without much effort! The best possible trinkets that you can acquire as a fresh level 80 will be the Mjolnir Runestone and the Dark Matter. Both trinkets are extremely strong that provide overpowered bonuses which will be useful for you throughout the entirety of the third phase of the expansion.
The Pyrite Infuser will provide a great damage output due to its On-Equip effect! In terms of pure damage output, it is similar to the Darkmoon Card: Greatness, being an especially useful option for builds that still don’t have enough Hit Rating.
The Darkmoon Card: Greatness remains one of the strongest possible options, even in the third phase of the expansion due to the massive Agility bonus that it provides. You may find it useful even while progressing through ToGC.
If you somehow manage to gather a large amount of Emblems of Heroism, you may consider the Mirror of Truth as a viable alternative since its On-Equip effect can be particularly strong. Yet, just like with the Banner of Victory, this option should be considered as a temporary placeholder.
The new phase also comes with the new Trial of the Champion Dungeon that grants access to the Banner of Victory. However, this option is quite underwhelming when compared to the previously mentioned items. It provides the worst damage output when compared to the rest of the available options, being even weaker than the Mirror of Truth.
Pre-Toc/Onyxia’s Lair
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Algalon The Observer (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 24 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Inscription – BoE | |
Ulduar – Kologarn (25) |
The Pre-Toc gearing options for your trinket slots have become a lot easier to acquire, especially with the new Sidereal Essence Vendor. Ideally, you will want to gain the Comet’s Trail and Dark Matter as your best possible options, however, you may find it easier to gain the Mjolnir Runestone & Dark Matter instead.
In case you can’t gain any of those previously mentioned items, the Blood of the Old God will represent a great option that can actually provide a better damage output than the Mjolnir Runestone, especially if your build still lacks Hit Rating.
If you are currently using the Comet’s Trail as your primary trinket while also having the rest of the best possible options, you can use either one of the Mjolnir Runestone or the Pyrite Infuser as an alternative since they both provide precisely the same damage output. Even if they grant different type of stats, the stat spread itself from the rest of your gear slots will ensure that both trinkets provide the same damage output.
The Pyrite Infuser works in the precise same fashion as the Blood of the Old God, offering both Hit Rating and an On-Use effect that can increase your overall Attack Power. It has the same condition as the Blood of the Old God for builds that lack enough Hit Rating, resulting in a better damage output than the Darkmoon Card: Greatness.
As a viable alternative to either one of the previously mentioned items, Darkmoon Card: Greatness still represents an extremely strong option.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (25) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 24 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Darkmoon Faire – Darkmoon Nobles Deck | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – Argent Confessor Paletress | |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (10) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (10) |
The best trinket combination for this phase of the expansion will be the Death’s Verdict/Death’s Choice & Comet’s Trail! This is due to the massive amount of Agility that the Death’s Verdict/Death’s Choice grants, combined with the massive amount of Haste Rating granted by the Comet’s Trail which acts just like Bloodlust/Heroism.
Since you can no longer combine the same trinket of two different item levels (Example: Death’s Verdict/Death’s Choice & Death’s Verdict/Death’s Choice), the best possible option will be Death’s Verdict/Death’s Choice. You will absolutely want to gain this trinket and combine it with multiple possible options from the previous phase of the expansion.
The Death’s Verdict/Death’s Choice should only be kept until you can manage to gain its 258 Ilvl version!
Both Dark Matter and the Blood of the Old God work as viable alternatives that provide an almost identical amount of damage output in our current set. This means that it doesn’t specifically matter which one of them you choose to use, as the DPS difference between the two items is only 40 DPS. One thing to keep in mind is that Mark of Supremacy is considerably weaker than the Blood of the Old God, however, since it provides Hit Rating it will prove itself to be stronger than the Darkmoon Card: Greatness. The reason for this is the special interaction that Assassination Rogues have with the Hit Rating stat in the third phase of the expansion.
Mjolnir Runestone is an odd trinket when combined with the rest as it seems to be the most impacted by your gem sockets when compared to the other trinkets. While Assassination Rogues do not benefit as much from Armor Penetration as Combat Rogues, Mjolnir Runestone still manages to grant a fairly high damage output when used in this particular set.
Both the Darkmoon Card: Greatness and the Pyrite Infuser will still prove themselves to be valuable alternatives until you can manage to gain either one of Mjolnir Runestone or Dark Matter. Their damage output is quite similar to the one produced by the Mark of Supremacy or the Blood of the Old God with only a slight minor difference between them.
The Banner of Victory used to be one of the community’s favorite trinkets, however, through multiple simulations we can assert that its overall performance is actually worse than the one of the Pyrite Infuser or the Darkmoon Card: Greatness. This means that you will only want to use this trinket as a temporary placeholder until you can either gain enough Sidereal Essence or get any of the other available Ulduar trinkets.
Lastly, one of the worst options from ToC will be Victor’s Call/Vengeance of the Forsaken & Victor’s Call/Vengeance of the Forsaken. This is because of two main factors: The first one is that the T9 set already offers a large amount of Expertise Rating which renders the Expertise Rating granted by the item useless unless you haven’t acquired the T9 set yet. The second one is that its On-Use effect is by far the weakest among all the other available options, as it grants a progressively growing buff instead of a direct large amount.
