In episode 22 of the Hunting Party Podcast we answered an e-mail from a listener asking if they should save their emblems to buy four pieces of T10 or get the Herkuml War Token. The answer we gave was to acquire the four pieces of T10, and every other badge piece first.
Prior to patch 3.3’s release we took a good hard look at all of the gear that was coming out, and what would reasonably be available to us based on the content we’d be running.
We gave the Herkuml War Token a lot of consideration and even took one out for a test drive recently (you can buy one and return it).
The gating issue for us was not its performance, but that we were running ICC (10) and ICC (25) and likely to get Whispering Fanged Skull and Deathbringer’s Will (both superior items). The trinket also costs emblems, and the list of badge gear that we prioritized above this trinket was quite extensive. Let’s take a look,
- Ahn’Kahar Blood Hunter’s Spaulders (purchased)
- Ahn’Kahar Blood Hunter’s Tunic (purchased)
- Recovered Scarlet Onslaught Cape (purchased)
- Logsplitters (purchased)
- Primordial Saronite for a pair of Rock-Steady Treads (we bought three with badges and a couple from the AH).
- Ahn’Kahar Blood Hunter’s Headpiece (purchased)
- Ahn’Kahar Blood Hunter’s Handguards (not purchased and will only buy if Toravon refuses to cooperate).
- Band of the Night Raven (not purchased, and may not get).
- Herkuml War Token (not purchased and no longer needed).
The first three items and the boots are ones that we may very well be taking into Cataclysm. The Logsplitters and Band of the Night Raven will be replaced once we have four pieces of 264 T10, and that may take a while.
Now in the course of gathering our badges we killed Lady Deathwhisper ten times and she dropped Whispering Fanged Skull twice. We killed Deathbringer Saurfang nine times he dropped Deathbringer’s Will five times.
Had we purchased a Herkuml War Token it would now be replaced and we’d be sixty badges behind where we want to be. So while the math may show that the Herkuml War Token is surprisingly good, for us, as a gear choice, it was surprisingly bad.
If you’re running ICC 10/25 then we recommend patience as these trinkets do drop. If you’re not running ICC, that probably means you’re running heroics in which case the fights are too short, and badges are in such short supply that it doesn’t justify getting it either.
Bottom line, think long and hard about this trinket, and try before you buy.
killed saurfang 12 times ie since icc started no deathbringers will has dropped
http://www.revobar.com/eqdkp/listitems.php?s=a3697f8d7e149a6bf941bd10f7df2d21&p=history
where's the original post that prioritized the badge gear? i'm about to have enough frost emblems to buy something….
Hmm…I don't think I ever did a post on that, but here's a link to the Scattered Shots article the Frost wrote that covers the topic.
http://www.wow.com/2010/01/07/scattered-shots-its-all-hunter-loot-in-icc-part-1/
My own recommendation would be to get two pieces of T10 first (Shoulders and then head or chest) and then go for the cloak.
Where you go from there depends a lot on the content you're running.