59s gearing info and requirements.

[Desodelete]

If information here is inaccurate, let me know so I can update it

In TBC 59 will be much easier to gear than vanilla, with a lot of the BiS gear being BoE greens you can buy off the AH. These will be very powerful 59s and hopefully the queues stay healthy enough that we can explore playing them. In this thread I'll provide gearing knowledge, cover some of the minor requirements you'll want to meet before finishing your characters, and I'll provide character gear templates (when I have time to finish them)

100% Mounts

You can get 100% speed pvp mounts in 59s by getting Rank 11 in vanilla pvp and buying it from the vendor. Supposedly these will carry over to TBC but you can't get them after. If you want these then start working on it immediately. There is not much time left. It's not the end of the world if you don't have it but it is an obvious advantage and will be lots of fun.

ZG Enchants

To start, if you want to twink at 59 you will want to get exalted with the Zandalari even if you will not be using any of the ZG set pieces. You need exalted reputation to use their shoulder enchants. I would recommend buying Bijous now while they are readily available. It will take over 300 bijous if you start completely from neutral I think. Getting boosted through ZG helps a little. At level 58 you can start breaking Bijous at the alter to get rep.

Alternatively, you can use a Naxx enchant on a good BoE green but ZG enchant is very close in power level and Naxx enchants can be very difficult to obtain. I previously thought that Naxx enchant turned BoEs soulbound in TBC but I've heard the otherwise recently.

If you can not easily obtain the Bijous for the ZG enchant, you can apply a Heavy Knothide Armor Kit for 10 stamina, but from what I can gather, you will need a 60 to apply it through trade window and it can only be applied to quest items with high enough item level.

ZG head enchants are not obtainable. You can get the item for the quest at 58 but the item you receive that applies the enchant requires level 60. You will be restricted to the regular vanilla librams like +100 hitpoints.

Note: The Heavy Knothide Armor Kit should be applicable through trade to engineering head pieces but this will need to be confirmed. This may be BiS over 100 hitpoints.

Other Enchants

59s can use most of the improved enchants in TBC but there are exceptions.

- You can not use the leg armor kits on a BoP. AFAIK it can not be applied through trade window and requires level 60. The BoE options are really good so it doesn't matter.

- You can not use the ring enchants. You can get the required enchanting skill but they are self only and it requires rep to get the recipe. Rep you can't get.

- You can not use the ZG head enchants. Requires 60. The TBC head enchants require 70.

Engineering

You will need to level engineering to the maximum of 375. When you reach level 50 you can move passed the 300 cap to the 375 cap. The epic engineering headpieces require 375 and they are BiS for basically everyone. The engineering boots require 330 and are also BiS. There is some good trinkets that require ~350.

I'm currently uncertain of any major benefit from other professions.

No T0.5 needed

This gear is good in vanilla but completely outclassed in TBC. You should avoid getting this if you are preparing for TBC because it requires taking on a lot of experience and may put you close to 60. Try to stay close to 58 to give yourself some wiggle room.

Outlands BoE greens and Suffixes

With TBC come new world drops that have new and powerful suffixes on them that determine their stats. These greens are so power that they will make up almost half of a 59 twinks items. They begin dropping as low as 57 but you want to 59 versions obviously. This means that you can get many of your BiS directly off the AH but you may have to wait a long time for the right piece to appear.

Important Note: The available suffixes for this gear is limited based on armor type. Some can't have certain suffixes. The classes hurt most by this are casters and healers that use anything above cloth. Because Cloth is the only armor type that gets two of the best suffixes (sorcerer and physician). Leather and mail can have Invoker. Only Leather can use Hierophant. Melee aren't affected because the suffixes they want are on everything leather through plate.

Suffixes for melee
of the Bandit
+Agility +Stamina +Attack Power
of the Beast
+Strength +Agility +Stamina
of the Soldier
+Strength +Stamina +Critical Strike Rating
of the Champion
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Suffixes for casters and healers
of the Hierophant
+Stamina +Spirit +Healing
of the Sorcerer
+Stamina +Intellect +Spell Damage and Healing
of the Physician
+Stamina +Intellect +Healing
of the Prophet
+Intellect +Spirit +Healing
of the Invoker
+Intellect +Spell Damage and Healing +Spell Critical Strike Rating

Quests items you will want

It's important that you know what quest items you want to get ahead of time so you can plan for it and perhaps corpse run less. Mob xp is avoidable if you have the patience but quest xp and exploration xp is not. I suggest you do your own research.

