The Warlocks Den - WoW Warlock Discussions

Emblem Spending Guide (v3.3)

This guide has been rewritten from the ground up for patch 3.3. Due to the extensive changes brought on by the evolution of emblems dropping in heroics, several pieces of gear have been made completely irrelevant. I have sourced MaxDPS.com for the dps ratings almost exclusively. All recommendations are based on a fresh level 80 warlock with quest-only gear. Feel free to plug in your own stats to compare the gear on your level.

Please note that all Emblems from Heroics and up are now Emblems of Triumph, while the Icecrown Citadel raids and the heroic daily and weekly raid quests drop Emblems of Frost (source). All BiS listings only include items from 3.2.2, and are based on the entry-level 80 specs in the Wowhead profile linked above. Also, I have linked the items on the list in an "Alliance (Horde)" type of format.

Raid Readiness
So I have run a few heroics, and I want to raid. But so far, I don’t have any really good drops, and I’m starting to get quite a few Emblems. What should I spend them on?
If you need to upgrade your quest greens with “Badge Gear”, as we used to call it, here is the list, sorted by DPS and slots (you can only have one helm, after all):

Head
Hood of Fiery (Smoldering) Aftermath (75 EoT) [251 dps, 3.34 dps / EoT] This is the BiS helm. It is a significant upgrade over the T9 helm, but the cost is prohibitive and there are other dps upgrades to get – namely the T9 set bonuses.

Helm (Hood) of Clouded Sight (75 EoT) [211 dps, 2.82 dps / EoT] This helm is 3rd place (to the T9 helm from 25 Heroic and Ony’s Nemesis Skullcap) for those who do not need the hit rating, and 6th place (even behind the Gaze of the Unknown from TotC5 Heroic) for those in need of hit. Basically, if you want a helm and need hit, get the Aftermath helm.

Kel’Thuzad’s (Gul’dan’s) Hood of Conquest (50 EoT) [182 dps, 3.63 dps / EoT] This hood is pretty disappointing, all things considered. 15th on the list for this slot, beat by the two 75 Emblem hoods and the Gaze of the Unknown from TotC5 Heroic (4th place). The 25 heroic version is 8th, further indicating this item’s failure to perform. Not really worth spending the emblems on.

Conqueror’s Deathbringer Hood (58 EoC) [175 dps, 3.03 dps / EoC] This helm really isn’t that great either, but it’s the only emblem option for completing the 2pcT8, if that’s something you’re shooting for. Your best bet is to complete the 4pcT9 set, skipping T8 altogether.

Chest
Conqueror’s Deathbringer Robe (58 EoC) [227 dps, 3.91 dps / EoC] These are one of two pieces you can get for the T8 set (the other being the hood). They have a slight edge on the T9 robe for dps, but cost 8 more emblems. It’s a toss up, but if you’re shooting for 2pcT8 + 2pcT9, obviously get this robe.

Kel’Thuzad’s (Gul’dan’s) Robe of Conquest (50 EoT) [224 dps, 4.48 dps / EoT] This tier piece is not very stellar, even with the dps / cost ratio, so let this be one towards the 4pcT9 bonus.

Legs
Kel’Thuzad’s (Gul’dan’s) Leggings of Conquest (50 EoT) [199 dps, 3.98 dps / EoT] While these are a good set of legs, they still don’t beat the old Leggings of the Wanton Spellcaster from EoE25. The 25 heroic version is 3rd place, following Leggings of the Deepening Void (TotGC25 and TotC25).

Legwraps of the Master Conjurer (39 EoC) [172 dps, 4.42 dps / EoC] These are not the greatest pants, but badges are a guarantee and drops are not. All that being said, save up for the T9 pants. Cheaper isn’t always better.

Shoulders
Mantle (Pauldrons) of Catastrophic Emanation (45 EoT) [187 dps, 4.16 dps / EoT] Best in slot shoulders. If you have your 2pcT9 set bonus, get these.

Pauldrons (Mantle) of Revered Morality (45 EoT) [159 dps, 3.53 dps / EoT] These shoulders are good if you are hit-capped, making them 3rd place in that situation. But if you need hit, get the BiS ones for the same price. The T9 shoulders from 25 Heroic take the cake when hit-capped.

Kel’Thuzad’s (Gul’dan’s) Shoulderpads of Conquest (30 EoT) [140 dps, 4.65 dps / EoT] These shoulders are a decent bet for completing your 2pcT9 set bonus. Cheap is the order of the day here, so 60 emblems into 3.3 and you have your set bonus. These are, however, not the best shoulders by a long ways, and even the 25 heroic version takes second place. If you have a Trophy of the Crusade by this point, save up for a better tier piece and buy the shoulders above.

Hands
Kel’Thuzad’s (Gul’dan’s) Gloves of Conquest (30 EoT) [159 dps, 5.31 dps / EoT] These gloves don’t beat out the Pharos or Pulsar Gloves from Ulduar, but they beat just about everything else. BiS for the listed gearset is the 25 heroic version of these gloves. This should be your first purchase towards the 2pcT9 set bonus (10% pet crits, FTW!).

