Guidelines For New Raiders & Class Leaders

[Aggathon]

As you can see already from this thread, raid leading is very complex. Imo it comes with a certain natural affinity towards leading and a feel of what will keep the raid together, as well as general knowledge of classes and buffs. It's a hard thing to be taught, imo.

[Pylae]

I think you're missing that this is normal modes. Now maybe Vezax normal needed a special set of gear, and 25 normal anub with a little nature resist as a main tank is good...

But I frequently raid with casters that gem straight spirit.

This doesn't have to be the end-all be-all guide of everything WoW, just a collection of tips like "haste rating is shit for DK dps."

[krc]

In your tanking section I would mention Maintankadin • View topic - "New" EH - incorporating different damage types into EH it is much better than plain EH overall if you are gearing towards an encounter because it can include magic damage. And I wouldn't necessarily say that you need a high threat gear for trash, high avoidance gear and unhittable would probably be better mentioned since they are used more often than "trash gear"

[MellvarTank]

I don't think "Wear 2 stamina trinkets" is a valuable piece of information at all. Wear "EH Trinkets" would be much more useful. Mongoose to sword? What about blood draining or bladeward? The differences between the three are trivial. Stam to shield? What about defence rating? Again, arguable. Glyphing for taunt is useful on certain fights, but a waste of a glyph spot on others.

Also: Glyphed Devastate is higher threat than revenge.

As far as pulls go, you’ll want to follow a certain pattern whenever possible. You use Heroic Throw on the mob you want to tank, you back off a bit while it runs towards you and when it is on the spot you want to tank it, you charge in. You pop Shield Block while you’re still on your way to the mob and Shield Slam as soon as you reach him for a large amount of instant threat. Now you start your normal rotation. If all this costs more rage then you have, pop Bloodrage first. If you have Gag Order, this pulls caster mobs as well as melee mobs.

The problem I have with this is that caster mobs don't "run in" to where you want to tank them. You are better off saving heroic throw for the caster mob to silence him so that he runs to you, as opposed to setting up the spot and then having to shockwave the mobs, charge/shield bash/intervene (MAYBE before the mobs move) back to the other mobs. Instead a good old fashioned taunt to the mobs you want with bloodrage and a heroic throw at the caster may be the better way to go.


Unfortunately in doing a guide for raid leading, I think think there is far too much info for anyone to absorb as a "possibility" and they will take it as "Zomg! That tank didn't heroic throw/charge/bloodrage/etc. He sux0rs!"

I think, again, sections on "how to" should be omitted. Maybe a list of abilities such as "SS is a solid 7k threat, devastate (glyphed) comes next, then revenge, etc." That way if there are threat issues you can say "are you using *insert ability here*?"

[Fenier]

Raid leading is about group dynamics, not individual performance so much. You improve individual performance to increase group strength, but the leading part of it is knowing when something is beyond someone at their current stage of development.

To lead a raid you should have a rough idea of the encounters mechanics and how to best deal with them given your raid makeup. You want to plan out your raid makeup to be the most flexible it can be, and maximize it's strengths whenever possible while attempting to shore up it's weaknesses. Weaknesses are most often the inability to work together, individual skill, and gear primarily in that order.

The list you are attempting to make doesn't really cover any topic which is relevant to raid leading for the long-term. The Gear and Spec requirements change drastically between tiers in some cases, and even in direct relation to the players skill level. Certain specs are only really viable at certain gear levels.

To put it basically, you could take everything you've just posted, have people spec and gem the exact way you say to, and still die a horrible death on something as simply as Anub'rekhan because they can't work together and lack any skill at having encounter awareness.

Your normal 10 man goal is admirable, but I don't think you are going about it the correct way. Rather, what you are focusing on doesn't directly relate to leading raids. To use a tanking example since that's what you covered so far, you talk about spec, rotation and so forth..

From a Raid Leader point of view, it comes down to:

1: Can the tank position the mob?
2: Can the tank hold threat on the mob?
3: Can the tank take a reasonable amount of damage?
4: Are your healers strong enough to compensate if his damage is higher then expected or spikes?

If all those come out to yes, then the tanks direct gear / spec / rotation etc are less important then actually killing the boss.

*shrug*

-Fenier

[MellvarTank]

Just to add another point:

Your job as a raid leader is not to play everyone's character for them. It is to coordinate the group. When you start to tell the tank how to tank and you are a mage, you have instantly created a negative atmosphere and hurt the group dynamic. If the tank isn't doing his job well, then you start privately talking to him... but otherwise, let people play their own characters, essentially you just tell them where to stand and what to shoot.

[Bodasafa]

I think you're missing that this is normal modes. Now maybe Vezax normal needed a special set of gear, and 25 normal anub with a little nature resist as a main tank is good...

But I frequently raid with casters that gem straight spirit.

This doesn't have to be the end-all be-all guide of everything WoW, just a collection of tips like "haste rating is shit for DK dps."

I think we need to define the criteria of this guide cause it seems unclear on what your looking for.

Is this for 10 mans, 25 mans, PuGs, or Guild raids. Depending on which one you will have a different guide.

For 25 man guild raids a good raid leader should have a support system of role/class officers to delegate responsibility to. So knowing every talent point, gem choices, rotations, and watching performance of every raider is a bit overboard.

Instead in that case a good raid leader needs to know:

• How to manage people.
• The cool downs available to the raid that increase survivability and damage.
• The boss strategy for the encounters.
• How to assign raiders into roles to fit that strategy.
• How to make adjustments to that strategy on the fly after wipes.
• How to keep the moral of the raiders high after wipes.
• How to keep the raid moving and provide a general flow for everyone to follow.
• How to communicate with your support group of role/class officers so you can get the information you need to improve a strategy or get suggestions on who needs to be replaced by who and input on who to initially invite.

For a 10 man guild raid you simply invite raiders that you have worked with in the 25 mans. They are already used to taking direction from you. You select people who know their stuff. You shouldn't have to be checking gems/enchants and the like in this case.

For PuGs you would have to defer to someone else. I avoid doing them at all costs. This is the reason I joined a guild.

[Thegreatme]

Template would be something like this:

Class Name/Spec: Warrior/Fury

Link To Talent Build:
Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

other than imp HS, impale, deep wounds and 2h wep spec the other talents in the arms tree are fillers.

booming voice, imp demo, unbridled wrath, imp cleave, commanding pressence and imp berzerker rage are all filler talents.

the spec above is a pretty standard way of allocating those points

Rotation or What Heals to Cast:
The fury rotation works on the premise of WW>BT>instant slam> HS.
there are two very similar rotations with the fury spec, you will use both rotations as the second rotation is a modified version of the first that you use in certain situations

Standard rotation:
Whirlwind
Bloodthirst
Free GCD(slam if you have a proc)
WAIT 1 SECOND
Bloodthirst
WAIT 1 SECOND
Whirlwind (this is step 1 again)

If you need an extra GCD, or have a Slam! proc after your first free GCD you can do this:

Whirlwind
Bloodthirst
Free GCD(slam if you have a proc)
WAIT 1 SECOND
Bloodthirst
Free GCD(slam if you have a proc)
Whirlwind (this is step 1 again)


How to gem: generally strength is king. gem ArP if you have an arp trinket so you can get soft capped, or if you can get close to, or at the hard cap.
use landsouls spreadsheet for help with that.
gem expertise if you are under the expertise cap. gem hit if you are under the hit cap.
get the 21 agi/+3% crit damage meta gem and a nightmares tear.

How to enchant: generally you should enchant for the most AP possible. get agi on your cloak, 12hit/12 crit on your boots (though tuskkar's vitality is better raid utility)

Glyphs: major: Whirlwind, Heroic strike, Cleave if there are 3 or more targets, execution if there are less than 3

Tier Bonus: all of the set bonuses on t9 and t10 are good, your warriors should be trying to get them.

Stat weights: *ignoring arp because it is very very dependant on your current gear*
assuming soft capped hit and expertise:
str>crit>haste>hit

Trinkets: an arp trinket, of some sort, plus a trinket like the darkmoon card: greatness. death's verdict/choice is very good so if you have a chance to get it, get it.

Weapon Choice: Slow weapons are better. make sure which ever weapon is going to the most damage is in your mainhand, regardless of speed.

Performance:
entering t9 content: ~5.5k+
ending t9 normal modes: 7k
end t9 hardmodes: 8-9k (depending on hero/lust usage)

Armories:
The World of Warcraft Armory
The World of Warcraft Armory
The World of Warcraft Armory
The World of Warcraft Armory
The World of Warcraft Armory
The World of Warcraft Armory
The World of Warcraft Armory
The World of Warcraft Armory
The World of Warcraft Armory
The World of Warcraft Armory

References:
http://www.tankspot.com/forums/f177/...ior-guide.html
Warriors - Elitist Jerks
Warrior DPS Calculation Spreadsheet - Elitist Jerks
Random Notes: if your fury warrior isn't managing his rage properly his DPS will suffer, this becomes less apparent as gear improves but is still important.

[Zikez]

Here's what I got for Retribution Paladins. It's still a WIP, but there should be enough information there to get you started. The majority of the information is from Elitist Jerks' number crunches, and much of it is nearly word for word. I understand the idea for this though, consolidating information for every class can help more than just a raid leader.

Paladin / Retribution

Specs
Prior to 3.3, most ret paladins specced into Divine Sacrifice for a "raid wall"

http://talent.mmo-champion.com/?pala...c1,aere3,10952

With 3.3, Divine Sacrifice took a nerf, restricting it's absorbed damage am restricting it to the paladin's group. It still can be helpful, but now many paladins are speccing into Aura Mastery.

http://talent.mmo-champion.com/?pala...s0,aere3,10952

Optional Talents:
Aura Mastery (Causes your Concentration Aura to make all affected targets immune to Silence and Interrupt effects and improve the effect of all other auras by 100%. Lasts 6 sec.)

Used for raid-wide utility now that Divine Sacrifice has been nerved. Lasting for 6 seconds, it doubles an aura's base effect (ret aura's thorn-like damage is doubled, its 3% damage from sanctified retribution is not affected). Can be useful on fights with heavy magic damage spikes, such as during Marrowgar's Bone Storm, where you can expect more people than usual to run into flames.

Heart of the Crusader (In addition to the normal effect, your Judgement spells will also increase the critical strike chance of all attacks made against that target by an additional 3%.)

Can be a critical debuff to have in a raid, but even a holy or protection paladin can reach this talent. Has the same effect caused by an elemental shaman and doesn't stack.

Vindication (Gives the Paladin's damaging melee attacks a chance to reduce the target's attack power by 46 for 10 sec.)

Works like a "demo shout," but it requires no thought or resources to apply, saving druids, warriors, and warlocks from a GCD as well as some rage/mana. Can be very situation, for Demo shout is superior for AoE situations because vindication only process on attacks and not from consecrate.

Swift Retribution (Your auras also increase casting, ranged and melee attack speeds by 3%.)

A very nice buff to have, but if there is a regular moonkin raider, he can provide this buff.

Divinity (Increases all healing done by you and all healing effects on you by 5%.)

This talent used to be much better, but JoL no longer scales as well with it.

Divine Sacrifice /30% of all damage taken by party members within 30 yards is redirected to the Paladin (up to a maximum of 40% of the Paladin's health times the number of party members). Damage which reduces the Paladin below 20% health will break the effect. Lasts 10 sec.)
Divine Guardian (When Divine Sacrifice is actived, your party and raid members within 30 yards take 20% reduced damage for 6 sec. In addition, increases the duration of your Sacred Shield by 100% and the amount absorbed by 20%.)

Divine Sacrifice and Guardian prior to their nerve were essential talents for any ret paladin. The paladin would bubble before the DSac to prevent the damage cap from ever being met, giving your entire raid 30% damage reduction for 10 seconds. Now, it only applies to your party until you either take 200% of your total hp as damage, or if you drop below 20% total hp - you can't bubble to become immune to the damage now.

