Last time out for the instance group we finished up the last of the normal mode instances, Grim Batol, and then decided to try our hand at Cataclysm heroics.
The Deadmines, ever the favored dungeon in Azeroth, was our target and the fact that we couldn’t use the Dungeon Finder because the item level of our gear was too low did not deter us in the slightest. An item level of 329 seemed too much to ask.
In hindsight, we might have paid a bit more attention to that last bit. While we managed to get in the door and through the first couple of bosses, we were clearly in over our head and called it a night after too many wipes in the foundry.
Where we left off last time…
Thus stopped mid-instance, we decided to remedy the gear item level situation in Pandaria. Four of us went to visit Silkweaver Rul in Pearlfin Village.
The Gearing Up Vendor
While we had all picked up at least a few items in our first foray into Pandaria, where we stopped at Pearlfin Village, we clearly did not pick up enough. The four of us each ended up buying 8 or 9 items from the vendor.
The gear is kind of interesting. There is something there for everybody and it is all item level 372. It is also all bind on pick up and you cannot disenchant them. This is clearly the “catch up” vendor for those entering the expansion.
Earl, on the other hand, decided to press on into Pandaria to gear himself up. He didn’t get to read the discussion in last week’s comment thread about the balance between health and main stats versus secondary stats as you level up in Pandaria, which was probably a good thing as it was more than I really wanted to consider, and just leveled up to 86. He also came up with an item level 450, account bound (which means you can mail it to your alts), sword to wield.
So the group was all at item level 372 or above and ready to go.
- Earlthecat – Level 86 Human Warrior Tank
- Skronk – Level 85 Dwarf Priest Healing
- Bungholio – Level 85 Gnome Warlock DPS
- Alioto – Level 85 Night Elf Druid DPS
- Ula – Level 85 Gnome Mage DPS
The question was, where should we head with our new gear? Ula was AFK when that discussion started, and when she returned she flatly stated that we were going to go back to the Deadmines and that was pretty much that. The decision was made. Having walked there last time, we felt entitled to use the Dungeon Finder to get us there.
Did all that gear make a difference? More after the cut.
The Ancient Gaming Noob 