We all know that gearing up is the grit & gristle of WoW raiding. You can't do the raid if you don't have the gear. For most folks, that means grinding heroics and such to get their Triumph and Frost badge gear.
Then, it's on to farming ToC and ICC.
Well, just so you know, there is another way. Especially if you're like me and get really tired of PuG Heroic runs and/or don't have access to farm raids.
We Be PvP
Many days & weeks ago, someone mentioned that the Wrathful Gladiator's Bracers of Triumph are pretty good for PvE, simply because they are ilvl 264, and are easily purchasable.
After a glance at Cynwise's recent list of PvP gear for 3.3.3 LINKY it became glaringly obvious to me that I could use more than that to fill out my PvE gear needs.
In summary, here's the list of top level, "easily" available (ie, purchasable with only marks or honor, no PvP rank needed)
■Head: Furious (ilvl 232)
■Neck: Wrathful (ilvl 264)
■Shoulder: Titan-Forged (ilvl 251)
■Back: Wrathful (ilvl 264)
■Chest: Furious (ilvl 232)
■Wrist: Wrathful (ilvl 264)
■Hands: Furious (ilvl 232)
■Waist: Relentless (ilvl 245)
■Legs: Furious (ilvl 232)
■Feet: Relentless (ilvl 245)
■1st Ring: Wrathful (ilvl 264)
■2nd Ring: Relentless (ilvl 245)
■Trinket: Medallion of the Alliance/Horde (ilvl 264)
■Trinket: Battlemaster (ilvl 245)
(f you want more info about them, visit Cyn's site!)
Now, most of these are NOT something I would get for PvE use, simply because Triumph & Frost badges can get you better stuff (mainly your 4 piece tier 9 and 10 stuff) But keep in mind, that tier gear will only fill 4-5 slots.
What about your wrists?
Feet?
Cloaks?
For some classes/slots, of the non-tier badge gear is pretty good, but in some instances, the PvP gear is actually better (ie, the PvP cloak for Shammies)
In other places, PvP is your only alternative to farming. The Wrathful Bracers are a good case in point, but there are others.
For me, the next obvious one was the foot slot. My then-current gear was the Death-Inured Sabatons I bought as exalted with the Ebon Hold. They were a decent buy for only 52 gold or so. But, a quick look at the list of PvP gear, and you can find Relentless Gladiator's Greaves of Triumph.
The chart below here shows a stat by stat comparison of the two, assuming they are both gemmed with +20 strength gems (which for PvE is what a Ret should be doing)
They are a substantial gain across the board, with the slight exception of crit; the PvP gear drops your crit by 7 points. BUT, as most Ret Paladin websites will tell you, STR should be your first choice for gear, and with this, you gain 23 strength for a small crit loss. (not to mention 78 extra stamina and 159 more armor)
The best thing? Both of those pieces were at the lowest price bracket for PvP gear; only 34,000 honor each. (or, if you chose, many PvP pieces can be bought with "spare" triumph badges)
But I HATE PvP!
Ok, valid point, but you can actually get a moderate amount of honor without ever seeing combat or participating in a "live" Battleground.
How?
Every week in Wintergrasp, there is at least one quest that is a "PVE-ish" collection grind. You might need 10 bone arrows, 10 horde armor pieces or 10 flame thingies, all of which are obtained by killing the NPC mobs in Wintergrasp, NOT by killing/fighting other players. They can be done (and are more easily done) when a battle is NOT in progress.
There's also the frequent quest to kill 10 Horde (or Alliance if you ARE Horde) And the neat thing? NPC Horde/Alliance mobs are all that's required. It doesn't need to be a live player.
Anyhow, each of those quests give you about 10 gold, 3,000 honor and 10 Stone Keeper Shards.
Remember, Stone Keeper Shards (from any source, including Heroic Boss Kills) can be converted directly into honor by purchasing commendations from the vendor in Wintergrasp.
So, with the occasional Heroic run that gives you Shards, as well as the above easy & quick honor sources, you should be able to buy a "cheap" PvP item within a week, or two. (or sooner if you have unspent honor)
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