Re-Gearing Up at 70

Well not sure how to explain been at the level cap quite frankly. Been on a younger server, doing Group Quests are looking hard to do in Outland at 70. No one is around and if they are you can't get anyone to help you do 3 & 5 people group quest. No one from my guild at 70 is really ever on only a few at 70 so no help there either if that was possible. Looking for group request for quest go unanswered for quite a long time its frustrating. So I'm not even close to being able to daily quests earn that daily gold. Hell I can't even seem to get a group to start the Ogril'la quest chain in Blades Edge Mountain that require groups to do. Seem like I can get a nice shield from that quest chain also but for now its going nowhere. On the bright side have 2 good pieces of Pre-Kara Tanking gear. For the most part I just do some quests I need to do to clear my log and earn gold that way.

Took me days to get this done or let alone find a Blacksmith on server that can make Felsteel gear on my server. Personally I don't know if and when I will ever get to Kara and its not on top priority on my list either, but I'm using Kaziel's Pre-Kara Tanking Gear list as a very good reference as its a really good list of gear to aim for. Plus he spent all that time making the list so why not use it as reference anyway. A few other gear list I'm using as gear reference choice to get up till then some being quest or faction reward items to get. However eventually found on AH the Felsteel Helm for 40g. This morning after asking in trade forever found a Blacksmith (BS) that can make me the Felsteel Gloves so I now have 2 pieces of gear from the list and my 1 Epic Trinket in the Darkmoon Card Vengeance. So 3 items so far gearing up wise. Added that BS as a friend for when I need to get other stuff made (Shield Spikes), hell hard enough to find one. Last time took a week to find one that made Thorium Shield Spikes.

Gearing up Cost
The other day I had a level 70 asking me for gold in Org? Wonder why when you can obtain it more easily in Outland. However its not the first time its happened. Gearing Up does seem to have a astronomical cost! And at 70 I'm finding out if you want it you sometime have to pay and pay heavily or do faction reps or instances to get it or even to just get a little bit better stats. Slowly I'm replacing my gear though.

This morning finding the high level Blacksmith was a relief and allowed me to get the Felsteel Gloves. The guy would make me the gloves for free if I had mats, cool. I was right there in AH, was already studying over the price of Felsteel (coughs) and 6 Felsteel bar cost me 110g. That bit my ass to spend gold like that. Alchemy is not this great a money maker I can tell you these days. I needed the glove so I paid up on AH! Paid the Blacksmith 5g for his skill to make them even though he said would do it for free. Personally even if someone of high skill decides to do something for free I always pay them a fee for service rendered. You win friends that way for future reference.

Well having 2 good piece of gear the Felsteel Gloves and the Felsteel Helm for upping my Defense Rating and will need to gem socket these baby for more stamina. So back to AH to find some Solid Star of Elune and Glowing Nightseye. Nope, can't find. Did a Wowhead search and found can get a Jewelcrafter (JC) to from the raw gem. So saw some Star of Elune up 32-36g. Gee I'm about to go BROKE! I'm never going to get that damn epic mount at this rate. So bought all 5 gems at a cost of 168g. Next saw 2 Nightseye gem on AH only ones listed average price by auctioneer running at 40g average. Bought both at 72g. All this gold spending is quickly getting hard to swallow and I'm going broke quick I can tell just to gear up as a Tankadin and improve my armor. Back to trade to find a JC. Found one and go all 7 gems cut into Solid Star of Elune and Glowing Nightseye to socket both Felsteel armor piece. Paid the JC 10g for his time and service. I believe in paying people well for their hard to find service.

All in all spend about 410g on 2 Felsteel Armor pieces & all the Jem socketing piece for upping my stamina and defense to work way up to uncrushable at 490 Defense. A trade off there as a Paladin, had to give up loads of Intelligence and Spell Damage to get more Defense in stats (From 393 to 418 Defense), but need the defense though. Seems JC rake in some money but I'm not quiting alchemy to find green pastures in another profession. I fought hard to up Alchemy and get all the rare recipe and Flasks I have. But I'm quickly realize Gearing Up is a new game and in this game its not taking me long to realize that its EXPENSIVE and you will often be BROKE! I'm now back down to 200g flat!

If I'm going to be this broke just to gear up and get to Kara, then the next expansion be here before I get Epic Flying Mount, both of them. That I can see ahead. Now I realize why people have to go grinding to grind the dirt out in Outland for gold. Plus being a Tanking class is already Mucho Expensive to just being on that wears plate and taking loads of hits let alone instance wiping wearing plate and having high repair cost. Looking ahead I see broke days ahead on this path Gearing Up. Hell I haven't started to get mats to enchant my gear yet and you know how expensive enchanting mats are. Also seem I'm going to have to get good with the Keepers of Time for the defense enchants I need also for my gear. Tough Choices.

Which is better Spell Critical or Hit Rating?

People sometime wonder why don't you write about good WoW stuff like raiders write about or stats or tactical stuff. Well obviously I'm not in the raiding game or yet. The Blog is about life as a Protection Paladin, the stuff or crap that happens, the choices I have to make and often its been about leveling because that what I've being doing since starting this blog way back in the 30's or so.

Questing I've picked up lots of gear with all different kinds of stats and most I can understand. Picked lots of spell dmg gear to know how just how tasty that is on a mob for increase spell damage and more is better than less. However I'm also seeing lots of Armor gear with "Spell Critical Strike Rating" & "Hit Rating" and since I do both cast spells and melee and I'm just wondering for Prot Paladin gear choice which one is better and how does picking either affects me offensively?

The Price of Wearing Plate Armor

Since in Outland I've been racking up noticeable repair bills. I probably did before but it was always due that whenever i went to a vendor that could repair my armor i always had it in tip top repair fashion.

Been in Outland and with much better armor improvements i find after quests, a few deaths from lots of adds and grinding a bit in a few areas but taking lots of hits on my delicate plate armor and on weapon durability that Plate Armor repairs in noting to laugh or shake a stick at or take lightly. Plate Armor repairs is EXPENSIVE! Warriors & Paladins are only classes that wear Plate Armor. Plate Armor is best you can get, provided lots of armor protection but when it takes massive amount of hits on that delicate plate the repair bill can damm skyrocket to repair it. My second day of Outland total repairs was almost over 10gold total on several repair sessions at vendor. At one time my Hanzo Sword almost broke with just 3 durability points remaining, i had to switch to another weapon deep in a enemy camp or fel orc's and immediately hearth out of there to get repairs. Cost a bit of gold to repair.



I'm not raiding or running lots of instances, I'm just soloing and so i encounter my fair share of deaths, few usually as i try to avoid it since i play a bit strategic if i can, but it happens. I grind a bit so i take lots of hits or multiple hits from many mobs on me all at once. But when i show up at a weapons merchant to repair on every quest turn in usually it stuns me at my repair cost. Luckily the trash loot can often cover it in repair cost, but its pretty much just that...covers repair cost. I have to imagine what a Warriors repair cost is tanking instances or a Paladin tank that's actively tanking instances on a group run or raiding is. If mine is costing me several gold in repairs, i can't imagine what a tank in plate repair cost is. Other classes in cloth don't usually take the hits in groups or the mail armor wearer as much. Plate wearer take full onslaught damage. So i can only imagine the staggering cost of repair for that Plate Armor.

People need to love their tanks because that Plate Armor comes at a price for their group protection from mobs.