WoW Forever BiS at level 20 for every class

Every class page on the Codex has a BiS at 20 tab. For each of the 27 specs it lists the best piece a level 20 character can wear in every slot, two alternatives, and where each piece comes from. The lists overlap a lot. Their 424 top picks come down to 119 different items, so a few dungeons, quest chains and professions cover much of what every class wants.

How the lists are chosen

A piece has to be wearable at level 20, and we have to know it is real: a boss or trash mob drops it, a dungeon quest rewards it, a profession makes it, or it has turned up in the game. Out of all the gear in Forever, 1,182 pieces pass. Each one is scored by its spec's stat priority, so a Fury warrior's list leans on hit and Strength while a Shadow priest's leans on hit and shadow damage.

Armor follows the Classic rules for level 20. Warriors and paladins wear mail, hunters and shamans stay in leather until level 40^[1], and cloth wearers only get cloth. Some quest rewards have no level requirement at all but are only handed out at 60, so pieces without a requirement count only up to item level 25.

The lists are rebuilt from the game's data whenever it changes, so expect them to move during the beta.

Where the best pieces come from

Add up the top pick in every slot for every spec and you get 424 picks. Crafted gear is the biggest single source. Dungeon drops come next, and a quarter of the picks have been seen in the game but nobody has recorded where they come from yet.

If you are planning your dungeon runs, the Deadmines matters most. Between its bosses and two of its quests, The Defias Brotherhood and Underground Assault, it supplies more top picks than any other dungeon, with Wailing Caverns second. Two of the new Forever dungeons already show up: Ruins of Lordaeron, mostly through its quest rewards, and Hall of Thanes.

The single most wanted piece is a neck. Mark of the Pack Leader is the top pick for 21 of the 27 specs. It has been seen in the game, but its source is not known yet. Lavishly Jeweled Ring, the ring most specs share (14 of them), drops from Gilnid in the Deadmines. The trinket Lookie's Spyglass, a top pick for 13 specs, drops there too, from Cookie.

Casters

Mages, warlocks, Shadow priests, Elemental shamans and Balance druids mostly want the same two weapons. Staff of the Blessed Seer is the top two-hander for nearly all of them, and Evocator's Blade is the main hand pick if you would rather hold an off-hand item. Both drop from trash in Blackfathom Deeps. Destruction warlocks are the exception on the staff: Witching Stave from trash in Shadowfang Keep scores higher for them.

For the wand slot, Sizzle Stick is a reward from Deviate Eradication in Wailing Caverns. Shadow priests and all three warlock specs take Necrology Robes for the chest, another Shadowfang Keep trash drop. Mages, Elemental shamans and Balance druids get Dro'zem's Tunic, which has been seen in the game but has no known source yet.

Healers

Holy and Discipline priests, Restoration shamans and Restoration druids all start with Staff of Westfall, the reward for The Defias Brotherhood quest chain that ends in the Deadmines. If you use a main hand instead, The Stitcher comes from the quest Light's Justice in the Ruins of Lordaeron.

Healers' chests are all crafted: Filigreed Pristine Gown is Tailoring for priests, Wisdom's Leather Armor is Leatherworking for shamans and druids, and Holy paladins wear Acolyte's Chain Shirt from Blacksmithing.

Melee and hunters

Tunic of Westfall, from the same Defias Brotherhood chain as the healers' staff, is the best chest for hunters, rogues and Feral druids. Wingblade, the reward for Leaders of the Fang in Wailing Caverns, is the main hand for all three rogue specs and for hunters who want a one-hander.

Hunters can also swing Impaling Harpoon from Captain Greenskin in the Deadmines, and their top bow is Ranger Bow. Feral druids take Smite's Mighty Hammer, also from the Deadmines, because only its stats count in cat or bear form.

Arms warriors, Retribution paladins and Enhancement shamans share their top two-hander, Hammerbone, which has turned up in the game but has no known source yet. Warriors and Retribution paladins wear Mutant Scale Breastplate from Mutanus the Devourer at the end of Wailing Caverns. Fury warriors dual wield, starting with Butcher's Cleaver from Razorclaw the Butcher in Shadowfang Keep.

Tanks

Protection warriors and paladins both get their chest from Blacksmithing: Guard's Chain Shirt for warriors and Protector's Chain Shirt for paladins. Paladin tanks hold The Stitcher, the same main hand the healers use.

Every class's full list

• Warrior
• Paladin
• Hunter
• Rogue
• Priest
• Shaman
• Mage
• Warlock
• Druid