Hello guys, I am Gravy. Level 1 twink, casual achievement hunter and ganker.
First of all I want to explain that I am not some brave ranger. There are a few (not many but a few) level one twinks on the server who definitely have everything figured out, who have about as many kills and way more achievement points. The reason I am making this guide is for two reasons:
1. I think the bracket is very fun and I think more people could enjoy it if there was an easy to read and relevant (to Warmane) guide on the forums.
2. People ask me what items their twinks should get or invest a lot of time in useless items because of misinformation and the fact that Warmane isnt always blizzlike. You'll go after something you think works and then it won't, or vice versa.
Index
1. What can you do as a level 1 twink?
2. What is the BiS gear for a level 1 rogue?
3. What is the BiS enchants for a level 1 rogue?
4. Final words.
What can you do as a level 1 twink?
Let's start with the most common question i get from people riding past me: What can you do as a level 1 twink?
I would say most people (just from experience) are in it for the gearing process and the achievement hunting.
Getting achievements on a level 1 twink is very different from, for example, even a level 19 twink. For instance: The Ambassador. This achievement is relatively easy for a level 19 twink, because of the abundance of quests, eventhough a 19 just like a 1 can't hand in cloth. For a level 1 twink, even if you do every quest in every starting zone and do lunar event as a human, you won't get the ambassador even with the racial. A level one twink puts you up against new challenges and obstacles that make simple achievements take an ungodly amount of time. Some people love it, some people don't and getting over 2k achievement points on a level 1 requires dedication to world events and a relatively substantial amount of gold.
Getting achievements may take a bit, but getting into level 1 twinking is actually relatively simple. You need very few items (BiS items for rogues literally usually means a difference between 1 or 2 armor) and the enchants are mostly pretty cheap. If you have heirloom gear, you have a level 1 twink.
You can also gank. A level 1 can't play BGs but we can however world pvp. A level 1 can easily, without bis gear beat people who are level 15+ not only because of the insane scaling every stat point gives a character who isnt supposed to have a lot of stat points but also because of the rates and state of the realm. Most people rush through content and as such dont really have time to gear. Level 15's are generally undergeared and you, with just some basic items, become a machine. My crit chance is 41% unbuffed and my dodge is 48%. Common ganking spots are Goldshire and Razor Hill but i prefer the starter zones just for the oneshots, you're level 1 so you get HK's regardless and getting swarmed by lowbies is pretty fun.
Here's where i plug my own stuff again, but this is what level 1 ganking looks like:
What is it like playing a level 1 twink?
Level 1 rogues have a very simple rotation since we only have 3 spells. Spam Sinister Strike until you can Eviscerate and Stealth is borderline useless. You now know how to play a level 1 rogue. We can use Heavy Runecloth Bandages like level 19s but for us 1 tick means full health, which is kinda cool in duels. There is armor and strength consumables that are very cheap to make, sharpening stones, Rumsay Rum and you can have two gathering professions but no crafting professions meaning you always pick skinning (cause the crit goes hard) and herbalism (cause lifeblood will heal you for more than your health).
What is the BiS gear for a level 1 rogue?
Head
BiS: Don Carlos' Famous Hat - This is bought from the coin store and it is not even a question about if it's BiS or not. With over 100 armor this hat alone gives you 6%+ physical damage reduction. This is THE biggest upgrade you can get apart from your heirloom pieces and AGM.
2nd BiS: Hallowed Helm - You can get this from the Halloween Event buckets that are in every Inn during the event. This is a 1 armor upgrade from your 3rd BiS.
3rd BiS: Purple Turban - Sold in Dalaran for 99g, this 2 armor helmet is the absolute best you can get if it's not Halloween or if you don't want to spend coins. It is 2 armor better than nothing and you look like Aladdin. The same vendor also sells a Violet Hat with the same armor for less, but dont get that, it just doesn't look as good.
Speaking of heads. Lets talk a little bit about misinformation. There are guides online that say that level 1 rogues should have the Red Defias Mask. This is INCORRECT. The reason this is incorrect is for two reasons:
1. We are not playing classic. In classic you could put arcanums on your mask assuming it was high enough item level. This is not true in later patches as it was nerfed out.
2. We are on Warmane. Even assuming you could put an arcanum on your mask it still wouldnt be as good as 6+% physical reduction at a low level, Warmane is not comparable to some of the guides from classic or TBC, remember that.
Neck
Voice Amplification Modulator - Can be bought on the AH or crafted for you by an engineer, it is also relatively rare. This is the only neck in the game that a level 1 twink can wear that actually does something.
Shoulders
BiS: Stained Shadowcraft Spaulders - Sold for 40 Emblems of Heroism in Dalaran. 32 armor, 2 attackpower. This is what i usually go for just because it's cheap and i feel like i have enough stamina.
2nd BiS: Exceptional Stormshroud Shoulders - Sold for 200 Stone Keeper's Shards in Wintergrasp. 32 armor, 1 stamina, 1 attackpower. The only reason i put this as second BiS is that it's for sale for stone keepers, which are generally harder to get. If you wanna play with more stamina, go ahead.
Back
Linen Cloak - Bought on AH or crafted by literally any tailor. 6 armor. This is the best there is.
Chest
BiS: Haliscan Jacket - Bought from AH or made by a tailor. 45 armor. This is used because of it's itemlevel, enabling higher tier enchants.
