The Healadin's Ulduar Best-in-slot Guide

(UPDATED: INCLUDES MAIL GEAR)

I've come to rely on Siha's best-in-slot guide for Tier 7.5 content and I absolutely loved it, and loved being able to refer others to it if not just myself. I've looked around and I haven't seen anything else remotely like it, nor have I seen any "best-in-slot" type of guides for Ulduar, so I wanted to try and fill that void.

The caveat to this guide is that not all loot tables off bosses are completely revealed, nor am I 100% certain that I've seen everything that has been revealed. This is all of the loot to the best extent of my knowledge and if I'm missing anything or I've mistaken anything, PLEASE let me know.

I've included cloaks/rings with spirit and hit despite the wasted itemization points for reference purposes. That said, I've effectively ignored spirit and hit for ranking purposes. Additionally, there are two general approaches for gearing a Holy Paladin (I've covered this in previous posts). I personally subscribe to a haste-oriented approach over an MP5 approach (I let my higher intellect/crit do my regen work for me) and as a result, I weigh MP5 fairly low, relative to most other stats.

3.1 Holy Paladin Gear

Head:
1) Conqueror's Aegis Headpiece (SP, Crit, Haste) - 25-Man Thorim, Tier 8.5 (ilvl 226)
2) Ancient Iron Heaume (SP, Crit, Haste) - 25-Man Iron Council (ilvl 226)
3a) Helm of Veiled Energies (SP, Crit, Haste) - 10-Man Flame Leviathan (ilvl 219)
3b) Valorous Aegis Headpiece (SP, Crit, Haste) - 10-Man Mimiron, Tier 8.0 (ilvl 219)
5) Steamworker's Goggles (SP, Crit, MP5) - 25-Man Flame Leviathan (ilvl 226)
6) Faceguard of the Eyeless Horror (SP, Crit, MP5) - 10-Man Yogg-Saron (ilvl 219)

The #1 and #2 slots are pretty clear cut. The Helm of Veiled Energies is close to the Valorous Aegis Headpiece. Obviously, if you need the set bonus, take the T8.0 helm. The Tier 7 best-in-slot helm was the Faceguard of the Succumbed. If that were ranked in the Ulduar gear, it'd fall between the #3's and #5.

Neck:
1) Pendant of the Shallow Grave (SP, Crit, Haste) - 10-Man Thorim, Hard (ilvl 226)
2) Charm of Meticulous Timing (SP, Haste, MP5) 25-Man XT-002, Hard (ilvl 239)
3) Unblinking Eye (SP, Crit, Spirit) 25-Man Iron Council (ilvl 226)
4) Frozen Tear of Elune (SP, Crit, MP5) - 19 x Emblems of Conquest (ilvl 226)
5) Freya's Choker of Warding (SP, Haste, MP5) - 25-Man Flame Leviathan (ilvl 226)
6) Sapphire Amulet of Renewal (SP, Haste, Spirit) - 25-Man Iron Council, Hard (ilvl 239)
7) Evoker's Charm (SP, Haste, Spirit) – 19 x Emblems of Conquest (ilvl 226)
8) Pendant of Endless Despair (SP, Crit, MP5) - 10-Man Vezax (ilvl 219)
9) Watchful Eye (SP, Haste, Spirit) 10-Man Iron Council, Hard (ilvl 226)

The Tier 7 best-in-slot neckpiece was the Life-Binder's Locket. If that were ranked in the Ulduar gear, it'd fall between #5 and #6.

