Closing the Gap: A Guide to Gearing up in 4.1

Many players have alts, but are they geared? And how about your main, have you started raiding yet? Well, if your answer to either question was no, you're in luck. 4.1 introduces some additions that make the game more friendly and the gear gap smaller, from additional BoAs to changing valor point gains in heroics. Most importantly, 4.1 brings about the revamped 5-player dungeons Zul'Gurub and Zul'Aman! The bosses from these dungeons drop ilvl 353 epic loot—potentially cutting out hours of farming heroics and doing dailies. But with so much new loot, what should you really keep an eye out for?

See how good the new loot is and also see what gear is easily obtainable before raiding right after the break!

This guide does not aim to provide a ideal set of ilvl 346-359 gear for each class and spec; rather it analyzes all the new ilvl 353 loot in the context of current options (epic BoEs, ilvl 346 heroic loot, Justice/Valor point rewards, reputation rewards) with brief nods to PvP and Archaeology. We've also included select loot from the entry t11 bosses in case you get lucky in a pug. We've organized each sub-section roughly by armor type and primary stat. Several classes and specs can benefit from each list differently, so use your own discretion and theorycrafting. The item with the highest ilvl is not necessarily best, but by listing everything, you can see what items are similar and potentially easier to acquire. Some slots are infamous for having hardly any options, such as wrists. Other slots, such as waists and chests, have an overflow of items.

Everyone treats their alts differently---some players buy every epic on the AH, others chain-run heroics, others do hardly anything at all--so we've set up item comparisons to help you navigate the options and ultimately decide which item is the most efficient for your playstyle and goals. Some reputation requirements are easy to reach, such as Guardians of Hyjal revered, if you've done a bit of questing. However, if your alt has leveled primarily through gathering professions and hates questing, you might look into finding well-itemized BoEs instead. If you're still struggling to find loot beyond these options, consider the rare-quality rewards from dungeon quests, lower ilvl BoEs, and ilvl 333 honored reputation rewards. Don't want some of the items featured on the item comparison? Simply remove them to compare what is best for your spec. Use the weight scale to further refine what is best for your class/spec.