1. Gear Up! The 550 Challenge
Hangout

2. Overview
• Item Level
• Getting Gear
• Average Item Level
• The Challenge

3. Item Level
• Each item in the game is assigned an item
level
• They higher the number the better the gear

4. Getting Gear
• Gear can be obtained in several ways
– Random World Drops
– Dungeon Drops
– Raid Drops
– Justice Points
– Valor Points

5. Getting Gear
• Random World Drops
– Varying Quality (Blue or Purple Gear)
– Is exactly as it sounds, it’s random

6. Getting Gear
• Dungeon Drops
– Typically next best gear (Blue quality)
– Use the Dungeon Journal feature in game to see
what gear drops from each boss and it’s item level
– Several modes:
• Normal, Heroic, and Challenge (lvl 90 only)

7. Getting Gear
• Raid Drops
– Best gear in the game (Purple Gear)
– Only exist at the max levels of each WoW
Expansion
•
•
•
•
•
Lvl 60 – Classic Wow
Lvl 70 – Burning Crusades
Lvl 80 – Lich King
Lvl 85 – Cataclysm
Lvl 90 – Mists of Pandaria

8. Getting Gear
• Raid Drops
– Several levels of difficulty
– Difficulty affects item level of drops
• Harder the difficulty the higher the item level

9. Getting Gear
– Specific Vendors in game
– Earned by completing
• Higher level dungeons
• Downing bosses in Heroic Dungeons and Raids
• Scenarios (normal and heroic)

10. Getting Gear
– Specific Vendors in game
– Earned by completing max level
•
•
•
•
Heroic Dungeons
Looking for Raids (LFR)
Heroic Scenarios
Dailies & Weekly Quests

11. Getting Gear
• Valor Points
– Can also be used to upgrade pieces that have an item
level of 476 or more
– Can upgrade each piece twice
– Each upgrade increases the item level by 4 levels (max
8 levels)
– Costs 250 VP for each upgrade

12. Average Item Level
• The average item level of all 16 gear slots
– 2 hand weapons count as 2 slots.

13. 1
7
2
8
3
9
4
10
5
11
12
13
15
6
16
14

14. Slots
Slot #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Items
Helm
Neck
Shoulder
Cloak
Chest
Wrist
Gloves
Waist
Slot #
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Items
Legs
Feet
Ring 1
Ring 2
Trinket 1
Trinket 2
Main Hand
Off hand

15. Average Item Level
• Shown as two numbers on your character
sheet : Equipped / In bags

16. The 550 Challenge
• Select a level 90 character from Inevitable
Betrayal
• Based on their current item level, devise a
strategy on what they need to do to get to a
550 average item level
• Post your strategy in the Item Level 550
Challenge Forum

17. The 550 Challenge
• Hints:
– Use the Dungeon Journal Feature in game to
determine what gear will drop from each Mist of
Pandaria Dungeon and Raid.
– Remember the VP upgrades as they can get you
an additional 8 item levels on any piece above 476

18. Google Hangouts
Saturdays @ 10am MT
• Rise of the Mathmancers – Dec 21st

19. Questions / Discussion