Armor and weapons by class

Gear does two jobs. Armor decides how hard you are to kill, and the numbers printed on it decide how well you do your job. Your class sets the limits: the heaviest armor you can put on and the kinds of weapon you can pick up. Inside those limits the choice is yours.

Blizzard has said that itemization in Forever is changing to keep the gameplay of the original while "unsolving" the path through it. So the old best-in-slot lists are out of date, and the habits underneath them matter more than any single item.

The nine classes at a glance

In the 2004 guide, hunters move up to mail and paladins to plate at level 40, and shaman and warriors train the heavier type "at later levels". Fan sites say the beta keeps level 40 for all four. Blizzard has not published the armor rules for Forever, so treat the level as likely, not certain.

What to focus on

1. Weapon first. For a warrior, rogue, paladin or hunter, a new weapon is the biggest single upgrade there is. In Forever that is true for casters as well: Blizzard says spellcaster weapons now grant spell damage and healing, so they "can look forward to level-up weapons in the same way Warriors, Rogues, and Hunters do".
2. Then the heaviest armor you can wear. You can always wear the lighter types too, and sometimes a lighter piece with the right stats wins. The 2004 guide's advice still reads well: basic armor matters most to the mail wearers, while cloth and leather classes get more from the stats on a piece than from its armor.
3. Know your class's stats. Every class has two or three numbers it wants more of. They are in the table above. An item without them is somebody else's item.
4. Hit is one stat now, and so is crit. Spell, melee and ranged hit chance are combined in Forever, as are the three kinds of critical chance. A piece with hit on it is good for any class that needs to land something.
5. Green and near your level is enough. The 2004 guide calls green items "par for a skilled adventurer" and says to keep them within three to five levels of your own. Don't spend your gold on gear while levelling. You will replace all of it.
6. Run the dungeons. Blizzard says every dungeon drop has been looked at again. Unique dungeon boss items are now blue quality, set bonuses have been improved, and quest rewards have been widened to cover more classes and roles.

Class by class

Warrior

Armor: Mail, then plate later on. Look for: Strength, stamina.
Weapons: A one-handed weapon and a shield to tank, a two-hander to deal damage. The 2004 guide rates swords and axes a little above maces.

• Rage from damage taken now ignores armor, so wearing heavier armor no longer costs you rage.
• Rage from your own hits is based on the speed of the weapon, and a critical strike gives 75% more.

Focus on: The weapon, every time. Then the heaviest armor on offer, and a shield kept in your bags for dungeons. More on the warrior

Paladin

Armor: Mail, then plate later on. Look for: Strength, stamina, some intellect.
Weapons: A one-hander and shield, or a two-hander. The guide's advice is that a weapon at your level matters more than which kind it is.

• With hit and crit combined, Blizzard names retribution paladins among the specs that benefit.
• There is a tanking seal, Seal of Fury, so a good shield has a job.

Focus on: A weapon that is current, a shield if you tank or heal, and enough intellect to keep casting. Blizzard has published nothing specific on paladin gear. More on the paladin

Hunter

Armor: Leather, then mail later on. Look for: Agility, then stamina.
Weapons: The bow or gun is the weapon that counts. Melee weapons are there for the stats on them.

• Pets now get increased stats based on the hunter's gear, so your upgrades are your pet's upgrades.
• Ammunition is in the beta: guns and bows consume it.
• A talent, Careful Aim, turns a share of your intellect into attack power.

Focus on: The ranged weapon first. Then agility on everything. More on the hunter

Shaman

Armor: Leather, then mail later on. Look for: A bit of everything.
Weapons: A one-hander and a shield, or a two-hander for melee. The guide says shaman "require almost everything" from their stats.

• With hit and crit combined, Blizzard names enhancement shaman among the specs that benefit.
• Dwarf shaman get 1% critical chance from maces, a racial trait.

Focus on: Decide whether you are healing, casting or hitting, and gear for that. Keep a shield either way. There is no Blizzard deep dive for the shaman yet. More on the shaman

Rogue

Armor: Leather. Look for: Agility, then stamina or strength.
Weapons: Daggers, swords, maces and fist weapons, one in each hand. In the 2004 guide, Backstab and Ambush need a dagger in the main hand.

• Blizzard says the combined hit stat helps rogues by making poisons more reliable.

Focus on: Two weapons that are current, and agility on the leather. There is no Blizzard deep dive for the rogue yet. More on the rogue

Druid

Armor: Leather. Look for: By role: intellect, or strength and stamina.
Weapons: Staves and maces. In Forever the weapon matters in animal form too.

