I haven't been able to get into the new content due to my hectic schedule so I have been focusing on maximizing my non-raid gear upgrades. Having run with a plethora of PuGs, I find that many people roll on items that they can equip if it is an upgrade in one stat. Others choose to upgrade if, on an overall comparison, the new item has "more" stat points. This gearing philosophy seems anywhere from mildly superficial to blatantly ignorant. I've actually seen a mage drop about 20 crit to pick up about 25 spirit and 5 haste. Now I don't know a great deal about mages, but I really can't imagine that is an upgrade.
Pawn
Pawn is an addon that allows a user to rank the relative value (or raw values) of individual stats on gear. Not only that, but it allows a user to make direct gear comparisons, and appends a gear score based on your stat scale to the tooltip of any item. I highly recommend using this addon. It plays a part in almost every gearing decision I make.
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In order to use Pawn you need to have a stats scale ranking the relative value of 1 stat compared to some baseline (another stat, 1 dps increase, 1 sec TTL, etc.) Some people just hijack these values from other reliable sites. I personally don't theorycraft my DK extensively so I grab stat weights from a blog I read and trust.
I base my own stat weights on the relative DPS increase given by adding +10 to one stat. To give an idea of the scope of what is needed, I calculate my DPS by calculating theoretical Eclipse uptime for two concurrent Eclipses (1 cycle) and the necessary nuke spamming to trigger those Eclipses. I have an incomplete model of DoTs where I keep up Moonfire 100% of the time and IS cast at the beginning of the Solar Eclipse. Setting up an Excel spreadsheet to help you calculate can be very useful. Once I have my values, I normalize them to the highest DPS increase (hit if needed). I considered accounting for the difference in budget cost of each item but decided that it would be unnecessary as I wasnt trying to find the best budgeted item, but rather the item that offered the largest DPS increase per point (or 10 points, technically). If I clean up the spreadsheet I will upload it (Don't hold your breath!).
Ok, so now you have some stat weights, let's talk about how to make your Pawn Scales. In Pawn, you can manually enter each stats' weight or use a string to import it. I'm not going to explain the string bit because you'd still have to type it out. Create a new blank scale and enter the stat weights you have. Then copy this scale and set hit equal to zero. Often, items with hit will be overvalued because some (or all) of the hit will be wasted. The second hitless scale will allow you to make comparisons when hit is not an issue. Name your scale and select a color to display the scale on the tooltip.
If you've got Pawn up and running, you can begin to make informed decisions about your gear. But there lies a caveat in all of this. Don't just follow the numbers. Pawn is not a substitute for researching drops and making a loot list. Pawn is a tool to help you evaluate things on the fly, not an excuse to roll on any item that has a higher cumulative score. Now, off with you to set up Pawn and become a more informed consumer of gear! (oh and there are new stat scales over at
Gray Matter)
