Update to the Gear Lists

Thank You for all the great comments and error corrections. I've think I've fixed all of the ones I've noticed and all of the ones you guys pointed out. The table is now sorted correctly and I don't think there are any Heroic versions ranked lower then the Normal versions. There are a couple of things I want to address though.

Part 1 & Part 2

1. Two New Columns: I didn't want to do it but I felt I had to. I added two new columns. The Blue column represents the items value if your below 400 haste rating. The Green column represents the items value if your below 400 haste and minus the Hit rating.
   
   I did this because I didn't want people to undervalue an item because it has haste on it. Haste is still an important stat, and you need to try and get really close to 400 Haste rating.



2. Horde Names: I originally intended to include the Horde Names in the list, but I couldn't think of a good way to do it that wouldn't grow the list dramatically. If I included them in the list as their own items it would have been confusing for some and make the list a lot longer. If I added the names to the relevant records, it grows the record quite a bit and forces the table to scroll. Ultimately I didn't like the way it looked so I scrapped it.
   
   I realize this is a little inconvenient for the Horde Moonkin out there and I apologize. I just think it is the best solution since most of the names are very similar between the horde and alliance items. I realize there are a few exceptions but I think we can work around it.
   
   
3. Links: Not all of the new links work yet because the items are not in WoWhead yet. Once the rest of the ToC bosses start dying those links will start to work.



4. Best in Slot: I did start a best in slot list. I've indicated my choices by putting an asterisk (*) next to the name. I hope to include the comments shortly.

A Look at Hard Modes

I've been thinking a lot about hard modes lately. At a macro level I love the concept. I agree that all players should be able to see the content with a reasonable amount of effort. At the same time I think there needs to be very challenging encounters that keep the more "hard core" players interested in the game. So, as a concept I love it, but there are times when the implementation has been lacking. In this post I want to talk about my two key issues with hard modes, and what I think makes a good hard mode.

(Some of this post may come off as elitist, but I don't intend it to be. I have written this post from my view point of a relatively hardcore raider. I don't think anything I am going to say is offensive, but if you take offense I apologize.)

Issue #1 - Easy Normal Mode:

To say that normal mode Trial of the Crusader has been a disappointment would be an understatement. In my opinion it is the most under tuned instance I have ever played.

Some of you may be thinking: "Wait. This is normal mode. It isn't intended to be hard." I disagree. In my opinion Normal Mode should not equal Easy Mode. Just because the Hard Mode is meant to be more challenging doesn't mean that the Normal mode shouldn't present some challenge as well.

I know some of you disagree on this point, but there has been nothing challenging about ToC. Here is what my experience has been so far: Northrend Beasts = 0ne shot, Lord Jaraxxus = one shot, Faction Champions = two shot, Twin Val'kyr = one shot. When I talk to my friends in other guilds, they say they have had a similar experience and not all of them are very progressed.

I don't think any of these fights should be guild killers on normal mode, but they should take a couple of attempts to figure out. I know one guild that hasn't had any issues with ToC but can't get Yogg Normal Mode down. If this is what the Ardent Crusade is using to test players for the assault on Icecrown Citadel then Arthis is a wimp or we are in a lot of trouble.

Issue #2 - Static Hard Modes:

In my opinion, increasing the Health and Damage on a Normal Mode does not make for good Hard Mode. Hard Modes should be different, and have more going for them than just increased stats.

Hodir is the perfect example of a bad Hard Mode in my opinion. What separates Hodir Normal from Hodir Hard? Nothing! Hard Mode brings absolutely nothing to the fight. He has all the same abilities and buffs. He has the same Health. He has the same damage out put. The only thing different is that you have to DPS a lot harder.

I'm not saying Hodir Hard Mode is a cake walk, but if you know how to do normal mode you pretty much know how to Hard Mode. Doing the Hard Mode is just doing the Normal Mode better, and that is no fun.