Rotations:
Paladins follow a First Come First Serve "rotation." There is a priority order of what skills should be used and when.
Basic Rotation: HoW (if target is below 20%) > CS > Judgement > DS > Consecration > Exorcism > Holy Wrath

2T9: Judgement > HoW > CS > DS > Consecrate > Exorcism > Holy Wrath
2T9 AND 2T10: Judgement > DS > HoW > CS > Consecrate > Exorcism > Holy Wrath
4T10: Judgement > DS > CS > HoW > Consecrate > Exorcism > Holy Wrath
Seal choices:
3 or more enemies: Seal of Command
Less than 3 enemies, each dies within 12 seconds: Seal of Righteousness
Less than 3 enemies, each is alive longer than 12 seconds: Seal of Vengeance

Gems:
Prismatic: Nightmare Tear
Use ONE Prismatic Gem to fulfill meta requirements. Use it in a blue slot, preferably one with a good socket bonus (str).

Red Slots: Bold Cardinal Ruby
Gem pure STR in everything.

Yellow slots: Etched Ametrine or Inscrbed Ametrine
With 2T9 equipped, if a yellow socket has 4STR bonus or better, gem one of these (usually inscribed for the crit).

Blue Slots:
Gemming for blue sockets is always a dps loss.

Enchants:
Head: Arcanum of Torment ( 50 attack power 20 crit strike)
Shoulders: Greater Inscription of the Axe (40 attack power 15 crit strike)
Chest: Enchant chest - Powerful stats ( +10 to all stats)
Cloak: Enchant Cloak - Major Agility (22 Agi)
Bracers: Enchant Bracers - Greater Assault (50 attack power)
Hands: Enchant Gloves - Crusher (44 attack power)
Legs: Icescale Leg Armor (75 attack power 22 crit strike)
Feet: Enchant Boots - Ice Walker (12 hit rating) OR
Enchant Boots - Greater Assault ( 32 attack power ) if way over whitecap.
Weapon: Enchant Weapon - Berserking (chance on hit to gain 400 attack power at the cost of reduced armor)

Glyphs:
Major: Glyph of Judgement, Glyph of Consecration, and Glyph of Seal of Vengeance are the best majors for PVE.
Minor: Glyph of Sense Undead and Glyph of Lay on hands. The last minor can be any of the others, none of them are particularly useful.

Tier Bonuses:
Tier 9
2pc: Righteous Vengeance ticks crating results in a ~3% dps boost. This scales with your gear (more STR increases the dot strength, and more crate means it will crit more often).
4pc: 5% more crate to judgements is a ~.5%. This is not a very good set bonus

Tier 10
2pc: It's hard to judge a solid % increase to dps, due to the random nature of the proc. DS usually accounts for 7% of our total dps and based on current theorycraft, 2T10 provides a ~2% dps increase due to more DS.

4pc: A 10% increase to damage done by seals and judgements by 10% is a huge bonus to our dps, since seals and judgements typically make up between 30 and 35% of our damage, 4T10 provides ~3% dps increase. BiS lists may very well include 4T10. note: the 10% doesn't apply to SoV's dot effect.

Stat Weights:
Generally stat priority is as follows..
Hit > Str > Expertise > Crit > Agility > Haste > Attack Power > Armor Penetration > Spellpower >Intellect > Stamina, Armor
Obviously, if you are capped in any of these (especially hit and expertise), the value of gear diminishes if these stats are present.


Weapon Choice:
We generally want slow weapons. Every .1 speed slower is equal to ~20 DPS due to Seals and Judgements not being normalized to weapon speeds.


References:
Retribution: Updated for 3.3 - Elitist Jerks
MaxDPS.com - Retribution Paladin DPS Gear Rankings

[Llego]

I'll copy/paste my info tomorrow, although if I were you before I started linking armories of players in top end guilds I'd damn sure get their permission. I know I'd be pissed of someone was out saying I wanted to help whoever visited this guide. Also I see a few players who I personally know on your list and they are complete dicks

[Pylae]

I considered that, but since at least at this point so few people have read the guide I'm not too worried about it. I'll remove anyone who wants to be removed.

I think it's helpful to link armories of top players, though. I've had tanks in my guild wanting to gem for dodge and it's just like...you know what, if stamina works for these guys it'll work for you too.

I was going to work on this yesterday but Saurfang spanked my 2nd 10 man group, so I decided to spend the day getting her some new gear. After 10+ hours of heroics, I replaced everything on the left side of her character sheet. Although I did lose my 2-piece Tier 7 bonus heh.

Dylae

[Darksend]

Been waiting for a PM from you but I guess you really want me to do the feral druid one myself?

You know what you want more than I do so while I am willing to help with whatever I can I would really prefer it if you did the initial one and I went in an edited it.

[Satorri]

Ha, the reason I wrote a 50 pg guide to DK tanking was that a one page summary didn't do it honest justice.

Succinct is nice, but too succinct isn't helpful. That said there seems to be merit in finding a way of relating the various class specs to someone who takes on the raid leader mantle but doesn't have intimate knowledge of every class/spec.

[Pylae]

If you want to do the feral (tank or cat) one Darksend go for it, follow the template or the fury warrior one above. Some of my best guildies are cats though so I'm not too worried about that.

I'm trying to figure out when I'm going to get the time to do this. Maybe a little time this weekend...but I gotta fix the DPS problems in my raid if I'm going to clear ICC 25, which is my goal.

Dylae

[Darksend]

My problem is that I cannot do it concisely at all, i would rather someone else put it together and just edit it.

[Pylae]

K I'll beat one of my guildies into submission. Cat abuse!

[Pylae]

To the admins, at what point am I going to hit the limit on how big the post can be? I'm actually surprised that worked.

Also: Seal of Vengeance/Corruption is the paladin tanking seal.

[Proletaria]

I think raid leaders who wish to improve performance should be focusing on fight mechanics and raid awareness more than individual performance. There are so many individual performance guides out there, and it really should be the responsibility of the raider and/or class/role leads to keep up on this.

Understanding what each class can do, what buffs they bring, what buffs are "mandatory," what unique things certain class/specs should do for each fight, overall positioning of the raid, fight mechanics; these are the things raid leaders should be focusing on.

This is, IMO, a consolidated class/spec guide rather than a raid leader's guide.

Agreed. I count on my raiders to stay up to date on their own class and spec info. If i really think someone is underperforming and i'm not familiar with their class/spec then it's entirely up to them to improve their game or get benched. If i tried to micro-manage every one of my raiders like this I would probably loose what little sanity i've got left.

[Bodasafa]

I think Cleave should be given more credit in the Prot Warrior AOE tanking section. I Find that using Cleave combined with the Cleave Glyph is well worth the rage. Just be careful not to over spam, or you risk rage starvation. Smart use, small bursts make this a powerful ability when used correctly.

[Pylae]

3.3 Guide:

Here is a consolidated guide to basic gemming/specs for 3.3. This guide is actually more intended for players that do not play that class, hence the reason no acronyms are used.

There are several specs that are not yet completed, if you’d like to write them just follow the template.

If someone has a good place for me to post this as a word document I’ll gladly do that.

I doubt I’ll update this thread for Cataclysm, unless it becomes a useful recruitment tool for my currently recruiting M-Th 6-10 pm Pacific raiding guild, <The Epic Phylactery> of Arathor (PvE).

Please DO NOT contact the toons for which I have listed armories, I did not ask their permission to be in this guide but just obtained their names from parses. (I will remove any names by request.)

All class notes:
You should understand the global cooldown, and what abilities are and aren’t on it, and why instant casts are basically the same as 1.0 second casts except when you have to move. Cooldown - WoWWiki - Your guide to the World of Warcraft

Some very good info for all casters about queuing spells and ghosting is in this boomkin guide:
Moonkin PvE DPS (updated for 3.3) - Elitist Jerks

Tuskarr’s Vitality (+15 stamina and minor run speed increase) is never a bad enchant.

The profession enchants aren’t listed in this guide, so if you’re an enchanter, engineer, tailor, inscriber, or leatherworker you will have access to better enchants. (Blacksmithing and jewelcrafting just follow the gem rules. Casters generally use their best gems in red slots for spell power gems.)

It no longer matters what paladin judges what, all the bonuses are the same.

Just about every single class has one correct meta gem. A few healers can get away with 2% intellect over the mana return one. Some of the suggested enchants, however, are a little more open.

Don’t judge trinkets on ilvl. I’ve armoried many toons that are decked out in 258s but still using Eye of the Broodmother or Illustration of the Dragon Soul.


All tanks:
--Gemming a tank is easy: 2% increased armor meta, all +30 Stamina gems plus one purple dodge/stamina for the meta's red requirement.

--A +9 or +12 stamina bonus taken with a purple dodge/stamina gem is ok, ignore other bonuses.

--Wear 2 stamina trinkets. (Or armor trinkets if they give higher effective health on all-physical encounters.)

--Effective health (Effective Health Calculator: How much damage can I can take? - TankingTips.com) is everything. It’s good enough for the tanks of the top 100 guilds, and it’s good enough for you. Maintankadin &bull; View topic - "New" EH - incorporating different damage types into EH is another good resource.

--Maintain a separate set of gear for higher threat for trash.

--Maintain a separate set of gear where your spell interrupt and/or taunt can’t miss. Use that gear on fights like Vezax, Razorscale, Kologarn, Lady Deathwhisper, Deathbringer Saurfang.

--Block value and rating are garbage.

--Hitting the expertise soft cap of 6.5% is nice but don’t gem for it.

--Glyphing for taunt/growl/dark command/righteous defense is a good idea given how many encounters require tank swaps.

--Enchants:
--37 stamina + 20 defense to head
--30 stamina + 15 resilience or 20 dodge + 15 defense to shoulders
--225 armor to cloak
--275 health to chest
--40 stamina to bracers
--Rune of the Stoneskin Gargoyle to 2H for DKs
--Mongoose to sword and +18 stamina to shield for Warrior/Paladin
--Druid weapon: Mongoose or Blood Draining
--Hands you have options, 2% threat and 10 parry is common
--55 stamina + 22 agility to legs
--22 stamina or 15 stamina + minor run speed to boots

Also, you can’t always trust every armory you see. Some players may have logged out in a DPS tanking set for a fast heroic clear, or an unconventional set such as unhittable for tanking Heroic Anub’Arak.

All healer notes:
--Healers have a little more flexibility in their gear choices than other classes, but it definitely helps to know how much better spirit/mp5/crit/haste are for you. (??? I want to get more of that quantitative information in this guide.)

--Trinkets for healers seem to be particularly flexible. It’s worth mentioning I saw a few healers that had almost full 258 gear but were using Illustration of the Dragon Soul, Spark of Hope, and/or Eye of the Broodmother.

--http://www.plusheal.com is a good resource

--The armories of top players may not be as applicable as for some other classes. A healer with no mana isn’t much of a healer at all. If you just hit 80 or are doing a specific encounter, you may have to adjust your gems and trinkets for better regeneration or higher spellpower.

--Some encounters, like General Vezax, may require a totally separate set of gear.

--Having a set of gear for spell hit (17% with no buffs) can be helpful even if you never PvP. The Mark of the War Prisoner from Heroic Violet Hold and the ilvl 245 Emblem of Triumph trinket can make that much easier to reach. (Faction Champions dispelling and Instructor Razuvious for priests are two examples.)



Blood Tank:
Page 1 of Suno's Fireside Chat - DK Endgame Tanking - Elitist Jerks
http://talent.mmo-champion.com/?deat...vIvx,YUd,10505

I personally like
http://talent.mmo-champion.com/?deat...bhEg,YUd,10505
but I’m obsessive about taking Rune Tap and my spells not missing.

Also I suggest taking Glyph of Dark Command over glyph of Vampiric Blood.

The least important talents to the EJ build linked above are Subversion and Might of Mograine.