2nd BiS: Stained Shadowcraft Tunic - 43 armor, 2 stamina, 3 attack power, 1 hit rating. Sold for 40 Emblems of Heroism in Dalaran. I wear this simply because i like the hit, it makes ganking and dueling at higher levels easier. I would even go as far as saying this is better for PvP vs higher levels than the Haliscan Jacket because of the hit, but I think its mostly my preference.
Bracers
Dirty Leather Bracers - 15 armor. You can buy 15 armor bracers in any starter zone on both ally and horde. Just pick the ones of your race.
Gloves
BiS: Worn Leather Gloves - 22 armor. These are a world drop meaning they can be VERY annoying to get. Either kill Defias mobs outside of Stormwind or kill mobs in Tiragarde Keep until you get them, depending on your faction.
2nd BiS: Dirty Leather Gloves - 21 armor. Yes, 1 armor difference. You can buy 21 armor gloves in any starter zone on both ally and horde. Just pick the ones of your race.
Belt
BiS: Squealer's Belt - 23 armor. Obtained from a mob in Mulgore, low drop chance but fast respawn time.
2nd BiS: Dirty Leather Belt - 19 armor. You can buy 19 armor gloves in any starter zone on both ally and horde. Just pick the ones of your race.
Pants
Tuxedo Pants or Haliscan Pantaloons - 39 armor. Obtainable on AH or by a tailor. Literally no difference between these two other than looks.
Boots
Dirty Leather Boots - 23 armor. You can buy 23 armor boots in any starter zone on both ally and horde. Just pick the ones of your race.
Ring
Dread Pirate Ring - Obtainable by winning the fishing extravaganza. No ring gives stats for a level one, including this ring. We just pick this ring because we wanna show everyone how disgustingly rich and good at fishing we are.
Trinkets
BiS: Arena Grand Master - 12 stamina and a very good on use effect. Obtainable from a very long and annoying quest in STV. Without question the absolute best trinket for most lower level twinks and certainly at level 1.
2nd BiS (If you're not a Human): Inherited Insignia of the Horde/Alliance - 1 resilience. Sold for 250 Stone Keeper's Shards in Wintergrasp. I personally use this instead of double AGM cause im lazy and really like having a pvp trinket vs mages in world pvp. The resilience does nothing.
2nd BiS (If you are a Human): Swift Hand of Justice - 1 Haste. Sold for 50 Emblems of Heroism in Dalaran. Haste actually scales very well on level 1s but since it's only 1 haste and the BiS option is 12 stamina plus an on use, you do the math.
Weapon 1
Venerable Dal'Rend's Sacred Charge - 1 attack power. Sold for 40 Emblems of Heroism in Dalaran. The damage is just nuts, even if you pick a faster weapon this will do more damage since you're constantly critting and you're not going for a haste spec.
Weapon 2
Battleworn Thrash Blade - Sold for 200 Stone Keeper's Shards in Wintergrasp. I will die on this hill. This is without doubt the best offhand. Yes you get 1 attackpower and some attackspeed with other offhands but the damage of this blade together with the proc just makes it a perfect offhand, speed is irrelevant. It hits hard and when it procs it does double damage.
Also: Fulborg Medicine Pouch does NOT work. Any guide that tells you it does is probably very very old, even on Warmane. You can equip it but you cant use the on use effect. It's not worth it.
Ranged Weapon
Charmed Ancient Bone Bow - 1 attack power. Can you use this to kill people? Yes. We use it as a stat-stick though. 1 ap is 1 ap.
What is the BiS enchants for a level 1 rogue?
Back
Superior Defense, 70 armor or Lesser Agility, 3 agility - I prefer Superior Defense, cause it's 4% physical reduction. If you want some more crit and dodge, go ahead and get Lesser Agility.
Chest
Exceptional Stats, 6 to all stats if you're running Haliscan Jacket or Major Health, 100 health if you're running the Shadowcraft Heirloom.
Bracers
Superior Stamina - 9 stamina.
Gloves
Superior Agility - 15 agility.
Pants
Rugged Armor Kit - 40 armor. This kit can be added by a higher level player on your pants without soulbinding them.
Also: If a guide tells you Cobrahide Leg Armor is BiS then they are wrong. That was nerfed for twink in WOTLK and as such it does not work on Warmane. You are reading a dated guide.
Boots
Lesser Accuracy, 5 hit rating or Minor Speed, a small run speed increase. Preferably you have 2 pair of boots so you can switch back and forth. Equip running boots if someone starts running and u get out of combat or if you're just heading somewhere. If you want damage there is a rare 7 agi enchant for duels.
Weapons
Agility - 15 agility.
Final Words.
Just like I said initially, I am no expert. A lot of this knowledge comes from trial and error and experimentation. Where I have an opinion I hope I have made it clear enough. The reason I even make this guide, as stated previously is because i genuinely love the level 1 community. Everyone I've met is very cool, very supportive and is always looking for the next thing to do. With other brackets there is usually a lot of info but in the level 1 community a lot of achievements for example are just people trying to see where the boundary is, if its possible in some way.
For me level 1 twinking has been a group experience and so I wanna thank everyone who has helped me mess around with this character. From the old guild who brought me along for "For the Horde" to the people who have spent time flying me around or teleporting me for world events, thank you.
Hope to see some of you guys out and about soon, please try out level 1 twinking!