Fresh 80
Main-Hand | Source |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) |
Off-Hand | Source |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Trial of the Champion – The Black Knight (Heroic) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) |
Just as we mentioned in the “Phase 3 Explanations” tab at the beginning of the Progressive List, Assassination Rogues have a unique weapon setup! The specialization prioritizes fast weapons with a 1.40 or 1.50 “Swing Timer” in the Main-Hand Slot and slow weapons with a ~1.70 or 1.80 “Swing Timer” in the Off-Hand Slot. There will be special occasions in which a 1.40 fast weapon will be so powerful that you will want to use it in both of your weapon slots!
Since we now have access to a special vendor, the Sidereal Essence Vendor, we can now acquire a set of very powerful daggers that will grant us an outstanding damage output. The best possible options will be either a double Combatant’s Bootblade or Combatant’s Bootblade & Perilous Bite. The latter variant is better for builds that have yet to gain enough Hit Rating.
The majority of your options as a Fresh 80 will grant a mix of stats, with Hit Rating acting as the main stat. This means that you will simply want to change your weapons in a progressive manner until you can gain the actual best options listed previously.
The only weapons that stray away from this pattern and work in a similar fashion to the Combatant’s Bootblade are the Omen of Ruin and the Knife of Incision which grant a mix of Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating. Those two options are best used when you already have plenty of Hit Rating and Expertise Rating from the rest of your gear slots! If you choose to use those two options, you will want to replace them as soon as you gain 25 Sidereal Essence to buy the first Combatant’s Bootblade.
Pre-Toc/Onyxia’s Lair
Main-Hand | Source |
Ulduar – Freya (25 HM) | |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) |
Off-Hand | Source |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Ulduar – Algalon The Observer (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Ulduar – XT-002 Deconstructor (25) |
The best possible weapon combination for the Pre-Toc gearing phase will remain the BiS from the previous phase of the expansion, double Bladetwister! This is not only due to the item displaying the highest possible stats for a dagger but also due to the perfect combination of Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating that the item provides.
You will generally want to gain the Bladetwister as your primary option for your Main-Hand weapon and combine with several other items in your Off-Hand if you can’t find a second one. The best alternative will be the Combatant’s Bootblade since it provides precisely the same types of stats! You will also be able to use 2x Combatant’s Bootblade as a valid alternative if you can’t find the Bladetwister, just like we mentioned previously!
The Fang of Oblivion is the closest item in terms of stat spread to the first two options, however, you will only be able to use it in your Off-Hand Slot due to its 1.80 Weapon Swing Timer.
Since you no longer have to grind for the Perilous Bite as a viable alternative due to the new Sidereal Essence Vendor, you will want to utterly ignore this option if you have the rest of your BiS options! However, if you still lack Hit Rating and have an abundance of Sidereal Essence, you may choose to use this item if you can’t tweak the rest of your gear slots.
The Golem-Shard Sticker is another alternative for your Off-Hand Slot that should only be used in case you require more Expertise Rating. Ideally, you will want to ignore this item and tweak the rest of your gear slots. However, if you can’t manage to do so, you should use it only if you come across it since you can also use your Gem Sockets to increase your Expertise Rating. A good example in which you will want to use Expertise Rating Gems if you can’t gain other Expertise Rating items is if you gain 2 x Bladetwister.
Best-in-Slot
Main-Hand | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) HM | |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (10) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) Heroic |
Off-Hand | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) HM | |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (10) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Algalon The Observer (25) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (25) |
The best possible weapons combination in the third phase of the expansion will be 2x Steel Bladebreaker/Stygian Bladebreaker! While it doesn’t grant the Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating stat combination that we are used to, the sheer amount of raw stats will provide the best possible damage output. You will want to attain this item at all costs and combine it with several other Off-Hand options if you can’t find another one!
If you can gain the Steel Bladebreaker/Stygian Bladebreaker yet, you will want to maintain the Bladetwister the next-best alternative! Just as mentioned previously, you can use the Bladetwister in both of your weapon slots! The Twin Spike/Gouge of the Frigid Heart will be a better Off-Hand alternative than the Steel Bladebreaker/Stygian Bladebreaker if you don’t have the majority of your Hit Rating items yet.
In our current setup, the Twin Spike/Gouge of the Frigid Heart will have a better damage output than the Bladetwister when used in your Off-Hand Slot. This only applies only if you already have all the other BiS options!
Due to the item changes to Ulduar items from the previous phase of the expansion, the majority of the Ulduar Daggers will actually be stronger than the majority of the ToC Daggers!
Combatant’s Bootblade will remain a better option than both Fang of Oblivion and the Steel Bladebreaker/Stygian Bladebreaker due to the sheer stat spread it grants.
If you still have issues with your Hit Rating and can’t gain access to the Twin Spike/Gouge of the Frigid Heart, you can use the Dirk of the Night Watch/Orcish Deathblade in whichever one of your Weapon Slots. This is due to its fast “Weapon Swing Timer” of only 1.40 seconds! In our current setup, the Dirk of the Night Watch/Orcish Deathblade will actually provide a better damage output than the Fang of Oblivion as long as you have all the other BiS options. If you don’t yet have all the BiS options from your other Gear Slots, the Fang of Oblivion will provide a better damage output.