Touch of the Occult (28 EoC) [113 dps, 4.04 dps / EoC] These gloves are the second rate gloves, and at a savings of only 2 emblems – not really worth the purchase any more.

Trinket
Shard of the Crystal Heart (35 EoT) [239 dps, 6.82 dps / EoT] This trinket alone brings my max-spellpower heroic farming gear to raid-ready levels of hit. 4.88% hit means you can kick those three talents from Affliction and leave the “space-goat” at the house. For those of us that have grown rather fond of the former demons called Draenei, just sub in a lot of your “off set” gear. BiS trinkets include Reign of the Unliving (TotGC25), Illustration of the Dragon Soul (OS25), and Dying Curse (Naxx25).

Egg of Mortal Essence (40 EoH) [114 dps, 2.85 dps / EoH] This is typically a healer trinket, but warlocks are constantly self-healing through Fel Armor, thereby proc’ing this trinket for the haste bonus. And 98 spellpower is nice too.

Sundial of the Exiled (40 EoH) [105 dps, 2.62 dps / EoH] A pretty solid trinket, but still outranked by Mark of the War Prisoner (H VH Cyanigosa) and the Abyssal Rune (reg ToC5).

Talisman of Resurgence (35 EoT) [92 dps, 1.83 dps / EoT] While 599 spellpower is really nice, the Int on this item is better served fueling the healing spell that powers your lifetap habits.

Feet
Xintor’s Expeditionary Boots (40 EoV) [128 dps, 3.19 dps / EoV] Not that great these days, but they are the only ones you can get for emblems. These don’t place as well as the Spellslinger’s Slippers (tailoring) or the Boots of Crackling Flame (H ToC5), and BiS boots are the Footpads of the Icy Floe (TotGC25).

Waist
Plush Sash of Guzbah (40 EoH) [124 dps, 3.09 dps / EoH] A very solid belt for upping your hit rating, as well as easy to get. Well surpassed however, by the Sash of Ancient Power (tailoring) as a direct upgrade. BiS belt is the Cord of Biting Cold from TotGC25.

Sash of Potent Incantations (28 EoC) [117 dps, 4.18 dps / EoC] This is far more disappointing than one might initially think. This doesn't even outrank the Plush Sash of Guzbah. Better to shell out the gold for the Sash of Ancient Power (BoE tailoring belt) which requires 6 Runed Orbs (worth 18 EoC each).

Finger
Band of the Invoker (35 EoT) [113 dps, 3.24 dps / EoT] This ring is a solid purchase, primarily if hit-capped by other gear. Those needing hit rating are better served by the many rings dropped in Ulduar 10 & 25, and even the Sinner’s Confession from TotC5 Heroic. BiS is the Firestorm Ring from TotGC10.

Band of Channeled Magic (25 EoV) [84 dps, 3.36 dps / EoV] This ring is not really worth the purchase price due to the number (and availability) of better rings. Even the Ring of Northern Tears (Jewelcrafting) outranks this with an epic spellpower gem socketed.

Neck
Evoker's Charm (19 EoC) [94 dps, 4.94 dps / EoC] The best performing badge neck based on cost, but it does not supercede either of the Malygos quest amulets. Only get this if you can't get the key for yourself AND you're hit capped by gear. Brilliant Hailstone Amulet from reg ToC5 slightly outranks it even. BiS is still the Pendant of Fiery Havoc from Flame Leviathan (hard mode).

Encircling Burnished Gold Chains (25 EoH) [82 dps, 3.26 dps / EoH] Not only is it more expensive to get, it’s just not as good as the neck above. If you need the hit rating, see if you can win / buy the Chain of Latent Energies from Naxx10.

Wrist
Wraps of the Astral Traveler (60 EoV) [92 dps, 1.53 dps / EoV] These bracers are still pretty decent, but they are very expensive for what you get. They are the only emblem bracers for us, but the Bejeweled Wizard’s Bracers are much better. BiS piece is the Bindings of Dark Essence from TotGC25.

Offhand
Ward of the Violet Citadel (25 EoH) [88 dps, 3.53 dps / EoH] These 25 Emblems will last you a while and it’s one of the fastest badge gear boosts to get. BiS is the Symbol of Transgression from TotGC25.

Back
Disguise of the Kumiho (25 EoV) [84 dps, 3.38 dps / EoV] This cloak barely beats out the Deathchill Cloak (tailoring), and falls far short of Kurisu's Indecision (H ToC5). Skip it for better goods. BiS is the Cloak of Displacement (TotGC25).

Ranged
Brimstone Igniter (25 EoT) [74 dps, 2.97 dps / EoT] This wand is cheap, and very good whether hit-capped or not. The best choice to beat this little beauty are the Petrified Ivy Sprig (Uld 10 hard mode), or the Rod of Imprisoned Souls (TotGC10) if you’re hit capped. The only reason it's ranked last on the list is that wands have so little impact to your overall character stats.