Loading ...The “I just hit 70″ Tanking Gear Guide
Okay, so you’re now level 70 and you have no idea where to go. You have no idea what to do. You don’t really even know if you missed a quest you should have done. All you know, is you’re a tank. A very, very lost tank. (I’m going to even assume you don’t have any professions)
- Feet: Flesh Beast’s Metal Greaves
- Head: Myrmidon’s Headdress
- Neck: Mark of the Ravenguard
- Trinket: Dabiri’s Enigma
- Waist: Sha’tari Vindicator’s Waistguard
- Wrist: Sha’tari Wrought Armguards
- Weapon: Grom’tor’s Charge
- Ring: Protector’s Mark of the Redemption
- Shoulders: Gladiator’s Plate Shoulders
- Shield: Gladiator’s Shield Wall
- Back: Devilshark Cape
- Hands: Gauntlets of the Bold
- Chest: Breastplate of the Bold
- Trinket: Adamantine Figurine
- Ring: Iron Band of the Unbreakable
- Legs: Timewarden’s Leggings
- Gun: I don’t care if you have to buy the mats, get it.
Step 1: Quest Time
First, you’ll need to go to Artificer Morphalius [location] and complete Safety Is Job One then head off to Cryo-Engineer Sha’heen [located in Mana-Tombs] and complete Someone Else’s Hard Work Pays Off to get the Boots.
Go to Watcher Jhang [location] and complete The Warlord’s Hideout.
Go to Isfar [location] and complete Brother Against Brother.
Go to Professor Dabiri [location] and complete Recipe for Destruction then do On Nethery Wings and finally do Dimensius the All-Devouring to get this trinket. Yes, it’s a long quest line that’ll require you to get some help from friends. Make some friends, it’s worth it in the long run for more reasons than just getting a sweet defense trinket.
Go to Nether-Stalker Khay’ji [location] and start this long quest line with the quest Warp-Raider Nesaad. You’ll eventually have to go to A’dal [in the middle of Shattrath City] and complete How to Break Into the Arcatraz to get this awesome belt.
Go to Spy Grik’tha [location] and complete Find Spy To’gun where you get The Soul Devices which upon completion gets you these wrists.
The Hand of Gul’dan quest chain is massive and for good reason because at the finish line you’ll pick up this weapon. A brilliant weapon that’ll easily take you all the way through Karazhan until you can be fortunate enough to have a King’s Defender or Mallet of the Tides drop for you.
Go to Overlord Or’barokh [location] and start The Path of Conquest which eventually will lead to completing the quest Dissension Amongst the Ranks…
Step 2: Battlegrounds
11,250 Honour, 20 Arathi Basin Marks
15,000 Honour, 20 Eye of the Storm Marks
Step 3: Instances
Warlord Kalithresh, Steam Vaults
Warlord Kalithresh, Steam Vaults
Harbinger Skyriss, The Arcatraz
Blackheart the Inciter, Shadow Labyrinth
Lieutenant Drake, Old Hillsbrad Foothills
Step 4: Grind that Rep
Keepers of Time, Revered
A daunting task, I know, but keep in mind at least you know where to go now. It’ll take time, but at least there’s a bit of overlap between quests and instances. Little by little eventually you’ll have this gear together and you’ll be ideally placed to start doing the easier Heroics like Mechanar, Slave Pens and Underbog. Although certainly not a requirement, if you’ve picked up Mining and Engineering then you can make a fantastic helm instead of the one I recommend above as well as use the mats you’ve mined to get Blacksmiths make you a number of great and cheap pieces.
Follow the Steps. You’ll make it.
But, wait… you missed a spot.
Yup, you don’t have a ranged weapon of any kind on the list. That’s because there’s only one worth going for and it’s going to take you a while.
January 20th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Step 6: Join/Create an arena team. Play as prot for all that matters. Just get points every week. S3 chest is amazing. S2 Shield is awesome as well.
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January 20th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Oh wow, this rocks, I’m a warrior still lvl’ing and had been glued to your epic loot guide just like this.
amazing! thanks for the time put into this!!