Another Hard Mode that I find disappointing is oddly enough Yogg. I'm not saying it is a easy fight because it's not, but compare Yogg +4 to Yogg +1. They are pretty much the same fight. You have to worry about your Sanity more, and you don't' have Hodir to save your butt if you do something stupid, but Yogg doesn't gain any abilities. There is nothing extra to the fight other then you have less health, do less damage and the tentacles have shorter cast times. If you've seen Yogg on normal mode you've pretty much seen it on hard mode to. Hard Mode is just doing Normal Mode better.

Good Hard Modes:

Good Hard Modes add something to the fight that wasn't there before. Most Hard Modes have something new in some degree. Flame Leviathan has new abilities based upon which towers you leave up. XT has the life sparks and the void zones. Iron Council has new abilities with each mob you kill, but the best of the best are Mimiron and Freya.

In my opinion these hard modes are so well designed that they almost don't resemble the Normal Mode of the fight. Having to deal with Ground Tremor, Unstable Energy and Iron Roots makes Freya so much more difficult that you can't fight the add pacts the way you did in the Normal Mode. You have to worry about getting interrupted and getting rooted near the Snaplasher.

Mimiron is a whole nother story. It is regularly regarded as the best fight in Ulduar for both hard mode and normal mode and I have to agree. What is so good about the hard mode is that it completely changes the fight. When my guild does normal mode we assign different groups to different areas. There is a lot of things to worry about, but as long as you spread out and pay attention then you don't have many issues. In Hard Mode the fires completely throw that out the window. First you have to worry about the fires completely engulfing your section and not giving you a good place to stand. Then you have to worry about the fire suppressant that can silence and kill you. While Mimiron Normal Mode gives you a little preparation for the Hard Mode version, it isn't much. That is what makes it a great hard mode.

The ToC Raiding Gear List: Part 1 (Alliance)

Update: This list has been updated to account for my revaluation of haste rating.
Update2: Made some changes to my BiS selections because Vaenor on Moonrunner pointed out a better way to pickup the Spell Hit I needed.
Update3: 10/15/09 The list has been updated for the Onyxia Loot.

Edit: This is the Alliance version of the list. If you would like the Horde version please click here.

My Gear lists are some of the most popular posts on my blog. I get very frequent requests to up date it, but real life concerns and the availablity of information often prevent me from getting it out quickly.

These posts aren't completely done because I haven't had a chance to make comments or come up with a BiS list, but I want to get it out there for you guys to start sifting through it.

Part 2 can be found here.

Special Thanks:
This updated list would not be posted as early as it is if it weren't for the help of Cowtarus on Stormscale-US. He did all of the data entry for the ToC instances saving me a lot of time and sanity. So if you appreciate the existance of this list please send him a fruit basket or something.

I should also thank Chris C. He came to me several months ago and offered to look up all of the locations for the gear on the gear list. He did quite a lot of work and sent me locations for about half the list. He said he was working on the other half but I didn't hear from him again. Since Cowtarus included locations in his list, I desided to include Chris C's as well eventhough it is incomplete. Edit: Chris C. actually sent me the rest of the locations recently, so they should all be there now.

Format Changes:
As you can tell, this list is starting to get excedingly long. My goal is to give you useful information but not to crit you with a wall of text. With that goal in mind I've made some changes and executive decisions.

1. Purges: I dropped some items from the list. The basic goal was to drop items that were clearly healing focused and not very useful to a moonkin of that level. So I came up with some rule to try and eliminate some records. For example, if it had Mp5 I don't include it on the list because it sucks for moonkin. If Spell Power was the only DPS stat on the item I dropped it. That sort of thing.



2. Set Bonuses: There used to be two columns on the end that tried to include the value of set bonuses. Well, I needed the space, and desided that the two extra stats didn't add much value. If you're really researching your gear you know which set bonuses are better then others.