• In bear, cat and dire bear form, your auto attack damage per second is now the same as your equipped weapon's.
• Weapon enchantments and procs now work while shapeshifted.
• The Thick Hide talent gives armor in forms based on defense skill bonuses.

Focus on: Pick the role first. A bear or cat now shops for weapons the way a warrior does. More on the druid

Priest

Armor: Cloth. Look for: Intellect, spirit.
Weapons: Maces, daggers and staves, and a wand for when the mana runs out.

• Bonus healing on gear now also counts as one third as much bonus damage, which helps a healer quest alone.
• Spellcaster weapons now grant spell damage and healing.
• Wands no longer gain damage from your spell damage.

Focus on: Healing gear does double duty now. Buy a wand early. More on the priest

Mage

Armor: Cloth. Look for: Intellect, spirit.
Weapons: A staff, or a dagger with an off-hand item. The guide's testers argued about which and called it a matter of style.

• Spellcaster weapons now grant spell damage and healing.
• Wands no longer gain damage from your spell damage.

Focus on: For once, the weapon. Then intellect. There is no Blizzard deep dive for the mage yet. More on the mage

Warlock

Armor: Cloth. Look for: Intellect, spirit.
Weapons: A staff or a one-hander, and a wand. The 2004 guide says a good wand and high spirit and intellect are most of what a warlock needs.

• Spellcaster weapons now grant spell damage and healing.
• Wands no longer gain damage from your spell damage.

Focus on: A caster weapon and a wand, then intellect. There is no Blizzard deep dive for the warlock yet. More on the warlock

What Blizzard has changed about gear

• Spell, melee and ranged hit chance are one stat. So are the three kinds of critical chance.
• Weapon skill still works as before, but items carry less of it, "so they are not always the obvious best choice".
• Bonus healing also counts as one third as much bonus damage.
• Spellcaster weapons grant spell damage and healing.
• New stats: some items reduce the chance for your attacks to be parried or dodged.
• Some effects are tied to a kind of place (woodlands, mountains, deserts) or a kind of creature.
• Trinkets are being pushed toward situational effects.
• Unique dungeon boss items are blue quality, set bonuses are improved, and hundreds of new drops have been added.
• Quest rewards have been updated or added to so more classes and roles get something they can use.
• Transmog follows armor type: plate to plate, cloth to cloth.

Does your race matter?

Three races get a little more from one kind of weapon. Humans gain 2% spell and ability critical chance from swords, orcs 1% from axes and dwarves 1% from maces. It is a small edge, and not a reason to turn down a better weapon of another kind.

What we don't know yet

What Blizzard has not said: the full list of weapons each class can train, whether weapon trainers work as they did, the level at which the heavier armor arrives, and whether hunters still carry a quiver. We will fill these in when there is a source.

Where this comes from

How we verify

• Blizzard

  Hit and crit combined; weapon skill reduced on items; bonus healing as damage; spell damage and healing on caster weapons; parry and dodge reduction; place and creature effects; trinkets; blue dungeon boss items, sets and quest rewards; transmog by armor type

  Blizzard: Deep Dive panel recap
• Blizzard

  Druid form damage from the equipped weapon, enchantments and procs in form, Thick Hide; hunter pets gaining stats from gear, Careful Aim

  Blizzard: class deep dive, Hunter and Druid
• Blizzard

  Warrior rage ignoring armor and based on weapon speed; priests limited to cloth armor

  Blizzard: class deep dive, Priest and Warrior
• Blizzard

  Sword, axe and mace specialization for humans, orcs and dwarves

  Blizzard: Create the Hero You Want to Be (races, classes and racial traits)
• Blizzard

  Wands no longer gain damage from spell damage; guns and bows consume ammunition

  Blizzard forums: beta development notes, October 1
• The 2004 guide

  Which classes wear cloth, leather, mail and plate; one-handed, two-handed, ranged and off-hand weapons; rogue weapon tips

  Read from the guide, printed page 178
• The 2004 guide

  The stats each class looks for; the mage tester tip on staff or dagger

  Read from the guide, printed page 177 and 179
• The 2004 guide

  Green items as par, kept within three to five levels of your own

  Read from the guide, printed page 20
• The 2004 guide

  Hunters to mail at 40 (p. 101), paladins to plate after 40 (p. 120), and the weapon advice in the warrior, paladin, priest and warlock chapters

  Read from the guide, printed page 101, 120, 121, 130, 159 and 169
• Reported

  The armor each class wears in Forever, and mail or plate arriving at level 40

  The original game's rules, repeated by fan sites covering the beta. Blizzard has confirmed only that priests wear cloth.
• Not confirmed

  Which weapons each class can train in Forever, and whether Backstab and Ambush still need a dagger

  Not in any Blizzard post we have read.