IT=Icy Touch, PS=Plague Strike, HS=Heart Strike, DS=Death Strike, DND=Death and Decay, Pest=Pestilence RPDump = Runic Power Dump
Single Target Rotation - IT-PS-DS-HS-HS DS-HS-HS-HS-HS RPDUMP = RS/Death Coil
Multi Target Rotation - DnD-IT-PS-Pest then TAB-HS/DS/Pest/Blood Boil RPDUMP = RS/Deathcoil

Gem: See “All tanks” section.
Glyphs: Dark Command, Death Strike, Rune Strike
Tier Bonus: ??? (4pc Tier 9 isn’t bad but not worth keeping very long for more armor and stamina from better gear)

Stat Weights: Def/Dodge/Parry gear is best for survivability when bonus armor isn’t available, then expertise up to 26 and hit up to 8% is good.

Trinkets: 2 Effective Health Trinkets (i.e. stamina)

Weapon Choice: 2-Hander

Performance fully raid-buffed against Boss Target Dummy: ~1600 DPS @ in Trial 25 gear (???)

Armories:
Flipthedk <Vigil> US-Mal’Ganis
Lowé (Alt 0233) <Exodus> US-Ysondre
Cromartie <Spike Flail> US-Ner’Zhul
Arment <Reawaken> US-Staghelm
Lûcia (Alt 0251) <The Dark Ministry> US-Blackrock
Nekroh <FH> US-Black Dragonflight
Spyte <Angry> US-Illidan

Frost Tank:
See “all tank tips” above.
This is likely outdated, but:
Page 1 of Suno's Fireside Chat - DK Endgame Tanking - Elitist Jerks
http://talent.mmo-champion.com/?deat...jfoH,YMa,10505
I don’t suggest deviating from that build much, although you can move Hungering Cold to Deathchill or somewhere else. I also like 2/2 Endless Winter on certain fights, but I personally am trying to tank, interrupt, and watch 24 other people as I raid.

Improved Icy Talons is useful if you don't have Windfury totem.

I suggest Glyph of Dark Command over Glyph of Frost Strike.

IT=Icy Touch, PS=Plague Strike, HS=Heart Strike, DS=Death Strike, DND=Death and Decay, Pest=Pestilence RPDump = Runic Power Dump OB=Obliterate HB=Howling Blast BS=Blood Strike FS=Frost Strike
Single Target Rotation - IT-PS-OB-BS-BS IT-PS-OB-OB RPDUMP = RS/FS
Alt. Single Target Rotation - IT-BS-OB-(Blood Tap if no Death Rune)OB RPDUMP = RS/FS
Alt-Single Target Rotation - HB-BS-BS-OB OB-OB-OB RPDUMP = RS/FS (assumes HB Glyph)
Multi Target Rotation - DnD-IT-PS-Pest then TAB-HB/Pest/BloodBoil RPDUMP = RS/FS

Stat Weights, Trinkets, Weapon Choice, Performance—see Blood DK.

Armories:
Spyte <Angry> US-Illidan

Unholy Tank:
See “all tank tips” above.
Page 1 of Suno's Fireside Chat - DK Endgame Tanking - Elitist Jerks
http://talent.mmo-champion.com/?deat...u4xU,pRY,10958

I suggest Glyph of Dark Command over Glyph of Icy Touch.

Applies Ebon Plaguebringer (+13% spell damage) which is a critical buff, but only if you don’t have a Boomkin or warlock.

Least Important Talents: ???

Stat Weights, Trinkets, Weapon Choice, Performance—see Blood DK.

IT=Icy Touch, PS=Plague Strike, HS=Heart Strike, DS=Death Strike, DND=Death and Decay, Pest=Pestilence RPDump = Runic Power Dump OB=Obliterate HB=Howling Blast BS=Blood Strike FS=Frost Strike SS=Scourge Strike
Single Target Rotation - IT-PS-BS-BS-SS IT-PS-SS-SS RPDUMP = RS/Unholy Blight/Death Coil
Multi Target Rotation - DnD-IT-PS-Pest then TAB-SS/Pest/Blood Boil RPDUMP = RS/Death Coil

Armories: Needed, none of the kills I looked at used an unholy DK.



Protection Warrior:
See “all tank tips” above.
The World of Warcraft Armory

Improved Disciplines is also popular.

Least important talents are Cruelty and Incite. Also, 95% of the time Improved Spell Reflect is worthless, the other 5% it’s incredibly overpowered (Malygos and Mimiron Phases 3 & 4 come to mind.)

Rotation from tankspot.com, thread not linked because the last edit was over a year ago. I think this info is still current though. ???:

Single-target Tanking:
--Use Shield Slam whenever it’s up, including Sword and Board procs. Shield Block is an important way to increase your SS hits.
--Revenge when available and SS isn’t.
--Make sure you put 5 Devastates on the target for the DPS.
--As soon as the Devastates are on you switch to Concussion Blow and Shockwaves in between the SS and Rev cooldowns, only doing a Devastate to keep the debuff on the mob or when all else is on cooldown.
--Devastates are useful because they proc Sword and Board, but Revenge does the same thing for a lower cost.
--Use Heroic Strike as your rage dump whenever you can.

The biggest change to the rotation, therefore, is the changing role of Devastate to supporting ability instead of main ability, and the Sword and Board proc providing a reactive part to your tanking.

As far as pulls go, you’ll want to follow a certain pattern whenever possible. You use Heroic Throw on the mob you want to tank, you back off a bit while it runs towards you and when it is on the spot you want to tank it, you charge in. You pop Shield Block while you’re still on your way to the mob and Shield Slam as soon as you reach him for a large amount of instant threat. Now you start your normal rotation. If all this costs more rage then you have, pop Bloodrage first. If you have Gag Order, this pulls caster mobs as well as melee mobs.

AoE Tanking:

For AoE tanking you’ll use the same rotation as single-target tanking to an extent, but you’ll use Thunder Clap and Shockwave whenever they come off cooldown before you use Shield Slam and Revenge. You’ll still tab-target to get to each mob for high threat on each, but Thunder Clap, Shockwave and not to forget Damage Shield should make sure all the mobs stick to you over all but the highest DPS. In-between mobs you could use Cleaves, but your rage is better used on single-target abilities in between your AoE abilities followed by target switching.

Various Abilities:
--Remember Recklessness and Retaliation.
--Berserker Rage provides not just the immunity to fear, sap and incapacitate effects, but also extra rage from being hit for 10 seconds. Pop whenever you don’t have enough rage for any of your abilities. You can pop Berserker Rage right before you Charge into a mob.
--A typical pull will be Bloodrage – Heroic Throw – back away from the mob – Berserker Rage – Charge. This style will give you a very large amount of instant rage for that instant threat, and keep the rage coming in for those 8-9 Berserker Rage seconds, with no drawbacks.

Gemming, stat weights, trinkets in “all-tank tips.”

Use a fast (1.60) tank 1H-weapon for more heroic strikes. Weapons with armor like Crusader’s Glory have more effective health than other comparable ilvl weapons.

Glyphs for top 100-guild warriors are all over the place, including Taunt, Blocking, Heroic Strike, Vigilance, Devastate, Shield Wall, Last Stand, and Cleave. For normal modes, I’d recommend Taunt, Blocking, and either Last Stand or Vigilance.

Tier bonuses: ???



Armories:
Mtlol <Cuties Only> US-Kil’Jaeden
Phovos <Exodus> US-Ysondre
Meataus <Rush> US-Dark Iron
Kifd <Trismegatus> US-Medivh
Sair <Infallible> US-Eonar
Maldazzar <Mediocrity> US-Blackrock
Skulle <Eye for an Eye> US-Eredar
Renamed <Quantum> US-Thaurissan

Protection Paladin:
The Protection Paladin Field Manual (WoW-3.0/WotLK) - Elitist Jerks
(You have to follow the internal links on that page though.)

Skeleton is:
Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

And every toon I armoried had:
Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

Glyphs: Seal of Vengeance, Divine Plea, and Judgement were all common, sometimes with Righteous Defense or Hammer of the Righteous thrown in there.

Ability Choice: Protection Paladins have their own system, called the 6/9 system after, you guessed it, the 6 and 9 second cooldowns on their abilities.

The 6-second cooldowns are Shield of Righteousness and Hammer of the Righteous.
The 9-second cooldown abilities are Holy Shield, Consecration, and Judgement. Holy Shield and Consecration actually have 8-second cooldowns, but Holy Shield lasts 10 seconds so it's fine to let it spend a second off cooldown each cycle. Judgements have a 10-second cooldown by default, so one point in the Improved Judgements talent is needed to bring the cooldown down to 9 seconds.

(Shield of Righteousness) Holy Shield (Hammer of the Righteous) Consecrate (Shield of Righteousness) Judgement (Hammer of the Righteous) Holy Shield (Shield of Righteousness) Consecrate (Hammer of the Righteous) Judgement ...


How to gem: See all tank notes.

Tier Bonus: ???

Stat weights: See all tank notes.

Trinkets: See all tank notes.

Weapon Choice: One of the few melee classes where weapon speed doesn’t mean anything…just choose highest DPS.

Performance: ~1600 DPS if in 245s on Lord Marrowgar 25.

Notes: Seal of Vengeance/Corruption for tanking.

Armories:
Humiliation <Whar Lewtz Plz Halp> US-Scilla
Coco <Tasty Beverage> US-Drak’thal
Nuei <Forgotten Heroes> US-Black Dragonflight
Dyveria <Vigil> US-Mal’Ganis
Imlegend <Redux> US-Spirestone
Sahl <Ainur> US-Tichondrius


Feral Tank Druid:
First, you need to know who Alamo is:
Alamo - WoWWiki - Your guide to the World of Warcraft

Second, you need to know something Alamo probably doesn’t even remember, but that I just happened to raid with him the day the Gates of Ahn’Qiraj opened on Thunderhorn:

Imageshack - 055itakecontrolofthesit

Which in five years of playing the game excessively, was still hands down the most fun I ever had. It was the one day in all of WoW where there was actually a sense of urgency for control of Azeroth. Granted it was a giant laggy cluster---- but it was so much fun.


Reminiscing aside, your guide is
World of Warcraft - English (NA) Forums -> Bear Tanking in 3.3 and beyond!!

Talent build is:
Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

I think the build is pretty static, although I think if you know you’re going to have the -20% swing speed debuff you can take the 3 points from Infected Wounds and throw them in King of the jungle. If no one else is doing the attack power debuff you can move the five from Natural Shapeshifter and Master Shapeshifter into Feral Aggression.

Glyphs: Frenzied Regeneration, Survival Instincts, and either Maul or Growling

Ability Use:
AoE threat– Queue maul up and charge in, Feral Faerie Fire while charging and smack your target with Mangle on arrival. Then spam your swipe/maul macro and tab target your secondary targets.

Single target threat – The key to strong single target threat is keeping Feral Faerie Fire and Mangle on cooldown while keeping a full stack of Lacerate up. Maul must be queued up at all times. Once you have lacerate stacked to five you only need to refresh it when there is about three seconds left and you will use swipe as filler.

After you get your lacerate to five stacks your rotation will look something like this
Mangle
Feral Faerie Fire
Swipe
Swipe
Mangle
Feral Faerie Fire
Swipe
Lacerate
Repeat (And if Lacerate gets parried you have one chance to re-apply it before it falls off.)

How to gem and enchant: See all tank gems and enchants. One variation is that putting 10 agility + 15 stamina into red slots is better for druids than 10 dodge + 15 stamina.

Tier Bonus: ???

Stat weights: See all-tank notes.

Trinkets: See all-tank trinkets, Idol is Crying Moon for frost badges or Corruptor.

Weapon Choice: ??? (Probably highest DPS)

Performance: ~1600 DPS in 245s against Lord Marrowgar with full buffs.