A few comments:

1. These rankings are purely based upon DPS. Yes, Stam and Mp5 have value, but there is no way to directly translate them into DPS. By the same token Intelligence and Spirit have both mana and DPS benefits, but only the DPS is considered.



2. The use of this list require's some thought. It is a general ranking intended to to give you an ideal on how items realate to each other. It is up to you to manage your Hit and Haste caps. Do not take every number one item on the list. Also realize that these values are an estimate. Two items with a similar value, can be assumed to be equal.

Assumptions:

1. To rank these items I used the following weights Hit Rating - 1.8213, Spell Power - 1, Haste Rating - 0.8159, Crit Rating - 0.7824. These weights assume a high level of Ulduar Gear. It also assumes your are at or above the Haste Cap. If your below the haste cap, haste will be more valueable to you.



2. I assume that all socket bonus will be met using Eqic quality gems. This is how I socket each gem: Meta = [Chaotic Skyflare Diamond], Red = [Runed Cardinal Ruby], Yellow = [Potent Ametrine], Blue = [Purified Dreadstone]. Yes, ignoring socket bonus will improve some of the items. However, the shifts would be small and it's easier manage this way.

Ranking Legend:
Black - DPS stat ranking
Red - DPS stat ranking minus Hit rating

Legs:

Leggings of the Deepening Void	Anubarak 25 - H	504.1	332.9
Malfurion's Trousers of Triumph - H	1 RotGV	467.5	281.7
Leggings of the Deepening Void	Anubarak 25	441	291.7
Leggings of the Enslaved Idol	Freya25 H	417	289.5
Malfurion's Trousers of Triumph	75 EoT + 1 ToC	416.3	252.4
*Legwraps of the Awakening	Anubarak 25 - H	409.6	409.6
Leggings of the Wanton Spellcaster	Malygos25	372.8	223.5
Malfurion's Trousers of Conquest	50 EoT	372.2	226.5
Overload Legwraps	Iron Council25 H	368.6	221
Leggings of the Soothing Touch	Jaraxxus 25 - H	362.9	362.9
Conqueror's Nightsong Trousers	Freya25	359.3	251.8
Legwraps of the Awakening	Anubarak 25	358.8	358.8
Valorous Nightsong Trousers	Hodir10	334.2	235.9
Leggings of the Demonic Messenger	Jaraxxus 10 - H	316.7	316.7
Leggings of the Soothing Touch	Jaraxxus 25	310.5	310.5
Leggings of Atrophy	Anub'Rekhan25	300.5	209.4
Legwraps of the Defeated Dragon	Sapphiron25	289.7	187.7
Leggings of Profound Darkness	Vezax10 H	284.5	284.5
Zodiac Leggings	Algalon10	281.1	281.1
Leggings of the Snowy Bramble	Champion's Cache - H	270.4	270.4
Wildstrider Legguards	Emblem of Conquest	267.7	267.7
Leggings of the Demonic Messenger	Jaraxxus 10	265.8	265.8
Legwraps of the Master Conjurer	Emblem of Conquest	265.6	265.6
Leggings of the Lifetender	Freya25	262.2	262.2
Leggings of Mortal Arrogance	Kel'Thuzad25	261.3	261.3
Valorous Dreamwalker trousers	Thaddius25	245	234.1
Legguards of the Boneyard	Sapphiron25	242.6	242.6
Leggings of the Unstable Discharge	Thorim10	229.7	229.7
Distorted Limbs	Maexxna25	221	221
Heroes' Dreamwalker Trousers	Thaddius10	219	208.1
Leggings of the Instructor	Razuvious10	214.4	214.4
Leggings of the Haggard Apprentice	Confessor's Cache	213.8	213.8
Legguards of Composure	Sartharion10 H	211.9	211.9
Leggings of the Winged Serpent	Tharon'ja5 H	205.3	205.3
Woven Bracae Leggings	Loken5 H	202.5	202.5
Windripper Leggings	Crafted	200.8	200.8

You could make a very good arguement for Leggins of the Deepening Void or the Tier piece. They are both very good items, but the Leggings of the Awakening provide you with more flexiblity.

