My Wishlist for my Perfect Resto Druid challenge mode healing gear

I had never really thought about the gear I was using for Challenge modes, except I knew that Legendary gems and cloaks don't proc and set bonuses don't work.  So I was just using gear that I had replaced for Challenge modes, with normal metas but still using my cloak because the stats on it were quite nice anyway, even without the proc.

I'm an idiot. I should have used the Challenger title!

However, Aza was telling me that the more sockets you have in your gear, the better it is for challenge modes - which made so much sense!  I mean, I knew socket bonuses were preserved, but I didn't realise that gems and enchants were also not scaled down.

So I thought I would compile a list for my druid that would be ideal for challenge modes.  It's probably not useful for people who have already done CMs since you can pretty much make do with any gear if you play it really well, but there might be some people out there learning druid who will at least have some old gear that they wonder is good before they get rid of it!  I think that BIS CM gear is better for tanks and DPS than healers so they can put the damage out,.

I like stacking on the haste so I've chosen a lot of haste gear and put the stats when scaled down to Challenge Mode.  A lot of people prefer Mastery and that's good too - bigger direct heals and then better hots with Harmony.  I just find cast times too slow and I really feel it sometimes. The stats seem to scale the same whether the gear is LFR, Normal or Heroic or Warforged so any of them will be fine!

HEAD
I think the T16 Helm of the Shattered Vale (from Thok in SoO) is the best choice because it has a meta and red socket with +180 intellect bonus. All the other helms have yellow or blue sockets with a meta socket, or have a lousy socket bonus such as spirit.
2106 Armor
+1349 Stamina
+659 Intellect (+180)
+523 Spirit
+406 Haste

SHOULDER
I think the T16 Mantle of the Shattered Vale (SoO from Siegemaster Blackfuse) is the best bet, but if you want some haste, Hopeglow Spaulders (SoO from Garrosh)is not a bad choice... shame about those sockets.  Mantle of the Haunted Forest (ToT from Iron Qon) is not bad either!

	Hopeglow Spaulders	Mantle of the Shattered Vale	Mantle of the Haunted Forest
Armour	1944	1944	1944
Stamina	1002	1002	752
Intellect	508 (+120)	508 (+120)	508
Spirit	365	398	372 (+120)
2nd stat	365 Haste	311 Mastery	354 Mastery
Sockets	Y,Y	R,R	R,Y

CHEST
The T16 Robes of the Shattered Vale (Sha of Pride in SoO) has mastery as the secondary stat and has 3 sockets with bonus intellect which will give it a huge intellect bonus. But Amber Parasite Wraps(Paragons in SoO) is worth cosidering because it also has 3 sockets (2 red, 1 yellow and socket bonus of 180 intellect) and haste if you like haste.

	Robes of the Shattered Vale	Amber Parasite Wraps
Armour	2592	2592
Stamina	1349	1349
Intellect	659 (+180)	659 (+180)
Spirit	523	377
2nd stat	406 Mastery	540 Haste
Sockets	R,R,R	R, R,Y

WRIST
I think most of the bracers with spirit are much the same.  I would use Castlebreaker Bracers (Iron Juggernaut) because it has more spirit and I do need some Mastery, but if I still needed the haste Vampire Bat Bracers (Tortos in ToT) and Bracers of Averted Fatality (Malkorok in SoO) are very similar.

	Castlebreaker Bracers	Vampire Bat Bracers	Bracers of Averted Fatality
Armour	1134	1134	1134
Stamina	752	1134	752
Intellect	501	501	501
Spirit	363	354	359
2nd stat	285 Mastery	301 Haste	309 Haste

GLOVES

Handwraps of the Shattered Vale (General Nazgrim, Timeless Isle Celestials) have 2 red sockets with 120 intellect bonus

+1002 Stamina
+508 Intellect
+362 Spirit
+359 Haste

WAIST
There are many good options here!  Girdle of Night and Day (Twin Consorts in ToT) is the same as Stonebound Cinch (The Stone Guard in MSV) if you want more spirit (socket bonus), but I prefer Pennyroyal belt (Leatherworking, which is what I use for raiding anyway).  If you're too loaded up on haste then Seal of Karmic Return (Garrosh in SoO) is a good choice.  Don't forget to put your belt buckles in!

	Girdle of Night and Day	Stonebound Cinch	Pennyroyal Belt	Seal of Karmic Return
Armour	1458	1458	1458	1458
Stamina	1002	1002	1002	1002
Intellect	508	508	508 (+120)	508 (+120)
Spirit	365 (+120)	365 (+120)	372	343
2nd stat	365 Haste	365 Haste	354 Haste	378 Mastery
Sockets	R,Y	Y,B	R,R	R,Y

LEGS
I'm using my T16 Legwraps of the Shattered Vale (Paragons in SoO or Celestials on Timeless Isle), but Pennyroyal Leggings (Leatherworking) has great haste! T15 Legwraps of Haunted Forest (Ji-Kun in ToT) and Magnetized Leggings (Will of the Emperor in MSV) are decent substitutes too. However if you want godly mastery, you need to get the Ra-Den leather legs, Kilt of Perpetual Genuflection.  3 sockets!! /drool (Yeah... I'm never going to see those...)

