Pre-Raid Gear: Back, Waist, Wrist, Neck, and Fingers
Published on January 13, 2009 by Phaelia
Items and Equipment, Lunar Guidance
18 Comments This is part two of my series on recommended pre-raid gear, organized by item slot and roughly ordered by my preference/recommendation. Note that, while there might exist items better than some of those listed here, these are the items that I consider ideally itemized for the Restoration Druid (and thus, the ones I think you should focus your efforts on acquiring).
- Part I: Head, Shoulder, Chest, Hands, Legs, Feet
- Part II: Back, Waist, Wrist, Neck, and Fingers
- Part III: Two-Handed Weapons, One-Handed Weapons, and Offhands (coming soon)
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Back
- [Reanimator’s Cloak] – Drak’tharon Keep (Heroic) Zone Drop
Despite being a blue item, this is a great cloak and one of the few that includes Spirit. The additional red gem slot with a +4 Intellect socket bonus is pretty great, too. - [Wispcloak] – Tailoring (BoE)
While it does waste some itemization points on MP5 (a relatively pricey stat compared to the equivalent amounts of Intellect/Spirit), this is the only Epic back slot we have access to pre-Naxx. The graphic is pretty awesome, to boot. - [Shroud of Moorabi] – Moorabi in Gundrak (Heroic)
Great Intellect and high spell power but lacking the customization of the [Reanimator’s Cloak]. Still a viable option on par with the Wispcloak. - [Subterranean Waterfall Shroud] – Jedoga Shadowseeker in Ahn’kahet: The Old Kingdom (Heroic)
The highest available Spirit value of any of the ILevel 200 cloaks but lacking in Intellect.
Waist
- [Sash of Jordan] – World Drop (BoE)
Tons of Spirit and a red gem slot make this the best-in-slot item for a pre-Naxx Resto Druid, although you can expect to pay a hefty sum for the pleasure of wearing it. - [Vine Belt of the Woodland Dryad] – 40 x Emblem of Heroism
Similar to the [Elegant Temple Gardens’ Girdle] in potency, the fact that this belt is made of leather makes it the slight favorite. - [Elegant Temple Gardens’ Girdle] – 40 x Emblem of Heroism
One of the few items to include both Spirit (YAY) and MP5 (boo). Also includes a yellow gem slot with +4 Spirit socket bonus. - [Girdle of Bane] – King Ymiron in Utgarde Pinnacle (Heroic)
Because of the hit rating on this item, be courteous and defer first to the DPS casters in your group.
Wrist
- [Putrescent Bands] – Grobbulus or Gluth in Naxxramas (BoE)
A great balance of stats, leather, and featuring haste over crit, these are my best-in-slot choice and can be picked up from the auction house for around 1,000 gold. - [Cuffs of Winged Levitation] – Cache of Eregos in the Oculus (Heroic)
These bracers and the [Plague-Infected Bracers] are pretty evenly matched with the nod going toward the Cuffs because I prefer spell haste to spell crit. - [Plague-Infected Bracers] – Dark Runed Chest in the Culling of Stratholme (Heroic)
Also a great choice if you can get your hands around them – or get them around your hands – these bracers are also leather. - [Ancestral Sinew Wristguards] – Wyrmrest Accord (Revered)
One of the few available reputation-based items to include Spirit (if somewhat lacking). Includes a blue slot just begging to be slotted with Spirit or Spirit/spell power with a +4 Intellect socket bonus. - [Wound-Binder’s Wristguards] – Knights of the Ebon Blade (Revered)
Preferring Intellect to Spirit, these are an easily obtainable faction-based reward. P.S. They’re leather. - [Handler’s Arm Strap] – King Dred in Drak’tharon Keep (Heroic)
Similarly statted to the [Cuffs of the Trussed Hall], these have the advantage of being made of leather. - [Cuffs of the Trussed Hall] – Svala Sorrowgrave in Utgarde Pinnacle (Heroic)
You’ll be all trussed up with nowhere to go in these high-Spirit ILevel 200 bracers.
Neck
- [Encircling Burnished Gold Chains] – 25 x Emblem of Heroism
The one epic option for necklaces, what this chain lacks in Spirit it makes up for in spell power and Intellect. Unfortunately, wastes itemization points on spell hit so you’re better off saving your badges for the T7 equivalent gloves and chest first. - [Necromancer’s Amulet] – Salramm the Fleshcrafter in the Culling of Stratholme (Heroic)
The highest Intellect of the ILevel 200 blues make this the top contender among the three. - [Dragon Prow Amulet] – Utgarde Keep (Heroic) Zone Drop
Purchaseable from the Auction House, this item comes with a lot of Spirit. - [Zuramat’s Necklace] – Zuramat the Obliterator in the Violet Hold (Heroic)
At 64 Stamina, this is the beefy choice among necklaces, though obviously Intellect and Spirit remain preferred.
Fingers
This was a particularly difficult slot to fill with most rings including wasted stat points on spell crit, spell haste, or spell hit.
- [Loop of the Kirin Tor] – 6400g at Exalted with Kirin Tor
A great option for the Restoration Druid whose primary benefit is perhaps its ability to teleport you to Dalaran once an hour. This ring would be a tremendous boon for completing daily quests, allowing you to set your hearthstone to a more convenient reputation-proximate locale. Still, 6400g is hardly a sum to sneeze at so I only recommend this if you intend to make use of its teleportation aspect. - [Signet of Hopeful Light] – Argent Crusade Exalted
Amazing Intellect and haste over spell crit make this my second choice for rings, though honestly what Druid worth their sawdust will waste time raising their faction with those Paladin goodie-two-shoes? - [Spectral Seal of the Prophet] – The Prophet Tharon’ja in Drak’Tharon Keep (Heroic)
A blue ILevel 200 ring and the only option aside from the [Loop of the Kirin Tor] that includes Spirit. - [Titanium Spell-Shock Ring] – Jewelcrafting (BoE)
Wasted itemization points on spell crit but also includes a red gem slot with +5 spell power for customizability. Purchaseable via the auction house. - [Band of Guile] – Dark Runed Chest in the Culling of Stratholme (Heroic)
Pretty evenly matched with the [Titanium Spell-Shock Ring] but with the advantage of spell haste instead of spell crit.



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