Gear List HEAD: Tourmaline Crown Spell dmg: 35
Spell crit: 30
Stamina: 24
Intellect: 18
Spirit: 17
Obtained via: Quest
This is a decent helm with a nice mixture of stats. It is a reward from a quest in Blade's Edge Mountains. From player feedback, it is possible to complete this quest with a level 67+ duo, and possibly soloable at level 70.
Alternatives Spellstrike Hood and
Battlecast Hood These two items are possibly the best helms pre-raid. They are Bind on Equip so can be bought from the Auction House, making them relatively easy to obtain. However, they cost a lot of gold; approximately 1300g for Spellstrike and 800g for Battlecast. To craft these items yourself requires 375 Tailoring skill and the Bind on Pickup patterns from the Shattered Halls (Spellstrike) and the Steamvaults (Battlecast) instances.
Crown of Endless Knowledge This is a Bind on Equip world drop that can be purchased from the AH for approximately 150g. As a side note, I think the graphic looks very cool :D
Evoker's Helmet of Second Sight This is a great helm with excellent stats once you put gems in the sockets. Unfortunately, one part of the quest chain,
Divination: Gorefiend's Armor, requires a group and a flying mount (or a warlock summon) to complete. The Alliance quest chain starts
here and the Horde quest chain starts
here.
NECK: Charlotte's Ivy Spell dmg: 23
Stamina: 18
Intellect: 17
(2 piece) Set bonus: 15 spell damage
Type: Bind on Equip
Obtained via: World drop or Auction House purchase approx. 850g
Alternatives Natasha's Ember Necklace Natasha's Arcane Filament These two neck pieces are better than Charlotte's Ivy in my opinion,but are rewards from a Scryer's only quest chain so is not accessible to mages who have aligned themselves with the Aldor.
Pendant of Dominance This is a very good neck piece but will require some time collecting battleground tokens and honor points.
SHOULDERS: Frozen Shadoweave Shoulders Spell dmg: 50 (Frost and Shadow only)
Spell crit: 8 ---
(from yellow gem) Stamina: 33 ---
(21 base + 12 from blue gem) Intellect: 15
Spell hit: 6 ---
(socket bonus for 2 gems) (3 piece) Set bonus: Your Frost and Shadow damage spells heal you for 2% of the damage they deal
Type: Bind on Pickup
Obtained via: 365 Shadoweave Tailoring
Alternatives Spaulders of the Torn-Heart These shoulders are very good for mages of all specs and does not require Shadoweave Tailoring, but they are a reward from an extremely long quest chain in Shadowmoon Valley that is not entirely solo-able. There is a
very good write-up on Wowhead in the "Comments" section that explains the entire quest line. Most of the quest line is solo-able but the second-to-last part,
The Cipher of Damnation - Borak's Charge requires at least 2 people, preferably 3 to complete.
BACK: Cloak of the Black Void Spell dmg: 35
Intellect: 11
Type: Bind on Equip
Obtained via: 350 Tailoring skill or Auction House purchase for approx. 250g
Alternatives Sergeant's Heavy Cape Requires 13875 honor points and 20 Arathi Basin battleground tokens.
CHEST: Frozen Shadoweave Vest Spell dmg: 72 (Frost and Shadow only)
Spell crit: 8 ---
(from yellow gem) Stamina: 42 ---
(30 base + 12 from blue gem) Intellect: 20
Spell hit: 6 ---
(socket bonus for 2 gems) (3 piece) Set bonus: Your Frost and Shadow damage spells heal you for 2% of the damage they deal
Type: Bind on Pickup
Obtained via: 375 Shadoweave Tailoring
CHEST: Spellfire Vest Spell dmg: 72 (Fire and Arcane only)
Spell crit: 36 ---
(28 base + 8 from yellow gem) Stamina: 20 ---
(12 from blue gem + 8 from socket bonus for 2 gems) Intellect: 17
(3 piece) Set bonus: Increases spell damage by up to 7% of your total intellect
Type: Bind on Pickup
Obtained via: 375 Spellfire Tailoring
Alternatives Imbued Netherweave Robe Imbued Netherweave Tunic These two items are Bind on Equip and can be bought on the AH for approx. 20g or can be crafted with 360 Tailoring skill (no specialization requirement).
Anchorite's Robes This is a nice robe that can be purchased once you have reached Honored with the Aldor.
WRIST: Bracers of Havok Spell dmg: 30
Spell crit: 10 ---
(8 from yellow gem + 2 from socket bonus for 1 gem) Intellect: 12
Type: Bind on Equip
Obtained via: 350 Tailoring skill or Auction House purchase approx. 120g
Alternatvies Blackstrike Bracers Another Bind on Equip item crafted with 350 Tailoring skill, but this one has spell critical instead of spell damage, stamina instead of intellect, and 5 mana per 5 second; all for approx. 200g on the Auction House.