Head:

*Malfurion's Cover of Triumph - H	1 RotGV	597.4	426.2
Malfurion's Cover of Triumph	75 EoT + 1 ToC	540.8	391.5
Hood of Fiery Aftermath	75 EoT	530.8	396
Malfurion's Cover of Conquest	50 EoT	492.3	361.1
Stormrage Crown	Onyxia25	474.9	474.9
Gaze of the Unknown	Black Knight - H	470.7	352.3
Collar of the Wyrmhunter	Razorscale25	453.9	361
Conqueror's Nightsong Cover	Thorim25	437.1	327.9
Cowl of Icy Breaths	Hodir10	436.7	312.8
Stormrage Antlers	Onyxia10	435.2	435.2
Valorous Dreamwalker Cover	Kel'Thuzad25	427	350.5
Helm of Abundant Growth	75 EoT	421.5	421.5
Stormrage Cover	Onyxia25	419.4	419.4
Helm of the Snowy Grotto	Twin Valkyrs 10 - H	415.4	415.4
Helm of Clouded Sight	75 EoT	415.4	415.4
Valorous Nightsong Cover	Mimiron10	414.3	314.1
Crown of Luminescence	Mimiron25 H	400.7	400.7
Stormrage Hood	Onyxia10	385.9	385.9
Helm of the Snowy Grotto	Twin Valkyrs 10	382.1	382.1
Headpiece of Reconciliation	Sartharion25 H	377.7	377.7
Heroes' Dreamwalker Cover	Kel'Thuzad10	376.5	310.9
Unwavering Stare	Auriaya25	373.7	373.7
Cover of the Keepers	Auriaya10	367.1	367.1
Gothik's Cowl	Gothik25	363.2	363.2
Cowl of Vanity	Grobbulus25	362.7	362.7
Lifespark Visage	Flame Leviathan10	351	351
Cowl of the Absolute	Auriaya25	346	189.4
Gaze of the Somber Keeper	Confessor's Cache	330.4	330.4
Cowl of Winged Fear	Sapphiron10	312.5	312.5
Noth's Curse	Noth10	312.5	312.5
Faerlina's madness	Faerlina25	279.3	173.7
Cowl of the Perished	Maexxna25	219.1	219.1

This is an easy choice since Tier pieces hold 3 of the 4 top spots in my ranking. It's a great source of hit. Plus, since the T8 helm has hit on it this is an easy way to transition to Tier 9 with out messing up your caps to much.

Shoulders:

Mantle of Catastrophic Emanation	45 EoT	333.5	211.5
Shoulderpads of the Glacial Wilds	Northrend Beasts 10 - H	268	268
*Malfurion's Mantle of Triumph - H	1 RotGV	262.8	262.8
Soot-Covered Mantle	Ignis25	248.1	153.4
Shoulderpads of the Glacial Wilds	Northrend Beasts 10	238	238
Valorous Dreamwalker Mantle	Loatheb25	234.6	170.8
Shoulders of the Fateful Accord	45 EoT	234	234
Malfurion's Mantle of Triumph	45 EoT + 1 ToC	234	234
Pauldrons of Revered Mortality	45 EoT	231.5	231.5
Shoulderpads of Dormant Energies	Flame Leviathan25 H	228.4	228.4
Amice of Inconceivable Horror	Yogg-Saron10 H	227.6	227.6
Mantle of the Corrupted	Gluth25	222.4	155
Mantle of Gnarled Overgrowth	Eadric's Cache	211.8	131.7
Malfurion's Mantle of Conquest	30 EoT	209.5	209.5
Heroes Dreamwalker Mantle	Loatheb10	204.7	151.9
Mantle of the Fatigued Sage	Grobbulus25	203.8	140
Malleable Steelweave Mantle	Mimiron25	198.9	198.9
Conqueror's Nightsong Mantle	Yogg-Saron25	196.8	196.8
Mantle of the Eternal Sentinel	Sartharion25	187.8	187.8
Mantle of the Unknowing	Vezax25	187.3	187.3
Mantle of Dissemination	Malygos25	186.6	186.6
Underworld Mantle	Vezax10	185.8	185.8
Valorous Nightsong Mantle	Thorim10	183.7	183.7
Spaulders of Catatonia	Malygos25	182.9	182.9
Shoulderguards of Assimilation	Mimiron10	174.7	174.7
Mantle of the Preserver	Auriaya10	174	174
Iceshear Mantle	Ulduar10	172.6	172.6
Mantle of Shattered Kinship	Maexxna25	167.6	167.6
Mantle of Inconsolable Fear	Black Knight	166.2	166.2
Miasma Mantle	Grobbulus10	146.3	146.3
Spaulders of the Monstrosity	Maexxna10	143.9	143.9

