Like a great deal of other players, I took the holiday season off from WoW. I did my best to focus on real life and not engage Azeroth in any way, knowing that the Lich King was being sieged and his minions put to the sword. I held out quite well, I think. However, like Punxsutawney Phil, I have emerged from my burrow to look around at the snow covered ground and catch up on what I have missed these past four months. Wow, has the World (of Warcraft) moved fast. Four months is like 50 years in Internet Time, so it's like 150 years in WoW time. My formerly pretty pimping gear is now worse than the lowest rung of welfare epics. After playing with the dungeon finder, I figured out what a great addition it is to WoW and that it finally has allowed me to play as DPS instead of full time Tank. So I have decided to switch to DPS for a while and see how that side of life is (chasing the mob vs it chasing you). However, my DPS gear is in pretty bad shape, worse than my tanking gear by quite a bit. My gear score is sitting at around 4610 according to the addon, 2390 according to wow-heroes. So, the long look upward has started again. I am barely more geared than a level 80 fresh out of Icecrown questing. A few lucky drops here and there, a few breaks from nice raid leaders, and a whole lot of 5-man instancing should put me back where I like to be: comfortably mediocre raid gear (~264). For those of you also in a similar predicament or maybe just needing to fill a gear gap here and there for your off spec, I will outline a quick list of gear that is attainable without raiding, without rep grinding, and without needing to pander to wanna-be hardcores still grinding out ToC10 on regular modes. Total (assuming higher iLvL and set pieces): - Emblems of Triumph: 210 - Emblems of Frost: 150 - Gold: 3,550 - Honor Points: 52,000 - Some runs through Pit of Saron - Some runs through Halls of Reflection - Some luck to get a hilt drop. End gear score: 5060 (or enough to get into most of the PUG raids on Deathwing) [u]Head[/u] Currently: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/45299/dragonsteel-faceplate/]Dragonsteel Faceplate[/url] - 219 Replacement: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/48503/koltiras-helmet-of-conquest/]Koltira's Helmet of Conquest[/url] - 232 - Emblems of Triumph(50) [u]Neck[/u] Currently: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/45819/spiked-battleguard-choker/]Spiked Battleguard Choker[/url] - 226 Replacement: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/49485/sparkling-onyxia-tooth-pendant/]Sparkling Onyxia Tooth Pendant[/url] - 245 - Onyxia's Head Quest *raid encounter Alternative: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/50228/barbed-ymirheim-choker/]Barbed Ymirheim Choker[/url] - 232 - Pit of Saron(H) [u]Shoulder[/u] Currently: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/46117/conquerors-darkruned-shoulderplates/]Conquerer's Darkruned Shoulderplate[/url] - 226 Replacement: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/48505/koltiras-shoulderplates-of-conquest/]Koltira's Shoulderplates of Conquest[/url] - 232 - Emblems of Triumph(30) [u]Back[/u] Currently: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/42067/deadly-gladiators-cloak-of-triumph/]Deadly Gladiator's Cloak of Triumph[/url] =( - 219 Replacement: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/47320/might-of-the-nerub/]Might of the Nerub[/url] - 245 - Anub'arak(25N) * raid encounter Alternative: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/51354/wrathful-gladiators-cloak-of-triumph/]Wrathful Gladiator's Cloak of Triumph[/url] - 264 - 52,200 Honor Points * Currently, next to weapons, I believe the Back is the hardest item to gear without a raid [u]Chest[/u] Currently: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/46111/conquerors-darkruned-battleplate/]Conquerer's Darkruned Battleplate[/url] - 226 Replacement: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/48501/koltiras-battleplate-of-conquest/]Koltira's Battleplate of Conquest[/url] - 232 - Emblem of Triumph(50) Alternative: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/50272/frost-wyrm-ribcage/]Frost Wyrm Ribcage[/url] - 232 - Pit of Saron(H) [u]Wrist[/u] Currently: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/47565/vambraces-of-unholy-command/]Vambraces