Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Review: Kaliban's Loot Lists

Written for The City Watch

The goal for many people in WoW once they reach the level cap of 70 is to experience the Endgame Raiding content that culminates with ridding the universe of the demon Illidan.

This is a long drawn out process that includes finding keys, going into lower level dungeons to find the armor and weapons that will allow you to survive the battles with the Bosses of dungeons, and finding up to 25 other people that are also on their way toward The Black Temple, Illidan's home. The full process can be seen on Blizzard's BC Attunement Chart.

Knowing what gear you need and where to get it can be rather daunting at times. There is a lot of it out there, in several different instance dungeons. Where does one start to gather the information needed? One site I have found very useful is Kaliban's Class Loot Lists.

Kaliban's site lists much of the critical loot in the game, and is being updated on a regular basis. Included in the lists are quest rewards, reputation rewards, world drops, crafted items, and Boss drops in both normal and heroic modes. There are even some strategy guides for the Boss fights.

I have found that the most helpful thing about Kaliban's Lists are that they are first divided by player class, then the lists are organized by player level. There are sections for both Old World loots and for the new Burning Crusade items. These lists are very simple to follow and are linked to WoWHead so you can compare the stats on the listed loots to your own gear in the Armory to see if the item is actually and upgrade.

Currently there is a gear planning function that is in its beta form. This function allows you select your class, what stats you are looking for, what your weapons set up is, and where the item comes from. For example you may want to enter if you are looking for a crafted item, a world drop, a reputation reward, or a rare item that drops when your group kills one of the instance bosses.

This function will come in particularly handy since it is possible to gear yourself for Karazahn with crafted items, reputation rewards, and action house items, as well as Boss drops. This is a huge time saver for those beginning to run the same few instances over and over.

Remember, as Heros our focus is on getting into the Black Temple to kill Illidan; it really isn't a race to see who can get the most loot. Kaliban's site will help you to know when to give up on farming for a particular piece of armor or weapon if there is a comparable item that is easier to get your hands on via reputation reward or Auction House Purchase.

If you choose to pursue the endgame content of WoW I highly recommend having Kaliban's Loot Lists bookmarked for easy reference. Knowing what loot you want, and where to get it will save you some time and help you get into the Endgame faster.

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