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January 21st, 2008 at 2:56 am
If You’re ally, questline for Protector
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Dantelius reply on May 19, 2008 4:46 pm:
it starts from Thane Yoregar…he is in wildhammer stronghold!!!
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January 21st, 2008 at 4:57 am
I would also put Natasha’s Battle Chain (reward from a Blade’s Edge Mountains quest) as a viable Neck item. It’s pretty easy to obtain, and the stats are very decent - 37 stamina, 13 defense rating and 15 block value (which helps in threat generation, one of my main issues after hitting 70 and running with people whose gear was better than mine).
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January 21st, 2008 at 5:05 am
Also, for those who have terrible luck getting the Breastplate of the Bold to drop (like me!) the Vindicator’s Hauberk (reward from Aldor - Revered) is a very nice tanking chest piece too. The only problem with it (apart from the rep grind, of course) is the fact that it doesn’t have any gem slots. Other than that, I’d say it is a good alternative for starting tanks.
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January 21st, 2008 at 5:52 am
You completely missed the Faith in Felsteel set which is probably the easiest and some of the best gear to get pre-Kara/Heroics. The Felsteel Helm is a lot better than Myrmidon
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January 21st, 2008 at 8:25 am
@Rofls:
I definitely like the Felsteel set, but this was made with the assumption that you don’t have any professions and that you are very poor. (gotta save up for the gun!) I think you may have missed the line near the end of the article, “as well as use the mats you
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January 21st, 2008 at 9:08 am
Great guide. I’m a couple of levels away and I’ve been looking around for something just like this. Thank you!
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January 21st, 2008 at 9:18 am
You don’t need any profession to buy and use the felsteel set. You can easily get them in the AH from people who are levelling blacksmith… the helm and hands cost what, 25g each?
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January 21st, 2008 at 10:37 am
i agree with most of the guide. i hit 70 about a month ago, and it is awesome, how tanks get geared fast. i run instance everyday, more than one, if i have the time. i collected some different weaps, and ended up testing them, to see the small diffs, between them. the latro
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January 21st, 2008 at 10:56 am
I’m trying to make the khorium destroyer for the main tank and the only hang up is to get the primal nether. Note to engineers. Get the Zapthrottle mote extractor and go to Nagrand for the air motes. I farmed 12 air primals in ~1-2 hours since you can pick up maybe 2-5 motes at a collection point. You can wear your tankatronic (or furious gizmatic) goggles to see where these things are.
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January 21st, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Certain items it should be noted you don’t have to be 70 to obtain. I ran regular durnhold at level 67 plus. The rep you gain is priceless making it possible to hit revered with CoT one BM run after 70. that nets you two tanking rings real quick after 70. Also you can do slabs at 69 and get bold shoulders and the trinket.
buy a felsteel helm and gloves(optional) and put them on at the moment you hit 70.
and i
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January 21st, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Great guide. I love the no faction no tradeskill idea!
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January 22nd, 2008 at 11:30 am
Adamantine Figurine is an elusive whore. I’ve run SL enough times to puke and no dice. Great guide though, thx Vene!
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January 23rd, 2008 at 10:50 am
Another great post, bravo. I only wish I was still 69 and looking for gear guides
I also enjoy the “no rep and flat broke” approach. I was fortunate enough to have gold for the felsteel set, but these were all options I considered as well. Funny story of the month: I am still wearing the Warchief’s Mantle, mixed with some t4/t5, progressing through SSC/TK. I figured that in the numerous Gruul’s runs or on Loot Reaver somethin’ would come through, but oh no! Guess I’m just too stubborn to PvP for the shoulders (can’t stand BG’s these days), and Murmur can go take a hike, he doesn’t love me… hehe… Someday I’m going to walk into Hyjal and show off my sexy blue, level 66 shoulders. Woot!
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January 24th, 2008 at 9:54 am
This is a fantastic list, and is laid out quite well. Kudos on putting together a concise and highly useful resource.
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January 28th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
just got my gun 2 weeks ago and this past week i had to farm primal airs for our MT. i kinda wanted to shoot myself afterwards.