All the ZG turn-in quests will give you xp AFAIK. So every neck upgrade and the token turn-ins for the set. The quest for the shoulder enchant also gives xp.

There is one quest for engineering that gives xp but it's a small amount. I believe it is a required quest before you can specialize gnomish/goblin. There may be more in TBC that I'm not yet aware of.

Some Royal Seal quest trinkets are decent. Rogue one gives +20 hit and druid one gives +44 healing.

The blue chests from the outlands quests are all BiS for every class. They are from these 2 quests:
Alliance
https://tbc-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?quest=10937
https://tbc-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?quest=10895
Horde
https://tbc-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?quest=10834
https://tbc-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?quest=10876
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Here is a template with some of the good items you may want to get from quests for cloth casters and healers. The only items I would say are key to pick up is the trinkets, chest, staff, and maybe the shoulder. The offhand Deep Core Lantern is worth considering for high spellpower offhand.

https://seventyupgrades.com/set/7czj1g4oVRyiV5Ani5kuPa
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Here is some physical damage quest items for a rogue you may want to get. The sword is Horde only I believe.

https://seventyupgrades.com/set/2ts4LeArRczrPV2RCrbfJ9

Somewhat similar but warriors have some other pieces to get. Guard captain rune is Horde only and Blackhand's Breadth isn't that great imo. This cloak is good for hit raiting.

https://seventyupgrades.com/set/bDvBoc6Thk8qj8i2trkwDd
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Also, these mail gloves. https://tbc-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=25716

Gear Templates

These are only for ideas and not necessary the perfect build. There any many pieces that can be swapped based on personal preference.

WARRIOR
Arms warrior
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/iHACLWZy4RvvCuaChGDWsS
Fury warrior
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/jh2doUKjvHtp9JikUqv4PA
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WARLOCK
Affliction + Demo + Destro warlock
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/fizWL2gP73SNKSTj6mEoQm
Affliction glass cannon
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/gdx5guC9pxRntUNEEp7FRo
Affliction ultimate squishy, max damage mayhem
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/8LK1T16Q8RdFUTK5uZPn1r
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PRIEST
Shadow Priest
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/vEZnhWHnQc9t3UB5PWkFmg
Spriest glass cannon
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/gWDW2whvWUPLEuc39nudC4
Spriest that likes to die a lot
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/oumdopakWJ8P8RTfNh7hAD

Disc + Holy heal stack
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/3NqKGnTdSCqFE9oAcphQXk
Disc + Holy smite offensive
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/uSYzisYzWz6mK1QwFGonJW
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SHAMAN
Enhancement
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/agvoq4D2bT5fY5n1GaU1VR

Resto shaman
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/bBVHBYEJgaoWEf6wcs3o1P

Elemental nature's wrath
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/8FaKgiWT3bTWv6g7KtL5Cq
Elemental invoker/sorcerer
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/cnqMUgwtey2Wh8iV7yGuSX
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MAGE
Fire Mage balanced
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/mJuxKFaiQoU2Xtsz68qpDC
Fire Mage crit machine
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/gLoKS7nJMNtaLHXWcV2Wnp
Fire Mage enjoy being globaled joke spec
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/nAebxwxUvG1C2b9GE5a7Jf

Frost Mage balanced
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/gEThJBXGMq3Ak9wLNzpkRk

Lol arcane
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DRUID
Boomkin Balanced
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/nKRXLXYnAXjPV91xie8eSz

Feral Balanced. Note: You'll oom very fast and feral lacks utility.
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/pLEAGXh32FikBw1yjnXtee

Resto Druid
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/kw2HbscaVH87cB6BrZHNRu
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HUNTER
MM hunter + BM. balanced. Survival? eh
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/rUetvLVCuyEQoLtutjNZ3h
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ROGUE
Rogue. All specs. Change weapons/talents based on spec
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/2F2q1nx7Kv2CLaLdvqQUdS
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PALADIN
Ret
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/dD8uzuza2BFkyiTECeDVA2

Holy
https://seventyupgrades.com/set/6NnsvSCJzjbPMpUwcpxiz1
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Viability Rankings

This part is subjective/debatable. I'll try to estimate each specs relative power level for the bracket. Cloth casters and physical attackers have some inherent advantage.