Once again it is a Tier slot and that makes the choice easy.

Chest:

Skyweaver Robes	Twin Valkyrs 25 - H	499	342.4
Vestments of the Sleepless	Anubarak 10 - H	454.6	279.8
Skyweaver Robes	Twin Valkyrs 25	440.6	291.2
*Malfurion's Vestments of Triumph - H	1 RotGV	403.3	403.3
Vestments of the Sleepless	Anubarak 10	395.9	239.2
Flowing Vestments of Ascent	Northrend Beasts 25 - H	367.4	367.4
Merlin's Robe	Pattern from 25man	365.4	365.4
Vestments of the Shattered Fellowship	Faction Champs 25 - H	363.6	363.6
Malfurion's Vestments of Triumph	75 EoT + 1 ToC	358.8	358.8
Raiments of the Corrupted	Auriaya10	351.2	205.5
Gown of the Spell-Weaver	Malygos10	331.1	199.9
Lunar Eclipse Chestguard	Pattern from 25man	325.8	325.8
Flowing Vestments of Ascent	Northrend Beasts 25	322.6	322.6
Royal Moonshroud Robe	Pattern from 25man	322.2	322.2
Malfurion's Vestments of Conquest	50 EoT	320.4	320.4
Vestments of the Shattered Fellowship	Faction Champs 25	318.1	318.1
Vestments of the Blind Denizen	Vezax25 H	309.3	309.3
Heigan's Putrid Vestments	Heigan25	303.6	214.3
Robes of the Umbral Brute	Kologarn25	290.8	290.8
Conqueror's Nightsong Vestments	Hodir25	279.3	279.3
Valorous Dreamwalkers Vestments	Gluth25	268.4	268.4
Raiments of the Iron Council	Iron Council25	267.7	267.7
Ebonweave Robe	Crafted	265.3	141.4
Gown of Blaumeux		262.9	181
Phaelia's Vestments of the Sprouting Seed	Iron Council25	262.4	262.4
Valorous Nightsong Vestments	Yogg-Saron10	260.6	260.6
Embrace of Madness	Black Knight - H	258.6	258.6
Vest of the Glowing Crecent	XT-002 Deconstructor10	255.9	255.9
The Sanctum's Flowing Vestments	Sartharion25 H	244.8	244.8
Heroes' Dreamwalker Vestments	Four Horsemen10	238.7	238.7
Robes of Mutation	Noth25	232.1	232.1
Vesments of the Piercing Light	Vezax10	231.2	231.2
Digested Silken Robes	Maexxna25	227.7	227.7
Spellweave Robe	Crafted	222.3	222.3
Tunic of Pregudice	Faerlina25	221	221
Fungi Stained Coverings	Loatheb10	205.9	205.9

This is another good spot to transition to T9 from T8. There is a big stat improvement from t8 to T9 and it won't mess up your cap balancing. Plus, if you exclude Hit Rating from the valuation then the Tier 9 chest is the most highly rated.

