Reputation rewards for Death Knight in Wotlk

As with our previous gear guide, I'm operating on the assumptions that haste and armor penetration are less desirable for Death Knight and that expertise is primarily for Death Knight tanks.I'm sure a lot of Death Knights are, like yours truly, getting into the level 80 home stretch and trying to figure out which of the Wrath factions to grind first. If you've already read our Wrath 101 guides to reputation and to the Oracle and Frenzyheart tribes, you're off to a good start. In this week's Lichborne, we'll take it a step further by looking at the purchasable rewards for each faction with the eye of a Death Knight.
The Kalu'ak
The Tuskarr have a good selection of quest rewards that end up being very Death Knight friendly. You can easily get honored simply by completing all the Kalu'ak-specific quests in Howling Fjord, which will give you access to a set of plate breastplates, the Whalebone Carapace and the Ivory-Reinforced Chestguard. Both are pretty solid for their specific role, and don't have any less useful stats such as shield block and haste, so chances are you'll end up wanting to pick up one of each when you hit level 76.
In addition, once you hit revered and level 78, you'll be able to pick up the Whale-Stick Harpoon. While it doesn't have any pure strength, it does have quite a bit of attack power and agility, and it has more DPS and high-end damage than the De-Raged Waraxe, the quest reward from the Ampitheatre of Anguish that will probably end up being a Death Knight leveling staple which want to buy cheap wow gold.
You'll also want to consider finishing the grind to exalted, even though neither of the exalted rewards are specifically for Death Knights. One of them is a penguin pet, and the other is a fishing pole which comes with the side bonus of granting underwater breathing. Much like our Rogue brethren, we're locked out of using the Hydrocane, so this is a nice way for us to grab that extra bit of utility -we may need it when we're raiding the Naga capital next expansion, right?
Alliance Vanguard and Horde Expedition
The first reputations you encounter are pretty sparse, actually. Maybe the Horde and Alliance aren't so sure about this Death Knight thing after all. Still, it's worth grinding to revered for the Arcanum of the Savage Gladiator if you're planning to do any PvP. In addition, if you're a dual wielder, the honored reward Hammer of the Alliance Vanguard/Warsong Punisher may be a relatively decent off-hand choice at level 78.
The Frenzyheart and the Oracles
So I actually already told you about one reason to go Oracle earlier today. Seriously, that egg is awesome. But if pets and mounts aren't your bag, there's plenty of other reasons.
At Revered, you'll get your choice of some level 78 plate shoulders. The Glimmershell Shoulder Protectors are very nice for tanks (though you may want to make sure you're defense capped first), and the Gold Star Spaulders are awesome for DPS. Both have plenty of the stats a Death Knights need, and none of the ones we don't. At exalted, the Oracle Talisman of Ablution (which we covered in Phat Loot Phriday) acts both as a nice chunk of critical strike rating and a sort of mini-Butchery proc. At the least, that's good for keeping Horn of Winter up.
I'm not sure why you'd insist on repping with the Wolvar. Maybe you like jerks. Maybe you're an achievement hound. Maybe you're hoping that Disgusting Jar eventually spits out a slime pet or something. I won't judge. I'll just warn you that they don't offer much for Death Knights. The Giant-Sized Gauntlets at revered admittedly work rather well for Death Knight tanks, but their exalted trinket has haste and a frenzy on kill proc, both of which really don't match what the Oracle talisman offers for Death Knights.
Making your Choice
As you can see, every faction does have at least one reason (even if, in some cases, only one) to grind. Choosing which one to grind may, in the end, come down to personal preference. Myself, if I was pressed for time and choosing, I'd probably focus on the Kal'uak for the nice leveling goodies, then the Wyrmrest Accord for the nice outlay of tanking gear, then the Argent Crusade for the nice Revered Mace (And yes, Death Knights can use maces, we just have to train them at a weapons master). Whatever you choose, good luck with your grind, and we'll see you next week. Glacier.
The Wyrmrest Accord
The Dragons at Wyrmrest are a veritable treasure trove for the beginning level 80 Death Knight tank. At honored, you can grab the Cloak of Peaceful Resolutions, and at revered you can get the Breastplate of the Solemn Council and the Sabatons of Draconic Vigor. All are pretty solid pieces that should last you until you can grab a proper heroic upgrade.
In addition, dual wielders might want to grab the Fang of Truth as an offhand weapon at honored. While it has no strength, it does have solid DPS stats otherwise, including a nice chunk of precious, precious hit rating. At exalted, you can get the Legplates of Bloody Reprisal for DPS, although the armor penetration somewhat hobbles them for Death Knight use. But hey, you're going to grind for the Red Drake anyway, so if you don't have anything better, why not?
The Argent Crusade
The Argent Crusade, despite skewing a bit too much toward armor penetration for my Death Knight tastes, still has some worthwhile rewards to grab. The Special Issue Legplates are quite solid for Death Knight tanks at honored, and at revered, you can grab the tank head enchantment, the Arcanum of the Stalwart Protector.
In the DPS arena, the Cloak of Holy Extermination's stats aren't really Death Knight focused -it has no strength, and it has armor penetration -but it will do in a pinch if you need a better DPS cloak and you're honored with the Crusade. At revered, you can pick up the Fang-Deflecting Faceguard, which has a lot of strength, but will be hobbled because of that armor penetration. Finally, also at revered, there's the Argent Skeleton Crusher, which is big, slow, and hard hitting, just the way a Death Knight likes it. The Strength and Stamina should make up for the Armor Penetration.
The Ebon Blade
Despite being the Death Knight faction, the Ebon Blade seems to have decided to mostly service the other classes in handing out their rewards. The honored tanking boots have shield block, for crying out loud.
The two melee weapons they offer at revered aren't really optimized for Death Knights either. The Runeblade of Demonstrable Power and the Reaper of Dark Souls both eschew strength for agility and attack power, and the Runeblade has haste, arguably the least useful melee DPS stat for a 2-handed wielding Death Knight. Still, the Reaper of Dark Souls is probably a pretty solid dual-wielding main hander anyway, and the Runeblade should still hit hard enough to make it a passable weapon if you don't have better.
Still, a couple pieces of loot may just make the rep grind worth it anyway. At revered, you'll get access to the Arcanum of Torment, the DPS head enchantment for Wrath. In addition, the Death-Inured Sabatons at Exalted are amazing Death Knight DPS boots, with strength and plenty of critical strike rating in abundance.
The Sons of Hodir
Unless you took up or plan to take up Inscription, you'll probably want to quest to exalted with these guys, as they're the shoulder enchantment faction for Wrath. At honored, you can get the Inscription of the Axe for DPS or the Inscription of the Pinnacle for tanking, and at exalted, the Greater Inscriptions of the Axe and the Pinnacle.
There's other worthwhile rewards as well. At revered, you can grab the Spaulders of the Giant Lords, which are some nice, straightforward strength and critical strike rating DPS shoulders, perfect for Death Knight DPS. The Stalactite Chopper is also a pretty solid choice for a dual wielded main hand, though it is marred by some armor penetration.
Kirin Tor
While the Mages of Dalaran have accepted Death Knights on their streets, they, unfortunately, don't seem to stock much for us in the way of awesome magical artifacts. Still, if you're a Death Knight tank and you have a bit of spare time, you might consider getting exalted anyway, as the Fireproven Gauntlets are pretty much tailor made for Death Knight tanking, with lots of strength and defense, as well as some dodge rating for making Bone Shield last a little a bit longer.