A+
Arms Warrior (pocket healers)

A
Affliction Warlock
Disc Priest
Shadow Priest

A-
Fire Mage
Frost Mage
Destro Warlock
Enhancement Shaman
MM hunter
Sub Rogue

B+
Demo Warlock
Fury Warrior (pocket healers)
Elemental Shaman
Holy Paladin
Holy/smite priest

B
Arms Warrior (no healer)
Resto Shaman
Resto Druid
Balance Druid
BM Hunter
Combat/Assas Rogue

B-
Furry Warrior (no healer)
Ret Paladin
Feral Druid
Survival Hunter
Arcane Mage

There! Finally done.

 

[raziel83]

I'm thinking of doing something like this https://seventyupgrades.com/set/fAqWGE8JYPaSduZXhApY4C for either sin or sub. Or https://seventyupgrades.com/set/263ReGHPQvEDKttqiUp8xr. Mostly because fel striker will be easy to obtain with 2-3 lvl 70's. Not sure about HOJ though. Do you know if pvp trinks are still a 5 min cd?

 

[ghank]

Thanks! This informative video said boosted 58s get dungeon blues + mount >

I wonder what blues these are? Sounds similar to when DKs came out. If they are classic blues, then the TBC stuff will be better.

Also it looks like you can be summoned to Outland pre 58. Could do that and get the explore xp to help.

 

[Warglave]

If they are classic blues, then the TBC stuff will be better.

I'm sure it'll be classic-level blues or else there'd be no reason to dungeon in BC for several levels, not gonna have that.

They're still going to want your BC quests to be upgrades like they are for everyone else, not 2-3 levels of vendor trash.

 

[ghank]

Agreed, they can't be from BC dungeons.

 

[Desodelete]

Do you know if pvp trinks are still a 5 min cd?

It looks like the insignia pvp trinkets that everyone can get have a 5 minute cooldown. The Medallion pvp trinkets have a 2 minute cooldown but requires level 70. So everyone below 70 has the 5 minute version, probably.

 

[Soppy]

So there are not good green mail items for resto and elem shamans...
Too bad(
Cloth = oneshot

 

[deadpete]

I wouldn't be surprised if the blues on the boosted character are powerful as opposed to being classic level and quickly replaced.

 

[ghank]

Well on the beta they are greens mostly with varying stats. Shaman had agi and little int gear. Was mix stuff probably because shaman is a mixed class. They were able to run Hellfire Ramparts with 58 boosted gear though, was hard af though with great players.

 

[raziel83]

I wouldn't be surprised if the blues on the boosted character are powerful as opposed to being classic level and quickly replaced.

I got into beta. Made a lvl 58 boosted hunter. The boosted gear is absolute trash.

https://imgur.com/a/krzGttX

 

[ghank]

Ya looks kinda random, hmmm.

 

[StS Ralso]

I dont remember, but you can still get the ZG ench after TBC hits right?

 

[ghank]

I believe so. I bought 320 bijous on a couple toons so far.

 

[deadpete]

Well on the beta they are greens mostly with varying stats. Shaman had agi and little int gear. Was mix stuff probably because shaman is a mixed class. They were able to run Hellfire Ramparts with 58 boosted gear though, was hard af though with great players.

Ah, fair enough. Didn't know they were doing boosts on Beta.

 

[smashies]

Just a heads up but at least back in tbc those greens also had suffixes like Of Stamina etc. Had a druid back in the day w/ 12k hp in bear self buffed using his stam set, and a glass cannon fire mage and a couple other gimmick sets. I assume the gear in classic will have the same loot tables no?

 

[Kathil]

3 words: goblin rocket launcher

 

[Bonemanbad]

The rogue main hand is wrong for sub and combat at least - Persuader has 161 top end, hit, and crit on it.

 

[glancealot]

I am about to boost a 55, maybe I will choose paladin (because they can wear all gear types).

 

[Dorado]

Awesome post, very helpful!

 

[Desodelete]

I'm too lazy to update it but at the time I wasn't aware that plate gear can have 'of the sorcerer' suffix. This is probably bis for holy paladins over pure +healing plate. You lose healing but the stats are good and it helps a lot for shockadin playstyle.