Examples of Weapon Combinations:
- Steel Bladebreaker/Stygian Bladebreaker & Steel Bladebreaker/Stygian Bladebreaker
- Steel Bladebreaker/Stygian Bladebreaker & Twin Spike/Gouge of the Frigid Heart
- Steel Bladebreaker/Stygian Bladebreaker & Bladetwister
- Steel Bladebreaker/Stygian Bladebreaker & Combatant’s Bootblade
- Steel Bladebreaker/Stygian Bladebreaker & Dirk of the Night Watch/Orcish Deathblade
- Bladetwister & Twin Spike/Gouge of the Frigid Heart
- Bladetwister & Bladetwister
- Bladetwister & Combatant’s Bootblade
- Bladetwister & Dirk of the Night Watch/Orcish Deathblade
- Bladetwister & Fang of Oblivion
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Trial of the Champion – The Black Knight (Heroic) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) |
The best possible option that you can obtain for this slot will be the Twirling Blades. The main reason for this is the combination of Hit Rating/Armor Penetration that it grants. While Assassination Rogues don’t benefit as much from Armor Penetration as Combat Rogues do, it will still improve your overall damage output. However, until you can gather all other required Sidereal Essence, you can use other viable alternatives as there are many Ranged Weapons at your disposal in the new phase of the expansion.
The next-best alternative will be Deliverance, which grants the same types of stats, only in lower amounts. The main difference between the two items is that the latter doesn’t grant any Gem Socket, making it inferior in terms of customizability and damage output.
If you can’t access those two options, either one of the Golemheart Longbow, the Nerubian Conquerer, or the True-aim Long Rifle will provide solid stats while also ensuring that your damage output is quite similar. While we might expect items with Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating to offer a higher damage output than items with Critical Strike Chance/Armor Penetration
The Rifle of the Platinum Guard is another interesting alternative, however, it will be weaker than all the previously mentioned items since it doesn’t grant any Agility. If you already have all the items that we presented in the Fresh 80 set, this item will generate the weakest damage output. However, if you miss Hit Rating, this item may be very useful as a beginning option until you can acquire better items.
Pre-Toc/Onyxia’s Lair
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Animated Constellation – 38 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Ulduar – Auriaya (25) | |
Ulduar – Kologarn (25) |
For the Pre-Toc gearing phase, the best possible option will be the Skyforge Crossbow! This is due to the sheer amount of stats that the item grants, having the best possible stat gain. As the next-best alternative, you can use the Twirling Blades which actually grants nearly the same damage output as the Skyforge Crossbow if used in our specific item set. Besides the Critical Strike Chance and Armor Penetration that those items offer, you will mainly want the Hit Rating that both items grant!
In the same manner, if you can’t access any of those two items, you can use the Magnetized Projectile Emitter as a viable alternative. However, since Phase 3 has placed both the Magnetized Projectile Emitter and the Twirling Blades under the same currency at the Sidereal Essence Vendor, you will want to acquire the Twirling Blades as it’s a cheaper and stronger option.
You can use Giant’s Bane and Siren’s Cry as viable alternatives until you manage to get either of the two previously mentioned items.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (10) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (25) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (10) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Anub’arak (10) Heroic | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) |
For this particular slot, you have a plethora of available options as ToGC grants a large number of Ranged Weapons! Upon inspecting the majority of them, you will notice that their damage outputs and performances are closely related. This means that you may choose to use any of those options as viable alternatives besides the two main options which are objectively stronger than the rest!
The best possible option for this slot will be BRK-1000/Fezzik’s Autocannon! This is not only due to the massive amount of stats that it grants but also the perfect combination of Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating as secondary stats. There is only one other option that comes very close to this item in terms of damage output, and that is the Talonstrike/Death’s Head Crossbow since it grants similar types of stats. The main difference between the two items is that it grants Armor Penetration instead of Critical Strike Chance.
The Diplomat/Widebarrel Flintlock can be compared to the Skyforge Crossbow in terms of pure damage output. Either one of those 2 options will fit as a perfect alternative if you can’t gain any of the previously mentioned items.
You may also use the Rhok’shalla, the Shadow’s Bane/Frenzystrike Longbow, or the Baelgun’s Heavy Crossbow/Darkmaw Crossbow if you come upon them. Both items have almost the same damage output in our current set, with the main difference being that their roles change depending on the rest of your gear slots. Rhok’shalla, the Shadow’s Bane/Frenzystrike Longbow will be the better option in the case in which you haven’t gained many ToC items as it grants Hit Rating.