Tags: death knight, level 80, Wrath

Rogues are like butterflies

Reputations work a bit differently in Wrath, mainly due to the idea of championing. If you're looking for a detailed explanation, check out Alex's article on the topic, he gets into the nitty gritty of how it works. I'll be covering the specific pieces of gear that are of interest to Rogues: weapons and armor. The first two factions we'll explore are the Horde Expedition and Alliance Vanguard. Blizzard has thankfully revived the blood feud between the two main factions of Azeroth, even splitting Dalaran into sections for each. I hated the Scryer vs Aldor motif of TBC; it just didn't feel epic or like I was really a part of something greater than myself.Rogues are like butterflies. We soar between currents of air, our paths seemingly chaotic. We serve no master, no blood oaths to demons or fear of a higher power. We simply float our way through the world, focusing on preservation of self as the highest goal. Our path is truly our own.
Rogues are also like Joe The Plumber. We've got bills to pay, mats to farm, and drops to grind. While driving around Azeroth in your parent's Traveler's Tundra Mammoth with your disappearing act may seem attractive, life in WoW isn't that easy for a Rogue. In order to keep up with content, we're in constant need of new leather gear to keep us at the top of our game. We've got our dues to pay, and one word describes how "The Man" requires us to fulfill these obligations: Reputation. Read on to explore exactly what juicy pieces of rep gear await in Northrend.

Horde Expedition & Alliance Vanguard: OH Mace, Quick Dagger.

