Tanuviel’s Pre-Raid Cat DPS Gear List for the (almost) casual player

Inspired by a great bear tanking gear list compiled by Amanna, I wanted to share the pre-raid cat dps gear list I am working on for Tanuviel. I know Amanna is currently working on a similar list and it will be interesting to compare what we come up with in the end. I did my research mostly using the fantastic tool created by Emmerald, the Feral Gear List, and other general resources. Where possible I also highlighted what additional enhancements (enchants and/or gems) I have picked for the items. Hope it will useful for some of you.

Head

Helm of the Claw is my choice for this slot. It is a solid DPS piece and is pretty easy to obtain. It is a reward for The Warlord's Hideout , a quest that requires you to go into the Steam Vaults and slain the final boss.

This piece has 2 gems slots. In the yellow one I have already put an Inscribed Flame Spessarite. For the meta slot I will probably go with Swift Windfire Diamond. This gem can be obtained turning in Spirit Shards in Terokkar Forest, and it is cheaper than buying a crafted one.

Finally, I have already enchanted this piece with a Glyph of Ferocity, obtainable by the Cenarion vendor at Revered.

With all this, the Helm will give the feral fighter 237 Armor, +25 Agility, +3 Strenght, +21 Stamina, +4 Resilience Rating, +30 hit rating, +3 crit rating + 120 AP and a Minor Run Speed Increase. Not bad for just one piece.

Neck

My choice here is Natasha's Pack Collar. This is a very good feral piece obtainable by completing the chain that starts with Damaged Mask in Blade's Edge Mountains. The first steps of the chain can be soloed, but then you need at least a partner. I did the whole chain with a fellow druid and we were able to finish it with no major problems. One other reason you want to do this chain is that it gives you Cenarion reputation.

Shoulder

I went for Expedition Scout's Epaulets, a quest reward for Fel Embers, in Shattered Halls. I will put an Inscription of the Blade on it for a +13 crit rating, but I am still not honored with my friends, The Scryers.

Back

For this slot I really like Capacitus' Cloak of Calibration, a piece of gear with all 3 the main feral stats. It can be found in The Mechanar, from the Cache of the Legion that you can open after killing the 2 miniboss. Drop rate seems to be around 15%... Once I get this I will go with a Greater Agility enchant for a +12 Agi bonus on it.

Waiting for the drop, an alternative is the Nomad's Woven Cloak, a quest reward for an elite quest in Nagrand, Bring Me The Egg!. I did this quest at 70 and with flying form the only hard part is the final elite fight.

Chest

I bought a Chestguard of the Talon from the AH. For around 50g you can get a very good feral piece. I actually use this also for tanking 5 men instances. I still need to enchant it, and will go for an Exceptional Stats enchant. This is not a really cheap enchant, but +6 to all stats is a good enhancement for the feral fighter.

Wrists

I have Spymistress's Wristguards for this slot. It is a quest reward from a short chain in Shadow Lab. As you will probably do this instance anyways for Kara attunement you might as well do this quest and get the piece. I put Enchant Bracer – Brawn and Don Amancio's Heart in the gem slot. In cat form this piece only gives me +68 AP.

I also really like Ferocious Bands, a green reward for Escape from the Staging Grounds a quest in Netherstorm. It is probably one of the best feral piece for the slot. I did this quest and it is easily soloable at 70.

Hands

The piece that I like the most is Gloves of the Unbound, a drop from Wrath-Scryer Soccothrates in the Alcatraz. Drop rate is around 19%. Here you can put gems such as Don Amancio's Heart and boost AP significantly.

I was also very lucky in my very first The Black Morass run, and a pair of Handgrips of Assassination dropped. I am currently using this for dps, enhanced by Enchant Gloves - Major Strength.

Before the drop, I did buy and use a pair of Fel Leather Gloves.

Waist

Socrethar's Girdle seems one of the best dps item for the slot. It is the end of a quest chain that starts from Manaforge B'naar and then move to Kick Them While They're Down and finally you get the item after completing Turning Point. I will go after this soon.

I also like Kirin'Var Scout's Belt, a green reward for another chain quest in Netherstorm.

Legs

The best dps piece for this slot is definetly Clefthoof Hide Leggings. This is a quest reward for a chain quest in Blade's Edge Mountains. For the final 2 steps of the quest line you will need a group. I did this with a rogue, a mage and a priest with me tanking, all level 70. We did not have any problem completing it. If you are serious about cat dps this is a must have piece.