Armories: (Cat specs will not have the Natural Reaction talent BTW.)
Mittenns <Vigil> US-Mal’Ganis
Finkk <Rush> US-Dark Iron (He might be a main-spec cat, take this one with a grain of salt)
Fattycop <Cuties Only> US-Kil’Jaeden
Thaeryn <Irregulars> US-Dethecus

Notes: Bare durid iz storng! Also, I don’t believe Chill of the Throne affects bears any worse than anyone else. 20% less dodge is 20% less dodge, and everyone has diminishing returns on dodge anyway.







Holy Paladin:
Taken from Holy Paladin Compendium for 3.3 - Elitist Jerks

There are 2 ways to gear, the conventional one being to gem intellect and spam holy light.
Builds:
Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

Least Important Talent: Benediction (???)

Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

Least Important Talent: ???

Healing choice (???):
Holy Lights with Holy Shocks when you have to move
Judge once a minute
Maintain your beacon

Gems:
Insightful Earthsiege Diamond for meta
Top (Holy Light) paladins put a 20 intellect gem in every slot.

Yellow slots: 20 intellect
Red slots: 20 intellect or 12 spell power + 10 intellect
Blue: 20 intellect or 10 intellect + 5 MP5
Prismatic: Nightmare tear if needed for meta


Head - 30 Spell Power and 20 Critical Strike Rating, Kirin Tor Revered (you can get 10 Mp5 instead of crit)
Shoulder - 24 Spell Power and 15 Critical Strike Rating, Sons of Hodir Exalted (you can get 8 Mp5 instead of crit)
Chest - 10 all stats or 250 mana
Cloak – 23 Haste Rating
Bracers – 30 Spell Power or 16 Intellect
Gloves – 28 Spell Power
Legs – 50 Spell Power and 30 Stamina
Shield - 25 Intellect
Weapon - 63 Spell Power or 30 Intellect
Boots – Tuskarr’s Vitality (run speed is amazing for most encounters) or Icewalker (12 crit/hit)

Glyphs:
Holy Light, Beacon of Light, and Seal of Wisdom

Other options:
Glyph of Seal of Wisdom/Glyph of Seal of Light
Seal of Wisdom is most of the time the better glyph, since you get mana returned when Judging and makes all your heals 5% cheaper. Seal of Wisdom gives mana return on melee hits. If you need more throughput, Seal of Light is your choice. You will always want to use one of these two Glyphs.
Glyph of Holy Light
It does not smart heal, but rather heals 5 random targets in range. This can be very effective at healing when the whole raid takes damage. It can do a substantial amount of healing in some fights, so I wouldn't go anywhere without it (except for healing heroic Anub’Arak due to Leeching Swarm).
Glyph of Beacon of Light
This glyph saves the cast of one Beacon of Light every 3 minutes. Its values comes from saving a global cooldown every 3 minutes, and reduces the chance that Beacon of Light will end when you still need it, but can't spare a global cooldown to refresh it. Taking 2-3 seconds to refresh Beacon/Sacred Shield together is extremely dangerous since both are one-minute cooldowns with Prot sub-spec.

Glyph of Divinity
If you cast Lay on Hands on yourself with this you will get double the mana returned. Which will make it great for fights where you are crunched on mana, and don't need the burst heal of a Lay on Hands. It can be situational though, since you will probably want to save Lay on Hands for burst "oh shit" healing, instead of a mana return.

Glyph of Flash of Light
Reduces the average cost of Flash of Light by 4.7 and increases the average amount healed by 2.5%. This is a strong for PvP and a solid choice for a Flash of Light based build.

Glyph of Holy Shock
While Holy Shock is a good spell, it isn't something I normally hit on cooldown. On fights with a lot of movement maybe it is worth using this Glyph, but that is to situational to always use it.

Stat Weights: Tough to say, above 676 haste with every raid buff you’re probably wasting haste rating though. (???)

When to take off higher ilvl gear for lower ilvl gear: Not very often since intellect and spellpower are the most important stats and they go up with ilvl. Perhaps something with a lot of MP5 would be better than a lot of crit. (??? Is spirit or MP5 preferred?)

Tier Bonuses:
2-piece T9:
This is a decent bonus if your judgement is being used by your group, so it can have more uptime. Otherwise it is worthless.
4-piece T9:
This is an outstanding bonus for Flash of Light focused Paladins, otherwise it is mediocre.
2-piece T10:
This makes Divine Intervention into a useful healing increase cooldown. You could combine this with Divine Plea to offset the penalty. This is a very good bonus.
4-piece T10:
This is a fair situational bonus. If you end up having to move and use Shock, this bonus will help you get back casting faster.

Trinkets:
2 intellect trinkets and Libram of Renewal (-113 mana to Holy Light). Any other libram is a mistake. (Except high-level PvP Flash of Light librams.)

Performance: (??? Benchmark for what a properly geared T9 holy pally could do, perhaps on Marrowgar 25)

Armories:
(BTW if the talent spec has 2/2 Improved Hammer of Justice, it’s their PvP spec.)

Largemarge <V A N Q U I S H> US-Cho’gall
Xyliaa <Vigil> US-Mal’Ganis
Dakcho <Redux> US-Spirestone
Dcj <Redux> US-Spirestone (Possibly an off-spec healer, doesn’t have all the heroic 25 trial gear)
Rubywoo <Cuties Only> US-Kil’jaeden
Tyross <Assent> US-Dunemaul
Leahna <Assent> US-Dunemaul
Lattice <Exodus> US-Ysondre
Girrafe <Exodus> US-Ysondre
Aleyla <Rush> US-Dark Iron (Flash of Light spec)

Restoration Shaman:
From Shaman: Restoration - Elitist Jerks

Build is:
Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft
or moving the 3 points in either Healing Focus or Healing Way to Elemental Weapons.

Spell choice:
(??? More help on this would be greatly appreciated. Currently I’m also very interested in what to do while a resto shammy is healing Marrowgar 25.)

Gems:
Insightful Earthsiege Diamond
Take all socket bonuses with:
Yellow: 20 haste
Red: 10 haste + 12 spellpower
Blue: 10 haste + 5 MP5

Enchants:
Weapon: 63 spellpower
Shield: 25 intellect
Head: 30 spellpower + 20 crit
Shoulders: 24 spellpower + 15 crit
Back: 23 haste
Chest: 10 MP5 or 10 all stats
Wrist: 30 spellpower
Gloves: 28 spellpower
Legs: 50 spellpower + 30 stamina
Feet: 15 stamina + minor run speed

Glyphs:
Earth Shield, Chain Heal, Riptide
Viable options are Healing Way, Lesser Healing Wave, and Healing Stream. Shamans will change glyphs frequently depending on the fight. Minor glyphs should include glyph of water shield.

Totem: Calming Tides

Tier Bonuses:
2-piece Tier 9 is very good
4-piece Tier 9 is terrible
2-piece Tier 10 is very good
4-piece Tier 10 ???


Stat Weights:
Haste rating: 1.5
Spellpower: 1.0
MP5: 1.0
Crit rating 0.8
Intellect: 0.6
Spirit: ???

When to take off higher ilvl gear for lower ilvl gear: Gear with haste and MP5 may be better than higher ilvl gear with crit and spirit.

Trinkets: Spellpower trinkets seem popular, as are some of the trinkets with obvious healer benefits. Illustration of the Dragon Soul is also far better than its ilvl of 213 would indicate.

Performance: (??? how much EHPS could a shaman put out in ilvl 245s if chain healing on 25 Marrowgar)

Armories:
Tarra <V A N Q U I S H> US-Cho’gall or Blood Furnace
Barabbas <Cuties Only> US-Kil’jaeden
Hottyknok <Assent> US-Dunemaul
Buckeyes <Exodus> US-Ysondre
Whorn <Rush> US-Dark Iron
Threelibra <Trismegistus> US-Medivh
Raiha <Trismegistus> US-Medivh


Restoration Druid

Taken from How to heal in 3.3: Restoration PvE healing | Restokin

2 specs if you’re near 850 haste (soft cap) presumably with Wrath of Air & the Moonkin or Swift Retribution auras.
Rapid Rejuv:
Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

Revitalize:
Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

2 specs if you are at or below 735 haste (or don’t have access to one of the raid buffs), you should consider picking up Celestial Focus. You will end up with something like:

Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

For all builds the talents you could live without are Living seed, Empowered Touch, and Revitalize. (???)

Spell choice:
A common tank-healing strategy is to keep Rejuvenation and Regrowth on the tank and then Nourish. Lifeblooms are also frequently used for tank healing, including slow rolling (casting Lifebloom when the previous one is about to drop, then letting the third bloom). In BC it was common to just keep three stacks rolling but that will give you mana issues now.

For raid healing, Rejuvenation is your primary heal due to its length and mana efficiency. Wild Growth is your go-to spell if it will work on at least three people. Regrowth is also good but a little more mana-intensive; if you’re looking to blanket the raid, Rejuvenation is the way to go.

Swiftmend is great for situations where the entire raid is taking damage but then random individuals are also taking a direct damage DoT. For example, in Anub’Arak phase 3, Rejuvenations on your assigned players with Swiftmends on players with Penetrating Cold is a good choice. Nourish can also be used in place of Swiftmend.

Note: Wild Growth doesn’t necessarily heal the person you put it on….it will heal up to five pets and players within a 15-yard radius, with the targets with the lowest percentages of health getting the healing.

Casting Healing Touch without Nature’s Swiftness is a mistake. (You should have them macroed together.)

Glyphs: Nourish and Swiftmend are recommended, with Wild Growth or Rapid Rejuvenation as the third depending on the encounter.


Gemming:
Meta: Insightful Earthsiege (mana restore) or Ember Skyflare (2% intellect)
Red sockets: 23 spellpower
Yellow sockets: 20 haste if way below haste cap, 12 spellpower + 10 haste if close to cap, 23 spellpower if over cap
Blue: 12 spellpower + 10 spirit


Head: 30 spellpower + 10 mp5
Shoulder: 24 spellpower + 8 mp5
Cape: 23 haste or 10 spirit + threat reduction
Chest: 10 all stats or 8 mp5
Bracers: 30 spellpower
Gloves: 28 spellpower
Legs: 50 spellpower + 20 spirit
Boots: 6 mp5, 18 spirit, or run speed + 15 stamina
Weapon: 63 spellpower to 1H or 81 spellpower to 2H

Tier Bonus: 4pc tier 8 is excellent for raid healing, worth keeping over 2pc tier 9. Gear considered, 4 pc tier 9 is worth breaking 4pc tier 8. 2pc tier 10 is good, but the problem with 4pc tier 10 is that 3 pieces of gear have crit on them, which isn’t ideal.

Stat weights: ??? (I know crit isn’t that good and I believe spirit is better than mp5, but I need a few links to quantitative info.)

Trinkets: ??? Seems to vary a lot, but it’s interesting to note that some very bleeding-edge raiders have some very low ilvl trinkets, including Illustration of the Dragon Soul, Eye of the Broodmother, and Sif’s Remembrance. Idols are Awakening if you’re having mana problems and Flaring Growth otherwise.

Performance: In bleeding-edge guilds some restoration druids are putting out 3-4k EHPS on Marrowgar 25, but that’s not really all that useful of a stat. I imagine that’s low because their raiders are good at avoiding fires. (??? An assignment a good 245 T9 tree could handle would be helpful.)

Armories:
Note that these aren’t as applicable as some of the other classes because these guys have so much haste rating on their gear already. That’s why most of them are gemming straight spellpower and ignoring socket bonuses.

Proud <V A N Q U I S H> US-Cho’gall or Blood Furnace
Shoopy <Vigil> US-Mal’Ganis
Macgyvar <Vigil> US-Mal’Ganis
Kuchisan <Redux> US-Spirestone
Mokuso <Rush> US-Dark Iron
Sabb <Cuties Only> US-Kil’Jaeden
Sheshonk <Cuties Only> US-Kil’Jaeden
Treetment <Ainur> US-Tichondrius
Treelore <Assent> US-Dunemaul

Random notes: I imagine setting up your UI properly as a tree is very important with the rather complex nature of all the HoTs going out, expiring, and stacking. (??? Mod list would be helpful.)








