eternalsinners

Right guys with EVERYONE asking me what gear they should buy with their badges of justice, I've written a small top ten wish list. Hope your tanks out there spend wisely! =)

What’s new!?

Chestplate of Stoicism, Sunguard Legplates, Girdle of the Fearless and Ring of the Stalwart Protector. All 4 items represent slots where previously usable tanking badge items resided. For those of us that already had all of the previous Badge pieces this may be somewhat disappointing but, it’s gotta be a bit of a relief to those still working on getting them all.

The New List

What to Get!

Girdle of the Fearless (75)
The Girdle easily secures spot #1 thanks to a healthy chunk of Expertise, Hit, Defense and Stamina. Those of you that already have the previous badge belt with still want to get this ASAP.

Bracers of the Ancient Phalanx (35)
Securing the 2nd position for another patch, these bracers maintain their spot (jumping past the legs) thanks to a greater appreciation of just how powerful Expertise is as both a threat and survival statistic. When you add to that high Stamina and Defense rating, you get yourself a perfectly itemized piece.

Ring of the Stalwart Protector (60)
Huge amounts of Armor and Stamina along with a solid amount of avoidance. This is simply put the best survival style ring in the game. That being said if you have an issue with low threat generation, this pieces moves lower down the list.

Sunguard Legplates (100) Unwavering Legguards (75)
Yup, I’ve got them both here. This is somewhat of a “whatever you get first” situation with the new legs getting a slight edge over that of the old due to Expertise with high Defense Rating. For those that already have the Unwavering Legguards though, you’ll want to pick up the new legs only after you’ve finished off the remainder of the list and even then with Expertise so prevalent across so many pieces this spot may be the one place where you can justify maintaining some much needed Stamina and Block Value. Certainly even after you’ve purchased the the Expertise legs, the Unwavering Legguards will remain fantastic for trash mobs.

Bonefist Gauntlets (60)
Still staying strong in the 5th position, these gloves drop only a single spot partly due to lack of competition, but mostly due to the high amount of Defense rating on other pieces making this piece an easy inclusion in your threat and/or survival gear sets.

Slikk’s Cloak of Placation (35)
Also dipping down a spot, but don’t sweat it this cloak is still amazing. You will find yourself using this piece extremely often thanks to it’s very survival itemized orientation.

Chestplate of Stoicism (100)
The last piece of the new badge loot. It’s an easy replacement over the old paladin style alternative in this slot, but it really isn’t anything to get too excited about unless you are still stuck with a blue quality item in this slot.

Brooch of Deftness (35)
Don’t let this item’s low placement give you the impression that it’s weak. It’s still extremely strong and an absolute must have. However, the presence of the new, easily attainable Shattered Sun Pendant of Resolve resulted in it getting knocked down a few spots from the old list. Ultimately, you need to pick up one of these two items for sure. Read the comparison article to determine which one is right for you.

Farstrider Defender’s Cloak (25)
Barely making the last pick list, it hit me that this cloak is the badge item I have used the most since day 1. It’s the best threat cloak pre-Tier 6 content and as a result will serve you well and often until then.

Gnomeregan Auto-Blocker 600 (41)
Last, but certainly not least, the timeless Auto-Blocker taking up the final spot of this patch’s list. This can be largely accredited to so many superior badge choices coming along as well as it’s slot being trumped by the new, ubitious Shard of Contempt.

What NOT to Get
Chestguard of the Stoic Guardian joins the old list of obsolete items with the addition of the new badge chestpiece catered to warriors. Along with it comes Sabatons of the Righteous Defender because while there hasn’t been a reasonable badge alternative added in practice you simply will never make it to this item before superior or equivalent options present themselves. Not to mention excess badges are better spent towards buying a bundle of Empyrean Sapphires. Finally, Iron-tusk Girdle hits the “don’t get” books too since the slight avoidance upgrade it offers just doesn’t offset the benefits of additional expertise and hit rating from the new belt.