Today over at WoW.com, I’ve got my best advice about how to prepare now for your Cataclysm leveling. I’m getting this questions asked every day now, so figured I can cut down on the email load this way : )
I’m getting an increasing number of requests to know what kind of gear we should be hoarding for leveling up to 85 in Cataclysm. A lot of hunters are still grinding through ICC and want to know if they should bother with four-piece tier 10, or if making that final push to armor penetration gemming is going to be worthwhile since those ArP gems will change to something else. And what will those gems change to, anyway? What stat are we going to want to stack in Cataclysm?
Well first of all, let me say this: We don’t even have a release date for Cataclysm yet. We don’t know when it’s coming out, but we do know it’s not going to be any time real soon. I had originally planned on waiting until Cataclysm was a bit closer before hitting this, but if the amount of emails I’m getting is any indication, people want to know now…. Read More.
Um Frost, is that a picture of you in game? Because if it is, why are you wearing a quiver? As far as I know, quivers only show when you have a bow out. And we all know you would never use a bow.
Nice read. I am also in beta and I won’t worry at all about “preparing” for Cataclysm in terms of gear. It’s pointless. Better get some achievments, farm those mounts in Zul G. because it will be gone in Cata…
Since I am leveling at a normal pace in beta right now I plan to rush through in live Cata and will try hard to be server first Hunter on 85 (and most likely will fail just as hard
).
Nice sane, sensible article. I see soooo many folks entirely freaked by Cata.. I still run with my 2 pc T9 set but have 2 bits of T10 in the bank. Femaledwarf indicates that I would lose significant dps if I switched now.
I also have a sad confession to make …..I don’t use Rowan’s rifle any more…..I have knelt before Zod
Hi Frost,
One question: Does the Heirloom gear scale up to 85? Or stop at 80?
Otherwise – good article. I’m not worried about Cata, I’m sure there are many things yet that will change.
@Good Gracious:
No current Heirloom items only work up to 80!
There will be new items available at 85 which will work up to 85.
My two cents, and what I’m planning. Pick up those off pieces with hit that really don’t want for live, including replacement for T10 where possible. Alot of stuff is just getting DE’d now, it will be cheap to get a full set of off set gear. ilvl will pretty much be trumps on the way up. While leveling the set pieces, especially 4 piece, is not going to be much help.
I am also going to pickup the triumph trinkets for the hit, assuming I don’t win DBW before the expac hits. And if Blizz keeps its fail ilvl restrictions system in, you will want to keep those pieces that are close to your ICC gear, otherwise you won’t be able to use the dungeon finder toll to zone into dungeons, even with a premade group.
@ pathanther – For whatever reason, a quiver shows up on my toon as well sometimes even though I have the same gun as Frost. Bugs FTW.
Excellent advice to people worrying about it. Do what you need to do to get what you are doing done now. Later is later and you will deal with it then. I always tell friends that are leveling alts not to worry about gear or the stats on gear. If it is suitable for you and an upgrade, use it. I am guessing it will be the same there if not easier. Seems like they are really making a serious effort to streamline gear so you really do not have to make choices. (part of the complete and total dumbing down of the game)
Less Stats to look at = Less Choices to pick from = Less Mistakes to gearing
As for Cataclysm being no time soon I think that all depends on what your definition of soon is. As far as all I’ve read would lead me to believe it will be out either Nov 9th or Nov 16th. To me, that is soon. Too soon to my liking. I’ve horded up 100s of epic gems and other top level enchants and such I need to get off my butt and start selling.
Did you have to get good gear to get from 60 to 70? from 70 to 80? In my entire leveling experience up to 80 I didn’t have a single purple.. STOP WORRYING ABOUT LEVELING GEAR! It won’t matter. Trying to absolutely maximize and obtain that last piece you think will help is a very poor ROI time expenditure.
@Pathanther
It would be strange if it was in the beta, because there are no more arrows in cataclysm
Excellent advice. I currently have the two t9 set and a few t10. I am getting close to having enough Frost for another t10 piece and was wondering if I shold horde my Frost. But I realized, it’s will likely still be months before Cat hits, and even then, the 4.0 patch will be out first so I want to be ready with my full t10 bonus.Plus I tend to hang on to gear forever, so I fully expect to do a great deal of leveling in my t10 gear. Not to mention wrapping up some old Northrend quests.
I like that the gist of it was “don’t worry so much.” The image of all the emails wondering about, say, level 83 gear makes chuckle a bit.
I’m taking this time to make MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF GOLD, per Euripides’ recommendations. It seemed like the best thing to do in the way of “preparing” for Cataclysm, since it’s one of the only things to work toward right now that won’t be replaced the first days or weeks of the expansion. I’m also sating my other obsession besides huntering, vanity pet collecting!