Discipline Priest
WotLK Healing Compendium v3.3: Arthas' downfall! - Elitist Jerks

Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

Not many options, as Inspiration and all of the bottom of the discipline tree are mandatory. The low-level holy talents can be shuffled a little, and for a fight like Yogg-Saron moving the 3 points in Focused Will to Absolution is a good idea. (??? Why is Spell Warding so great? I guess it’d be quite good for Trial but not nearly as much on the first 4 of ICC. What about Empowered Renew???)


Tank Healing: Power Word: Shield, Penance, Flash Heal, Prayer of Mending and occasionally Greater Heal. Penance on the cooldown keeps up Grace, and the rest is details. Always keep a Weakened Soul debuff on your tank if you took Renewed Hope to keep your crit rates high. Ideally, use the new GCD-based Power Word: Shield to keep up Borrowed Time if you're in a lull. Pre-stack Power Word: Shield and Prayer of Mending on anything you have the chance to. (??? Renew)

Raid Healing: Use Borrowed Time liberally to haste your Prayer of Healing casts, keep Prayer of Mending on cooldown, and toss off lots of shields if you're in a lull.

Gems: Take all socket bonuses, using 23 spellpower in reds, 12 spellpower + 10 haste in yellows and 12 spellpower + 5 MP5 in blues. (12 spellpower + 10 spirit is pretty comparable in blue slots, and if you’re disc/holy gemming for spirit probably makes more sense.) Meta is mana returned on spell cast.

Head: 30 spellpower and either 20 crit or 10 MP5
Shoulder: 24 spellpower and either 8 MP5 or 15 crit
Cape: 10 spirit + threat reduction or 23 haste
Chest: 10 all stats
Bracers: 30 spellpower or 16 intellect
Gloves: 28 spellpower
Legs: 50 spellpower and either 20 spirit or 30 stamina
Boots: 18 spirit or 15 stamina + run speed
Weapon: 63 spellpower to 1H or 81 spellpower to staff

Glyphs: Penance, Flash of Light, Power Word: Shield

Tier Bonus: 2pc Tier 9 is good enough to keep together if Prayer of Mending will be doing significant healing, 4pc Tier 9 is lackluster. Tier 10 TBA.

Stat weights: Haste to 11%, then spellpower. Intellect is also good if you’re concerned about going OOM. 11 spirit = 4 MP5 but without the gain in spellpower. Crit is also decent.

Trinkets: Two spellpower trinkets. (???)

Performance: (??? Rough idea of EHPS a 245-geared disc priest could do on either Marrowgar or Saurfang 25.)

Notes: (??? What are the rough raid-buffed healing per mana and healing per second for Flash Heal, Greater Heal, Penance, Circle of Light, Renew, and Power Word: Shield?)

Armories:
Scholfez <Vigil> US-Mal’Ganis
Loríen (Alt 0237) <Redux> US-Spirestone
Fox <Misguided Angels> US-Mal’Ganis
Sarkasmos <Whatever Were Awesome> US-Magtheridon
Picturemenu <Whar lewtz plz halp> US-Scilla




Holy Priest

WotLK Healing Compendium v3.3: Arthas' downfall! - Elitist Jerks

Talents:
Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

The talents that affect Renew are the least important. If you know you’ll have Concentration Aura you can get by with 1 point in Healing Focus. Body and Soul is more useful than it might appear. Spell Warding is situational. 1 point in Surge of Light is frequently enough as well.

Glyphs: Circle of Healing is very popular, as are Flash Heal, Prayer of Healing, Guardian Spirit, and Renew isn’t bad

Spell choice:
Tank Healing: Respec to Discipline.

Raid Healing: Your primary four tools are: Prayer of Mending, Flash Heal, Circle of Healing, and Prayer of Healing. Enter every burst of damage with a 3 stack of Serendipity, start with a hasted Prayer of Healing, and then Circle of Healing. Two Flash Heals, then a final Prayer of Healing and Circle of Healing, and the raid damage should be topped up. Regenerate a bit, then restack Serendipity and get ready for the next one.

Divine Hymn is also very efficient, and with Inner Focus provides a ton of healing.

Body and Soul is also a great talent if you use it cleverly.

To supplement tank healing toss renews on the tank and bounce Prayer of Mending off them. If you have nothing better to do with a Surge of Light proc, toss it their way.

How to gem:
Take socket bonuses: red is 23 spellpower, yellow is 12 spellpower + 10 intellect, blue is 12 spellpower + 10 spirit. Meta is mana returned on spell cast.

Head: 30 spellpower and either 20 crit or 10 MP5
Shoulder: 24 spellpower and either 8 MP5 or 15 crit
Cape: 10 spirit + threat reduction or 23 haste
Chest: 10 all stats
Bracers: 30 spellpower or 16 intellect
Gloves: 28 spellpower
Legs: 50 spellpower and either 20 spirit or 30 stamina
Boots: 18 spirit or 15 stamina + run speed
Weapon: 63 spellpower to 1H or 81 spellpower to staff

Tier Bonus: 2pc Tier 9 is pretty good, 4pc Tier 9 is lackluster. Tier 10 TBA.

Stat weights: ??? I believe haste and spirit are the two most important stats, and crit is behind them. MP5 is rare.

Trinkets: 2 spellpower trinkets seems popular, although many other healing trinkets like Spark of Hope aren’t bad.

Performance: ??? (How much EHPS can a 245 geared priest put out on 25 Marrowgar?)

Armories:
Namino <Redux> US-Spirestone
Asure <Cuties Only> US-Mal’Ganis
Sanctum <Ainur> US-Tichondrius
Damodis and Calida <Misguided Angels> US-Mal’Ganis
Bigpopy <Odyssey> US-Mug’Thol
Lacklustre <Quantum> US-Thaurissan
Muirrin and Rayen <Humble> US-Crushridge
Roxxii and Oakshalis <Phoenix> US-Greymane

Notes: http://www.plusheal.com is a good resource

Blood DPS:
Gear for hit up to cap, then strength, crit, ArPen, haste, agility. (hit after cap?) 2H only.
Frost DPS: If dual-wielding, slowest MH you can get with highest DPS OH.
Unholy DPS:


Frost DPS:

Unholy DPS:

Arms Warrior:

Fury Warrior:
Courtesy of Thegreatme at Tankspot.com

Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

Your least important talents are 2H-weapon spec, Iron Will, Improved Rend, and Tactical Mastery. (But you still need Impale and Deep Wounds.)
Booming voice, Improved Demoralizing Shout, Unbridled Wrath, Improved Cleave, Commanding Presence and Improved Berserker Rage are all filler talents.

Rotation:


Basic idea is that Whirlwind > Bloodthirst > Instant Slam > Heroic Strike.
There are two very similar rotations with the fury spec, you will use both rotations as the second rotation is a modified version of the first that you use in certain situations

Standard rotation:
Whirlwind
Bloodthirst
Free global cooldown (Slam if you have a proc.)
Wait 1 second
Bloodthirst
Wait 1 second
Repeat

Alternate rotation:
???

Gemming: Use the 21 agi/+3% crit damage meta gem and a nightmares tear. Then:
Hit to Cap (???) > Expertise to Cap > Strength* = Armor Penetration*
You gem for armor penetration if you have an armor penetration trinket and can get near the soft or hard cap, strength otherwise.
Using 10 strength + 10 crit gems to get a strength socket bonus also seems popular. (Although ignoring socket bonuses is also very common.)

Because gemming appropriately matters a great deal on what gear you have, you should use landsouls spreadsheet. Warrior DPS Calculation Spreadsheet - Elitist Jerks

How to enchant:
Head: 50 attack power + 20 crit rating
Shoulder: 40 attack power + 15 crit
Cape: 22 agility
Chest: 10 all stats
Bracers: 50 attack power
Gloves: 44 attack power
Legs: 75 attack power + 22 crit
Boots: 15 stam + minor run speed or 12 hit + 12 crit
Weapons: Berserking x 2

Glyphs: Whirlwind, Heroic Strike, Cleave if there are 3 or more targets, Execution if there are less than 3

Tier Bonus: All of the set bonuses on T9 and T10 are good.

Stat weights:
Hit to soft cap > Expertise to soft cap > Strength > Crit > Haste > Hit after cap
*Armor penetration ignored because it is highly dependant on your current gear.

Trinkets: An armor penetration trinket plus a trinket like Darkmoon Card: Greatness. Death's Verdict/Choice is very good if you can get it.

Weapon Choice: Slow weapons are better, highest DPS weapon in main hand.

Performance:
Entering T9 content: 5.5k
Ending T9 normal modes: 7k
End T9 hard modes: 8.5k (depending on heroism/bloodlust usage)

Armories:
Thegreatme <Casual> US-Hyjal The World of Warcraft Armory
Landsoul <Vodka> US-Alterac Mountains The World of Warcraft Armory
Kersisis <Premonition> US-Sen’Jin The World of Warcraft Armory
Chorcula <Elitist Jerks> US-Mal’Ganis The World of Warcraft Armory
Warriorpooh <Cuties Only> US-Kil’Jaeden The World of Warcraft Armory
Grayson <Fusion> US-Turalyon The World of Warcraft Armory
Kaywarrior <Exodus> US-Ysondre The World of Warcraft Armory
Meiem <Might> US-Turalyon The World of Warcraft Armory
Lotek <Alpha> US-Greymane The World of Warcraft Armory
Fortek <Impervious> US-Stormreaver The World of Warcraft Armory


When to pull off higher ilvl gear for lower ilvl gear: ???

References:
Wotlk Fury Warrior Guide
Warrior DPS Calculation Spreadsheet - Elitist Jerks


Random Notes: If a fury warrior doesn’t manage his rage properly his DPS will suffer. This becomes less apparent as gear improves.

Retribution Paladin
Retribution: Updated for 3.3 - Elitist Jerks

Specs
Core talents are:
http://talent.mmo-champion.com/?pala...l1,aere3,10952

Most common build with all talents:
http://talent.mmo-champion.com/?pala...s0,aere3,10952


(??? Why Unyielding Faith over Divine Intellect for ICC?)

Optional talents are Aura Mastery and any buffs already provided, such as Heart of the Crusader, Swift Retribution and Vindication.

Glyphs:
Major: Glyph of Judgement, Glyph of Consecration, and Glyph of Seal of Vengeance are the best majors for PVE. Glyph of Exorcism if you have lots and lots of expertise naturally on your gear.
Minor: Glyph of Sense Undead and Glyph of Lay on hands.