Have to add when available on wowhead:
Pendant of the Somber Witness (SP, Crit, MP5) - 10-Man Algalon (ilvl 226)

Shoulders:
1) Conqueror's Aegis Spaulders (SP, Crit, Haste) - 25-Man Yogg-Saron, Tier 8.5 (ilvl 226)
2) Valorous Aegis Spaulders (SP, Crit, Haste) - 10-Man Thorim, Tier 8.0 (ilvl 219)
3) Pauldrons of the Combatant (SP, Haste, MP5) - 25-Man Thorim, Hard (ilvl 239)
4) Pauldrons of Tempered Will (SP, Crit, Haste) - 10-Man Ignis (ilvl 219)
5) Razorscale Shoulderguards (SP, Haste, MP5) - 25-Man Razorscale (ilvl 226)
6) Amice of the Stoic Watch (SP, Crit, MP5) - 25-Man Auriaya (ilvl 226)

The Tier 8 itemization on the shoulders is absolutely fantastic! All the stats we want, and none of the ones we don't (ugh, MP5). The Tier 7 best-in-slot shoulders was the Valorous Redemption Spaulders. It's really inferior to all of the shoulders available in Ulduar, save for maybe Amice of the Stoic Watch.

Back:
1) Drape of the Sullen Goddess (SP, Crit, MP5) - 25-Man Freya, Hard (ilvl 239)
2) Drape of Mortal Downfall (SP, Hit, Crit) - 25-Man Iron Council, Hard (ilvl 239)
3) Drape of the Spellweaver (SP, Crit, Haste) - 10-Man Trash (ilvl 219)
4) Asimov's Drape (SP, Crit, Spirit) - 25-Man Mimiron (ilvl 226)
5) Shroud of Alteration (SP, Haste, MP5) - 25-Man Trash (ilvl 226)
6) Shawl of Haunted Memories (SP, Crit, Spirit) - 25-Man Yogg-Saron (ilvl 226)
7) Shawl of the Caretaker (SP, Haste, MP5) - 10-Man Unknown (ilvl 219)
8) Cloak of the Dormant Blaze (SP, Crit, MP5) - 10-Man Trash (ilvl 219)

The cloaks in Ulduar aren't impressive, to say the least. If the Tier 7 best-in-slot cloak, the Pennant Cloak, were to be ranked on this list, it'd be right up top with Drape of the Sullen Goddess in the best-in-slot position, probably as a 1a. Sadly enough, a *hit* cloak is our #2 best-in-slot piece from Ulduar. Not everyone had access to the Pennant Cloak, so for argument's sake, the 2nd best-in-slot cloak from Tier 7 was the Shroud of Luminosity. I'd slot that in just below Drape of Mortal Downfall. Even the 10-man Tier 7 best-in-slot of Cloak of the Dying beats out some of these cloaks (probably around #5-6). Since this is an Ulduar gear list, we'll have to take what we can get.

Have to add when available on wowhead:
Sunglimmer Cloak (SP, Haste, Spirit) - 25-Man Algalon Quest Reward (ilvl 239)
Sunglimmer Drape (SP, Haste, Spirit) - 10-Man Algalon Quest Reward (ilvl 226)

Chest:
1) Breastplate of the Devoted (SP, Crit, Haste) - 25-Man XT-002, Hard (ilvl 226)
2) Chestguard of the Fallen God (SP, Crit, Haste) - 25-Man Yogg-Saron (ilvl 226)
2) Breastplate of the Stoneshaper (SP, Crit, Haste) - 10-Man XT-002, Hard (ilvl 226)
3) Firestrider Chestguard (SP, Crit, Haste) - 10-Man Flame Leviathan (ilvl 219)
4) Quartz-studded Harness (SP, Haste, MP5) - 25-Man XT-002 (ilvl 226)
5) Conqueror's Aegis Tunic (SP, Crit, MP5) - 25-Man Hodir, Tier 8.5 (ilvl 226)
6) Lifeforge Breastplate (SP, Crit, MP5) - 25-Man Ignis (ilvl 226)
7) Breastplate of the Afterlife (SP, MP5) - 10-Man Razorscale (ilvl 219)
8) Valorous Aegis Tunic (SP, Crit, MP5) - 10-Man Yogg-Saron, Tier 8.0 (ilvl 219)

Breastplate of the Devoted is by FAR the best-in-slot chest piece. I haven't done an analysis on which of the five Tier 8 pieces to exclude for the 4-piece bonus, but I have a sneaking suspicion it's going to be the chest piece. In fact, the itemization for the Tier 8 pieces are so poor that all of the available mail gear is superior. The Tier 7 best-in-slot chest piece was the Chestplate of the Great Aspects. If that were ranked in the Ulduar gear, it'd fall between #3 and #4.