You will want to maintain the Twirling Blades until you manage to either gain the Skyforge Crossbow or any of the ToC Ranged Weapons! The reason for this is that in our current BiS set, the Twirling Blades offers the worst possible damage output.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic The Forge of Souls – Devourer of Souls | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – The Black Knight (Heroic) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Onyxia’s Lair – Onyxia (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Ulduar – Thorim (25) HM | |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Vanquisher’s Mark of Sanctification & 264 Piece | |
Heroic Geistlord’s Punishment Sack | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Blood Prince Council |
Heroic Discarded Bag of Entrails | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Professor Putricide |
Vanquisher’s Mark of Sanctification & 251 Piece | |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic Pit of Saron – Forgemaster Garfrost | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – Eadric the Pure (Heroic) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former The Eye of Eternity 10) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – General Vezax (25) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (10) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (25) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (10) | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) | |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Sindragosa’s Flawless Fang | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Sindragosa |
Heroic Precious’s Putrid Collar | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Festergut |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Sindragosa | |
Heroic Rimetooth Pendant | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Sindragosa |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Zone Drop | |
Icecrown Citadel (10) – Sindragosa | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – General Vezax (25) |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Heroic Halls of Reflection – Falric | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – The Black Knight | |
Naxxramas – Instructor Razuvious BoE | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – The Iron Council (25) HM | |
Trial of the Crusader – Anub’arak (10) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Anub’arak (10) |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Vanquisher’s Mark of Sanctification & 264 Piece | |
Vanquisher’s Mark of Sanctification & 251 Piece | |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Lady Deathwhisper | |
Heroic Skinned Whelp Shoulders | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Valithria Dreamwalker |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Steelbreaker (25) |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) HC | |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Tribute Chest (10) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Hodir (25) HM | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Shadowvault Slayer’s Cloak | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Gunship |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Gunship | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) HC | |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Tribute Chest (10) Heroic | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic Shawl of Nerubian Silk | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Lord Marrowgar |
Icecrown Citadel (10) – Lord Marrowgar | |
Ulduar – Hodir (25) HM |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Heroic Halls of Reflection – Marwyn | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former The Obsidian Sanctum 10 Drop) |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Thorim (25) HM | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (25) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (10) HC | |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (10) |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Ikfirus’ Sack of Wonder | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Gunship |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Gunship | |
Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Lady Deathwhisper | |
Heroic Vanquisher’s Mark of Sanctification & 264 Piece | |
Vanquisher’s Mark of Sanctification & 251 Piece | |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Trial of the Champion – Eadric the Pure (Heroic) | |
60 Emblem of Valor (BoE) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
The Wyrmrest Temple- Exalted |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Anub’arak (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Anub’arak (25) | |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Deathbringer Saurfang | |
Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Sindragosa | |
Trial of the Crusader – Anub’arak (25) Heroic | |
Icecrown Citadel (10) – Sindragosa | |
Icecrown Citadel (10) – Sindragosa |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 24 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – Eadric the Pure | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
60 Emblem of Heroism/Vault of Archavon ( Archavon the Stone Watcher) |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (10) Heroic | |
Animated Constellation – 24 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (10) |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Vanquisher’s Mark of Sanctification & 264 Piece | |
Heroic Aldriana’s Gloves of Secrecy | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Rotface |
Vanquisher’s Mark of Sanctification & 251 Piece | |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Rotface | |
Heroic Scourge Stranglers | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Deathbringer Saurfang |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – Grand Champions | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Utgarde Pinnacle – Ingvar the Plunderer (Heroic) |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (25) Heroic | |
Korralin Hoperender – 38 Defiler’s Scourgestone | |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Astrylian’s Sutured Cinch | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Professor Putricide |
Heroic Soulthief’s Braided Belt | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Lady Deathwhisper |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (25) Heroic | |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic Pit of Saron – Scourgelord Tyrannus | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – Eadric the Pure | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Gundrak – Gal’Darah (Heroic) |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (25) HM | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) | |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Vanquisher’s Mark of Sanctification & 264 Piece | |
Vanquisher’s Mark of Sanctification & 251 Piece | |
Heroic Gangrenous Leggings | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Festergut |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Festergut | |
Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Festergut | |
Heroic Ivory-Inlaid Leggings | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Blood-Queen Lana’thel |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Heroic Halls of Reflection – The Lich King | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – Grand Champions (Heroic) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (25) Heroic | |
Korralin Hoperender – 38 Defiler’s Scourgestone | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (10) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (10) |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Frostbitten Fur Boots | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Lord Marrowgar |
Heroic Taldaram’s Soft Slippers | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Blood Prince Council |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Lord Marrowgar | |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (25) Heroic | |
Korralin Hoperender – 38 Defiler’s Scourgestone |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Kirin Tor – Exalted Reputation | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic Pit of Saron – Scourgelord Tyrannus | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – The Black Knight | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (25) Heroic | |
Heroic: All is Well That Ends Well | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (10) Heroic | |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
All is Well That Ends Well | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (10) |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Band of the Bone Colossus | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Lord Marrowgar |
The Ashen Verdict – Exalted | |
The Ashen Verdict – Revered | |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Lord Marrowgar | |
Heroic Saurfang’s Cold-Forged Band | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Deathbringer Saurfang |
Heroic Frostbrood Sapphire Ring | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Valithria Dreamwalker |
Heroic Seal of Many Mouths | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Rotface |
Heroic Seal of the Twilight Queen | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Blood-Queen Lana’thel |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Rotface | |
The Ashen Verdict – Honored | |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (25) Heroic | |
The Ashen Verdict – Friendly | |
Kirin Tor – Exalted Reputation |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Animated Constellation – 24 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic The Forge of Souls – Devourer of Souls | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Darkmoon Faire – Darkmoon Nobles Deck | |