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January 31st, 2008 at 9:15 am
the adamantine figurine is nice but what about the regal protectorate you can obtain that trinket in hellfire penn
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February 5th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
My goal was to minimize the number of static instance drops to eliminate the “luck” factor in getting certain items to drop. So, I’ve assembled a similar list, but one that uses ONLY items obtained from Quests or Crafting (no instance drops, no PvP, etc.). Granted, this is only a “starter’s kit” but if you’re 65 and looking ahead, it’s a good simple set of goals to shoot for:
Felsteel Helm (Crafted) (x)
Natasha’s Battle Chain (The Hound-Master)
Warchief’s Mantle (Escape from Durnholde)
Bogstrok Scale Cloak (Rokmar - Slave Pens) (x)
Vindicator’s Hauberk (Aldor - Revered)
Sha’tari Wrought Armguards (The Soul Devices)
Felsteel Gloves (Crafted) (x)
Sha’tari Vindicator’s Waistguard (How to Break Into the Arcatraz)
Felsteel Leggings (Crafted) (x)
Flesh Beast’s Metal Greaves (Someone Else’s Hard Work Pays Off)
Andormu’s Tear (Hero of the Brood)
Protector’s Mark of the Redemption (Dissension Amongst the Ranks…)
Regal Protectorate (Cruel’s Intentions) (x)
Dabiri’s Enigma (Dimensius the All-Devouring)
Grom’tor’s Charge (The Cipher of Damnation)
Ogri’la Aegis (Ogri’la - Revered)
Ornate Khorium Rifle (Crafted)
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March 5th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
I am so glad I found this site and this guide for getting geared. It has really helped me get a game plan.
I am curious about the how all the defense, dodge, parry, etc. play into the tanking role. I know they are important obviously but as I gain in these stats I seem to be losing in strength and sometimes even stamina. Is there somewhere explaining how these work? Also, any rough numbers a tank should have before venturing into Kara?
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gokin reply on June 10, 2008 6:42 am:
a normal good place to start is 11-12k unbuffed hp 490 def(makes it so you cant be critically hit), the def is important, no less than 490, anything after is just bonus, and the dodge/block/parry thing, u need combined 25% to avoid crushing blows, not mandatory to have, but definatly helps alot, i know prince melcheazar loves to hit people with crushing, and around 11-12k armor(very easy to get) is good for damage mitigation
with those numbers, tanking the begining parts of kara should be a breeze, and those will get u and ur group the stats needed for ending kara fairly quick
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Kavtor reply on June 10, 2008 7:21 am:
“and the dodge/block/parry thing, u need combined 25%”
Sort of. You need 102.4% combined dodge / block / parry / miss. And with shield block up, a naked prot warrior can’t be crushed.
25% is a myth.
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March 11th, 2008 at 9:43 am
I too am very pleased to have found this site and this list. A fantastic job done across the board!
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March 31st, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I can’t tell you how helpful this guide was for me. I enjoyed tanking but felt very stagnant in my progression, not sure where to go or what to do to progress. This has helped me immensely. I’m about 50% through it and hope to top it off and start heroics soon. Now if only I could find 5 more people to add to the great 5-man of friends I have right now…
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April 19th, 2008 at 6:31 am
Hiya guys,
What about this chest? [Breastplate of the Warbringer].
Its the item reward from the long questline which Altruis the Sufferer gives, he is stationed in Western Nagrand.
Item: http://thottbot.com/i25819
Breastplate of the Warbringer
Binds when picked up
Chest Plate
1048 Armor
+45 Stamina
Durability 135 / 135
Equip: Increases defense rating by +31 (13.1)
Equip: Improves hit rating by 30 (1.9%).
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April 19th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Breastplate of the Warbringer was awesome for me. I tanked the first half of Karazhan with it, then I grabbed Vindicator’s Hauberk from Aldor, then after about 50 runs in Mech, Jade Skull Breastplate finally dropped. Then first time I did Nightbane 2 weeks later, I got his chestpiece. It was hell having the same chestpiece for almost 6 months…but when your guild progresses, so does the gear. It’s no Chestplate of Stoicism, but the Warbringer chest from Nagrand will do just fine for at least the first half of Kara.