Bracers:
1) Bindings of the Winter Gale (SP, Crit, Haste) 25-Man Hodir, Hard (ilvl 239)
2) Wristguards of the Firetender (SP, Crit, MP5) 25-Man Ignis (ilvl 226)
3) Armbraces of the Vibrant Flame (SP, Crit, MP5) 10-Man Ignis (ilvl 219)
4) Horologist's Wristguards (SP, Crit, MP5) 25-Man XT-002 (ilvl 226)
5) Armbands of the Construct (SP, Crit, MP5) - 10-Man XT-002 (ilvl 219)
6) Unfaltering Armguards (SP, Haste, MP5) - 25-Man Kologarn (ilvl 226)
7) Bracers of Righteous Reformation (SP, Haste, MP5) - 10-Man Ignis (ilvl 219)

Sadly, all of the plate Ulduar bracers have been itemized with MP5. Only one piece of mail spell power gear is NOT itemized with MP5, and guess what? Yep, it's our best-in-slot bracers. While we're on the subject of mail bracers, all 3 mail bracers that drop in Ulduar are superior to the plate bracers that drop in Ulduar. :( The Bracers of Liberation (our best-in-slot from Tier 7) come out at around #3 or #4.

Gloves:
1) Gauntlets of the Thunder God (SP, Crit, Haste) - 10-Man Thorim, Hard (ilvl 226)
2) Gloves of Whispering Winds (SP, Crit, Haste) - 10-Man Freya, Hard (ilvl 226)
3) Runeshaper's Gloves (SP, Crit, Haste) - 25-Man Iron Council (ilvl 226)
4) Gloves of the Pythonic Guardian (SP, Crit, MP5) - 25-Man Kologarn (ilvl 226)
5) Gauntlets of Serene Blessing (SP, Haste, MP5) - 28 x Emblems of Conquest (ilvl 226)
6) Conqueror's Aegis Gloves (SP, Haste, MP5) - 25-Man Mimiron, Tier 8.5 (ilvl 226)
7) Gloves of Augury (SP, Crit, MP5) - 28 x Emblems of Conquest (ilvl 226)
8) Valorous Aegis Gloves (SP, Haste, MP5) - 10-Man Freya, Tier 8.0 (ilvl 219)

The Gauntlets of the Thunder God are the clear #1 best-in-slot *plate* piece by a mile. They are however somewhat comparable to Gloves of Whispering Winds, though still inferior, but not by much. The Tier 7 best-in-slot gloves was the Valorous Redemption Gloves. If that were ranked in the Ulduar gear, you could make an argument that it should fall between #6 and #8, but I think that in actuality, it's inferior to all of the Ulduar gloves that are available (which is a nice change over some other slots).

Waist:
1) Belt of the Fallen Wyrm (SP, Crit, Haste) - 25-Man Razorscale (ilvl 226)
2a) Belt of Clinging Hope (SP, Haste, MP5) - 25-Man Ignis (ilvl 226)
2b) Windchill Binding (SP, Haste, MP5) - 28 x Emblems of Conquest (ilvl 226)
2c) Girdle of Unyielding Trust (SP, Crit, MP5) - 28 x Emblems of Conquest (ilvl 226)
5) Plate Girdle of Righteousness (SP, Haste, MP5) - BoE Blacksmithing Pattern (ilvl 226)
6) Cable of the Metrognome (SP, Haste, MP5) - 10-Man Mimiron (ilvl 219)
7) Belt of the Iron Servant (SP, Haste, MP5) - 10-Man Iron Council (ilvl 219)
8) Blue Belt of Chaos - BoE Leatherworking Pattern (ilvl 226)

The Belt of the Fallen Wyrm is EASILY our best-in-slot. The Tier 7 best-in-slot belt was the Waistguard of Divine Grace, and it falls short of the Belt of the Fallen Wyrm but still comes out ahead of the rest of the Ulduar waists (though not by far).

