Revised Emblem of Frost pick order

I originally wrote a list two months ago when ICC first opened up that, I can now say, was pretty much worthless. At the time we didn’t understand the potency of armor to the degree we do now, nor the overall poorness of our various set bonuses (I mean the hints we there, but now it’s confirmed). Below I have revised my list and (per the suggestion of Honors and Ricardo) split it into a 10man and 25man list.

Saying the list is split, though, is a bit misleading. Because the offset +armor gear is so amazing (it’s BiS for 10man raiders, and generally BiS for non-heroic 25man raiders), both groups will want to prioritize snatching up those four pieces first. So, the list is less “split” and more diverges at one point.

Sidenote re: the Corroded Skeleton Key – I feel for this trap too, the “zomg so much stam!” feelings overtook me and I splurged 60 badges on this trinket. Generally it’s a good trinket, but there are better things you can buy with the 60 badges. If you already have Juggernauts Vitality/Satrina’s Impending Scarab, you should skip this trinket.

This is the order I wish I went in (and yes, this applies to both 10man and 25man raiders, these pieces are that good):

The near-BiS “freebies”

1. Cataclysmic Chestguard (95) — getting this will by itself cover the expertise softcap for you, and give you the peace of mind needed to maybe stop using that lesser iLevel +expertise item because you’re worried about threat
2. Gauntlets of the Kraken (60)
3. Verdigris Chain Belt (60)
4. Sentinel’s Winter Cloak (50)

Alright, so at this point we have our Chest, Hands, Waist, and Back slots covered. We still need Head, Shoulders, Legs, etc.

From here the list splits

Because the shoulders that drop in ICC-10 have hit rating, go for:

5.10. Lightsworn Shoulderguards (60)
6.10. Lightsworn Faceguard (95)

And because ICC-25 has some decent offset shoulders, go for:

5.25. Lightsworn Faceguard (95)
6.25 Lightsworn Shoulderguards (60) — this is assuming you have no yet picked up the Boneguard Commander’s Pauldrons by now

Then, the two lists merge again

7. Corroded Skeleton Key (60) — I’d made this 8th on the list, but gathering Primordial Saronites is going to take a while and you’ll be better served in the short term grabbing this. The choice is up to you though, if you skip this trinket and jump ahead to #8 I will not begrudge your decision.
8. Start buying Primordial Saronite (23 per, 181 EoFs total) to get the Pillars of Might made
9. Libram of the Eternal Tower — I guess.

t10 buffs try hard, still don’t cross finish line

Zarhym hit the tank forums to give a sneak peak at the updated iLevel 251 tier 10 gloves and chest piece. While the effort they put into making the two pieces more attractive are appreciated, they don’t quite do the job. In terms of an all around survivability set you’ll still want the offset pieces. Let’s look at everything more indepth.

(Sidenote: I’m extrapolating what the armor on the 264 versions of the t10 gloves/chest will look like based on the updated 251 versions. Making an educated guess on my part for the purposes of a cleaner comparison between two 264 items.)

SANCTIFIED LIGHTSWORN CHESTGUARD
~3750 Armor
+162 Strength
+219 Stamina
Red Socket
Blue Socket
Socket Bonus: +9 Stamina
Item Level 264
Equip: Increases your dodge rating by 69 (1.75% @ L80).
Equip: Increases your parry rating by 85 (1.73% @ L80).

vs.

CATACLYSMIC CHESTGUARD
3817 Armor
+123 Strength
+207 Stamina
Yellow Socket
Blue Socket
Red Socket
Socket Bonus: +12 Stamina
Requires Level 80
Item Level 264
Equip: Increases defense rating by 108 (21.96 @ L80).
Equip: Increases your expertise rating by 82 (10 @ L80).

So, for the chest slot we’re looking at the offset have potentially 18 more stamina, around 70 more armor and exactly how much expertise you’d need to be softcapped on top of your talents. Whereas, the tier chest has itemization wasted on strength but more avoidance–though a severe defense deficit, which, coupled with the Pillars of Might, might be an issue. It seems in this case, the Cataclysmic Chestguard is a better all around piece as well as more EH.

SANCTIFIED LIGHTSWORN HANDGUARDS
~2550 Armor
+92 Strength
+169 Stamina
Yellow Socket
Socket Bonus: +6 Stamina
Item Level 264
Equip: Increases defense rating by 80 (16.27 @ L80).
Equip: Improves hit rating by 61 (1.86% @ L80).

vs.

GAUNTLETS OF THE KRAKEN
2658 Armor
+120 Strength
+157 Stamina
Red Socket
Yellow Socket
Socket Bonus: +9 Stamina
Item Level 264

Equip: Increases defense rating by 63.
Equip: Increases your parry rating by 48

With gloves the offset piece will net you 18 more stamina potentially, along with around 100 more armor, 28 more strength, and more avoidance. The trade off being the tier gloves have more threat benefit from the hit rating, which you might find to be a precious commodity on ICC gear.

Utimately, the offset pieces were considered before a higher priority because they had better survivability stats. While the tier pieces were improved, that old conclusion still stands. I would recommend getting the Cataclysmic Chestguard and Gauntlets of the Kraken first if you’re looking to improve your effective health, time-to-live, etc. The tier pieces though do hold merit as part of a threat, farm, or avoidance set, but unfortunately those sets tend to take a back seat until the point of comfortable survival has been achieved.

TL;DR: The tier pieces aren’t as bad as they used to be, but they’re still not better than the offsets.