The Horde Expedition has 2 items of potential use for Rogues, and both are level 78 blue weapons. The Warsong Punisher and Warsong Shanker are both very strong weapons, although the Punisher looks to have been designed more for a tanking class. It's best suited for an off-hand to a Mace Rogue, of which there aren't too many after the changes to Mace Specialization. The Shanker, on the other hand, screams for us to do naughty things using it. With a quick 1.5 speed and all the right stats in all the right places, it compliments any spec as an off-hand, or can be used for a PvE Mutilate main-hand if you don't have anything quicker. The Alliance Vanguard's rewards mirror these, they're simply renamed: the Hammer of the Alliance Vanguard and the Vanguard Soldier's Dagger.
There are also several neutral factions that we can align ourselves with in Northrend. There's only one "faction choice" similar to the Scryer/Aldor factions in Shattrath: The Frenzyheart Tribe and their enemies, the Oracles.
Frenzyheart Tribe: Pants, Trinket, Throwing Weapon

The Frenzyheart Tribe is a group of Wolvar (think werewolf) that will allow you to join their fold through a series of quests. As far as reputation rewards go, these guys have their counterpart, the Oracles beat pretty badly, at least for Rogues. Not only do they have some awesome Azure Strappy Pants and a Frenzyheart Insignia of Fury, they also host the Stolen Vrykul Harpoon throwing weapon. I will be allying with the Frenzyheart's for this thrown weapon alone. Finally, a throwing weapon that doesn't look like we bought it off a level 1 vendor! Plus, they're werewolves. I think wolves and Rogues have a lot in common, but if that doesn't convince you, take a look at the Oracles.
The Oracles: Belt, Trinket.

First discovered by Mohinder Suresh, The Oracles are considered to be an evolutionary step-up from Murlocs; I imagine some people will align with them just to avoid being zerged by the sound of mrrrglglglrmgl while walking around Sholazar basin. Their trinket offering, the Oracle Talisman of Ablution is arguably the better trinket when compared to the Frenzyheart's. They've also got a fairly good belt option in the Glitterscale Wrap. But they have a wand instead of a throwing weapon, which is an instant turn-off.
Kalu'ak: Slow Dagger, Chest, Fishing Pole

Our next faction is the Kalu'ak tribe. They're a race of tuskarr (walruses) that are really good at hunting and fishing, and not so good at being sneaky. They've still got some great Rogue rewards though, starting with a lower-level leather chest made from whale skin. The Traditional Flensing Knife has one of my favorite weapon models (it looks like a fish hook), and is a good slow Mutilate dagger for PvP builds. Their final reward is a Mastercraft Kalu'ak Fishing Pole, which is not only awesome for catching fish; it also allows the user to breath underwater. Rogues had been excluded from the Hydrocane club due to its 2-hand requirement, and so now we will have our revenge!
We'll now be moving to the more "end game" factions that offer level 80 rewards as well as epic items.
Wyrmrest Accord: Epic Bracers, Quick Sword

The Wyrmrest Accord seems to be the faction of choice for tanks, with mostly plate and tanking rewards. They do offer the epic Dragonfriend Bracers which are fairly standard issue as far as stats go; and the Fang of Truth, which every Combat Sword Rogue will be after as soon as possible. It's top-tier as far as sword off-hands go in Northrend.
Knights of the Ebon Hold: Epic Chest, Slow Sword, Helm Enchant

After Arthas takes leave of Ebon Hold, the Knights of the Ebon Blade take over. They're the faction behind Death Knights, and if there's one thing that DKs know how to do, it's hit stuff hard. With the epic Darkheart Chestguard and its 4.5% armor penetration coupled with the Reaper of Dark Souls completing the main-hand Sword for your Combat set, you'll want to work on leveling your faction with them early. They also house our Arcanum of Torment, the helm enchant of choice for any Rogue.
Sons of Hodir: Slow Dagger, Shoulders, Shoulder Enchant

The Sons of Hodir complete our study of the factions, while also bringing the highest quality rewards. The reputation grind with them is similar to the Netherwing faction of TBC, but the rewards are definitely worth the effort. The best reputation PvP dagger is their Broken Stalactite, and I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of Assassination and Subtlety Rogues wielding these in the weeks to come. The Sons of Hodir not only offer the Greater Inscription of the Axe, our shoulder enchant; they even have a pair of decent blue shoulders for us to put the enchant on!
Argent Crusade: Cloak, Boots

The first of these factions is the Argent Crusade, who were formed by the merging of the Knights of the Silver Hand and the Argent Dawn. They're leading the fight against Arthas, and offer some of the best gear to aid in that conflict. They have a decent Cloak of Holy Extermination available, but their strongest offering are a pair of Boots of the Neverending Path. These are stacked with enough hit rating for 2% hit at level 80 and some awesome AP and agility to boot (zing!).
Kirin Tor: Quick Dagger, Pants

The Kirin Tor are unfortunately a caster faction, so don't expect any epic rewards from them. Their blue offerings are very, very sweet to make up for this inequality. Their Lightblade Rivener is an insanely good Mutilate dagger that's non-unique, so pick up two and get raiding – it only requires honored reputation! They've also got a pair of Mind-Expanding Leggings that offer enough Expertise Rating to reduce your chance to be dodged/parried by nearly 2%. That's a 4% increase in frontal DPS (2% parry AND 2% dodge reduction), which is great when soloing. It also helps avoid getting "parry gibbed" when a boss parries you, and helps against enemy players who have higher dodge/parry than your typical mob.

Tags: Wrath