Legs:
1) Conqueror's Aegis Greaves (SP, Haste, MP5) - 25-Man Freya, Tier 8.5 (ilvl 226)
2) Frostplate Greaves (SP, Crit, MP5) - 25-Man Hodir (ilvl 226)
3) Legs of the Tortured Earth (SP, Haste, MP5) - 25-Man Trash (ilvl 226)
4) Valorous Aegis Greaves (SP, Haste, MP5) - 10-Man Hodir, Tier 8.0 (ilvl 219)
5) Legplates of Flourishing Resolve (SP, Crit, MP5) - 10-Man Freya (ilvl 219)
6) Legguards of the Peaceful Covenant (SP, Haste, MP5) - 39 x Emblems of Conquest (ilvl 226)
7) Leggings of the Stoneweaver (SP, Crit, MP5) - 25-Man Kologarn (ilvl 226)
8) Leggings of the Weary Mystic (SP, Haste, MP5) - 39 x Emblems of Conquest (ilvl 226)
9) Ironscale Leggings (SP, Haste, MP5) - 10-Man Razorscale (ilvl 219)

The legs have been by far the most difficult to "rank". The first thing that I've noticed is that every single piece is itemized with MP5 :(. There's a lot of tradeoffs of haste for crit, not to mention socket (too many ugly blue ones at that). You could reasonably make a case for several pieces for the #1 slot, and even within the middle of the pack, there's quite a bit of leeway. Given the small discrepancy between the Conqueror's Aegis Greaves and the non-tier legs, I'd probably take the Conqueror's Aegis Greaves over the rest. The Tier 7 best-in-slot legs was the Valorous Redemption Greaves. If that were ranked in the Ulduar gear, it'd *still* compete for best-in-slot given its superior itemization.

Feet:
1) Greaves of the Rockmender (SP, Crit, MP5) - 25-Man Auriaya (ilvl 226)
2) Treads of Destiny (SP, Haste, MP5) - BoE Blacksmithing Pattern (ilvl 226)
3) Lightning Grounded Boots (SP, Crit, MP5) - BoE Leatherworking Pattern (ilvl 226)
4) Boots of the Forgotten Depths (SP, Haste, MP5) - 25-Man General Vezax (ilvl 226)
5) Greaves of the Earthbinder (SP, Crit, MP5) - 10-Man Kologarn (ilvl 219)
6) Sabatons of the Iron Watcher (SP, Crit, MP5) - 10-Man Kologarn (ilvl 219)

Yet another slot where MP5 reigns over all. There's a lot of tradeoffs here as far as crit and haste so go with what suits your playstyle/needs. The Poignant Sabatons (best-in-slot T7) are easily competitive with the top Ulduar options, and they're BoE which means you can probably *still* get them off the AH.

Rings:
1) Pyrelight Circle (SP, Haste, Crit) - 25-Man Ignis (ilvl 226)
2) Inscribed Signet of the Kirin Tor (SP, Crit, Haste) - Lower Ring + 1000g (ilvl 213)
3) Fire Orchid Signet (SP, Haste, MP5) - 10-Man Freya, Hard (ilvl 226)
4a) Radiant Seal (SP, Haste, MP5) - 25-Man Iron Council (ilvl 226)
4b) Ring of the Faithful Servant (SP, Crit, MP5) - 25-Man Auriaya (ilvl 226)
6) Glowing Ring of Reclamation (SP, Crit, Spirit) - 25-Man Flame Leviathan (ilvl 226)
7) Sanity's Bond (SP, Haste, MP5) - 25-Man Yogg-Saron (ilvl 226)
8) Lady Maye's Sapphire Ring (SP, Haste, Spirit) - 10-Man Iron Council (ilvl 219)
9) Inscribed Loop of the Kirin Tor (SP, MP5, Spirit) - Lower Ring + 1000g (ilvl 213)