Trial of the Champion – Argent Confessor Paletress |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (25) | |
Korralin Hoperender – 38 Defiler’s Scourgestone | |
Animated Constellation – 24 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Darkmoon Faire – Darkmoon Nobles Deck | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – Argent Confessor Paletress | |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (10) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (10) |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Deathbringer’s Will | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Deathbringer Saurfang |
Heroic Tiny Abomination in a Jar | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Professor Putricide |
Heroic Whispering Fanged Skull | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Lady Deathwhisper |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (25) Heroic | |
Korralin Hoperender – 38 Defiler’s Scourgestone | |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 24 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Darkmoon Faire – Darkmoon Nobles Deck | |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic The Forge of Souls – Devourer of Souls |
Fresh 80
Main-Hand | Source |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Pit of Saron – Zone Drop | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) |
Off-Hand | Source |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic The Forge of Souls – Devourer of Souls | |
Trial of the Champion – The Black Knight (Heroic) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) |
Pre-ICC
Main-Hand | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) HM | |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (10) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) Heroic |
Off-Hand | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) HM | |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (10) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Algalon The Observer (25) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (25) |
Best-in-Slot
Main-Hand | Source |
Heroic Lungbreaker | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Valithria Dreamwalker |
Heroic Flesh-Carving Scalpel | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Professor Putricide |
Ulduar – Freya (25) HM |
Off-Hand | Source |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic The Lich King | |
Heroic Rib Spreader | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Rotface |
Heroic Heartpierce | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Lady Deathwhisper |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – The Lich King | |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Rotface | |
Heroic Bloodsipper | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Blood-Queen Lana’thel |
Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic The Lich King | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (25) Heroic | |
Icecrown Citadel (10) – The Lich King |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic The Forge of Souls – Bronjahm | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (10) Heroic | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (25) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (10) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Anub’arak (10) Heroic | |
Korralin Hoperender – 76 Defiler’s Scourgestone |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic The Lich King | |
Heroic Windrunner’s Heartseeker | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic The Lich King |
Heroic Stakethrower | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Blood-Queen Lana’thel |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – The Lich King | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Heroic Njorndar Bone Bow | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Lady Deathwhisper |
Heroic Gluth’s Fetching Knife | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Rotface |
Icecrown Citadel (10) – Rotface |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic The Forge of Souls – Devourer of Souls | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – The Black Knight (Heroic) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Onyxia’s Lair – Onyxia (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Ulduar – Thorim (25) HM | |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Vanquisher’s Mark of Sanctification & 264 Piece | |
Heroic Geistlord’s Punishment Sack | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Blood Prince Council |
Heroic Discarded Bag of Entrails | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Professor Putricide |
Vanquisher’s Mark of Sanctification & 251 Piece | |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic Pit of Saron – Forgemaster Garfrost | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – Eadric the Pure (Heroic) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former The Eye of Eternity 10) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – General Vezax (25) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (10) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (25) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (10) | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) | |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Sindragosa’s Flawless Fang | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Sindragosa |
Heroic Precious’s Putrid Collar | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Festergut |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Sindragosa | |
Heroic Rimetooth Pendant | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Sindragosa |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Zone Drop | |
Icecrown Citadel (10) – Sindragosa | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – General Vezax (25) | |
Heroic Baltharus’ Gift | The Ruby Sanctum (10) – Heroic Halion |
The Ruby Sanctum (10) – Halion |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Heroic Halls of Reflection – Falric | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – The Black Knight | |
Naxxramas – Instructor Razuvious BoE | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – The Iron Council (25) HM | |
Trial of the Crusader – Anub’arak (10) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Anub’arak (10) |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Vanquisher’s Mark of Sanctification & 264 Piece | |
Vanquisher’s Mark of Sanctification & 251 Piece | |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Lady Deathwhisper | |
Heroic Skinned Whelp Shoulders | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Valithria Dreamwalker |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Steelbreaker (25) |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) HC | |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Tribute Chest (10) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Hodir (25) HM | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Shadowvault Slayer’s Cloak | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Gunship |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Gunship | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) HC | |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Tribute Chest (10) Heroic | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic Shawl of Nerubian Silk | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Lord Marrowgar |
Icecrown Citadel (10) – Lord Marrowgar | |
Ulduar – Hodir (25) HM |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Heroic Halls of Reflection – Marwyn | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former The Obsidian Sanctum 10 Drop) |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Thorim (25) HM | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (25) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (10) HC | |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (10) |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Ikfirus’ Sack of Wonder | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Gunship |
Heroic Gloaming Sark | The Ruby Sanctum (10) – Heroic Halion |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Gunship | |
The Ruby Sanctum (10) – Halion | |
Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Lady Deathwhisper | |
Heroic Vanquisher’s Mark of Sanctification & 264 Piece | |
Vanquisher’s Mark of Sanctification & 251 Piece | |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Trial of the Champion – Eadric the Pure (Heroic) | |
60 Emblem of Valor (BoE) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
The Wyrmrest Temple- Exalted |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Anub’arak (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Anub’arak (25) | |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Umbrage Armbands | The Ruby Sanctum (25) – Heroic Halion |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Deathbringer Saurfang | |
The Ruby Sanctum (25) – Halion | |
Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Sindragosa | |
Trial of the Crusader – Anub’arak (25) Heroic | |
Icecrown Citadel (10) – Sindragosa | |
Icecrown Citadel (10) – Sindragosa |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 24 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – Eadric the Pure | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
60 Emblem of Heroism/Vault of Archavon ( Archavon the Stone Watcher) |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (10) Heroic | |
Animated Constellation – 24 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (10) |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Vanquisher’s Mark of Sanctification & 264 Piece | |
Heroic Aldriana’s Gloves of Secrecy | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Rotface |
