Best in Slot Gear List for Destrolocks

This list is just my two cents, so feel free to let me know if you disagree with any pieces. I tried to make sure there was always a non-Hard Mode drop option in each slot. For the most part, I avoided PVP gear (there was very little at the top of the list anyways) since I don't like to PVP. :)

Best in Slot – Destruction Warlock:

Head: Collar of the Wyrmhunter – Razorscale: Ulduar (H)
This is better than Cowl of Dark Whispers because of the advantages for Destro of haste versus crit. Conqueror’s Deathbringer Hood is easy to get (58 Emblems of Conquest or General Vezax (H)) and has comparable spell power, but carries crit instead of haste.

Neck: Sapphire Amulet of Renewal – Steelbreaker: Ulduar (H)
This drops in Hard Mode, as does the runner up; Pendant of Fiery Havoc (Flame Leviathan (H). The Watchful Eye drops in Steelbreaker (N) hard mode and is very close in stats though.

Shoulder: Amice of Inconceivable Horror – Yogg-Saron: Ulduar (N)
This is the clear winner here and another Hard Mode drop. A solid runner up is Conqueror’s Deathbringer Shoulders which drop off Yogg-Saron (H).

Back: Sunglimmer Cloak – Quest Reward – Algalon: Ulduar (H)
This is the reward for completing Heroic: All Is Well That Ends Well. Drape of Mortal Downfall (Steelbreaker (H)) and Drape of the Messenger (Algalon (N)) are both for good second options but both are Hard Mode drops. Surprisingly, the best non-Hard Mode item is still Cape of the Unworthy Wizard (Kel’Thuzad: Naxxramas (H)).

Chest: Conqueror’s Deathbringer Chest – Vendor (Emblem of Conquest)
58 Emblems for BEST IN SLOT! Enough said! (It also drops off of Yogg-Saron (H).)

Wrist: Grasps of Reason – XT-002 Deconstructor: Ulduar (H)
Surprise, surprise! Another Hard Mode drop here but they are a clear upgrade over the runner up: Unsullied Cuffs from Sartharion: The Obsidian Sanctum (H – 2D). Bracers of Unleashed Magic drop off Kologarn (H) and are decent. If you are haste capped; the Shackles of Odalisque from Razorscale (H) are a good alternative.

Hands: Handwraps of the Vigilant – General Vezax: Ulduar (H)
These gloves are AWESOME, but a Hard Mode drop and most certainly will be coveted by most casters. The two next best options are the Pharos Gloves from Algalon (H) and the Pulsar Gloves from Algalon (N). Following that is Conqueror’s Deathbringer Gloves that drop off Emalon: Vault of Archavon (H).

Waist: Cord of the White Dawn – Tailoring BOE
This is marginally better than Sash of Ancient Power – Tailoring BOE despite the crit because it carries spirit. However, both are easy (if expensive) to get!

Legs: Leggings of the Enslaved Idol – Freya: Ulduar (H)
These are another Hard Mode drop, and following closely behind is Leggings of Profound Darkness off General Vezax (N) Hard Mode. A good option for those who have trouble with the Hard Modes is Conqueror’s Deathbringer Leggings from Freya (H), Emalon (H) or bought with Emblems of Conquest (58).

Feet: Boots of Fiery Resolution – Flame Leviathan: Ulduar (H)
These beauties drop off of Hard Mode (with 4 towers up). The next best is another Hard Mode drop; Treads of False Oracle from Yogg-Saron (with 1 or less Keepers up). Following close behind are the Starlight Treads from Algalon (N) and Spellslinger’s Slippers with are Tailoring BOE.

Rings: Conductive Seal – Mimiron: Ulduar (H) & Shimmering Seal – Flame Leviathan (N)
Both of these shiny (and dangerous!) rings drop in Hard Modes, as do many of the top rings. Signet of Soft Lament – Yogg-Saron (N) and Nebula Band – Algalon (N) are comparable to the Shimmering Seal and also drop in Hard Modes. Starshine Circle is a quest reward for completing Heroic: All Is Well That Ends Well. Top non-Hard Mode rings include: Ring of the Vacant Eye – General Vezax (H), Glowing Ring of Reclamation – Flame Leviathan (H), Fire Orchid Signet – Freya (N), and Frozen Loop – Hodir (H).

