The document discusses gearing up a character in World of Warcraft to reach an average item level of 550. It explains that each item has an item level rating, with higher numbers indicating better gear. Gear can be obtained through random world drops, dungeon drops, raid drops, and vendors that sell gear for justice or valor points. Reaching item level 550 would require running dungeons and raids at various difficulty levels to collect the highest item level gear, as well as upgrading eligible pieces using valor points. Players are challenged to inspect a level 90 character and outline a strategy for obtaining the necessary items to reach an average item level of 550.

1. Gear Up! The 550 Challenge
Hangout

2. Overview
• Item Level
• Getting Gear
• Average Item Level
• The Challenge

3. Item Level
• Each item in the game is assigned an item
level
• They higher the number the better the gear

4. Getting Gear
• Gear can be obtained in several ways
– Random World Drops
– Dungeon Drops
– Raid Drops
– Justice Points
– Valor Points

5. Getting Gear
• Random World Drops
– Varying Quality (Blue or Purple Gear)
– Is exactly as it sounds, it’s random

6. Getting Gear
• Dungeon Drops
– Typically next best gear (Blue quality)
– Use the Dungeon Journal feature in game to see
what gear drops from each boss and it’s item level
– Several modes:
• Normal, Heroic, and Challenge (lvl 90 only)

7. Getting Gear
• Raid Drops
– Best gear in the game (Purple Gear)
– Only exist at the max levels of each WoW
Expansion
•
•
•
•
•
Lvl 60 – Classic Wow
Lvl 70 – Burning Crusades
Lvl 80 – Lich King
Lvl 85 – Cataclysm
Lvl 90 – Mists of Pandaria

8. Getting Gear
• Raid Drops
– Several levels of difficulty
– Difficulty affects item level of drops
• Harder the difficulty the higher the item level

9. Getting Gear
– Specific Vendors in game
– Earned by completing
• Higher level dungeons
• Downing bosses in Heroic Dungeons and Raids
• Scenarios (normal and heroic)

10. Getting Gear
– Specific Vendors in game
– Earned by completing max level
•
•
•
•
Heroic Dungeons
Looking for Raids (LFR)
Heroic Scenarios
Dailies & Weekly Quests

11. Getting Gear
• Valor Points
– Can also be used to upgrade pieces that have an item
level of 476 or more
– Can upgrade each piece twice
– Each upgrade increases the item level by 4 levels (max
8 levels)
– Costs 250 VP for each upgrade

12. Average Item Level
• The average item level of all 16 gear slots
– 2 hand weapons count as 2 slots.

13. 1
7
2
8
3
9
4
10
5
11
12
13
15
6
16
14

14. Slots
Slot #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Items
Helm
Neck
Shoulder
Cloak
Chest
Wrist
Gloves
Waist
Slot #
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Items
Legs
Feet
Ring 1
Ring 2
Trinket 1
Trinket 2
Main Hand
Off hand

15. Average Item Level
• Shown as two numbers on your character
sheet : Equipped / In bags

16. The 550 Challenge
• Select a level 90 character from Inevitable
Betrayal
• Based on their current item level, devise a
strategy on what they need to do to get to a
550 average item level
• Post your strategy in the Item Level 550
Challenge Forum

17. The 550 Challenge
• Hints:
– Use the Dungeon Journal Feature in game to
determine what gear will drop from each Mist of
Pandaria Dungeon and Raid.
– Remember the VP upgrades as they can get you
an additional 8 item levels on any piece above 476

18. Google Hangouts
Saturdays @ 10am MT
• Rise of the Mathmancers – Dec 21st

19. Questions / Discussion