Hands:

Gloves of Looming Shadow	Twin Valkyrs 10 - H	332.5	239.6
Pulsar Gloves	Algalon10	304.8	202.8
Gloves of the Lifeless Touch	Anubarak 25 - H	303.5	303.5
Gloves of Looming Shadow	Twin Valkyrs 10	297.4	217.2
Pharos Gloves	Algalon25	274.1	274.1
*Malfurion's Gloves of Triumph - H	1 RotGV	272.1	272.1
Gloves of the Lifeless Touch	Anubarak 25	261.7	261.7
Conqueror's Nightsong Gloves	Mimiron25	256.5	152.7
Handwraps of the Vigilent	Vezax25 H	247.5	247.5
Malfurion's Gloves of Triumph	45 EoT + 1 ToC	243	243
Static Sharge Handwraps	Mimiron10	237.3	128
Valorous Nightsong Gloves	Freya10	236.9	142.2
Gloves of the Frozen Glade	Hodir25 H	224.3	224.3
Malfurion's Gloves of Conquest	30 EoT	218.3	218.3
Gloves of Grandeur	Sapphiron25	214.2	145
Handguards of Potent Cures	Flame Leviathan10 H	203	203
Gloves of Dismal Fortune	Eadric's Cache - H	201	201
Ebonweave Gloves	Crafted	196.9	104
Handwraps of Plentiful Recovery	Kologarn25	188.9	188.9
Constructor's Handwraps	Flame Leviathan25	187.6	187.6
Touch of the Occult	Emblem of Conquest	184.7	184.7
Grips of the Secret Grove	Emblem of Conquest	183.1	183.1
Handwraps of Resonance	Thorim10	182	182
Gloves of the Fallen Wizard	Noth25	178.9	133.3
Valorous Dreamwalker Gloves	Sartharion25	177.6	177.6
Gloves of the Dark Gestures	Anub'Rekhan10	176	130.4
Gloves of the Dancing Bear	Heigan25	174.1	174.1
Gloves of Token Respect	Faerlina25	164.2	164.2
Spellweave Gloves	Crafted	162.8	162.8
Heroes' Dreamwalker Gloves	Sartharion10	159.5	159.5
Gloves of Glistening Runes	Keristrasza5 H	158	158
Handwraps of Surrendered Hope	Black Knight	157.9	157.9
Contagion gloves	Patchwerk10	148.2	148.2

I think this is the best place to break tier set. Your basically trading Spirit for Crit Rating which is a very good trade.

Wrists:

*Bindings of Dark Essence	Twin Valkyrs 25 - H	265.3	187
Felspark Bindings	Jaraxxus 10 - H	232.5	172.4
Bindings of Dark Essence	Twin Valkyrs 25	227.3	158.1
Felspark Bindings	Jaraxxus 10	205.2	139.7
Bracers of the Autumn Willow	Jaraxxus 25 - H	200.9	200.9
Bejeweled Wizard's Bracers	Pattern from 25man	197.8	197.8
Armbands of the Ashen Saint	Anubarak 25 - H	197.1	197.1
Bracers of Unleashed Magic	Kologarn25	192.7	127.1
Moonshadow Armguards	Pattern from 25man	178.2	178.2
Grips of Chaos	Ulduar25	175.1	109.5
Royal Moonshroud Bracers	Pattern from 25man	173.8	173.8
Armbands of the Ashen Saint	Anubarak 25	170.3	170.3
Bracers of the Autumn Willow	Jaraxxus 25	170.3	170.3
Grasps of Reason	Flame Leviathan25 H	168.6	168.6
Bindings of the Expansive Mind	Razuvious25	165.2	114.2
Combustion Bracers	Flame Leviathan10	159.8	101.6
Bindings of the Wicked	Champion's Cache	159.1	99
Unsullied Cuffs	Sartharion25	149	149
Wraps of the Astral Traveler	Emblem of Valor	147.2	96.2
Preceptor's Bindings	Heigan10	146.1	86
Shackles of the Odalisque	Razorscale25	140.5	140.5
Esteemed Bindings	Razuvious25	137.8	137.8
Bracers of the Broodmother	Razorscale25	137.7	137.7
Bands of Impurity	Noth25	135.3	135.3
Bindings of the Depths	Vezax10	135	135
Runetouch Handwraps	Iron Council10	131.9	131.9
Punctilious Bindings	Faerlina25	126.9	126.9
Swarm Bindings	Anub'Rekhan25	126.4	126.4
Azure Cloth Bindings	Cyanigosa5 H	112.9	112.9
Cuffs of Winged Levitation	Eregos5 H	112.2	112.2
Plauge-Infected Bracers	Mal'Ganis5 H	112.1	112.1