Spell Priorities:
You should press an ability every GCD, never wait for something to come off CD.
Basic Rotation: Hammer of Wrath (if target is below 20%) > Crusader Strike > Judgement > Divine Storm > Consecration > Exorcism > Holy Wrath

2T9: Judgement > Hammer of Wrath > Crusader Strike > Divine Storm > Consecrate > Exorcism > Holy Wrath
2T9 AND 2T10: Judgement > Divine Storm > Hand of Wrath > Crusader Strike > Consecrate > Exorcism > Holy Wrath
4T10: Judgement > Divine Storm > Crusader Strike > Hammer of Wrath > Consecrate > Exorcism > Holy Wrath

Seal choices:
3 or more enemies: Seal of Command
Less than 3 enemies, each dies within 12 seconds: Seal of Righteousness
Less than 3 enemies, each is alive longer than 12 seconds: Seal of Vengeance

Gems:
Meta: 21 agility + 3% crit damage
Prismatic: Nightmare Tear
Use ONE Prismatic Gem to fulfill meta requirements. Preferably in a blue slot for a strength socket bonus.
Red: 20 strength
Yellow: 10 strength + 10 crit or 10 strength + 10 hit
With 2T9 equipped, if a yellow socket has 4 strength bonus or better,
Blue Slots: 20 strength, ignore socket bonuses

Enchants:
Head: Arcanum of Torment ( 50 attack power + 20 crit)
Shoulders: Greater Inscription of the Axe (40 attack power + 15 crit)
Chest: Enchant chest - Powerful Stats ( +10 to all stats)
Cloak: Enchant Cloak - Major Agility (22 agility)
Bracers: Enchant Bracers - Greater Assault (50 attack power)
Hands: Enchant Gloves - Crusher (44 attack power)
Legs: Icescale Leg Armor (75 attack power + 22 crit)
Feet: Enchant Boots - Ice Walker (12 hit rating) OR Enchant Boots - Greater Assault ( 32 attack power ) if way over white cap.
Weapon: Enchant Weapon - Berserking (chance on hit to gain 400 attack power at the cost of reduced armor)

Tier Bonuses:
Tier 9
2pc: 3% DPS boost overall (good)
4pc: 0.5% overall (pretty bad)

Tier 10
2pc: Estimated 2% DPS increase (good)
4pc: Estimated 3% or greater DPS increase (very good)

Stat Weights:
Generally stat priority is as follows..
Hit to cap (Shouldn’t need to gem for it) > Expertise to cap (shouldn’t need to gem for it though) > Strength > Crit > Agility > Haste > Attack Power > Armor Penetration > Spellpower >Intellect > Stamina, Armor

Trinkets and Libram:
Death’s Verdict if you can get it, the Darkmoon Card: Greatness, and even Fury of the Five Flights are all common choices. Libram of Valiance is standard.

Weapon Choice:
Slow 2H--every 0.1 speed slower gives ~20 DPS due to Seals and Judgements not being normalized to weapon speeds.


Random Notes: Judgements are physical attacks that can proc melee-based spells. Judgements cannot be blocked, dodged, or parried.

Also, as a retribution paladin you need to worry about what abilities are spells or melee abilities, and what can proc what.

Consecrate only moves up in the rotation with 4+ mobs and Holy Wrath is really only worth it on 6 or more mobs.

Also note that some retribution paladins are wearing the agility DPS ring from Ashen Verdict reputation.

Armories:
Savedyou <Vigil> US-Mal’Ganis
Ishvara <Redux> US-Spirestone
Brethart <Rush> US-Dark Iron
Bluedeep <Cuties Only> US-Kil’Jaeden
Crawling <Ainur> US-Tichondrius
Sekuav <Assent> US-Dunemaul
Kaiz <Misguided Angels> US-Mal’Ganis

References:
Retribution: Updated for 3.3 - Elitist Jerks
MaxDPS.com - Retribution Paladin DPS Gear Rankings


Elemental Shaman:
[Elemental] Patch 3.3: Now with more Fire Nova - Page 12 - Elitist Jerks
Elemental primer « Planet of the Hats

Talents:
Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

Convection is your least important talent.

Glyphs: Lightning Bolt for sure, then Totem of Wrath, Lava Blast, Flame Shock
If you are using 4pc T9, the Lava Blast glyph is better than the Totem of Wrath glyph.

Ability usage:
Flame Shock (if not up)
Lava Blast
Chain Lightning
Lightning Bolt

Use Frost Shock when moving or Flame Shock if you're out of range for frost. (??? Chain lightning on a single target may be a DPS loss, but definitely don’t do it if mana is going to be an issue.)

Fire Elemental is the best totem. It should only be used at a time when it can hit the boss for a solid two minutes. Second best is not clear at the moment, magma or searing.

Multiple Targets:
Magma Totem
Fire Nova
Chain Lightning
Flame Shock (on targets without it)
Lava Blast
Lightning Bolt

How to gem: Meta is 21 critical strike + 3% critical damage, and shamans are the only non-tanks I’ve seen use a stamina gem (12 spellpower + 15 stamina) to keep it active. (They don’t use nightmare tears.) Otherwise, take strong spellpower bonuses with 12 spellpower + 10 haste gems, otherwise socket spellpower.

Head: 30 spellpower + 20 crit
Shoulder: 24 spellpower + 15 crit
Cape: 23 haste
Chest: 10 all stats
Bracers: 30 spellpower
Gloves: 28 spellpower
Legs: 50 spellpower + 30 stamina
Boots: 12 crit + 12 hit or 15 stamina + run speed
Weapon: 63 spellpower to 1H or 81 spellpower to 2H

Tier Bonus: 4pc Tier 10 is garbage, 2pc Tier 9 and 2pc Tier 10 is decent. (??? Numbers)

Stat weights: Avoid critical strike rating, MP5, and spirit. Haste is nearly as good as spellpower.

Trinkets: 2 spellpower trinkets and Totem of Electrifying Wind or the Emblem of Frost one.

Performance: (??? Elemental DPS on Marrowgar fully raid buffed with no heroic gear but 245s or equivalent.)

Armories:
Eryx <Tupan Techno> US-Lightbringer
Dartonis <Intent> US-Kel’Thuzad
Yetaurs <Huge in Japan> US-Kil’Jaeden
Niley <Impervious> Stormreaver
Doograx <Surprise Mutiny> Cho’gall
Ontheroxorz <Aftermath> US-Lightning’s Blade
Upha <Blood Legion> US-Illidan

Notes: Just about every parse you look at has both an elemental and enhancement shaman due to the large number of buffs they provide.

Flametongue Weapon is your weapon buff.

Shamans also seem to be the only ones occasionally taking 50 spellpower + 30 stamina to legs.

(Minor) Glyphing Thunderstorm can make your raid members happy, although the knockback can be handy on Saurfang’s adds.

For some odd reason Blizzard decided to make two totems with ‘wrath’ and ‘totem’ in the name. Wrath of Air Totem is an air totem that gives 5% spell haste, like the boomkin aura. All shamans have Wrath of Air Totem. Totem of Wrath, however, is a fire totem that is an elemental talent, and it increases the spellpower of the raid by 280 and increases critical strike chance by 3%.

Due to demonology warlocks spellpower buff scaling with their own spellpower, having a demonology warlock’s buff is better than Totem of Wrath.



Enhancement Shaman:
*PvE Enhancement Shaman FAQ (3.3 In Progress)*

Some of this info might be outdated, looks like they’re still trying to hack out what’s optimal over at EJ.

Talents:
Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

Other options involve swapping around the remaining mana talents into Improved Shields or Reverberation. Building your secondary spec as an AOE trash spec is also a valid option.

If you’re going to drop mana talents, due it in this order. Improved Stormstrike, Elemental Focus, Improved Stormstrike (remaining point), Shamanistic Focus.

Glyphs: Stormstrike for sure. After that, Feral Spirits, Windfury Weapon, Lightning Shield, Flame Shock (depends on T9 bonus)

Glyph of Lightning Shield is very good when there’s a lot of environmental damage.

Ability usage: (This is 3.2.2 and outdated)
Lightning Bolt when you have 5 Maelstrom Weapon stacks.
Magma Totem if expired or only a few seconds left
Flame Shock if there is no Flame Shock debuff on target
Earth Shock if there is still a Stormstrike debuff on the target
Stormstrike whenever it’s off cooldown and Maelstrom Weapon hasn't got 5 stacks. (Testing shows that getting 5 stacks of Maelstrom Weapon back up is more important than the Windfury proc so don't delay a Stormstrike waiting for Windfury.)
Earth shock whenever it’s off cooldown and the above are not available.
Lava Lash whenever it’s off cooldown and none of the above abilities are available
Lightning Shield if low number of orbs remaining
Totems

Lava Burst resets your swing timer and won’t proc Windfury or Maelstrom weapon, so only use it when rooted.

How to gem: Meta is 21 critical strike + 3% critical damage. Get spell hit capped and expertise soft-capped. Then there seems to be two kinds of gearing for enhancement shamans. Some go straight haste, others go 40 Attack Power and 20 Attack Power + 10 Haste in yellows. The ones gemming straight haste seem to ignore most socket bonuses.

Head: 50 attack power + 20 critical strike rating
Shoulder: 40 attack power + 15 critical strike rating
Cape: 22 agility
Chest: 10 all stats
Bracers: 50 attack power
Gloves: 44 attack power
Legs: 75 attack power + 22 critical strike rating
Boots: 32 attack power or 15 stamina + minor run speed
Weapon: Berserking x 2

Tier Bonus: ??? (Needed)

Stat weights: ??? (Needed)

Trinkets: Varies widely, there is a thread at EJ that talks about nothing but. Enhancement Trinkets - Elitist Jerks
Totem choice is Quaking Earth or Electrifying Wind.

Weapon Choice: Slow/Slow (at least 2.5), no daggers, always dual-wielding. Windfury on main hand, Flametongue on off-hand.

Performance: (??? Enhancement DPS on Marrowgar fully raid buffed with no heroic gear but 245s or equivalent.)

Armories:
Atalar <Tupan Techno> US-Lightbringer
Eleventh <Intent> US-Kel’Thuzad
Hothgor <Impervious> US-Stormreaver
Kaschan <Surprise Mutiny> US-Cho’Gall
Martu <Aftermath> US-Lightning’s Blade
Itharn <Blood Legion> US-Illidan

Notes: Just about every top parse you look at has both an elemental and enhancement shaman due to the large number of buffs they provide.



Beast Mastery Hunter:
Survival Hunter:

Marksmanship Hunter:
World of Warcraft - English (NA) Forums -> MM PvE Raiding guide for 3.3

Talent build:
Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

If you need hit pull points out of Improved Steady Shot for Focused Aim. If you’re applying Hunter’s Mark pull 1 out of Rapid Recuperation and 2 out of Improved Steady Shot for Improved Hunter’s Mark.

Glyphs: Serpent Sting and two from Kill Shot, Hawk, Chimera Shot, Aimed Shot, True Shot Aura, Hunter’s Mark, Steady Shot

Ability Use:
Silencing Shot (Macro into all your other shots.)
Serpent Sting
Chimera Shot
Kill Shot
Aimed Shot
Arcane Shot
Steady Shot

If you have over 350 passive Armor Penetration, you can drop Arcane Shot from your shot list, except when moving.

Pet is a wolf with Hunter Pet Calculator - Wowhead

How to gem: You could do worse than to activate your meta (21 agility + 3% increased critical strike damage) and then just socket straight agility. Armories I looked at did take a few agility socket bonuses with either 10 agility + 10 hit or 10 agility + 10 crit, but most socket bonuses are ignored. A nightmare tear for a blue slot is popular.

Head: 50 attack power + 20 critical strike rating
Shoulder: 40 attack power + 15 critical strike rating
Cape: 22 agility
Chest: 10 all stats
Bracers: 50 attack power
Gloves: 20 agility
Legs: 75 attack power + 22 critical strike rating
Boots: 12 hit + 12 crit (???) or 15 stamina + minor run speed
Weapon: 110 attack power and 40 ranged critical strike

Tier Bonus: ???

Stat weights: Agility > Armor Penetration > Crit > Attack Power > Intellect
??? (Numbers would be nice.)

Trinkets: Attack power trinkets seem popular, Mjolnir Runestone shows up quite a bit as well. (??? More data would be nice)

Weapon Choice: Highest DPS, weapon speed has relatively little to do with DPS now.

Performance: ??? (DPS on Marrowgar 25 fully raid-buffed with 245s or equivalent)

Armories:
Kindralla <Tupan Techno> US-Lightbringer
Tier <Spike Flail> US-Ner’Zhul
Thefozzybear <Intent> US-Kel’Thuzad
Jakeshots <Huge in Japan> US-Kil’Jaeden
Dankrupt <Impervious> US-Stormreaver
Raddaran <Aftermath> US-Lightning’s Blade
Picklecannon <Simplicity> US-Magtheridon
Lebowski and Bkn <Obsidium> US-Frostmane

References: Links to the actual research and other useful threads.

