I've been taking a long, hard look at what's out there for my mage since patch 2.4 came out. I've been playing with the same crafted epics and PVP rewards, with a few raid drops (because there aren't that many raid drops that are upgrades when you're just starting into SSC and TK) for several months.
Stepping into TK, I realized, hey, lack of stats sucks!
Now, I hadn't partaken of any of the badge loot in lieu of my crafted stuff simply due to the fact that none of it was really a DPS upgrade for me at the time. Patch 2.4 changes that somewhat.
Here's a link to my mage's wish list from Warcrafter.net:
Wishlist
This list is my non-hit capped set. All I have to do to hit cap it is swap out four pieces of gear, three of which I already have in my inventory. If I do so, I don't really lose too much spell damage or crit, just a little haste.
What's cool about this set is that I gain some spell damage, lose a tiny bit of crit, but go up to a whopping 157 Haste rating from my current 25. Getting this setup, all of which is attainable outside of raids, should give me a significant DPS upgrade, along with a nice stat boost. Which should help me from folding like a cheap tent if I get a random charge from a trash mob.
Of course, gathering all of this stuff should keep me busy for a while. I'll need a ton of cash for leveling Engineering for the goggles, and for buying the Mantle of Nimble Thought pattern the next time it pops up on the Auction House, plus about 655 Badges of Justice.
Oh, that Timbal's Focusing Crystal should be a Darkmoon Card: Crusade, but you know, I already have Timbal's and the Crusade Card is pretty darn spendy. So...
So, patch 2.4 a time sink? You betcha. Worth it? Heck yeah.
I hereby pronounce patch 2.4 A Good Thing. At least for Mages.
