[Ret] Pimp my off-spec

[Epimer]

Ok, here's the deal: I got into a new guild today, and showed up with my tank gear all spit-shined and ready to go. However, it turns out I'll be Ret for quite a lot of the time. This is fine – it’ll be a nice change of pace and I’ve never raided much as DPS so I’m looking forward to the challenge.

The problem is, my Ret gear is terrible. As in, if someone showed up to your ICC10 PuG in this gear you’d be posting about it in the Frustrations thread kind of terrible. I didn’t have time/notice enough to spruce it up before the raid and I was e-mortified at being seen in it. Cheap gems and missing enchants, /cringe. I’ve logged in my Ret gear and here’s my armoury. If it has me in tank gear, wow-heroes has it cached (Lumines on Silvermoon-EU). If I didn’t crank out enough emblems tonight, my two piece T9 should be legs and shoulder, and the chest should be Blade-Scored Carapace. And I should have Meteorite Whetstone equipped instead of the +hit trinket :/

My question to you Ret types is: what cheap and dirty upgrades can I get from Triumph badges, crafted stuff from previous tiers (of all armour types) and the ICC5 mans? Frost badge gear is out of the question because I’m still saving up for main spec stuff.

Help!

[Levantine]

A Greatness Card immediately comes to mind. It shouldn't be too expensive now that it's not the top dog for a million and one specs.

[majiben]

Like Lev said, DMC:G is great for you. You appear to have more expertise than you need as ret, just something to keep in mind. Changing your bracers out for the 245 crafted ones is a clear upgrade. There's not much time left but the cloak off the frost lord is another upgrade. Remember you can keep running that over and over till you get it. Plus you can definitely tank it as ret with that gear. You should put the engineering speed boost enchant on your feet. Makes a big difference on any fight that you need to move.

The biggest thing you could upgrade is your weapon. Any 251 or 264 weapon will be your single biggest dps boost.

[Epimer]

Like Lev said, DMC:G is great for you.

Time to put my scribe to work!

You appear to have more expertise than you need as ret, just something to keep in mind.

Yeah, because I've been picking stuff up as whatever anyone else didn't need, I've ended up with not much in the way of stat balance. Good call on the wrists, that's a good cheap and cheerful upgrade.

There's not much time left but the cloak off the frost lord is another upgrade. Remember you can keep running that over and over till you get it. Plus you can definitely tank it as ret with that gear.

I managed to run it 3 times after the raid last night before the Midsummer Festival ended at midnight server time :/ The agility dps cloak dropped twice, but I couldn't roll need on it in good conscience when there was a rogue in the first group and a hunter in the second. Special circle of hell etc.

You should put the engineering speed boost enchant on your feet. Makes a big difference on any fight that you need to move.

It is, it just shows as +24 crit on the armoury. Made good use of it on Sindragosa attempts last night. Yay for not wiping the raid \o/

The biggest thing you could upgrade is your weapon. Any 251 or 264 weapon will be your single biggest dps boost.

Yep, but save for a lucky Battered Hilt drop I don't see where I'll get one any time soon; I'm bottom of the pecking order (trial + off-spec) so it'll be a while before anything useful comes my way.

Thanks for the advice guys.

[Faids]

Get 2pc t10 asap. If you really don't want to spend frost badges I guess you could try and get lucky in voa but if your going to be dpsing for a majority of the raid it would be wise to at least get 2pc. Keep 2pc T9 until you have 4pc t10 (yes bank 1 for awhile). 2pc t9 with 2pc t10 will always be > any 251/264 or 3pc combo. As suggested get a greatness deck or try and get a DC from a toc25 pug. Get epic gems, they are so cheap at this point there is no excuse not to have them no matter what ilvl your gear is. Get bryntroll it is your easiest upgrade out of ICC.

Download rawr: http://rawr.codeplex.com/

set it up to min/max your gear and you can even use the filters so it only suggests upgrades that are possible for you to get from whatever raids your running.

[Kelaan]

The biggest thing you could upgrade is your weapon. Any 251 or 264 weapon will be your single biggest dps boost.

Yep, but save for a lucky Battered Hilt drop I don't see where I'll get one any time soon; I'm bottom of the pecking order (trial + off-spec) so it'll be a while before anything useful comes my way.

In ICC10, Marrowgar drops a 2H sword (with buckets of hit rating, but even if you can't use that it's got great base damage), and Saurfang drops Ramaladni's Blade of Culling, a 2H axe that is even better.

Moreover, I imagine that many of the plate DPS in your new guild are after Shadow's Edge; if they're not, YOU could. Though it's still relatively expensive to get the saronite, it's one of the best 264 weapons you can get.