Vanquisher’s Mark of Sanctification & 251 Piece | |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Rotface | |
Heroic Scourge Stranglers | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Deathbringer Saurfang |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – Grand Champions | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Utgarde Pinnacle – Ingvar the Plunderer (Heroic) |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (25) Heroic | |
Korralin Hoperender – 38 Defiler’s Scourgestone | |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Astrylian’s Sutured Cinch | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Professor Putricide |
Heroic Soulthief’s Braided Belt | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Lady Deathwhisper |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (25) Heroic | |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic Pit of Saron – Scourgelord Tyrannus | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – Eadric the Pure | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Gundrak – Gal’Darah (Heroic) |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (25) HM | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) | |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Vanquisher’s Mark of Sanctification & 264 Piece | |
Vanquisher’s Mark of Sanctification & 251 Piece | |
Heroic Gangrenous Leggings | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Festergut |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Festergut | |
Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Festergut | |
Heroic Ivory-Inlaid Leggings | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Blood-Queen Lana’thel |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Heroic Halls of Reflection – The Lich King | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – Grand Champions (Heroic) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (25) Heroic | |
Korralin Hoperender – 38 Defiler’s Scourgestone | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (10) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (10) |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Frostbitten Fur Boots | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Lord Marrowgar |
Heroic Taldaram’s Soft Slippers | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Blood Prince Council |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Lord Marrowgar | |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (25) Heroic | |
Korralin Hoperender – 38 Defiler’s Scourgestone |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Kirin Tor – Exalted Reputation | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic Pit of Saron – Scourgelord Tyrannus | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – The Black Knight | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (25) Heroic | |
Heroic: All is Well That Ends Well | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (10) Heroic | |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
All is Well That Ends Well | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (10) |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
The Ashen Verdict – Exalted | |
Heroic Signet of Twilight | The Ruby Sanctum (25) – Heroic Halion |
Heroic Band of the Bone Colossus | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Lord Marrowgar |
The Ruby Sanctum (25) – Halion | |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Lord Marrowgar | |
Heroic Saurfang’s Cold-Forged Band | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Deathbringer Saurfang |
Heroic Frostbrood Sapphire Ring | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Valithria Dreamwalker |
Heroic Seal of Many Mouths | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Rotface |
Heroic Seal of the Twilight Queen | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Blood-Queen Lana’thel |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Rotface | |
The Ashen Verdict – Honored | |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (25) Heroic | |
The Ashen Verdict – Friendly | |
Kirin Tor – Exalted Reputation |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Animated Constellation – 24 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic The Forge of Souls – Devourer of Souls | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Darkmoon Faire – Darkmoon Nobles Deck | |
Trial of the Champion – Argent Confessor Paletress |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (25) | |
Korralin Hoperender – 38 Defiler’s Scourgestone | |
Animated Constellation – 24 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Darkmoon Faire – Darkmoon Nobles Deck | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Trial of the Champion – Argent Confessor Paletress | |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (10) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Faction Champions (10) |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Heroic Sharpened Twilight Scale | The Ruby Sanctum (25) – Heroic Halion |
Heroic Deathbringer’s Will | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Deathbringer Saurfang |
Heroic Tiny Abomination in a Jar | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Professor Putricide |
The Ruby Sanctum (25) – Halion | |
Heroic Whispering Fanged Skull | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Lady Deathwhisper |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (25) Heroic | |
Korralin Hoperender – 38 Defiler’s Scourgestone | |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 24 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Darkmoon Faire – Darkmoon Nobles Deck | |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic The Forge of Souls – Devourer of Souls |
Fresh 80
Main-Hand | Source |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Pit of Saron – Zone Drop | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) |
Off-Hand | Source |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic The Forge of Souls – Devourer of Souls | |
Trial of the Champion – The Black Knight (Heroic) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) |
Pre-ICC
Main-Hand | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) HM | |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (10) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) Heroic |
Off-Hand | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) HM | |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (10) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Algalon The Observer (25) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (25) |
Best-in-Slot
Main-Hand | Source |
Heroic Lungbreaker | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Valithria Dreamwalker |
Heroic Flesh-Carving Scalpel | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Professor Putricide |
Ulduar – Freya (25) HM |
Off-Hand | Source |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic The Lich King | |
Heroic Rib Spreader | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Rotface |
Heroic Heartpierce | Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic Lady Deathwhisper |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – The Lich King | |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Rotface | |
Heroic Bloodsipper | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Blood-Queen Lana’thel |
Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic The Lich King | |
Trial of the Crusader – Icehowl (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (25) Heroic | |
Icecrown Citadel (10) – The Lich King |
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic The Forge of Souls – Bronjahm | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Pre-ICC
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Fjola Lightbane (10) Heroic | |
Animated Constellation – 15 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (25) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (10) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Anub’arak (10) Heroic | |
Korralin Hoperender – 76 Defiler’s Scourgestone |
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – Heroic The Lich King | |
Heroic Windrunner’s Heartseeker | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic The Lich King |
Heroic Stakethrower | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Blood-Queen Lana’thel |
Icecrown Citadel (25) – The Lich King | |
Trial of the Crusader – Lord Jaraxxus (25) Heroic | |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Heroic Njorndar Bone Bow | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Lady Deathwhisper |
Heroic Gluth’s Fetching Knife | Icecrown Citadel (10) – Heroic Rotface |
Icecrown Citadel (10) – Rotface |
About the Author
when can we expect a phase 2 update
It will be uploaded very soon 🙂
This was 23 days ago.. any update on a p2 update?
Hey I’ll ask the authors, as I currently am not playing rogue I didn’t get assigned this spec!
Have you looked at the Wowhead guide? It disagrees on what the BiS for phase 1 is and I was wondering your take on it. I generally think this site is better but would like to hear from the one writing it since I know very little myself.
They are identical apart from him going for 4 set, and mine going for stats, I don’t think the 4pc is even close to good enough to warrant giving up 2x ilvl 226 items for.
The other only difference I can see are the trinkets, this should speak for itself – with mirrors lowish procrate and you being able to build up stats of FoTFF quick since muti rogues attack quick its better aslong as it doesn’t perma drop stacks
That being said the set I put together sims 45 DPS higher, but is harder to obtain
Correction, mirror appears to be proccing pretty fast on assa rogues, for the same reason : D
Any news regarding the wep? ( talking about the dmg difference?
