I’m writing this post because I’ve seen some pretty atrocious gemming among moonkin on my server as well as other servers.  To really understand gemming the best, let me borrow Graylo’s conversion chart, which I have listed in the “Rating Values” page.

Also remember that WiseEclipse will devalue Haste further, and haste above 12% diminishes even more as [Wrath] no longer benefits from it while under the effects of [Spell "Nature’s Grace" not found].

Once you are hit capped, spellpower is generally a clear winner in gem choice, however, there are some times when other gems may give you a higher DPS value.  Let’s examine those.

[Chaotic Skyflare Diamond] requires two blue gems, so we’re obviously going to have to put them in somewhere.  The best place to put them is in any gear that requires a red gem/blue gem, with a +7 spell power bonus, or just a blue gem with a +7 spell power bonus.

[Purified Dreadstone] is the gem of choice, and with [Blessing of Kings] and [Improved Mark of the Wild], it gives an effective 11.2 spirit (10 * 1.12.  I believe the two buffs are additive, if someone can prove they are multiplicative, please let me know, although the math difference is negligible for this example), which with [Improved Moonkin Form], grants 3.36 spell power.  Given the 12 spell power from the gem, 7 from a bonus, and 3 from spirit, you get 22 spell power, which is only 1 SP less then if you put a [Runed Cardinal Ruby] in the same slot.

Another example where you would use a different gem would be a yellow socket, or red and yellow socket combination with a 7 spell power bonus.  Using [Reckless Ametrine], and the above chart, the haste would give an effective 8 spell power (at 14% haste.  If you devalued haste rating to only be .5, it’d still be higher).  Combine that with 7 spell power from the bonus, and 12 from the gem, and you’re at 26 spell power.

I hope this gives you some food for thought about your gemming selections in the future.

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