HANDS: Gloves of the High Magus Spell dmg: 26
Spell crit: 22
Stamina: 13
Intellect:18
Spirit: 10
Obtained via: Quest
This is a good item with well-rounded stat boosts. It's a reward at the end of a quest chain in Shadowmoon Valley that starts
here. I went through the quests in the series, and it appears to be soloable.
Alternatives Spellfire Gloves This is an excellent alternative for Fire mages who happen to be Spellfire specialized Tailors. The stats and set bonus are much better than any other soloable and/or easy to obtain item I could find. It is Bind on Pickup though, so you need to be specialized in Spellfire Tailoring with a skill of 365 or more.
Netherweave Gloves For those who aren't Fire spec or are not Spellfire tailors, this is the easiest alternative. It is very easy to find and can be had for only 5g on the Auction House or crafted with 320 Tailoring skill. You can find much better instance drops so if you are able, run a few instances for your hands slot.
WAIST: Girdle of Ruination Spell dmg: 48 ---
(39 base + 9 from red gem) Spell crit: 28 ---
(20 base + 8 from yellow gem) Stamina: 26 ---
(18 base + 8 from socket bonus for 2 gems) Intellect: 13
Type: Bind on Equip
Obtained via: 365 Tailoring or Auction House purchase approx. 1500g
Alternatives Spellfire Belt A good alternative for Fire spec mages, but it requires Spellfire Tailoring specialization because it is Bind on Pickup.
Unyielding Girdle An alternative for the PvP mage. This belt has good amounts of stamina and resilience as well as an interesting set bonus. It can be crafted with 365 Tailoring skill. For non-tailors, it is Bind on Equip so can be bought from the Auction House for approx. 1500g
LEGS: Imbued Netherweave Pants Spell dmg: 30
Stamina: 39
Intellect: 26
10 mana per 5 sec
(3 piece) Set bonus: 28 spell crit
Type: Bind on Equip
Obtained via: 340 Tailoring skill or Auction House purchase approx 48g
Alternatives Spellstrike Pants One of the best cloth pants for mages pre-raid but they approx. cost a hefty 1400g on the Auction House. If you want to craft them yourself, you'll need 375 Tailoring skill and the Bind on Pickup pattern thatdrops in the Shadow Lab instance.
Battlecast Pants Another pair of excellent pants crafted from Tailoring. They'll cost approximately 1000g from the Auction House. To craft them yourself, you'll need 375 Tailoring skill and a the Bind on Pickup pattern that drops from the Botanica instance.
FEET: Frozen Shadoweave Boots Spell dmg: 57 (Frost and Shadow only)
Spell crit: 8 ---
(from yellow gem) Stamina: 27 ---
(15 base + 12 from blue gem) Intellect: 9
Spell hit: 6 ---
(from socket bonus for 2 gems) (3 piece) Set bonus: Your Frost and Shadow damage spells heal you for 2% of the damage they deal
Type: Bind on Pickup
Obtained via: 365 Shadoweave Tailoring
Alternatives Imbued Neterhweave Boots These can be bought from the Auction House for a mere 25g or crafted with 350 Tailoring skill. They are decent boots that will serve you well until you get a chance to run some instances or redeem PvP rewards.
STAFF: The Bringer of Death Spell dmg: 121
Spell crit: 42
Stamina: 32
Intellect: 31
Type: Bind on Equip
Obtained via: World drop or Auction House purchase approx. 280g
Alternatives Auchenai Staff This is available to mages aligned with the Aldor once their reputation reaches Revered. A decent staff that's almost as good as its instance-drop counterparts and only requires some rep grinding.
Note: Comparable mainhand/offhand combos require instance running; either for drops or for reputation gains. The good news is there are a lot of good swords/daggers to choose from if you do have time to run instances. Check Kaliban's list for details. You can also do PvP for the Grand Marshal/High Warlord/Gladiator items. FINGER1: Band of Dominance Spell dmg: 28
Spell crit: 21
Type: Bind on Equip
Obtained via: World drop or Auction House purchase approx. 61g
FINGER2: Khorium Band of Frost Spell dmg: 27 (Frost)
Stamina: 27
Mana per 5: 7
Type: Bind on Equip
Obtained via: 355 Jewelcrafting or Auction House purchase approx. 110g
Or...
Khorium Inferno Band Same stats as above, but +27 to Fire damage instead of Frost
Approximately 75g on AH
To be added later...
Trinket 1
Trinket 2
Edited, Apr 25th 2007 6:55pm by echou