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May 9th, 2008 at 3:23 am
Just wanted to say thanks. I made a lot of good use of this list back when I hit 70. It really helped and gave me direction on where to start at 70 to gear up and feel comfortable tanking heroics and kara. Thanks again!
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May 9th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Interesting that it was just about 2 months ago that I found this guide. I’m now in full epics and tanking in ZA and SSC. Of course joing a great guild has been a huge part of it all but without this guide I would probably still struggling to get into Kara instead of clearing it weekly as the MT.
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May 15th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Hi!
Thanks for this great guide (and website), i hit 70 last week and almost done with this gear guide. I got all items except for one ring and the two trinkets. I just wondering if these will give me the defense of 490, or do i need to enchant some pieces?
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Brav reply on June 6, 2008 2:05 am:
Hi,
This has been fantastic for me. Really focused me on what to get. Got the majority of pieces now along with the Felsteel set. Hit 492 this week which was nice.
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June 5th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
For a weapon, it’s worth looking at Inuuro’s Blade, the revered sword off Shattered Sun Offensive … if the entire island has been opened up on your server, you can easily earn 3k rep from an hour and a half’s work each day.
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Spaz reply on June 7, 2008 11:22 am:
Absolutely, it’s likely the best pre-raid tanking weapon out there and the rep grind isn’t that bad, earning you a lot of money in the process. It should be noted that Inuuro’s Blade didn’t exist at the time of the orignal post.
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June 10th, 2008 at 6:30 am
i must say, for those that dont feel like grinding the instances for the D3 drops mentioned, the felsteel set works just as good/better than anything mentioned for those spots, and now that you have shattered sun, Inuuro’s blade and the exhalted sheild off them, which will probably suit you better than grom’tor’s charge and the gladiator sheild wall, but those 2 still work great
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Garaddon reply on July 7, 2008 10:55 am:
The S2 Shield is still better then the SSO shield through tankpoints if I remember correctly. Absolutely correct about the Inuuro’s Blade however, and I tend to agree on the Felsteel comment as well.
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Spaz reply on July 7, 2008 12:51 pm:
But the SSO shield is a better threat and avoidance piece. I think a starting level 70 tank should have both.
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July 31st, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Bracers: how do the Sha’Tari wrists stack up against the Junior Technician 3rd Grade ones? http://www.wowhead.com/?item=30225#M0z
I know you can get more EH out of the blue wrists, if you gem for stamina. But that hit rating just seems like a really nice bit of itemization. Thoughts?
(Also, how do I link item names to Wowhead in posts like all the cool kids are doing?)
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August 10th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Well, well, well. Finally dinged 70 last week. Ran four heroics over the weekend. Cleared three (SL kicked my butt, with only a hunter trap for CC I really struggled to control the 5-mob pulls in the Refectory area before Blackheart).
Was even complimented for keeping aggro against a group of Tier 6s at one point! Very pleased
Thanks Vene for your awesome guides (my gear is a bit of a mix between this guide and your “How to tank in BT without going into Kara” one).
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August 14th, 2008 at 7:00 am
I love the fact that there have been many posts where weapon’s are ranked for Tanks (Inuuro’s Blade — Sun Eater — King’s Defender, etc.)
My question is, would it be possible to rank the shields in one of the discussions (and not limit it to just the examples below)?
Currently, I have Merciless Gladiator’s Shield Wall, but I see people that have been tanking longer than me with Azure-Shield of Coldarra or Crest of the Sha’tar. Am I missing something?
Thanks in advance
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Vrathmat reply on August 14, 2008 10:28 am:
I’m not sure why anyone would still be using Azure-Shield since the SSO shield became available. I personally switch between the S2 and SSO shield. Have never seen one drop off gruul or in ZA.
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November 6th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I found this very helpfull, I hope you make an updated one for WoTLK
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admin reply on November 6, 2008 4:06 pm:
Yup, I definitely plan to.
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JoKeR reply on April 1, 2009 6:20 pm:
Im not whining but can u give an ETA?
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February 8th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
I was unable of find the shield, it seems is not available for sell anymore.
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March 7th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Is there a similar guide for reaching 80? Also, does anyone have tips for a dps guide for rogues, locks and mages?
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