Most people know how badges work, and if you didn’t here’s a quick “readers digest” version on what they are and what they’re used for.
Ever since the release of the Burning Crusade, level 70s have been able to run heroic instances in Outlands (if of course they’re revered or higher with the instance’s faction.) In these heroic instances 5 level 70 players are given the opportunity to try their skills for upgraded armor and badges. Every boss in heroic instances drops only level 70 gear (the final boss dropping one epic item and a primal nether) and Badges of Justice, which are used to purchase epic items (and a primal nether for 10 badges) from an NPC in Shattrath’s Terrace of Light named G’eras.
Outlands gear at 70 is *nice*, but pretty much pales to the drops from Karazhan. Also, it’s not easy to get enough badges required to get all of the items you could use from G’eras when all you would get was 3 badges in all heroic instances except for heroic Mechanar (in which case you got 5).
Now though, Blizzard has made it easier to get that epic gear that G’eras has to offer by allowing badges to drop from all bosses in Karazhan and the newly opened Zul’Aman (some bosses drop more than one badge that can be picked up by every player in the raid). But wait! That’s not all! Blizzard also introduced new badge loot that rivals and at times beats out gear from Karazhan and Zul’Aman. Now that raiders can get badges from these two 10-mans it won’t be unheard of for each player to receive 20+ badges per week, without stepping a foot into a heroic instance at all. With this new way to receive loads of badges Blizzard decided to give the new gear a very high price tag compared to the previous epics. The cheapest items (which are Librams, Idols and Totems) are 20 badges and the gear gets more and more expensive capping out at 75 badges for the best items.
Although most raiders benefited from badge system thus far, Blizzard didn’t forget to help the non-raiders out as well. Remember those heroic instances? Well, with Patch 2.3’s release it became possible for players to run heroics with only an honored reputation for that particular faction. All in all it’s a win-win for raiders and non-raiders alike. I know for non-raiders the easiest way to get epics is battlegrounds (Season 1 arena gear can now be purchased with honor points!) and arena teams, but especially for players such as Moonkin druids (who aren’t usually considered for raids) this new badge system benefits them the most (a lot of the new leather gear for example is balance druid gear). Either way, if you raid or if you enjoy the freedom to actually go out weekend nights, Patch 2.3 has something for you.
A tank is uncrittable when they’ve reached 490 defense. This is because raid bosses and some elite raid mobs are level 73 and in order for a mob to have the minimum chance to crit a tank (which is 5%), the tank needs to have a defense equal to that of the mob’s level (which turns out to be 365 defense). Now that the tank has an equal level of defense as the mob does crit chance, the tank needs to get rid of that 5% chance all together. Every 25 defense reduces the chance to hit and crit and increases the chance to dodge, parry or block by 1%. So, in order to add 5% to your dodge, parry or block, you need 125 additional defense. This puts the tank at 490 defense (365 + 125 = 490). So, 490 defense makes you uncrittable by level 73 mobs.
Hope this helps wowpanda.
I’m a casual, newly minted 70, and I’ve noticed it’s harder to get into normal 70 dungeons because everyone is trying to run heroics. Most of the groups I join eventually just convince the PL to make the run heroic and we never get further than the first or second boss.
I still need my key frag from Shattered Halls DAMMIT!
Key frag from Shattered Halls? You mean Steam Vaults??? That’s where the 2nd key frag for the Karazhan Master Key quest is. It’s in the water just before the first boss, not hard at all to get. Then again, if everyone’s doing heroics… maybe it is.
I will agree with the under undergeared portion thats why if I feel I am undergeared I will tell people. Now I have never run a heroic but I know I am undergeared, so don’t expect to see me in heroics anytime soon.
A note on uncrittable for druid tanks:
Feral Druids have a talent that reduces the percent chance of being hit, or critically hit by 3 %, meaning they don’t need as high of a defense. Defense rating for Druid Tank to be uncrittable is 420.
Defense rating also adds to total mitigation as well. (not sure on the numbers however). So don’t stop at 490 (or 420) and assume your ok. a tank with defense rating over uncrittable dodges more attacks.
Mitigation > Soaking damage any day of the week.
Thanks for that comment Coloquialist. Totally forgot to mention my fellow druids. That’s a common misunderstanding that, as a guild leader, I get all of the time. I’ve had warriors claim that they have better gear and stats than feral druids just because the numbers are higher. They don’t realize that the two classes are different and need to be calculated differently.
“I have 480 defense and the OT druid tank only has 465.” Drives me nuts. Our MT (who is a warrior) has over 510 defense (had more at one point, upwards of 560 but it was a bit unnecessary, so we had him take a lot of him gems and throw them into stamina. He’s sitting at 17K with only a few buffs) and all I ever see as a healer is “dodge, dodge, dodge, parry, dodge, block, block, parry, dodge…).
Ever since this new patch, running a heroic instance as a more than casual player is nothing short of a nightmare.
I won’t even bother grouping with someone I do not know now. I have run several instances in hopes of getting the pvp cloak and a few other things since 2.3, and ill tell you its a nightmare. I swear 80% of the people i end up with must either be 5 years old or so incompetent they should go back to pac-man.
Before 2.3, the ratio of good to bad players was much better. Now it’s just awful, and completing a heroic instance with people you don’t know is a waste of time, and money on repairs. Yeah, blizzard has made the game better for casual players, but for the hardcore ones its a disaster lately, between this and all the non raidable loot that is nearly equal to that of those who spent all the time figuring out the high end raids.
Thanks for stopping by Athodor, but are you suggesting that in one week the ratio of good players to bad players at level 70 has drastically shifted?
I could see this being a problem in 6 months or in the lower level instances around level 20-30 where people started playing cob-webbed alts that they suck at, but at level 70?
You do have a valid point P
I guess I feel into this page at a bad time too. I have been trying to grind badges since 2.3 whereas before I didn’t feel any need to. In the last week I have had nothing but bad experiences putting groups together unless I can get all players that I know. Countless wipes due to really stupid things, slow paces and bad dps to name a few — it’s just that I have been playing for a long time and been with some high end guilds, and I expect things to run smoothly wherever I go.
Before 2.3, I got away from pickup groups for some time after I geared myself out. I must have forgotten that it always will be the same generally speaking. It just kills me when It takes 2 hours to complete heroic mech and 35g in repairs (I wear all epics).
It’s not that I think the ratio of good to bad has shifted, I just think you have more bad players coming out of the woodwork and getting into instances they are undergeared and unprepared for.
Or perhaps they are super rusty because they have just re-instated their accounts, such as Tobold… hmmm