Thursday, July 21, 2011

Should I PvE in my PvP gear?

I am not talking about all PvP gear here.  I am talking about PvP gear to cover from my lack of ability to get other gear.  Be it the limited chances I've had to roll on certain items, the bad drop rate of some items or my amazing ability to roll a 1 whenever I really want something.

Either way, my head piece and my shoulder are my bane.  I am stuck with 353s and see no relief in sight.  My guild has not been raiding at all except for some trash runs for rep.  So even if knocking out T11 raids would be easy enough it is not going to happen unless I pug and being we are not raiding I do not see T12 in my immediate future.  Maybe once September rolls around and we start getting everyone back online it might happen.  I need something to cover until then.

So I was thinking about PvP gear for those two slots for the time being.  While I am usually against people PvEing in PvP gear in some cases it is actually better.  I've read a few posts from fellow bloggers that compare the PvP vs PvE gear based on numbers.  I love numbers.  It is a clear way to prove things and in my opinion at least, I trust numbers a lot more then someone saying, it is a much higher item level so it must be better even if it is PvP gear.

To decide if it is indeed better you need to actually break things down by the numbers.

Lets take a look at the comparisons for what I have now for PvE, PvP and what is easily available with conquest points and a small grind

I will use the stat weights from Mr. Robot being it is an easily accessible tool. Even if it WAY overvalues hit rating.  Hit for hunters is so easy to get to, I do not think it should be valued that high.  You could have no gear with hit on it what so ever and still be able to make cap by reforging.

Head Slot:

Headdress of the Sharpened Vision
Agility - 263 x 3.82 = 1004.66
Hit - 164 x 2.72 = 446.08
Mastery - 198 x 1.24 = 245.52
Total = 1696.26

Vicious Gladiator's Chain Helm
Agility - 322 x 3.82 = 1230.04
Mastery - 195 x 1.24 = 241.8
Resilience - 255 x 0 = 0
Total = 1471.84

Ruthless Gladiator's Chain Helm
Agility - 371 x 3.82 = 1417.22
Mastery - 227 x 1.24 = 281.48
Resilience - 287 x 0 = 0
Total = 1698.7

Shoulder Slot:

Pauldrons of Nalorakk
Agility - 220 x 3.82 = 840.4
Hit - 152 x 2. 72 = 413.44
Critical - 148 x 1.84 = 272.32
Total = 1526.16

Vicious Gladiator's Chain Spaulders
Agility - 248 x 3.82 = 947.36
Haste - 159 x 1.5 = 238.5
Resilience - 179 x 0 = 0
Total = 1185.86

Ruthless Gladiator's Chain Spaulders
Agility - 300 x 3.82 = 1146
Haste - 194 x 1.5 = 291
Resilience - 214 x 0 = 0
Total  = 1437

Looking at the numbers all by themselves we see that the 384 PvP helm is actually statistically better then the 353 helm while the 384 PvP shoulders fall a little short of the 353 ones.  The 371s are not even in the same ball park so to speak.

There is another factor to look into here and that is the fact both the helm and the shoulder have hit which is extremely overvalued by Mr. Robot and when you include into the fact that I do not need the hit at all from either of those items to get to hit cap it means it is really not worth 2.72 for the current gear I have.

Either way, it seems as if the 371 PvP items are a no go if I wanted to replace the helm and shoulder with them.  Or are they?

Lets compare the totals of the helm and shoulder combo with the added +70 agility bonus (267.4) I would get from having the 2 piece PvP set.

353 PvE Pieces - 3222.42
371 PvP Pieces - 2925.1
384 PvP Pieces - 3403.1

Okay, so we have assured that the 371 set is really out of the question.  If it were perhaps even 3100 then it might be worth considering as I mentioned the hit on the PvE items really over values them some but there seems to be to much of a difference.

What is interesting to see if that the 384 PvP pieces beat the 353 PvE pieces by a decent number as a set.  If we once again consider that the PvE items are over valued by a large amount because of the large number hit on them then the 384 PvP items not only beat it naturally but beat it even more then it appears by numbers alone.

I guess I have to go grind some conquest points.  At least to tide me over until I can get into a group for some T11 content and get lucky.  Hopefully by now everyone has the items they need and I won't be forced to win a roll.  1's do not win rolls all that often, unless you are the only person that needs it. 

You never know, maybe when we get back to raiding I might get lucky and have the helm drop off the first boss in firelands.  Not like there are any others in my main raid that would need it.  Even our three shaman heals that rotate in are heals main spec.  So it would go to me first anyway.

For now however, it looks like I have a little grind ahead for me.  I will get the helm first, as that in itself beats the helm I have on and then the shoulders for the set.  If ever I upgrade my helm I will go back to my old PvE shoulders as the PvP one is not better on its own.

Goes to show you, the next time you see someone wearing PvP gear do not take for granted that they are an idiot.  While the fact might be true most are and they just get PvP gear for the item level and because PvP gear is so much easier to get there will be some cases, like mine, where someone actually thought it out and realized that to some extent a piece of PvP gear might be better then what you are currently wearing.

Not saying you should not try to upgrade as soon as you can to real PvE gear.  Sometimes it is just not an option and in the end, it will be easier for me to grind the 384 helm and shoulder then to get a pug on my server that will actually beat the last bosses of the T11 raids.  Yeap, even nerfed my server can still not pug them.

Sometimes PvP gear can be better then what you are wearing.  It is true.  The numbers prove that.  I will still laugh at people in all PvP gear tying to PvE.  They are not living up to their maximum potential. 

I would not PvP in my PvE gear so don't PvE in your PvP gear.  A few pieces to fill slots is fine.  I can accept that, if they are actually better based on numbers, but full PvP gear?  That just means they are lazy and took the easy route to gear up.  371 items in every slot in 1 day grinding battlegrounds.  Good for PvP, bad for PvE.

I wonder what everyone would be wearing if they made PvE gear that easy to get.  Grind dungeons all day long and have a 378 in every slot.   I don't mind grinds but something seems wrong about gear being that easy to get.  At least make the grind an actual grind.  Not just run battlegrounds for 1 day.  Sad really.

3 comments:

  1. I have, to my eternal shame, 3 peices of PvP on my PvE gear set. These were, as you said, to upgrade peices I just couldn't get a replacement for, specifically shoulders. I'll be wearing the season 10 gloves too for the agility set bonus that gives - every little helps - until I can scrounge up the points to buy the rather vile looking orangry-red tier set.

    When I enter a HC with people wearing PvP gear, a little part of me dies inside. But when the numbers are just plain better than the blues/353 troll gear...why the hell not.

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  2. The one problem is you never know if they are wearing it because it really is better (as you mentioned and I showed) or if they are wearing it because it has a higher item level and that makes them think it means it is better.

    I have no issues with people that fill in pieces or use ones that are statistical increases. My problem is the people that wear 371 just because it is higher then 359. That does not mean it is better.

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  3. PS:

    Thought about this after I replied.

    Holy Paladins in all PVP gear. ROCK!

    There is no reason for PvE gear for holy paladins. Maybe it is just the ones I have ran with but every holy paladin I've seen in all PvP gear can run circles around the average holy paladin I see in heroics.

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