Emblem Pick Order: Conquest and Triumph Edition

UPDATE 27.11.: When I wrote this post, I was still in full T8 gear and I only very recently got my first T9 pieces. I didn’t knew back then, that the 4pcT9 bonus isn’t really great. In fact it seems to be pretty bad, worth only around 10-13 HEP, while 2pcT9 is worth 100-125 HEP. This of course changes the Emblem of Triumph Pick Order, as you don’t really have to get the 4 piece bonus. Also, the high value of haste changes some things. I suggest:

1. Totem of Calming Tides (25)
2. Band of the Invoker (35) if your goal is raids, Heartmender Circle (35) if you’re still mainly doing heroics
3. Thrall’s Handguards of Conquest (30)
   
4. Thrall’s Spaulders of Conquest (30)

This is how you should do it, if you’re already wearing 2 pieces of T8. If you get a decent amount of Emblems per week (clearing ToC on a weekly basis, some daily heroics, some VoA/Ony PuGs), you should aim for 2pcT9 and juicy ELEMENTAL gear. This will get you a terrific, very haste-oriented set.

1. Totem of Calming Tides (25)
2. Band of the Invoker (35) if your goal is raids, Heartmender Circle (35) if you’re still mainly doing heroics
3. Thrall’s Tunic of Conquest (50)
4. Thrall’s Handguards of Conquest (30)
5. Thrall’s Shoulderpads of Conquest (30)
6. Nobundo’s Helm of Conquest (50)

That’s it, on with the old version of the post:

So, you’re a fresh resto shaman. You run mainly heroics and those Emblems of Conquest just keep coming and coming. This post is my personal pick order for both, Emblems of Conquest and Emblems of Triumph. If you raid often, this list is not meant for you. If you’re a fresh 80 or just beginning to collect healing gear, this list is for you. This pick order works very well with my updated Gear list, which should help you to get into the raiding game.

Emblem of Conquest

1. Conqueror’s Worldbreaker Tunic (58)
2. Conqueror’s Worldbreaker Headpiece (58)
3. Leggings of the Weary Mystic (39)
4. Gloves of Augury (19)

Everything else you could get for Emblems of Conquest: skip it unless you’re really really unlucky in Trial of the Champion Heroic.

Why this oder? – Tier 8.5 is just incredibly good. The 2pc Bonus is a nice addition but it’s the strength of the items themselves, that should make you get those two pieces before everything else. After that, it depends on what you already got. For both slots, Gloves and Legs, there are very decent leather alternatives from TotC Heroic Gloves of Dismal Fortune and Leggings of the Snowy Bramble. Both Leather pieces are inferior to the Emblem of Conquest items, but not by much. If you love dual-speccing, I suggest spending Emblems of Conquest for another 2pc T8.5 instead of getting very small resto updates. Don’t get the Emblem of Conquest Belt unless you’re really unlucky in TotC H and never get a nice and better Girdle of the Dauntless Conqueror. Same goes for the Neckpiece, just farm TotC H for Symbol of Redemption. Don’t get the Totem Relic, you should get the one from Emblems of Triumph.

Emblem of Triumph

1. Totem of Calming Tides (25)
   
2. Heartmender Circle (35)
   
3. Thrall’s Spaulders of Conquest (30)
4. Thrall’s Handguards of Conquest (30)
5. Thrall’s Legguards of Conquest (50)

You should absolutely get the Totem Relic, in comparison to the Emblem of Conquest Totem, this one affects all your healing spells. The ring is also a fantastic piece, you will wear it for a long time. After that, add a nice 2pc T9 Bonus to your 2pc T8 Bonus, those two really work well together. Just get the piece which is the biggest upgrade for yourself first. If your only source of Emblems of Triumph is the Heroic Daily quest, don’t be too optimistic. It might take some time to get those pieces. If you think you’ll get into a raid soon, and might have the possibility to get some T7 gear or even get to the 4pc T8 Bonus, in that case the Shoulders of the Groundbreaker for 45 Emblems of Triumph can be worth getting instead of T9 items, iLevel 245 items are incredibly strong.