I go with the Bindings of the Dark Essence here to meet the hit cap. They area great source of hit rating in a reasonable amount. That said, you may also want to take a look at the Bejewled Wiszard's Bracers. They are an awesome set of crafted bracers that are almost perfectly itemized. On top of that your guild should have no problem with you using them since they are crafted cloth rather then dropped cloth.

Belt:

*Cord of Biting Cold	Faction Champs 25 - H	357.3	251.7
Icehowl Cinch	Northrend Beasts 10 - H	339.9	228.8
Cord of Biting Cold	Faction Champs 25	317.9	225
Icehowl Cinch	Northrend Beasts 10	297.6	193.8
Cord of Pale Thorns	Twin Valkyrs 25 - H	273.5	273.5
Sash of Ancient Power	Crafted H	270.8	192.5
Cord of the Tenebrous Mist	Northrend Beasts 25 - H	269	269
Belt of the Darkspeaker	Vezax25	254.6	152.6
Cord of Pale Thorns	Twin Valkyrs 25	236	236
Cincture of Polarity	Thaddius25	232.9	154.6
Belt of the Winter Solstice	Jaraxxus 10 - H	232.3	232.3
Cord of the Tenebrous Mist	Northrend Beasts 25	231.5	231.5
Star-beaded Clutch	Algalon25	231.1	231.1
Cinch of the Undying	Anubarak 10 - H	230.3	230.3
Starwatcher's Binding	Algalon25	225.2	225.2
Belt of the Churning Blaze	Eadric's Cache	218.1	127.1
Plush Sash of Guzbah	Emblem of Heroism	210.8	143.4
Cord of the White Dawn	Crafted H	209.9	209.9
Belt of the Winter Solstice	Jaraxxus 10	205.9	205.9
Cinch of the Undying	Anubarak 10	205.5	205.5
Belt of Arctic Life	Crafted H	205.2	205.2
Girdle of Bane	Ymiron5 H	198.1	110.6
Leash of Heedless Magic	Malygos25	194.3	194.3
Belt of the Crystal Tree	Iron Council10 H	190.1	190.1
Belt of the Living Thicket	Emblem of Conquest	189.1	189.1
Embrace of the Leviathan	Flame Leviathan25	186.3	186.3
Flamewrought Cinch	Ignis25	186.2	186.2
Belt of the Sleeper	Ulduar25	185.7	185.7
Belt of the Dragon Matriarck	Razorscale10	173.9	173.9
Shackled Cinch	Gothik25	169	169
Conductive Cord	XT-002 Deconstructor10	167.3	167.3
Belt of False Dignity	Faerlina25	163.5	163.5
Belt of Potent Chanting	Noth25	163.5	163.5
Vine Belt of the Woodland Dryad	Emblem of Heroism	154.1	154.1
The Confessor's Binding	Confessor's Cache	153.6	153.6
Sash of Blood Removal	Gal'darah5 H	151.7	151.7
Binding of the Tranquil Glade	Champion's Cache	151.5	151.5
Sash of the Servant	Anub'arak5 H	147.4	147.4
Sash of Mortal Desire	Faerlina10	147.2	147.2
Agonal Sash	Anub'Rekhan10	144.4	144.4
Girdle of Lenience	Razuvious10	144.2	144.2
Belt of Dark Mending	Ebon Blade rep H	142.3	142.3
Ghostflicker Waistband	Kirin-Tor Rep H	134.3	134.3