Notes: To get the best out of a hunter you’ll have to fill out a spreadsheet and figure out how good armor penetration works with your gear.
Assassination Rogue:
3.3 Rogue FAQ (If you're new-ish here, read this before posting) - Updated 12/18/09 - Elitist Jerks

Build:
Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

Your two negotiable talents are Fleet Footed, and even they’re pretty useful.

Glyphs: Mutilate, Hunger for Blood, and Tricks of the Trade

Rotation: Mutilate to 4 or 5 combo points, keep Hunger For Blood up, Slice and Dice at the beginning of the fight, Envenom.

How to gem: Meta is 21 agility + 3% crit damage, rogue gemming seems to vary more than other classes. Gem to 26 expertise in reds first, then attack power. It seems some agility bonuses are taken with a 20 attack power + 10 haste gem. Use a nightmare tear for a good blue bonus.

Head: 50 attack power + 20 critical strike rating
Shoulder: 40 attack power + 15 critical strike rating
Cape: 22 agility
Chest: 10 all stats
Bracers: 50 attack power
Gloves: 20 agility
Legs: 75 attack power + 22 critical strike rating
Boots: 12 hit + 12 crit (???) or 15 stamina + minor run speed
Weapon: Berserking x 2


Tier Bonus:
2pc T9: Garbage
4 pc T9: Ok
2 pc T10: Awesome, among the best rogues ever had
4 pc T10: ???

Stat weights: ???

Trinkets: 2 attack power trinkets.

Weapon Choice: Fast off-hand, main hand is irrelevant. (Daggers of course.) Poisons are Instant and Deadly. Onyxia weapons aren’t that great.

Performance: ??? (DPS a 245 fully-raid buffed rogue could do to Marrowgar 25.)

Armories:
Ippon <Spike Flail> US-Ner’Zhul
Methios <Spike Flail> US-Ner’Zhul
Sonastyo <Intent> US-Kel’Thuzad
Zlanis <Huge in Japan> US-Kil’Jaeden
Aurrora <Huge in Japan> US-Kil’Jaeden
Slacker <Impervious> US-Stormreaver
Fenmari <Surprise Mutiny> US-Cho’gall
Jujus <Blood Legion> US-Illidan

Notes: You may have to worry about the white critical strike cap, which is beyond the scope of this thread (you have to know how the combat tables work and everything.)

??? (Do you take off some hit gear if you have Misery or Improved Faerie Fire?)

All rogues should have a set of gear where their interrupts do not miss, which is not terribly difficult to get.

Both combat and assassination rogues are doing quite well in PvE DPS meters, they’re the flavor of the month with unholy DKs.



Combat Rogue:
World of Warcraft - English (NA) Forums -> The Complete Combat Compendium for Rogue PVE

Build:
Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

Not a whole lot of flexibility in that one. (??? Why one in improved poisons and one in vile poisons?)

Glyphs: Killing Spree, Sinister Strike, Eviscerate. Glyph of Tricks of the Trade can work in place of Eviscerate.

Rotation: Sinister Strike to 5 combo points, refresh Slice and Dice at any amount of combo points if it's at two seconds or less, and only Eviscerate at 5 combo points.

How to gem: Meta is 21 agility + 3% crit damage. Unfortunately, combat rogue gemming is all over the place, and the only talent spec I’ve found so far where different items go into red slots. Gem to 26 expertise if you don’t have it, but after that, top rogues are gemming in combinations of armor penetration, attack power, agility, attack power + haste…it’s all over the place, and you’ll probably have to fill out a spreadsheet to get close to optimal. They do use a nightmare tear for a good blue bonus.

Head: 50 attack power + 20 critical strike rating
Shoulder: 40 attack power + 15 critical strike rating
Cape: 22 agility
Chest: 10 all stats
Bracers: 50 attack power
Gloves: 20 agility
Legs: 75 attack power + 22 critical strike rating
Boots: 12 hit + 12 crit (???) or 15 stamina + minor run speed
Weapon: Berserking x 2


Tier Bonus:
2pc T9: Garbage
4 pc T9: Ok
2 pc T10: Awesome, among the best rogues ever had
4 pc T10: ???

Stat weights: AP = Agility > Yellow Hit > Armor Penetration > Spell Hit > Crit = Expertise > Haste > White Hit

Trinkets: Varies quite a bit, see the gemming notes. (???)

Weapon Choice: Slow main-hand, fast off-hand. Instant Poison on the main hand, deadly off-hand. Talent for whatever the best weapons you have are, except daggers, combat is no good for daggers.

Performance: ??? (DPS a 245 fully-raid buffed rogue could do to Marrowgar 25.)

Armories:
Thelastrace <Gong Show> US-Dethecus
Ferule <Intent> US-Kel’Thuzad
Ghostdeini <Intent> US-Kel’Thuzad
Jider <Huge In Japan> US-Kil’jaeden
Chugbleach <Impervious> US-Stormreaver
Cyclic <Surprise Mutiny> US-Cho’gall
Nodozz <Blood Legion> US-Illidan
Banned <Simplicity> US-Magtheridon
Pathead <Simplicity> US-Magtheridon
Tusr <Obsidium> US-Frostmane
Subslol <Obsidium> US-Frostmane

All rogues should have a set of gear where their interrupts do not miss, which is not terribly difficult to get.

Both combat and assassination rogues are doing quite well in PvE DPS meters, they’re the flavor of the month with unholy DKs.


Subtlety Rogue:
This is not a conventional raiding spec, and by Ghostcrawler's own admission, not a progression raiding spec.

Balance Druid:
Moonkin PvE DPS (updated for 3.3) - Elitist Jerks
(A very good, easy-to-read guide with lots of math if you want it.)

Talent Skeleton:
http://talent.mmo-champion.com/?drui...OkWH8,kdJ,9901

This leaves 5 points. Fill them in the following order:
Intensity: Put points in as necessary to alleviate any mana concerns. Note: if you're not using 2T9, you should first move two points from Improved Moonfire to Moonglow to get more mana, before taking Intensity.
Gale Winds: Take this if you have any interest in Area of Effect DPS; this is an enormous boost.
Typhoon: Can be very handy for Saurfang’s adds.
Improved Insect Swarm: Best remaining single-target DPS talent.
Brambles, Owlkin Frenzy, or Genesis: All of these are very tiny DPS increases. Put any leftover points into one of them of your choice after you've exhausted the talent tree of anything else you need.

Glyphs: Insect Swarm, Moonfire, Starfire. If you need to provide the 3% chance to miss debuff, replace Insect Swarm with Starfall (which isn’t really that great.)

Spell choice:
You will generally operate in a four-step cycle.
Pre-Lunar: Cast Wrath until the Eclipse buff appears.
Lunar Eclipse: When you see the buff, finish casting your current Wrath and then cast Starfire for the duration of Eclipse.
Pre-Solar: When Eclipse fades, continue casting Starfire. Note that a Starfire only gains the benefit if it is fully completed while the Eclipse buff is up, so if you only have time for a partial cast, your Eclipse is effectively over. Cast Starfire until the Eclipse buff appears.
Solar Eclipse. Cast Wrath for the duration. Continue casting when it ends to loop back around into step 1.

Lunar is slightly stronger than Solar.

Solar-->Lunar: Wrath procs Nature's Grace when the cast completes, but procs Eclipse when it actually hits the target. This allows a sort of clairvoyance regarding Lunar Eclipses: if you see Nature's Grace refresh when you cast a Wrath, start casting Starfire. This doesn't work if Starfall is up, or if you've just refreshed Moonfire in Pre-Lunar phase.

Lunar->Solar: Nothing fancy in 3.3

How to gem: Meta is 21 critical strike rating + 3% increased critical damage. Most boomkins take their (spellpower) socket bonuses with 23 spellpower in reds, 12 spellpower + 10 spirit in blues, and 12 spellpower + 10 critical strike rating.

Head: 30 spellpower + 20 crit
Shoulder: 24 spellpower + 15 crit
Cape: 23 haste
Chest: 15 spirit or 10 all stats
Bracers: 30 spellpower
Gloves: 28 spellpower
Legs: 50 spellpower + 20 spirit
Boots: 12 crit + 12 hit or 15 stamina + run speed
Weapon: 63 spellpower to 1H or 81 spellpower to 2H
Tier Bonus:
2T9: 4% DPS increase
4T9: 2.5% DPS increase
2T10: 2.5% DPS increase
4T10: 4% DPS increase

Stat weights:
Hit rating (to cap) >> Haste rating (below GCD cap) = Spellpower > Crit rating (below Lunar cap) > Haste rating (above GCD cap) = Crit rating (above Lunar cap) >> Intellect > Spirit

Trinkets: A spellpower trinket and Eye of the Broodmother is very common. It’s worth noting I found a toon with a lot of 258 gear using Sundial of the Exiled. Idol of the Lunar Eclipse is best, although Idol of Lunar Fury is nearly as good.

Performance: ??? (DPS a 245 fully-raid buffed boomkin could do to Marrowgar 25 if he was providing the 3% boss miss debuff.)

Armories:
Noodleswoop <Death Jesters> US-Stormrage
Ackelous <Iron> US-Kil’Jaeden
Phasmy <Forlorn Legacy> US-Windrunner
Natürlich (Alt 0252) <Just Wipe It> US-Turalyon
Zoomkins <Blood Legion> US-Illidan
Udai <Casual> US-Scilla
Malbuth <Gentleman’s Club> US-Korgath
Gabrelle <Huge in Japan> US-Kil’Jaeden

The boomkin guide above has some very good info for all casters under the section “How to Time Your Next Spell.”


Shadow Priest:
Shadowpriest Theorycraft 3.3 Edition - I get by with a little help from my friends - Elitist Jerks
That's pretty easy to follow, estimated stat weights are Hit to Cap 1.41 > SP = Haste 1.00 > 0.88 Crit > Spirit 0.58 > Int 0.27
4 piece tier 10 is amazing (376), 2 piece tier 10 is good (194) and 4 piece tier 9 isn't that great (87.15).
SP in reds, SP/haste in yellow, SP/Spirit in blue, chaotic skyflare diamond your meta. any bonus worth less than +6 SP(?) pass on
Glyphs are Shadow,


Affliction Warlock

Dots and you: The Affliction Warlock Thread - Elitist Jerks
World of Warcraft - English (NA) Forums -> Affliction 3.3 Guide-The basics

Talents:
Base spec: Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

I also found:
The World of Warcraft Armory

The two points in Suppression could have been in Improved Drain Soul or Improved Life Tap. There are several ideas how to spend the remaining 3 points as well, Demonic Power or Fel Synergy for your pet, 10% more range, less aggro, Suppression/Improved Drain Soul/Improved Life Tap. Smoothing out hit via talents is reasonable, but you are free to choose whatever you like afterwards.

Glyphs: Life Tap, Haunt, Curse of Agony, Quick Decay

Spell choice:
There is no fixed sequence because of different timers, the general rule of thumb is: highest damage per cast time first. (The list below is mostly gear-dependent.)

1. Haunt
2. Corruption
3. Unstable Affliction
4. Curse of Agony
5. Drain Soul @ <25% HP
6. Shadow Bolt

Note that this assumes 2pT8 or 4pT9, otherwise Curse of Agony has slightly higher damage per cast time than Unstable Affliction. From this list, you can derive the best way to DPS: cast Haunt when it's off cooldown, otherwise cast Corruption when it is not applied, then Unstable Affliction when it is not applied, then Curse of Agony, then the filler spells (Drain Soul/Shadow Bolt). Repeat this every time you can cast a spell.

Haunt has the lowest damage per cast time, but casting haunt reapplies Corruption. So consider Haunt as "I'm reapplying Corruption and do some direct damage and apply / refresh two very important debuffs", making it the best damage per cast time spell.


A target that lives less than 10 seconds should just be Shadow Bolted. If it will live longer, the normal DPS rotation is actually higher. (??? This still current?)