Yeah, for whatever reason in the beta I always have a quiver on my back. Never used a bow, never trained in bow, never carried arrows. I do hope they change it.
I have one small question, I have good icc25 gear and I’ve switched over to all ArPen gems now.
But since all those gems will change to crit gems, this will result in way too much crit (we’re talking 20 gems).
So I’m wondering if it would be worthwhile to stock up a bunch of Agi gems and swap out the ArPen gems when Cataclysm drops.
Who cares? You’ll be replacing all that gear within a few levels. You could gem them out with all spirit gems and still blow through the content.
And there’s no such thing as too much crit in cataclysm. By level 83 my 67% crit turned into 24% crit.
A couple of item I feel will still be invaluable while levelling. If you don’t already have them; get them. It only took me 3 runs of SSC about 10-15 level 80s will ensure a smooth run.
Rift Stalker Gauntlets
Rift Stalker Leggings
Meld Pet is a waist of your time with these bad boys while levelling. Unless you have a de buff you want to clear.
Good article, through surprising that people care so much about leveling gear. I’ve never paid much mind to it, but then again I’m not a gear fiend. I’ll grind for hours to get something nifty that does absolutely nothing for my stats, but I don’t have the patience to run raids or 10-mans to get the uber l33t gear. Go figure.
@ Omogon
“I also have a sad confession to make …..I don’t use Rowan’s rifle any more…”
They’ll have to pry that rifle out of my cold dead hands! Even when I have to trade up for a better weapon, I’m keepin’ it!
@ Gossamer
“I’m taking this time to make MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF GOLD”
I’m doing the same. Making gold and grinding Champion Seals (cuz I want a Pony). Gold farming seems like the only sensible thing to do nowadays.
Also Methuus, if you do still think you have too much crit (which I really don’t think will be a problem, remember we’re losing a lot of passive crit from talents and as you level your crit scaling will go way down), you can always reforge your gear with crit on it for other stats like mastery or haste or hit.
@Queen of Blades ….I still have my rifle and a dragon scale ammo pouch full of shatter rounds in the bank
I know there will be no ammo in Cata but I will keep it anyway. Heck I still have my Barov Peasant Caller too 
Frostheim, what gear would you recomend to make an enemy fall over dead when you just look at them?
@ Ryshat
Anything an elf wears
/ugly gits them elves.
I have levelled the same hunter through the first 3 zones. I’m saving Uldum and Twilight Highlands until they are itemized.
The first is 83 and 1/3, and still in full ICC25 gear.
The other just hit 84 today (got rested while I levelled the first), and on this I equipped any quest reward or drop that had the right stats. It is now in full Cataclysm greens/blues.
And there really is no difference while levelling.
So am I correct in thinking, as youre levelling you’ll be switching back to BM? That always seemed to be the best levelling spec. Or does it not make much difference?
It’ll just be nice to get the cat out instead of the wolf for a change xD
@Omogon
Good on you sir. The Barov Peasant Caller should be a Legendary item along with Dartol’s Rod of Transformation. Stats? DPS? Meh, who needs em. Folks just don’t realize how much awesome are in these items.
I wish Blizzard would let us keep at least one arrow or bullet instead of vanishing them when Cataclysm hits.
Forget I said anything…I don’t really want to gem/enchant the offset pieces (certainly not going to be enchating quest rewards) and you can reforge other stats to hit on those pieces to keep you topped off. I still might invest in the triumph trinket(s)…
Perhaps I read the article and the comments to quickly but I thought you would have suggested saving +hit gear. not looking for it but if you have gear that takes you over the current hit cap (without going for lower level gear) then it is a good thing.
Thus you can swap in more hit if needed.
Frost and others, am I wrong in this?
i did indeed talk about hit gear in the article.
Yeah went back and saw it, stupid me.
Frostheim, I seriously don’t understand your concern with upgrading old gear because it is enchanted/gemmed. The first cheap Cata enchants and gems will be as powerful as the best from Wotlk. Just run a dungeon or two and you’ll have enough enchanting mats for your shiny new items.
I always enchanted the items on all my chars even while leveling, it’s part of the fun for me. And I do hope that I start upgrading my icc10 hero items right away, who wants to run around half an expansion with the same gear?
I decided to check into the site again because I got my second piece T5 today and celebrated by soloing Ramparts hc. (All based on advice from here of course.) I’m bemused by this though … if hunters are worrying about levelling gear, what must be going on amongst mana users who may well be facing months of shouting “MB” again for the first time in well over a year? Hunter is still (with the possible exception of Death Knight) the easiest class to level and gear shouldn’t, surely, be much of an issue until the level 85 heroics come in … by which time it won’t be levelling gear any more …