I have not played rogue enough in classic to factually answer that question, sorry. – but it appears double webbed death is not the play here, weither thats because sinisters revenge has higher ilvl or slower dagger is better we’ll get to see in next patch 🙂
Hey is the 4.Set legit weaker? 😀
It simmed SLIGHTLY weaker for me personally, (talking literal 45 dps here which is around 0.6% of your dps) – you’re literally just trading stats for the 4 set bonus. I don’t particularly like the bonus, but if you do like it. use it. the difference is neglectable, its easier to get and is likely better on non patchwerk style bosses.
Can you give us a BiS list for Phase 2?
Thanks for the guide! I noticed a couple things:
The pre-BiS list recommends the mail engineering goggles instead of (I assume) the leather ones. Also, it may be strictly true that 2pc T6 is best, but I imagine most people will not actually pursue those on a fresh character. Finally, it may be worth noting in the guide that Bonescythe pieces can be sourced from Heroism badges. I had to think about that a little bit before commenting.
Thanks again!
Yeah – I guess they share similar IDs 😛 – T6 is BiS indeed it’s actually pretty important but alternatives are present. – I noted the heroism badges part before the guide went out but was told to remove it to avoid clutter.
After doing some sims it turns out the combination I put together sims 45 DPS higher, mirror and fury are about the same but the procrate on mirror seems lower than the sims put it at
what is the BIS pre raid headpiece then?
Engineering goggles, but the leather version, if no engi (you should be) then Mask of the Watcher
Lost the roll first run, the one time it dropped. It hasn’t dropped once since. Bought Greatness and Mirror, just got Fury, still never seen the Whetstone again. Mirror gives bigger windows for timing Mutilate/Envenom casts with your buffs, resulting in higher real-practice dps than Whetstone, I believe.
truesight ice blinders are mail. Did you link correctly?
Hey David, thanks for pointing that out. We’ve updated the guide so that it correctly links to Weakness Spectralizers. Thanks again!
In the Stat priority, it is mentioned that Expertise cap of 26 is second-highest priority. But the BiS list only gets you to like 13. What am I missing here?
It’s not persé a BiS list but more of a ”best item per slot” list
that being said – you can and will probably end up gemming some expertise, be it scarlet ruby or twilight opal (both most likely the former) and alternatives are listed (an example is the blue expertise cloak, instead of BoE LW cloak) it’s a lot of mixing and matching but I felt like stating the best stand alone items was better in this situation
Hi,
With your P1 build, I noticed that even if you were to gem all your available sockets to have expertise gems in them, you still wouldn’t be able to hit the cap and the max you could get would be 205. Infact, by opting into this build, you would be overdoing the hit cap by 55
points. This necesarily is not a terrible thing, however I am sure that those points could be allocated elsewhere.
I do agree with you that not everyone will be able to obtain all the pieces in this build throughout the phase and that the displayed items are the best case scenario, however for the sake of optimality, I think that swapping Dawnwalkers for Footwraps of Vile Deceit as the main build would be the best solution. Below is what I’ve worked out: I have highlighted the two important stats here, Hit and Expertise, for clarity.
Hit: 237
Exp: 214
Helmet: 58C, 42EXP, 170AP META + BLUE
Neck: 31ARP, 110AP, 41C BLUE
Shoulders: 58C, 43H, 100AP RED
Cape: 49C, 31H, 126AP
Chest: 83EXP, 232AP, 63ARP
Bracers: 41C, 24H, 96AP RED
Gloves: 58HIT, 53C, 174AP
Belt: 62C, 36H, 126AP
Legs: 66HIT, 65H, 196AP RED BLUE
Boots: 50HIT, 57C, 148AP
R1: 32HIT, 43C, 112AP
R2: 28HIT, 41H, 82AP
T1: X
T2: X
WEP1: 21HIT, 31C, 66AP
WEP2: 37HIT, 24H, 98AP
WEP3: 26C, 72AP
Total /w no sockets:
Crit: 519
Haste: 240
Hit: 292
Expertise: 125
ARP: 94
With gems for EXP cap:
5x Precise Scarlet Ruby (16EXP)
1x Enchanted Tears (+6 all stats)
125 + 80 = 205EXP
Recommended changes:
Swap Dawnwalkers (50HIT, 57C, 148AP) for Footwraps of Vile Deceit (49H, 30EXP, 112AP)
242 Hit, 235EXP + 1 yellow socket
Exchange 1 socket for AP = 219 EXP, 242 Hit
This only makes it so that both the hit and expertise rating are only slight above the softcap, but I believe it is better than what you have showing up right now. I also think that the Footwraps are a better item overall since haste has a higher stat priority than crit so you just get more overall out of this combination.
Let me know what you think and if you have any recommendations to other parts of the build being tinkered in order to reach both of the caps.
I will look deeper into the content of your comment tomorrow, – but just came to say that it seems mirror is infact better than fury of the five flights in a simulated situation.
It being easier to get is an added bonus.
So don’t grief players that actually want this! (Darkmooncard still ranks as #1 though) – heavily underestimated the procrate which is a lot shorter for assa rogues since they hit so much faster.. should be fixed soon 🙂
It’s a solid idea, but it does not sim higher atm (note: sims are not always correct, and neither are stat weights always linear – so it might as well be better now or at some point) I agree with the haste being better than crit for obvious reasons.
I also agree with the fact that expertise from gear > gemming expertise- although for assa right now what you really gain is AP, which is on pretty much every piece of gear regardless not really making THAT much of a benefit. (though of course items with both expertise and AP are very valuable, like the boots you linked) – the list (esp the pre-raid one) was merely a best-in-slot, per-slot list not a package persé (this is where the alternatives list comes in that often shows items that do have expertise)
While I often feel like sims are incorrect it is sadly the only tool we have in our grasp.
