World of Warcraft Guide: Preparing Your Fresh 80 Paladin For Raiding

Congrats! You managed to level your paladin all the way to 80. So now what? I know you see your guildies or just random people on your server with awesome looking gear and then you look at your green quest items and wonder how you'll ever bridge that huge gap. Well it isn't as hard as you would think if you just do it in steps, so lets start!

Now the first couple pieces of gear you'll want to get is the reputation pieces. You can work on getting these before you even hit 80 since some of your quests will begin netting you rep with certain factions. Remember to visit a tabard vendor in Dalaran (Elizabeth Ross) and pick up tabards for any faction your not exalted with yet, since doing heroics while wearing said tabard nabs you precious rep with them. You can throw most of them in your bank for now, just use one at a time until your exalted with each if your worried about bag space.

Since paladins are a hybrid class and can effectively tank, heal, or dps, I'm going to be splitting this guide up into three parts respectively.

 We're going to begin with looking at the gear your can get from the different factions in Northrend.

Head: Fang-Deflecting Faceguard - Argent Crusade at revered.

Shoulders: Spaulders of the Giant Lords - Sons of Hodir at revered.

Cloak: Cloak of Holy Extermination - Argent Crusade at honored.

Weapon: Argent Skeleton Crusher - Argent Crusade at revered.

Leggings: Legplates of Bloody Reprisal - Wyrmrest Accord at exalted.

Boots: Death-Inured Sabatons - Knights of the Ebon Blade at exalted.

Reputation Enchant: Arcanum of Torment (atk power/crit to helm) - Knights of the Ebon Blade at revered.

Reputation Enchant: Lesser Inscription of the Axe (atk power/crit to shoulders) - Sons of Hodir at honored.

Reputation Enchant: Greater Inscription of the Axe (atk power/crit to shoulders) - Sons of Hodir at exalted.

Note that The Sons of Hodir do not have a tabard. In order to get reputation with them you must do daily quests at their camp in Storm Peaks. If you need help with getting rep with Sons of Hodir or another rep like Kalu'ak, both of which do not have a tabard. You can have a look here for Hodir and here for Kalu'ak.

Now we'll be looking at the gear you can nab from Northrend heroics. If there is more then one item per slot they will be listed in order from best to worst.

Head: Chitin Shell Greathelm - Anub'arak/Azjol'Nerub, Planetary Helm - Loken/Halls of Lightning

Necklace: Gold Amulet of Kings - King Ymiron/Utgarde Pinnacle, Necklace of Arcane Spheres - Xevozz/Violet Hold

Shoulders: Snake Den Spaulders - Slad'ran/Gundrak

Cloak: Shroud of Reverberation - Volkhan/Halls of Lightning, Cloak of the Gushing Wound - Erekem/Violet Hold

Chest: Breastplate of Undeath - Novos the Summoner/Drak'Tharon, Bonegrinder Breastplate - Prince Taldaram/Ahn'kahet: The Old Kingdom, Engraved Chestplate of Eck - Eck the Ferocious/Gundrak

Bracers: Bands of the Stoneforge - Sjonnir The Ironshaper/Halls of Stone, Golden Limb Bands - Krik'thir the Gatewatcher/Azjol-Nerub

Weapon: Colossal Skull-Clad Cleaver - Loken/Halls of Lightning, Sword of Justice - Tribunal Chest/Halls of Stone, Mojo Masked Crusher - The Prophet Tharon'ja/Drak'Tharon

Gloves: Gauntlets of Dragon Wrath - Cache of Eregos/The Oculus, Gauntlets of Capture - Cyanigosa/Violet Hold

Belt: Flame-Bathed Steel Girdle - Keristrasza/The Nexus, Strategist's Belt - Prince Keleseth/Utgarde Keep, The General's Steel Girdle - General Bjarngrim/Halls of Lightning

Leggings: Staggering Legplates - Ingvar the Plunderer/Utgarde Keep, Legplates of Steel Implants - Meathook/The Culling of Stratholme, Legplates of the Oculus Guardian - Varos Cloudstrider/The Oculus

Boots: Rift Striders - Anomalus/The Nexus, Echoing Stompers - Svala Sorrowgrave/Utgarde Pinnacle

Rings: Hemorrhaging Circle - Gal'darah/Gundrak, Mobius Band - Chrono-Lord Epoch/The Culling of Stratholme, Band of Frosted Thorns - Ormork the Tree-Shaper/The Nexus

Trinkets: Meteorite Whetstone - King Ymiron/Utgarde Pinnacle, Sphere of Red Dragon's Blood - Keristrasza/The Nexus, Incisor Fragment - King Dred/Drak'Tharon

You can either farm the mats for these pieces yourself or have a look at the auction house and see if one is posted that is in your price range.

Spiked Titansteel Helm

Spiked Titansteel Treads

Titansteel Destroyer

 You receive emblems of heroism from heroic level bosses. You can turn in these emblems to her for assorted gear. Here's what you'll want to be looking to get for your ret pally. The order you get them in is up to you.

Chestguard of the Lost Conqueror

Gloves of the Lost Conqueror

Mirror of Truth

Pendant of the Outcast Hero

Verdungo's Barbarian Cord

Once you get some decent gear make sure you maximize your potential by enchanting all of your gear. Here's what you'll probably be wanting:

Cloak - Major Agility

Chest - Powerful Stats

Boots - Icewalker

Gloves - Crusher/Major Strength

Leggings - Icescale Leg Armor

Weapon - Greater Savagery

Bracers - Greater Assault