Best-in-Slot Gear & Enchant Priority

## Understanding BiS: The Real Goal Is Highest Average Item Level "Best-in-Slot" is a term the community uses loosely, but in practice it means the combination of items that produces the highest simmed DPS (or HPS for healers, or effective health for tanks) across the content you are actually doing. A BiS list for Mythic raid is different from a BiS list for Mythic+ keys, and different again from PvP content. This guide covers the BiS philosophy and the practical gear lists for all three endgame content types in Season 4. ## Stat Priority By Role Getting stat priority right is the foundation of all gearing decisions. Before you look at any item, you need to know which secondary stats your spec values above others. **DPS (Caster — Arcane Mage example):** Intellect >> Haste (to ~35%) > Critical Strike > Mastery > Versatility Haste is capped at approximately 35% for most caster specs because beyond that point, the GCD reduction is minimized by the GCD floor and you see diminishing returns. Sim your character at www.raidbots.com with Patchwerk settings to find your personal breakpoints — they shift with gear level. **DPS (Melee — Havoc Demon Hunter example):** Agility >> Critical Strike > Haste > Versatility > Mastery For Havoc, the Mastery depreciation is a function of the current 4-piece set bonus — it changes your stat priority significantly from what you may have known from previous seasons. Always re-sim when you equip new tier pieces. **Tank (Vengeance Demon Hunter):** Agility >> Versatility > Haste > Critical Strike > Mastery Tanks prioritize Versatility because it provides damage reduction in addition to DPS increase — you get two benefits from one stat. Haste is second because it directly improves your ability to generate Soul Fragments, which feed your self-healing. **Healer (Mistweaver Monk):** Intellect >> Haste (to ~33%) > Critical Strike > Mastery > Versatility Mastery is exceptional for Mistweavers in sustained AoE healing scenarios (Mythic+ trash), but falls behind Critical Strike in single-target throughput fights. The break-even point shifts around 440 item level — sim yours. ## The Correct Enchant Priority Enchants should follow your stat priority. Here are the current best-in-slot enchant choices for Season 4: **Weapon:** Sophic Devotion (Int spec) or Wafting Devotion (Agi spec). These proc frequently and add consistently to your throughput average. **Cloak:** Graceful Avoidance for defensive content or Writ of Speed for offensive DPS optimization. **Chest:** Waking Stats — the versatility increase is universally valuable across all specs. **Legs:** Temporal Spellthread (casters) / Fierce Armor Kit (physical DPS/tanks). **Boots:** Plainsrunner's Breeze or Watcher's Loam depending on whether you prioritize movement or stat gain. **Ring enchants** are the highest value per slot — Devotion of Critical Strike or Devotion of Haste depending on your stat priority target. ## Gem Sockets: The Math Matters Crafted gear frequently offers gem sockets. Each socket accepts one gem, and the optimal gem depends on your current stat thresholds: - **Energized Malygite** (+Critical Strike, your highest-value secondary until cap) - **Quick Ysemerald** (+Haste for specs with aggressive Haste thresholds) - **Fierce Illimited Diamond** (unique socket, provides a secondary stat combination) The Unique gem — one per character — should go in your highest-item-level piece with an available socket. The bonus stats from the Unique can be worth up to 15% more than a standard gem at current item level ranges. ## Reading Your Sim Output Correctly Raidbots provides three main sim modes: Patchwerk (single-target tank and spank), Dungeon Slice (simulates a Mythic+ run with variable target counts), and Hectic Add Cleave (simulates burst cleave scenarios like raid trash). For raid progress optimization: run Patchwerk for your main spec, check your Top Gear result, and use that list as your priority. For Mythic+: run Dungeon Slice — many items rank significantly differently in AoE-heavy environments. **The most common mistake:** players run Patchwerk for a spec that spends 60% of its time in multi-target fights (most Mythic+ tank specs, for example) and end up wearing gear optimized for a fight type that barely exists in their actual content. Match your sim type to your content type. ## Crafted Gear: Always Upgrade These Slots First Crafted gear through the Artisan's Consortium system allows you to set the secondary stats on your item. Priority crafted slots in Season 4: 1. Ring (two sockets possible, full stat control) 2. Cloak (high upgrade-to-cost efficiency) 3. Necklace (set your two most-valued secondaries) Craft these three pieces first. The return on investment from stat optimization in these slots outperforms any other crafting expenditure. 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