Gemming: Meta is 21 crit + 3% crit damage. Generally just break the socket bonuses and gem straight spellpower.
A socket bonus that requires one yellow gem must be at least 4 hit rating, 4 spell power, 6 haste rating, 7 crit rating, 8 spirit or 23 int.
A socket bonus that requires one blue gem must be at least 5 hit rating, 6 spell power, 8 haste rating, 10 crit rating, 11 spirit or 32 int.
If it is less than that, just socket a red epic gem. If it is more than one slot, simply add the numbers above for each slot.

Head: 30 spellpower + 20 crit
Shoulder: 24 spellpower + 15 crit
Cape: 23 haste
Chest: 15 spirit or 10 all stats
Bracers: 30 spellpower
Gloves: 28 spellpower
Legs: 50 spellpower + 20 spirit
Boots: 12 crit + 12 hit or 15 stamina + run speed
Weapon: 63 spellpower to 1H or 81 spellpower to 2H

Tier Bonuses:
2T9: ~80 DPS (poor)
4T9: ~250 DPS (solid)
2T10: ~100 DPS (ok)
4T10: ~300 DPS (excellent)

Nice to see the T10 bonus is better, but sucks to see the transition is a loss (you drop 4T9 for 2T10), but I guess the increased stats outweigh it.


(This is outdated for haste, 3.3 values needed)
Stat weights for early T9:
Hit to cap: 1.897
Spellpower: 1.504
Haste Rating: 1.075
Critical strike rating: 0.836
Spirit: 0.767
Intellect: 0.253
MP5: ~0

Trinkets: 2 spellpower trinkets ???

Performance: ??? (Rough idea of 245-geared affliction DPS on Marrowgar 25)

Armories:
Soulminen <Gentlemens Club> US-Korgath
Fizzelkazoo <Focus> US-Thunderlord
Tibmonster <Simple Math> US-Andorhol
Sephmx and Ljay <Voracity> US-Anvilmar
(??? More needed)

Random Notes:
Pet choice needed (???)

Squeezing the maximum DPS out of a warlock is very complicated, and anyone playing a warlock should do some reading about how trinkets, procs, and boss debuffs are applied and calculated. Mods that time your spell durations are key, as is knowing when to clip and not clip your damage over time spells.

Damage Done meter is something you definitely want to look at on Recount as opposed to DPS for affliction warlocks.

??? Warlocks unfortunately have the worst stickies and EJ posts, it could be much easier to find current information for 3.3.


Demonology Warlock:
The 3.3 PvE Demonology Warlock Guide - Page 2 - The Warlocks Den - WoW Warlock Discussions

Spec:
http://talent.mmo-champion.com/?warl...NJrZa,Qp,11159
Choices for the remaining three are Suppression, Mana Feed, Demonic Empowerment, and Improved Demonic Tactics.

??? (Why is Master Summoner taken?)

Glyphs: Felguard and Life Tap are required. Quick Decay, Metamorphosis, and Immolate are the next highest in order.

Spell Choice:
Demonology doesn’t use a fixed rotation. It is also common to have DoTs fall off. It is better to keep casting a direct damage spell rather than interrupt it in order to refresh a DoT. It is also bad to "clip" a DoT and refresh before the last tick.


These spells are listed in relative order of priority.
--Life Tap Glyph (100% uptime)
--Metamorphosis: (It is fine to hold for a bit to coincide with procs and heroism.)
--Immolation Aura: If you use this the instant you pop Metamorphosis, and have the -Metamorphosis glyph, you can get an extra 6 seconds on the tail end of Metamorphosis due to the 30 second cooldown and (now) 36 second Metamorphosis uptime.
--Improved Shadow Bolt: Only to keep the debuff refreshed every 30 seconds. If someone else is keeping this up don't worry about it.
--Corruption: This procs Molten Core. The Quick Decay glyph will accelerate that.
--Immolate
--Curse (See below)
--Shadow Flame: in AOE situations use it every time it's off cooldown. On single targets use it while you are in Metamorphosis. Do not use on single targets if you have the Decimation buff. It is also horrible for mana efficiency.
--Filler (See below)
--Life Tap: Try to Life Tap at around 50% mana, not 0%. Try to cast right before using Metamorphosis and avoid casting if you have Metamorphosis or the Decimation buff.


Curse Choice:
Curse of Weakness: If you’re missing Demoralizing Shout (warrior), Demoralizing Roar (bare durid), or Vindication (Retribution Paladin or Protection Paladin).

Curse of Elements: If you don't have a Moonkin or Unholy Death Knight in the raid and the other warlock is Affliction, this is the curse you want to keep up for better raid DPS.

Curse of Doom: For all fights lasting more than 60 seconds. Try to coincide every other Curse of Doom with a Metamorphosis. Metamorphosis is on a two-minute cooldown and Curse of Doom is on a one-minute cooldown so every other time pop Metamorphosis first.

Curse of Agony: For all fights lasting less than 60 seconds. Do not cast if you have the Decimation buff.

Filler Choice:
The direct damage filler spell choice is very simple. Check your current procs.
No procs: Shadow Bolt
Molten Core (without Decimation): Incinerate
Decimation: Soul Fire

How to gem: Meta is +21 crit + 3% crit damage. Unlike a lot of DPS classes, Demonology warlocks seem to take their socket bonuses using spellpower in red, 12 spellpower + 10 spirit in blues, and 12 spellpower + 10 haste in yellows.

(??? This is just a copy of the Affliction ones.)
Head: 30 spellpower + 20 crit
Shoulder: 24 spellpower + 15 crit
Cape: 23 haste
Chest: 15 spirit or 10 all stats
Bracers: 30 spellpower
Gloves: 28 spellpower
Legs: 50 spellpower + 20 spirit
Boots: 12 crit + 12 hit or 15 stamina + run speed
Weapon: 63 spellpower to 1H or 81 spellpower to 2H (Black Magic???)

Tier Bonuses:
2pT9 is worth ~170 DPS (good)
4pT9 is worth ~96 DPS (ok)
2pT10 is worth ~169 DPS (good)
4pT10 is worth ~466 DPS (extremely good)

Stat weights:
(??? What gear level this is at is needed, but this is 3.3 data)
Hit to cap: 1.7039
Spellpower: 1.000
Spirit: 0.6198
Haste: 0.6057
Crit: 0.5433
Intellect: 0.1198
Stamina: 0.1314
MP5: ~0


Trinkets: 2 spellpower trinkets or 1 spellpower trinket + Eye of the Broodmother is very common even on players that have killed 25 Heroic Anub’Arak.

Performance: (??? DPS for 245 Demonology warlock on Lord Marrowgar)

Armories:
Essus <Death Jesters> US-Stormrage
Aznlock <Rage> US-Skullcrusher
Navyat <Iron> US-Kil’Jaeden
Sohl <Forlorn Legacy> US-Windrunner
Pritin <Just Wipe It> US-Turalyon
Diabo <Blood Legion> US-Illidan
Velna <Simple Math> US-Andorhol
Forestx <Adept> US-Dreadmaul


Notes:
Pet choice needed (???)

Squeezing the maximum DPS out of a warlock is very complicated, and anyone playing a warlock should do some reading about how trinkets, procs, and boss debuffs are applied and calculated. Mods that time your spell durations are key, as is knowing when to clip and not clip your damage over time spells.

??? Warlocks unfortunately have the worst stickies and EJ posts, for other classes it’s much easier to find current information for 3.3.


Destruction Warlock:
SimulationCraft for Warlocks (3.3 numbers) - Page 101 - Elitist Jerks
Burn, Baby Burn : A Raiding Guide for Aspiring Destruction Warlocks - The Warlocks Den - WoW Warlock Discussions

Link To Talent Build:
The World of Warcraft Armory

The points in Improved Health Stone and Demonic Embrace are your least important talents. Some builds also go without Shadowfury, but I recommend taking it because it can be very handy on Saurfang’s adds.

Glyphs: Conflagrate and Incinerate required, then Immolate or Incinerate

Spell Choice:
--Curse of Doom: Highest damage per cast time of all your spells, but see note below.
--Immolate: Gives an increase to your Incinerate and Chaos Bolt damage through Fire and Brimstone and enables Conflagrate.
--Conflagrate: To proc both Backdraft and Pyroclasm.
--Chaos Bolt: Stronger nuke than Incinerate.
--Incinerate

Curse of Doom has the highest damage per cast time and should therefore have an uptime close to 100%. However, if you proc Pyroclasm before casting it you should wait until the next Conflagrate as it increases your overall DPS. Curse of Agony when the target won’t be alive another minute.

How to gem: Meta is +21 crit + 3% crit damage. Destruction warlocks seem to take their socket bonuses using spellpower in red, 12 spellpower + 10 spirit in blues, and 12 spellpower + 10 haste in yellows.

(??? This is just a copy of the Affliction ones.)
Head: 30 spellpower + 20 crit
Shoulder: 24 spellpower + 15 crit
Cape: 23 haste
Chest: 15 spirit or 10 all stats
Bracers: 30 spellpower
Gloves: 28 spellpower
Legs: 50 spellpower + 20 spirit
Boots: 12 crit + 12 hit or 15 stamina + run speed
Weapon: 63 spellpower to 1H or 81 spellpower to 2H (Black Magic???)


Tier Bonuses:
2T9: ~250 DPS
4T9: ~120 DPS

2T10: ~120 DPS
4T10: ~325 DPS

Stat weights: (??? These are from a random poster on EJ for T9 gear)
Hit = ??? (but up to cap is higher than spellpower)
Spellpower =1.58
Haste = 1.27
Spirit = 1.01
Critical Strike = 0.96
Intellect = 0.37
MP5 = ~0

Stat Weights T10 (from another random post, lag = 0):
Hit = 4.8857
Spellpower =1.7422
Critical Strike = 1.1498
Spirit = 1.1209
Haste = 0.7027
Intellect = ~0
MP5 = ~0

(??? More info needed, but the trend is that spirit and crit are pretty good and haste is TBA.)

Trinkets: Two spellpower trinkets or one spellpower trinket + Eye of the Broodmother seems common. It’s worth noting I found a parse of a Destruction Warlock knocking out 8,600 DPS on Marrowgar using Illustration of the Dragon Soul and Scale of Fates as his two trinkets.

Performance: (??? DPS on Marrowgar fully raid-buffed in non-heroic 245s)

Armories:
??? More needed
Pritin <Just Wipe It> US-Turalyon
Forumpost <Casual> US-Scilla
Soulminen <Huge in Japan> US-Kil’Jaeden
Scarous <Infiniti> US-Azgalor
Perfectdrug <Adept> US-Dreadmaul

Notes:
Pet choice needed (???)

Squeezing the maximum DPS out of a warlock is very complicated, and anyone playing a warlock should do some reading about how trinkets, procs, and boss debuffs are applied and calculated. Mods that time your spell durations are key, as is knowing when to clip and not clip your damage over time spells.

??? Warlocks unfortunately have the worst stickies and EJ posts, for other classes it’s much easier to find current information for 3.3.


Mages:
WotLK - Complete Mage Compendium (3.3 Live) - Elitist Jerks

4-piece Tier 9 is quite good, 2-piece Tier 9 is decent but depends on spec.
crit and haste are both good and you want them both (per wowforum sticky)



Arcane Mage: Take all socket bonuses using 23SP in reds, SP/Haste in yellows, and SP/spirits in blues. Meta is increased crit damage. (From armories). Glyphs are Arcane Blast > Molten Armor > Arcane Missiles (> Arcane Power > Mana Gem > Arcane Barrage)
The arcane rotation/priorities are a little too complex to talk about here, check
World of Warcraft - English (NA) Forums -> An indepth guide to end game raiding specs

Fire Mage: Living Bomb > Molten Armour > Fireball/Frostfire Bolt

Frost Mage: This is not a conventional raiding spec, although 3.3 helped close the gap a little.