Before the list of Badge loot was released, I had been saving up my Badges of Justice for a Searing Sunblade. It costs 50 badges, which is no small feat for me to accumulate. Still, I finally got them… and then the patch was announced. The badges are now sitting there in my bank, waiting for me to decide what to do… spend or save?
So I broke out my trusty resources… the Rogue DPS Spreadsheet from the Elitist Jerks forums, and the Shadowpanther AEP database. Here are the items that I am considering:
| Badges | Increase in MAEP over current gear | Increase in DPS on spreadsheet | |
| Searing Sunblade | 50 | 19 | 25.1 |
| Belt of the Silent Path | 75 | 30* | 9.05 |
| Tunic of the Dark Hour | 100 | 19* | 4.86 |
| Trousers of the Scryer’s Retainer | 100 | 45 | 16.59 |
| Angelista’s Revenge (ring) |
60 | 27 | 8.91 |
| Blade of Serration | 105 | 121 | 29.1 |
| Swift Blade of Uncertainty | 45 | 62 | 30.06 |
* – the Belt or Tunic would break up my Primal Intent set and would cost me the +40 AP set bonus. The loss of that bonus is reflected in these figures.
Fascinating how the two resources don’t really agree. The Sunblade is one of the smallest upgrades according to MAEP, but one of the biggest by the DPS Spreadsheet. It goes to show how you can’t just depend on one resource.
The Blade of Serration and Trousers the two nicest items. The Trousers are likely a little better than the T6 Slayer’s Legguards that drop in Hyjal, and the Blade is on par with the Fang of Vashj. The Trousers are especially appealing since I am still wearing Fel Leather Leggings – one of the last blue items I own. However, they each come at twice the cost of the Swiftblade. For me, that means a long time of farming badges.
Also, it looks like the Swiftblade + Ring (total of 105 badges) will benefit me more than the Trousers (100 badges) or Blade of Serration (105 badges) would alone.
The impact of the Swiftblade on my dps is not because its such an incredible weapon (although it is pretty nice). It is because I am using a poor off-hand weapon right now. The Swiftblade is a major upgrade over what I have. The Guile of Khoraazi at speed 1.6 is not an ideal choice due to fewer Combat Potency procs. Even the Swiftblade is a little slower than I would have liked (1.5 speed). However you can’t argue with the 103 dps. While the other items are good, I already have Kara or badge level gear in those slots.
So, I guess am going to buy the Swiftblade when the patch hits and the vendors are opened up, and then start saving toward the ring. As for the trousers and main hand dagger… well I’ll probably get better green items on the first day after the expansion hits.
One comment…do not under ANY circumstances use the shadowpanther tables for weapons. Look at how he values weapon speed and damage in weapon comparisons. It bears zero resemblance to the actual combat formulas and as a result his weapon rankings are horribly skewed and WILL lead you astray.