Trinkets: Show of Faith – Yogg-Saron: Ulduar (H) & Scale of Fates – Thorim: Ulduar (H)
Show of Faith is a Hard Mode drop but surprisingly, Scale of Fates is not! Another surprise is that Forethought Talisman – Naxxramas zone drop is still at the top of the list! The Titan-forged Rune of Audacity – Wintergrasp Quartermaster is comparable due to the huge spell power damage on it and easy to get if you PVP. Sif’s Remembrance – Thorim (N) is a Hard Mode drop that is good for people who didn’t take the talent Improved Soul Leech. Embrace of the Spider – Maexxna (H) is still a good alternative due to the haste.

Main Hand: Starshard Edge – Mimiron: Ulduar (H)
Yet another Hard Mode drop, but this is the CLEAR leader in terms of BiS with 37 more spell power damage and a gem slot! The next best option is the Mimiron (N) Hard Mode drop; Fusion Blade. Following that, the Runescribed Blade off Auriaya (H) and Soulscribe off Yogg-Saron (H) are pretty similar.

Off hand: Cosmos – Algalon: Ulduar (H)
This drops off Algalon, but there are two decent options in the Leviathan Fueling Manual off of Flame Leviathan (H) and Ironmender off of Kologarn (H).

Wand: Petrified Ivy Sprig – Freya: Ulduar (N)
This drops in Hard Mode with 3 keepers up. The Quartz Crystal Wand from XT-002 Deconstructor (H) is neck and neck with Scepter of Lost Souls from General Vezax (H) for second place.

That about sums it up! GL!

SimulationCraft? No - REALITY CRAFT!

So, it's been a little while since I last posted. The main project I've been working on has been a RL testing of each spec. Basically, I've changed my spec for the last three weeks and am in the process of comparing WWS parses to see which is most effective. I still enjoy Demo the best, but have had fun playing Affliction and Destruction. More on this once I finish my parse comparisions!

Brief Destro Update

I'll give my thoughts on this later, but here is a little treat for Destrolocks:

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Re: Conflagrate damage reduction 04/22/2009 12:57:35 PM PDT

We are trying to get some changes in for Destro to make up for any sustained dps loss due to the Conflag nerf. Our plan is to get these changes in soon(tm), which in this case means before 3.2. We are not going to make any promises of course.

Ghostcrawler
Lead Systems Designer
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3.1 - The Morning After

Well, 3.1 is finally here. How do you feel about it? I know some people are feeling like they just woke up with a MASSIVE hangover and don't recognize the person laying in bed next to them. Others are feeling like they just won the lottery. Still others are every shade of emotion between.

We've just about wrapped up the first week in 3.1 and I have some thoughts I'd like to share.

• First and foremost, I want to publicly state that I DO NOT think Warlocks got nerfed. I think that Blizzard fixed the class, to the best of their ability. I know that while the PTR was up, the SimulationCraft originally had 0/40/31 as the clear front runner in terms of DPS. When 3.1 went live and Blizzard hotfixed Conflagrate, what we saw happen was what SHOULD have been the case all along; that all three specs- Affliction, Demonology and Destruction, put out SIMILAR DPS levels! This gives the class HUGE flexibility and has two major pros: 1.) You can play the spec you most enjoy in a raid setting. The class becomes more original and unique because everyone is able to CHOOSE their spec. 2.) You can bring utility to a raid without sacrificing personal DPS. I put 4 points in Demonic Pact and am still putting out a lot of DPS.

• While I personally don't have a need for a dual spec, I think it's a great idea and am happy to see this change. I can't count how many times I've been playing with a "hybrid" class and heard, "Well, I could go ret (or heals or tanky), but then I have to go back and re-spec. Wanna pay me the 50 g?" What the hell is a hybrid good for if you gotta jump through those hoops to switch? Not only was it a money waster, but it was a TIME waster! I almost felt like, in the time it took them to respec, we could have found someone else to pug in! I know a lot of people in hybrid classes have found this achievement to be a worthwhile (albeit expensive) one.

