Pre-Raid Resto Shaman Guide

Here are some of your options when you are gearing up as a restoration shaman.

Head

• Helm of the Lightning Halls - This is my first choice for selecting helms. This can be easily bought at the Auction House. Usual buyout price (may vary depending on the realm economy) is an affordable 45g.
  

• Battle Mender's Helm - If you already have stacked a good amount of mp5, then this may be a good option for you. You only need to be revered with the Argent Crusade for you to have this. This is bought at their quartermaster located at Argent Vanguard camp, Icecrown.
  

• Brood Plague Helmet - Now this one is quite difficult to acquire and will be the least of your priorities. This is found dropping from Elder Nadox in Heroic Ahn'kahet: The Old Kingdom. The druid equivalent is much more appealing: Battlemap Hide Helm.
  

• Electroflux Sight Enhancers - I usually don't mind posting profession-specific items. This is a very good pre-Naxx craftable epic.
  

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Shoulder

• Spaulders of the Violet Hold - This is my priority shoulder, since haste is already necessary for healing. Besides, the socket would greatly enhance the shoulder slot. This however is not a good option if you have a relatively low mp5. This drops from Cyanigosa on Heroic The Violet Hold.
  

• Epaulets of Market Row - Now this pad is much used being a good mp5 booster. This is only level 187 but it actually is comparable to level 200 stats. This can be bought at the Auction House for 35g (may vary from realm to realm).
  

• Mantle of Discarded Ways - This is an alternate pad as mp5 is much of a priority as that of + critical strike. This can be farmed from King Ymiron on Heroic Utgarde Pinnacle runs.
  

• Shoulders of the Seducer - This may be a low level blue item, but I would consider this as a pre-Heroic rather than pre-Naxx. This is a quest reward from Cleansing Drak'Tharon.
  

The comparison can be found here.

Chest

• Revenant's Breastplate - This can be easily crafted and a very good pre-Naxx chest. It has one of the highest + spell power mail chest in the game (as of 3.0.3). The buyout price for this is quite expensive (around 750g) but the mats are easily farmed.
  

• Heroes' Earthshatter Tunic - This can be an alternate solution if you prioritize mp5 for this slot. It has a fairly good haste rating and will eventually get a set bonus when you get the gloves. Requires 80 Emblem of Heroism to get the token to purchase the chest.
  

• Dalronn's Jerkin - A very good mp5 boost and a red socket for enhancement. This is a great mail for a blue item and can be farmed through Skarvald the Constructor Heroic Utgarde Keep (one of the easiest instance in the game).
  

• Moragg's Chestguard - It has two sockets for enhancement. The red socket could be a Runed Scarlet Ruby to augment spell power matching those of the other chest options. This is farmed through Moragg on Heroic The Violet Hold (VH). Quite difficult to drop though as VH has random boss combinations.
  

• Scaled Armor of Drakos - Finally the crit mail is the least of your priority unless you are interested in respeccing to Elemental. This drops in Heroic The Oculus, specifically on Drakos the Interrogator.
  

For item comparison, click here.

Hands

• Grips of Fierce Pronouncements - Getting exalted to The Wymrest Accord is not that hard since you are exposed to some early questing and even dailies for that faction (check out Coldarra quests and dailies). Combined with a few good heroic runs should get you exalted in no time. This costs around 28g at their faction quartermaster in Dragonblight.
  

• Heroes' Earthshatter Handguards - A few heroic runs and this should be yours in no time. This has a red socket for you to place a Runed Scarlet Ruby with. Eventually can be worn with the chest to get 10% Water Shield strength item set bonus.
  

• Fiery Obelisk Handguards - Priorizing + crit for this slot will make this a very good pre-Naxx gear. It has the highest + crit rating in the game so far for this slot. Couple this with the + 28 spell power enchantment and this should be good to go.
  

• Cracked Epoch Grasps - This can be farmed through Chrono-Lord Epoch on Heroic The Culling of Stratholme runs. Take note of the red socket too.
  

• Lightning-Charged Gloves - A good mp5 boost and a relatively nice + spell power early on, this will make raiding a breeze as you wont have to worry about drinking water every now and then. Can be farmed on Heroic Halls of Stone and drops from Maiden of Grief. This instance needs to be studied carefully though as it is a relatively hard dungeon.
  

I would have to mention 2 pre-heroic gloves as most of the gamers haven't have the luxury of getting those items above with ease.

• Gauntlets of Dark Conversion - This is a chest drop after fighting Mal'ganis on Normal The Culling of Stratholme.
  

• Gauntlets of the Windreacher - A quest reward for The Reckoning. Relatively nice + spell power early on.

For comparison, click here.

Legs

• Kilt of Dark Mercy - One of my favorite pre-Naxx gears. It has substantially huge amount of mp5 to boost. With all the dailies at Icecrown and with the tabard system, getting exalted with the Knights of the Ebon Blade should not be that difficult.
  

• Legguards of Nature's Power - Critical strike rating may be an option for this slot. Essentially this item has a huge + critical strike rating. This is a chest drop after defeating Mal'ganis in Heroic The Culling of Stratholme.
  

• Frozen Forest Kilt - Huge mp5 for a blue item. Take note of the red socket for + 19 spell power gem. This is a boss drop (Ormorok the Tree-Shaper) at Heroic The Nexus.
  

• Patroller's War-Kilt - This is a drop from General Bjarngrim on Heroic Halls of Lightning. Has a red socket and has a good critical strike rating.
  

• Kilt of Molten Golems - Volkhan drops this kilt on Normal mode Halls of Lightning. It is a level 187 item but will greatly boost mp5 if you are up against long raid fights.
  

• Scavenged Feathery Leggings - This is gained through rep grinds with the Frenzyheart tribe. This only requires revered status. It's a good leggings for haste and spell power for a 187 item.
  

The item comparison can be found here.

Feet

• Revenant's Treads - Considered a pre-Naxx gear. There is only one other level 200 item and it is blue and it has a low drop rate while they have almost the same effect in terms of haste rating.
  

• Sabatons of the Ages - Slightly lower in stats as that of the Revenant's Treads. I would recommend having to craft that treads instead of running the instance though as this only has 12% chance to drop on that boss.
  

• Treads of Altered History - This is a level 187 item and drops from Normal The Culling of Stratholme. This has approximately a 23% drop rate for Chrono-Lord Epoch.
  

• Boots of the Portal Guardian - Dropping on normal mode this may be a good pre-heroic boots. It is a level 175 item and drops from Cyanigosa at VH.
  

• Scaled Boots of Fallen Hope - Done through a level 78 Dungeon quest One of a Kind.
  

• Scaled Icewalkers - Level 175 crafted item. Almost the same as The Darkspeaker's Sabatons. Mats are easily farmed. Icy Dragonscales can be skinned from Stormpeak Wyrms and Blighted Proto-Drakes. Each of those scales can be purchased at the AH at around 2g per scale. I would recommend having to craft Revenant's Treads instead if money is short. After all epics is the way to go.
  

• The Darkspeaker's Sabatons - This is done through a group quest Mind Tricks.

Item comparison is shown here.