of Unholy Command[/url] - 219 Replacement: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/47572/titanium-spikeguards/]Titanium Spikeguards[/url] - 245 - Blacksmithed (~2300g on Deathwing) Alternative: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/50230/malykriss-vambraces/]Malykriss Vambraces[/url] - 232 - Pit of Saron(H) [u]Hand[/u] Currently: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/45341/valorous-darkruned-gauntlets/]Valorous Darkruned Gauntlets[/url] (seriously) - 219 Replacement: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/48502/koltiras-gauntlets-of-conquest/]Koltira's Gauntlets of Conquest[/url] - 232 - Emblems of Triumph(30) [u]Waist[/u] Currently: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/45824/belt-of-the-singing-blade/]Belt of the Singing Blade[/url] - 226 Replacement: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/50987/malevolent-girdle/]Malevolent Girdle[/url] - 264 - Emblem of Frost(60) [u]Legs[/u] Currently: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/47495/legplates-of-relentless-onslaught/]Legplates of Relentless Onslaught[/url] - 219 Replacement: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/48504/koltiras-legplates-of-conquest/]Koltira's Legplates of Conquest[/url] - 232 - Emblems of Triumph(30) [u]Feet[/u] Currently: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/47511/plated-greaves-of-providence/]Plated Greaves of Provenience[/url] - 219 Replacement: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/50305/grinning-skull-boots/]Grinning Skull Boots[/url] - 232 - Halls of Reflection(H) Alternative: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/49906/hellfrozen-bonegrinders/]Hellfrozen Bonegrinders[/url] - 264 - Blacksmithing (expensive as hell) [u]Ring 1[/u] Currently: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/42115/deadly-gladiators-band-of-victory/]Deadly Gladiator's Band of Victory[/url] - 213 Replacement: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/50453/ring-of-rotting-sinew/]Ring of Rotting Sinew[/url] - 264 - BoE (expensive) Alternative: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/51559/runed-ring-of-the-kirin-tor/]Runed Ring of the Kirin Tor[/url] - 251 - Vendor in Dal (1250g) [u]Ring 2[/u] Currently: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/49000/titan-forged-band-of-victory/]Titan-forged Band of Victory[/url] - 226 Replacement: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/47729/bloodshed-band/]Bloodshed Band[/url] - 245 - Emblem of Triumph(30) Alternative: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/50271/band-of-stained-souls/]Band of Stained Souls[/url] - 232 - Pit of Saron(H) * Not perfect, has agi on it [u]Trinket 1[/u] Currently: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/42987/darkmoon-card-greatness/]Darkmoon Card : Greatness[/url] - 200 - Has been a real PITA to replace Replacement: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/50355/herkuml-war-token/]Herkuml War Token[/url] - 264 - Emblem of Frost(60) Alternative: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/47303/deaths-choice/]Death's Choice[/url] - 245 - ToC25(N) * Raid encounter [u]Trinket 2[/u] Currently: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/40684/mirror-of-truth/]Mirror of Truth[/url] - 200 - Yes, seriously Replacement: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/50198/needle-encrusted-scorpion/]Needle Encrusted Scorpion[/url] - 232 - Pit of Saron(H) [u]Sigil[/u] Currently: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/45254/sigil-of-the-vengeful-heart/]Sigil of the Vengeful Heart[/url] - 226 Replacement: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/50459/sigil-of-the-hanged-man/]Sigil of the Hanged Man[/url] - 264 - Emblem of Frost(30) [u]Weapon[/u] Currently: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/45282/ironsoul/]Ironsoul[/url] - 219 Replacement: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/50267/tyrannical-beheader/]Tyrannical Beheader[/url] - 232 - Pit of Saron(H) Alternative: [url=http://db.mmo-champion.com/i/50048/quel-delar-might-of-the-faithful/]Quel'Delar, Might of the Faithful[/url] - 251 - Lucky me: My gift from the Pit of Saron for coming back to WoW