Edit: Nevermind, I found a combo that indeed sims better than the current one I was using. – though I did put them up as an alternative I did not think they were BiS at the time due to the number of hit Dawnstalkers offer, but this proves me wrong in every way.
That said, the extra stats gained from x2 226 items still sims higher than the 4 set bonus where you were to use ilvl 213.
Whether this is a sim error or not is up in the air but to me the 4 set feels underwhelming personally
Since you also mention that hit cap is 237 (like many sites do).
If you need 17% hit chance, and 3% comes from Boomie/SP, 5% from Precision.
Then you would need 9% from stats (which 237 hit rating dont provide)
Can you help out here? 😀
Hey there! Spellhit has a better ratio from hit rating than melee/ranged hit, and poisons use spellhit. 237 is for spellhit cap (with Precision+Boomie/SP bonus).
Hello, i understand that as game move on before patch we may get new item either from previous old dungeon perhaps or HorseMan. this Finger is missing
[Ring of Ghoulish Glee]
This item has already passed and was from the halloween event
True, but it didn’t disappear. For those who have it, it’s like 3rd-place BiS. Worth putting it on the list with a footnote, imo.
I somewhat agree but in the new format we will be introducing (that is already active in the Marksmanship Hunter section) focuses on obtainable items
Hi, for how long will the Greatness trinket be bis for rogues? is it replaceable in ulduar?
I think for assassination it will stay bis through Ulduar. For combat however (which a lot of rogues will be looking to transition into) it might be replaced by rocking the double ArP trinkets (grim toll and mjolnirs)
The problem you will face here is that together with your already passive armor pen you will be severely overcapping yourself when they both proc at the same time.
Assa will likely want Comets Trail + Dark Matter, they care far less about agi, and both have big Attack Power and some of their favourite secondary stats.
Combat likely the same, but they can make use of mjolnirs as you said, just not in combination with grim toll, rather to get decently close to the arp softcap, depending on which ilvl they will end up being.
That being said, I have seen people use the combo (tho it was a marksman hunter) – It didn’t seem terrible but it wasn’t anything special either, just a bunch of overcapped stats for the most part, I wouldn’t take it over DMC with it’s unrivaled uptime and all
TL;DR DMC still very good during and after ulduar, Grim Toll and Runestone TOGETHER has a niche if you have like literal 0 armor pen and they keep proccing at the same time.
Most likely outcome is you will be using DMC + Runestone until something better comes along you can snatch
This is talking about Combat btw, not Mutilate before I confuse people 🙂
It will not be BiS in Ulduar, but it will be high up there, due to how hard it is to get the alternatives.
Think it safe to say with the ilvl increases and DMC being relatively weaker than other STR/AGI users it will be replaceable in ulduar by most trinkets that drop there with Comets Trail (ilvl 252) and Dark Matter (ilvl 238) being bis, wrathstone is another (ilvl 232) on use trinket and yogg saron 25 normal drops an (ilvl 232) hit trinket with AP procc, – I expect all these to be better – with Dark Matter and Comets Trail being BiS with this scaling though the yogg trinket is interesting as well if you need hit
It’s trinket alternative #4 in the soon-to-be-coming bis list, so yes, it can be replaced – however mirror of truth (or fury of the five flights) whichever one you are using is probably the first one to go.
I don’t think it’ll come as a surprise (spoiler) that Comet’s Trail and Dark Matter are the best choices for Phase 2.
Followed by Blood of the Old Gods > Wrathstone=Pyrite Infuser > Darkmooncard Greatness, note DMC is still very close and easy to obtain nowadays, while the top 3 trinkets are pretty rare. So it’s still worth the gold imo, but no it’s not going to remain bis.
With the 2 set bonus being basically unused with assasination build if you have a bleeding effect already, would it be better to use the hood of exodus and the concealment shoulderpads that give you an extra 60 expertise rating?
only the shoulders*
Good question, as far as I know, the tier shoulders are also the best stand alone item, so for those it shouldn’t count.
The best thing you could do is simulate it and check the results, – I have not played rogue since classic so I wouldn’t know from the top of my head.
Not sure why you list Death’s Verdict/Death’s Choice as an alternative trinket for phase 3 when it’s unique-equipped, and it’s already considered BiS according to your guide? Unless I’m misunderstanding the ally/horde symbols, and you can in fact acquire both on any faction?
Just something I noticed while checking it out, otherwise the list is looking pretty good (from my rather limited experience)
I might also be completely wrong, it just states it’s unique-equipped in my Atlasloot, but just checked Wowhead where it says it isn’t 😛
The alternative is a different item level than the trinkets displayed as BiS, it’s an alternative on that specific trinket.
Just as Jamie stated, the 245 Ilvl version of Death’s Verdict/Death’s Choice is an alternative to its 258 Ilvl version! We are currently in the process of updating the majority of our lists for Phase 3. This guide will receive a full set of explanations for the Progressive List in the upcoming days!
The explanations will provide clear insights, with a special mention for cases such as the ones you just mentioned Vaxxstab!
In regards to the Alliance and Horde symbols, each item is tagged according to the faction they belong to since ToC provides the same item with different names for each faction. Death’s Verdict can only be acquired by Alliance Players while Death’s Choice can only be acquired by Horde Players.
With the new patch, you can’t use both 245 Ilvl and 258 Ilvl versions of a trinket at the same time as you could in the old version of WotLK.
no