• 30 minute hearthstones!!!!! Blizzard listening when we said it makes life easier! Need I say more?

• There is a lot that I can say about Ulduar. Ascended sent several 10 mans in and we got down Razorscale in two of the groups during the first run. While reading the strategy guides, I was apprehensive about the Flame Leviathan to say the least. I am not a fan of vehicle fights, as I believe it doesn't make sense after you spend 80 levels learning your abilities. That being said, I found the fight to be enjoyable and not too difficult. I was surprised that there wasn't any trash between Flame Leviathan and XT-002 Deconstructor, who was our next kill. We didn't have any melee DPS in our run, so this fight was fairly easy once we understood the strategy completely. Razorscale was the most interesting fight so far, in my opinion. It was HARD, but not too hard, and was a bit of a different mechanic from the usual fights. It seems to have a variety of fights, not too much trash after Flame Leviathan and the loot is PHAT!
  

I have a lot more to say about 3.1, so keep reading!

About this blog- blah, blah, blah

Fel Intelligence was created out of frustration and need.

Frustration that was caused by:

• The fact that it is damn near impossible to get useful information out of a forum thread with FIFTY FOUR PAGES of posts! (Cough, cough, ElitistJerks, cough, cough...)
• The fact that there are very few GOOD Warlock blogs or even sources to get information that can be practically applied. (Great, so SimulationCraft says that a Afflock can put out 7224 DPS, but is anyone ACTUALLY doing that and HOW do you do it?)
• The fact that most people view Demonology as a spec useful for leveling, but not raiding, so there are no blogs for Demolocks.

Need that was caused by:

• A love for the Felguard and the awesomeness of having a super bodyguard to protect you while you DOT up your enemies.
• A desire to better understand the Warlock class in general and the Demonology spec specifically, in order to play the class more effectively.
• A place to put all my thoughts about Warlocks and be able to hear feedback while also being open to other people's thoughts without hearing "We got nerfed. I hate Blizzard and am quitting this game because of the nerf.

My goal is to bring "intelligence" to every post and new viewpoints in order to help people play their Warlock more effectively. All that and no BS. What a clever idea....

About Me- blah, blah, blah

I think it's appropriate to start out a blog with a post about me. After all, every good blog starts because the author was egotistical to think they have a unique point of view and more intelligence than the other slackers blogging about the topic of choice!

I'm in my mid 20s, married (to an awesome guy who parades around as a holy Paladin), and have a beautiful little daughter. In real life, my day job is working in Human Resources and I play WoW at nights, after the baby is asleep. I started playing World of Warcraft after being hassled by my husband to "Just try it!!!", watching him raid, and then finally broke down and started playing in February 2008.

My first character was a Mage, Eiliries and I made it to level 34 before I got too frustrated with the "fight, sit to eat and drink; rinse and repeat" mindset. My husband was currently raiding as a Warlock and convinced me to try it out. That's when Elarya, my Warlock was created. The rest as they say is history.

I leveled primarily on my own, as I was new to the online gaming scene and the idea of playing with others was not appealing. As I started to get close to the level cap (at the time, it was 70), my husband convinced me that I should apply to his guild, Ascended. We had a few real life friends that were already in guild and I had warmed up to the idea of playing with others. In fact, I was gung ho about raiding and made a push to hit 70 before WOTLK came out. Alas, it was not to be and I hit 70 the week AFTER the release! By this point, I was so frustrated and tired of leveling, I pushed my way through Northrend and finally hit 80!

I made full use of my husband's time to make him drag me through 5-mans till I was geared up enough for Naxx10. Ascended is a great guild in that everyone really makes it a point to help out and is willing to step into runs where they might be "overgeared" in order to help someone else out. Naxx10 runs flew by till I was one of the people helping the newbies get gear.

That brings us to the present. I have my raid clearance and attend raids. Still trying to get enough gear to be fully competitive, but that's the nature of the beast! It's a never ending cycle!