Once I got them, I looked for a leatherworker and bought a Cobrahide Leg Armor. Be prepared, this is not a cheap enhancement. I spent 120g for it. But the + 40 AP and the + 10 Crit rating make a difference.

Feet

For this slot I bought a pair of Fel Leather Boots and I am using them right now with basic gems. I really want to test these in instances as the lack of Stamina is a concern for me. Even if you are dpsing, in many boss encounters you will need HP and this piece does not help much. For solo grinding is great.

As an alternative more instancing oriented I like The Master's Treads, a BoE item that I should look for in the AH. I am sure it is not going to be cheap, but it looks like a solid alternative.

If you want to try and go Hellfire Ramparts, Heroic there is also Silent-Strider Kneeboots, a drop from Omor the Unscarred.

My enchantment of choice for this slot is Enchant Boots – Dexterity.

Rings

One of the best feral dps ring is Overseer's Signet. The problem with this is that it is only available to Aldor faction, so unfortunately I can’t have it.

A solid alternative is Acrobat's Mark of the Sha'tar, quest reward for a chain in Shadowmoon. The quest line starts from a drop, The Journal of Val'zareq dropped by Val'zareq the Conqueror. I have not done this quest yet so I can’t really give any particular suggestion on this one.

If you are aiming for an epic piece, A'dal's Command is for you. It provides a great combination of feral stats. The only problem is that you need to be Exalted with The Sha’tar, and that is a pretty long journey I am afraid.

Another good dps piece to go after is Slayer's Mark of the Redemption, a quest reward from a chain starting with The Path of Conquest, in Shadowmoon valley.

Finally, there is also a green quest reward to be considered while working on better gear, Protectorate Assassin's Ring. The quest starts from a drop, the Vial of Void Horror Ooze, from an elite mob Congealed Void Horror in Netherstorm.

Trinkets

One of the best dps in the game is currently Hourglass of the Unraveller. This is a 17% drop from Temporus in The Black Morass. I did a few run of this instance for Kara attunement, but I was not lucky enough. I will probably have another chance while helping guildies in the attunement process.

I do have Bladefist's Breadth, a reward from the quest Overlord in Hellfire, and Abacus of Violent Odds, a 13.5% drop from Pathaleon the Calculator, the final boss in The Mechanar.

My objective thought is Alchemist's Stone, one of the best trinket for any feral fighter.

Feral Weapon

A very good feral dps weapon is Dreamer's Dragonstaff. This beauty drops with 14.9% from Thorngrin the Tender in The Botanica. I will definetly go after this soon.

In the meantime, I am currently working on the final step of the chain quest that starts from The Ethereum in Netherstorm. I am at the final step and I just need a team to complete it. The reward is Fleshling Simulation Staff, great dps weapon in my opinion, especially for instancing dps.

Wildcaller is another great quest reward weapon that I will probably go after. The quest chain is in Shadowmoon and it starts from Karabor Training Grounds. Once this chain is completed, there are 3 follow ups: Against All Odds, Against the Illidari, and Against the Legion. Once you have completed those, you can go on with Illidan's Pupil. Then you will be sent to The Shadow Lab to kill Blackheart the Inciter and retrive The Book of Fel Names. Finally you will have to assemble a team for the very last piece of the chain, Varedis Must Be Stopped. A lot of work, but the reward is outstanding.

For a pure dps feral weapon I will go with Enchant 2H Weapon – Savagery. This will give you +70 AP. Enchant 2H Weapon - Major Agility is another option, but it is more expensive and I would put this on a tanking weapon instead, such as Earthwarden.

Idol

The all-purpose feral idol of choice is Idol of the Wild. If you don’t have this one yet you have to go get it. It is a reward from a early quest in Hellfire, Colossal Menace. This is probably the idol you will keep equipped most of the time.

For specialized dps actions you might also want to consider the following ones.

The Idol of Feral Shadows will add damage to your Rip ability. This is really very situational as you will probably use Rip only during boss fight in instances and raids. This idol drops with 17.6% prob from Zereketh the Unbound, the void boss in the Alcatraz.

The Idol of Savagery will add damage to your Claw and Rake abilities. Like most feral druids, I basically retired Claw as with the same energy cost I can use Mangle. I use Rake quite a bit thought both for quick combo point building and bleeding damage. To get this idol you need to do some World PvP action in order to obtain Mark of Honor Hold.

Final Comments

I really hope this list will help someone else in the gearing process for higher end content. I am aware that the items mentioned in here might not necessary be the absolute best you can get, but are definetly a great starting point for the casual player. I also wanted to give some indication about enanchements for your gear as they play a big role in optimizing results. Your feedback and comments are more than welcome.