I do not intend for this gear guide to send you into instances and spend hours trying to farm pieces of gear which you will be quickly replacing.  Instead, I simply wish to give pointers on things to consider as you select new gear (from quest rewards, etc).  There are only a few items which I believe are worth taking the time to actually achieve by name.

First choice:  Leather vs. Cloth?

Generally, leather or cloth doesn’t matter, it all depends on which has better stats.  But as you’re leveling, here’s something to remember.  As a moonkin, you have high armor, which makes tanking much easier for you then say, a mage.  If you’re wearing full cloth, you’re going to take a pretty big armor hit.  It’s always good to use cloth gear in moderation.

Heirlooms?

If a balance druid is not your first toon, and you have another level 80 you can use to buy heirloom gear with badges, then definitely do so. Besides the 20% experience boost you’ll get between [Preened Ironfeather Shoulders] and [Preened Ironfeather Breastplate], both the [Discerning Eye of the Beast] and the [Dignified Headmaster's Charge] are excellent additions.

Stat itemization

The number one stat you’ll want to stack, obviously, is spell power.  Secondary to that, both intellect and spirit are beneficial.  Lunar Guidance gives you a 12% intellect->damage conversion, while also boosting your mana pool and crit rate, while spirit will give you a 30% spirit->damage conversion, while also boosting your mana regeneration capabilities.  Critical strike is obviously also another important stat to have.  While grinding, don’t worry about spell hit.  While stamina doesn’t increase your damage, it’s still important to have a decent amount so you don’t die in two or three hits.

[Epic] vs [Rare] vs [Superior]

Don’t get too caught up on what color the item is.  If it looks to be a better item, even though it may be green, and what you’re wearing is blue, it probably is.  Many tooltip mods (as well as the default interface if you enable it in Interface Options) will give you the “Item level” of the item.  As you’re progressing through the ranks, you will definately see green items that are far superior to blue items of a lower item level.

Must have items

There are only two items that come to mind that you definately should get.  They are:

Level 65

[Battle Mage's Baton] — This is a reward from the Ring of Blood questline in Northern Nagrand, that is available for you once you achieve level 65.  You will either need a party of 5 to finish this quest, or a higher level friend or two.  This item is much better then any quest rewards you will see until probably Northrend.

Level 75

[Chilly Slobberknocker] — This is a reward from the Zul’Drak “Ring of Blood” style arena questline, called “The Amphitheater of Anguish”.  This is a weapon you probably will not replace until level 80.  Just like the ring of blood, you’ll need a party of 5 to complete this quest, or a few level 80 friends.

Gold?

One thing to remember while you’re leveling.  Swift Flight Form costs 5,000g to purchase, and it’s another 1,000g to purchase Cold Weather Flying.  Cold Weather Flying will IMMENSELY speed up the rate at which you level, once you achieve level 77.  If you have no desire to use any of the quest rewards available from a quest, follow these guidelines to make the most money off the rewards:

Weapons sell for more money then armor — Two handed weapons will also sell for more money then a one handed weapon.  If a weapon is an option, you should definitely pick it, and grab a two hander if it’s an option!

Plate usually sells for more — If weapons aren’t an option, plate generally sells for a higher price then the other armors.  This should be your choice if only armors are available as rewards, although slot matters as well.  Mail chestpieces will most likely sell more then a plate belt, for example.

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