To be honest, I think that the comparisons between the rings are fairly straightforward and I doubt there will be much debate over this. That said, the best-in-slot ring from Tier 7 was the Signet of Manifested Pain, and that remains best-in-slot, just ahead of the best Ulduar #1. Just as a point of reference, the #2 in slot from Tier 7 (Seized Beauty) is pretty comparable to #6 above and I'd rank it right about there. Just as a note, all the hit rings are inferior to the above, save maybe the Inscribed Loop of the Kirin Tor.

Have to add when available on wowhead:
Starshine Circle (SP, Haste, MP5) - 25-Man Algalon Quest Reward (ilvl 239)
Starshine Signet (SP, Haste, MP5) - 10-Man Algalon Quest Reward (ilvl 226)

Trinkets:
1) Pandora's Plea (Int/SP) - 25-Man Mimiron (ilvl 226)
2) Eye of the Broodmother (Crit/SP) 10-Man Razorscale (ilvl 219)
3) Scale of Fates (SP/Haste) - 25-Man Thorim (ilvl 226)
4) Sif's Remembrance (SP/MP5) - 10-Man Thorim, Hard (ilvl 226)
5) Spark of Hope (Spirit/SP Reduct) - 10-Man Unknown (ilvl 219)
6) Energy Siphon (MP5/SP) - 10-Man Flame Leviathan (ilvl 219)

It's relatively safe to label Pandora's Plea as a clear cut winner but beyond that: TBD. Trinkets by their very nature are quite difficult to weigh (ie. do I need more spell power for throughput? Regen for longevity? Something in between? etc.).

Weapons:
1) Val'anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings (Legendary 1H Mace - SP, Crit, Haste) - 25-Man Quest (ilvl 239)
2) Constellus (1H Mace - SP, Crit, MP5) - 25-Man Hodir, Hard (ilvl 239)
3) Aesuga, Hand of the Ardent Champion (1H Mace - SP, Crit, Haste) - 10-Man Vezax, Hard (ilvl 226)
4a) Guiding Star (1H Mace - SP, Haste, MP5) - 25-Man Razorscale (ilvl 232)
4b) Runescribed Blade (1H Sword - SP, Crit, Spirit) - 25-Man Auriaya (ilvl 232)
6) Pulse Baton (1H Mace - SP, Crit, MP5) - 10-Man Mimiron (ilvl 219)

Weapons are probably the biggest disappointment of mine for all the gear that drops in Ulduar. It's a matter of taking the stats that you need/want over those that you dont. The Turning Tide still appears to be one of our top options and if you have it, I wouldn't hesitate to hold it for the duration of Ulduar raiding. With the changes in 3.1.2, I'd put it on par with Aesuga, Hand of the Ardent Champion, depending on how you'd weigh the 30 spell power difference.

Shields:
1) Wisdom's Hold (SP, Crit, Haste) - 25-Man Thorim, Hard (ilvl 239)
2) Pulsing Spellshield (SP, Crit, Haste) - 10-Man XT-002 (ilvl 219)
3) Ice Layered Barrier (SP, Haste, MP5) - 10-Man Hodir, Hard (ilvl 226)

Wisdom's Hold comes ahead of all the other shields available in Ulduar, by far. The Tier 7 best-in-slot shield was the Voice of Reason. If it were ranked in this list it'd fall just short of Wisdom's Hold, but a LONG shot ahead of the other two. (Edit: With the changes to Pulsing Spellshield in 3.1.2, I bumped it up ahead of the Ice Layered Barrier (1 sp, 10 haste, 15 mp5, 8 int for 46 crit). It's closer than it looks - take the one with the itemization you like.

Librams:
1) Libram of the Resolute (SP) - 25-Man Auriaya (ilvl 226)

The one and only libram available from Ulduar. Too bad it's inferior compared to the Libram of Renewal that we have come to love.