Cord of Pale Thorns is an awesome leather belt. As such this is one of the rare times where I will tell you not to roll on cloth. The Cord of the Tenebrous Mist has almost identical stats, but it is cloth. Since both are relatively easy to get and very similar, it would be better for you to pass the cloth belt to the clothies and foster some goodwill for the future.

Boots:

Footpads of the Icy Floe	Anubarak 25 - H	365.8	256.6
Footpads of the Icy Floe	Anubarak 25	323	215.5
Sandals of the Silver Magus	Faction Champs 10 - H	322.1	236.5
Boots of the Mourning Widow	Faction Champs 25 - H	285.6	285.6
*Boots of the Unrelenting Storm	Northrend Beasts 25 - H	275.5	275.5
Sandals of the Silver Magus	Faction Champs 10	274.1	201.3
Sandals of Rash Temperament	XT-002 Deconstructor25	271.2	167.4
Boots of the Crackling Flame	Black Knight - H	247.7	176.7
Boots of Fiery Resolution	Flame Leviathan25 H	245.6	245.6
Treads of the False Oracle	Yogg-Saron25 H	244.7	244.7
Boots of the Unrelenting Storm	Northrend Beasts 25	237.6	237.6
Boots of the Grieving Soul	Twin Valkyrs 10 - H	235.4	235.4
Boots of the Mourning Widow	Faction Champs 25	231.5	231.5
Barkhide Treads	Eadric's Cache - H	228.2	166.3
Boots of Impetuous Ideals	Loatheb25	223.6	156.2
Starlight Treads	Algalon10	217.5	217.5
Spellslinger's Slippers	Crafted H	212	212
Xintor's Expeditionary Boots	Emblem of Valor	208.1	129.8
Boots of Wintery Endurance	Crafted H	206.6	206.6
Savior's Slippers	Crafted H	201.4	201.4
Boots of the Grieving Soul	Twin Valkyrs 10	200.4	200.4
Boots of the Servant	Freya25	200	200
Footsteps of Malygos	Malygos10	189.1	189.1
Boots of Hasty Revival	XT-002 Deconstructor25	188	188
Sandals of the Ancient Keeper	Auriaya25	184.4	184.4
Treads of the Dragon Council	Yogg-Saron10	176.6	176.6
Boots of the Excaped Captive	Naxx25	173.1	173.1
Boots of Persuasion	Patchwerk25	167.3	167.3
Boots of Septic Wounds	Patchwerk25	164.4	164.4
Sandals of Crimson Fury	Wyrmrest Accord rep H	156.1	156.1
Windripper Boots	Crafted	148.3	148.3
Sullen Cloth Boots	Patchwerk10	146.8	146.8
Saltarello Shoes	Heigan10	141.9	141.9

Again I pick a leather boot over a cloth boot and this time the cloth boot is actually a little better mathimatically. I do so for a couple of reasons. First the values of the two boots are so close that it is hard to say which one is actually better. They are roughly equal. Second, the leather boots are a little easier to obtain since they drop off an easier boss. Finally, this is another good opportunity to foster a little good will with the clothies at little expense to yourself.

Notes:
Ok, that is all of the primary armor evaluated. My next post will be out early next week and list all of the Jewelry and weapons.

Once again, as you can see there are a lot of links and values in this post. It is quite possible that I messed some of them up. If you find an incorrect link or a valuation just doesn't look right, please let me know so that I can correct it.