Dont Panic: How to Get Item Level 463

The looking for raid is coming out next week and many people are looking forward to it as their first raid experience this expansion as not everyone will be able to get into the real raid this week and even if they do not everyone will be able to start downing things from the start.

The item level of 463 seems, upon first looking at it, pretty extreme being you only get 463 items from heroics at the moment but that does not mean it is unattainable.

To help people out that might be looking at that 463 number and thinking it will be impossible I will detail how to easily get to that number with a little effort.

Step 1: Starting off:

To build your 463 set you have to start somewhere and that is hitting level 90.  Do every single quest in dread wastes.  Yes, not kidding, if you do them all the end of the line will offer you two 450 pieces and there are many 437 quest items there.  Why do this?  Because it will get you to a level high enough to get into heroics at 90.

Note:  Item level for heroics has been lowered to 435.

You should also be doing every daily you can get your hands on.  These will get you valor and reputation, two things you will need a lot of.   If you capped out your valor last week, as you should have, this week capping will bring you to 2000 valor.  Hold on to that for now, more on that later.

So we have you set up, you are working to cap valor each week and you are now level 90, have over a 435 item level, and are ready for part two of getting to item level 463 before the looking for raid is released.

Step 2: Doing the dungeon grind:

Do one scenario a day for the 30 valor and the chance at something in the baggie.  You can do more and get a chance at something in the baggie but they only get you 15 per day after the first.  If you were really so inclined you can run scenarios over and over hoping to have luck in your baggies, I know someone in my guild that has run 8 and has 5 463 items from it, but the flip side is me who has run 20 and won none.  So it is a chance of the random is random nature.

I say just jump into heroics.  You might not know the fights and that is okay, it is new to you.  At least have the common courtesy to read a guide on them so you know what to expect.  Even if you fail at it if you read it you will know why you failed and it will help you not fail again at it.  Remember, there is nothing wrong with failing, but there is something wrong with failing and not learning from it.  Good players fail and learn and bad players keep failing but everyone fails sometimes.  So dive in and try not to be afraid of failing.

With some luck you can win a few pieces from the scenarios and dungeons, unless you are me of course, and will find yourself with anywhere between 6-8 pieces of 463, more if you are one of the lucky ones.

Hint:  Do not choose the disenchant option on anything you can equip even if it is not for your spec.  It will count toward your item level to get you to 463 and keep it in your bags.

Hint: Do direbrew until you get two trinkets, unless you have something better than a 470 to begin with.  Two of any trinket in your bags will help.

Step 3:  Remember where the vendors are and use them:

Do not worry about finding all the vendors and remembering who sells what.  Find Commander Lo Ping, the justice quartermaster and Commander Oxheart, the valor quartermaster both next to each other in townlong steppes.  These vendors sell the collected items from all factions so you do not need to go all over the place to buy things from many different quartermasters.  Knowing where they are and going to them to buy stuff will greatly assist you.

Having a vendor for everything in one place is also the best way to compare what is the best upgrade for you.  Whenever you have enough justice to buy a new piece, check them out and get the one that is the biggest upgrade for you.  Example would be, the ring might be a 41 agility upgrade for me but the chest might be a 129 agility upgrade for me.  While the chest is much more than the ring justice wise the return on investment is much better with the chest.  So upgrade the best item for you with justice first.  Even if the items are lower than heroic level and will be replaced there, the upgrade will make you do better in heroics and thus help clear the heroics faster so you can get more done and more chances to win better stuff.

Note:  Justice items are now 458 instead of 450 so they will help you get to that 463 average a little bit easier.

You will notice that the valor vendor is there also and you will be tempted to buy something from them.  Do not buy anything from them yet.  I repeat, do not buy anything from them yet.

At the end of this week you should have 2000 valor.  When the LFR is released next week you can do some quick runs to get another 250 valor, which doing all your dailies and a scenario even should be enough to cover, and then you can look at the valor vendor.  2250 is the highest priced item and that is what you want to head there with.

This time you are not looking for what is the best upgrade for you.  You are looking for what is the biggest item level upgrade for you.  If you have a 437 piece and a 442 piece you should upgrade the 437 piece.  You are looking for item level here.  Buy whatever piece is there that replaces the lowest item level piece you have.

Step 4: Filling out the last spots:

If you feel so inclined you can buy some BoEs, crafted and drops, on the market which by this third week could be more available and cheaper than two weeks ago.

You can fill some spaces with archeology as well to help item level.  If you are a class that uses an offhand there is a 463 offhand and if you can equip a polearm there is a 463 pole arm.  All of these things can help you fake the item level as well.

With the pieces in your bags, the direbrew trinkets, maybe a BoE, the archeology items, a few justice point items and the one biggest valor point upgrade you purchased you should have a 463 item level nice and easy.

Step 5: Get ready to win:

Being this will be the third week you should have traded in for 9 Elder Charms of good fortune.  You can only have 10, so if you are not doing the real raid yet, use them in the looking for raid and use them every chance you get.  You will be getting 3 more each week if you are doing your dailies and there is no reason to horde them.

If you do not know where to get these, alliance can visit Elder Lin downstairs and horde can visit Elder Liao downstairs.  Both will trade you 3 elder charms for 90 lessers and if you have been a good little elf you have been doing your dailies and should have 90 a week no problem at all.

When loot is awarded in the LFR you will be given a chance to use the elder charm, if you did not win something, use it.  Simple as that.  You might still win nothing but you very well could win something and hopefully next week you will not have to fake your way in or barely eek your way in.

A 463 item level is easy to attain, if you put the effort into it.

Now get going and do some of those heroics and be luckier than me.  Only one piece so far and I've run so many things.  463 is looking a mile away with my bad luck, but I can do it and if I can do it you can too.  Don't let the 463 number scare you.

Added:

Sha of Anger:  Possible chance at a tier piece and you can use your elder charms for a second roll and maybe even win two pieces, it is a fantastic way to get that item level up if you are lucky.