Moonkin Consumables

Eggbert34 over on the Moonkin Repository asked a very good question. What are the best consumables to bring to raid? In this post I will look at the different types of consumables and which ones I recommend for a raiding moonkin.

Flasks and Elixirs:
[Flask of the Frost Worm] - 5 [Icethorn], 5 [Lichbloom], 1 [Frost Lotus] - For a progression raid there is no better consumable. It increases your DPS more then any combination of Elixirs and it persists through death. The mats may be expensive but it will save you money in the long run and help you kill the new boss quicker.

[Spellpower Elixir] - 1 [Goldclover], 1 [Tiger Lily] - If it is a farm night or you just don't have access to flasks then you may want to go with an elixir combination. This is the best battle elixir. It is even better then the [Elixir of Accuracy] even if your not hit capped. The reason is that the Spellpower Elixer gives you 58 spell power. The Elixir of Accuracy on the other had only gives you 45 hit rating. That means that for the hit elixir to be worth it Hit rating would have to be worth 30% more then spell power point for point. That is definitely possible at higher levels of gear, but you should already hit capped by then. If your not hit capped then chances are hit rating is not worth 30% more then spell power. These are the other relevant battle elixirs available if you can't get the Spell power Elixir for some reason: [Elixir of Deadly Strikes], [Elixir of Lightning Speed], [Guru's Elixir].

[Elixir of Mighty Thoughts] - 2 [Deadnettle], 1 [Talandra's Rose] - The guardian elixirs aren't so clear cut. However this is probably the best one for Moonkin DPS since intelligence is our best base stat. However, If your looking for more health or mana regen then one of the other elixirs may be more appropriate. These are the other guardian elixirs that are available: [Elixir of Mighty Fortitude], [Elixir of Mighty Mageblood], [Elixir of Spirit].

Food:
I want to say a quick thing about cooking. In my opinion it is important to have cooking leveled up on at least one player. In BC we could get a way with farming the meat and having a guildie cook it but that is going to get more difficult in WotLK. All of the best buffs require that you use northern spices in the recipe. There is currently only one way to farm get the Northern Spices and that is by doing the cooking daily quest. Doing this quest will give you some of the spice and give you a Dalaran Cooking Award that can be used to purchase the spice. Therefore, I recommend that if you don't have cooking leveled up to at least 400, I recommend you doing so soon.

[Tender Shoveltusk Steak] - 2 [Shoveltusk Flank], 1 [Northern Spice] - In BC meat farming was rediculously easy for DPS casters. There were tons of Basilisk right outside of shatt and I could get stack of meat in just 15 - 20 minutes. I WotLK it isn't quite as easy but I think casters still lucked out to some degree. The Shoveltusk Steaks will be the go to food of choice for most casters and the Shoveltusk flank is fairly easy to farm. To farm the meat I like to fly to Westguard Keep and then go down the western coast. Along the way you will find several packs of shoveltusks in groups of 5 or more. I generally run among the group and AoE them down quickly. It works out great. If your looking for a cheaper spell power meat you can go for [Shoveltusk Steak].

[Snapper Extreme] - 3 [Bonescale Snapper], 1 [Northern Spice] - If your significantly below the hit cap the using Hit food instead of spell power food might be a good idea. I will warn you that this stuff may be expensive on the AH since it requires fishing to get the meat. I do not know of any other hit food.

These are the only two foods I would recommend because they are the best by far. However, If you are looking to pick up a little more Crit, Haste, or Mp5 then food buffs is a good way to do. Do a search on wowhead to find the relevant recipes.

Potions:
The use of potions in raid has diminished greatly in raids due to potion sickness. However, it is very important to have a few potions on you in case there is a need.

[Runic Mana Potion] - 2 [Lichbloom], 1 [Goldclover] - I don't have many mana issues in 25 mans, but I think it is extremely important to have a stack of these on you. You never know when your going to have mana problems and being able to pop a mana pot really helps.

[Potion of Speed] - 2 [Adder's Tongue], 1 [Pygmy Oil] - If your looking for a boost to your DPS from a potion then this is your best choice most of the time. It is best for a couple of reasons. First, 500 haste is a lot better then 180 spell power and 60 crit. The comparison isn't even close. The second reason is that your casting speed is determined at the beginning of a cast, but your damage is calculated when the spell hits. So, if you have just 1 second left on your buff, you can cast another spell and get the 500 haste, but you wouldn't get the damage bonus of a [Potion of Wild Magic].

[Runic Healing Potion] - 2 [Icethorn], 1 [Goldclover] - To be honest I don't like using health pots in raid. I would rather save my pot for Mana or DPS since we have a lot of other ways to heal our selves. If you really need to heal yourself I would use a cookie or bandage first. At the very least you can pop out of moonkin form and heal your self.

Scrolls and Oils:
You shouldn't need either of these items. Oils will only work on weapons of level 70 or below, so they won't be needed. Scrolls don't stack with the stat buffs like Arcane Intellect, so you won't need scrolls unless you know your not going to have a buff for the night.

Happy Holidays:
I want to wish everyone Happy Holidays. For the next week I will be away and have limited Internet access so I won't be answering e-mails very promptly and probably won't post much if at all.