	Legwraps of the Shattered Vale	Pennyroyal Leggings	Legwraps of the Haunted Forest	Magnetized Leggings	Kilt of Perpetual Genuflection
Armour	2268	2268	2268	2268	2268
Stamina	1349	1349	1349	1349	1349
Intellect	739 (+120)	739 (+120)	739 (+120)	739 (+120)	659
Spirit	563	376	497	603	548
2nd stat	446 Mastery	603 Haste	530 Haste	376 Haste	363 Mastery (+180)
Sockets	Y,Y	R,R	Y,B	R,B	R,Y,Y

BOOTS
I think that the best boots by far are Spirit Keeper Footguards (Leatherworking).  2 red sockets and a socket bonus of 120 mastery gives these the best intellect out of all the boots out there as well as being easy to obtain.
1782 Armor
+1002 Stamina
+508 Intellect
+385 Spirit
+332 Mastery (+120)

RINGS
It seems like all the decent rings come from Siege of Orgrimmar.  Laser slice signet from Iron Juggernaut, Seal of Eternal Sorrow from Immerseus or Signet of the Dinomancers from Thok are all good. Signet is good if you're not keen for anymore spirit - the other two are good regen.

	Laser-Slice Signet	Seal of Eternal Sorrow	Signet of the Dinomancers
Stamina	752	752	752
Intellect	421	421	421
Spirit	285 (+60)	313 (+60)	0
2nd stat	293 Haste	246 Mastery	275 Haste (+60) 310 Mastery
Socket	Y	B	R

TRINKETS
Mana regen is what I look for in trinkets, and without a doubt, I think Relic of Chi-Ji (Inscription) has to be one of the best trinkets out there for challenge modes as a healer.  The mana regen on it is excellent.  Horridon's Last Gasp (Horridon in ToT) is also a good one for mana regen, as well as Spirits of the Sun (Tsulong in ToeS).  Dysmorphic Samophlange of Discontinuity (Siegemaster Blackfuse in SoO) is an acceptable alternative as well.

	Relic of Chi-Ji	Horridon's Last Gasp	Spirits of the Sun	Dysmorphic Samophlange of Discontinuity
Intellect	1025	847	847	847
Proc use	Passive	Passive	Passive	Passive
Proc	Increases spirit by 2682 for 20 secs	Healing spells have a chance to grant 956 mana every 2 secs for 10 secs	Each time spell heals, chance to gain 5079 spirit for 20 secs	Heals have a chance to give you 10160 spirit for 10 secs. Every 0.5 secs reduced by 508 spirit.
Cooldown	55 sec cooldown 20% chance	(0.96+haste) procs per minute	115 sec cooldown 15% chance	(0.92+haste) procs per minute

WEAPONS
The heirloom weapons all have 2 sockets and ToT weapons also can have a socket added to them via Eye of the Black Prince so whatever you fancy from those you can use.  I think that, Torall (Lei Shen in ToT) is the best choice because of the intellect and the red socket.  But I've listed a few options from HoF (Unsok's Amber Scalpel is from Amber Shaper), Throne of Thunder (Amun-Thoth is from Council of Elders, Athame is from Dark Animus) and Siege of Orgrimmar (Warmace is one of the heirlooms from Garrosh in SoO). 

One Hand weapons

	Unsok's Amber Scalpel	Athame of the Sanguine Ritual	Amun-Thoth, Sul's Spiritrending Talons	Torall, Rod of the Shattered Throne	Hellscream's  Warmace
Stamina	578	578	578	498	578
Intellect	305	305 (+60)	305 (+60)	385 (+60)	225 (+120)
Spirit	198	0	239	253	121
Spellpower	5152	5152	5152	5152	5152
2nd Stat	372 Haste (+60)	217 Haste 217 Mastery	179 Mastery	155 Haste	210 Mastery
Sockets	B,EotBP	R,EotBP	B,EotBP	R,EotBP	R,R

For offhand choices, you can see that Purehearted Cricket Cage (Fallen Protectors in SoO) and Orb of Arcing Lightning (Iron Qon in ToT) are exactly the same stats, but the red socket is better in Orb. Revelations of Y'Shaarj (Garrosh in SoO) is a good choice too if you don't need anymore spirit.

	Purehearted Cricket Cage	Revelations of Y'Shaarj	Orb of Arcing Lightning
Stamina	752	752	752
Intellect	421 (+60)	421 (+60)	421 (+60)
Spirit	337	0	337
2nd stat	222 Haste	286  Haste 299 Mastery	222 Haste
Sockets	B	R	R

If you look at 2H weapons they actually have more intellect but 1 less spellpower and marginally more health so they are good ones to use.  There are only 2 that can have 2 sockets (both from ToT) - Suen-Wo, from Twin Consorts and Giorgio's from Ji-Kun.

2H weapons

	Suen-Wo, Spire of the Fallen Sun	Giorgio's Caduceus of Pure Moods
Stamina	1349	1349
Intellect	819 (+60)	819 (+60)
Spirit	0	596
2nd stat	627 Haste 462 Mastery	481 Haste
Spellpower	5151	5151
Sockets	R,EotBP	B,EotBP

But you can actually do it with any gear.  As I said before, I think DPS makes the bigger difference to challenge modes than healing, and if you are happy to chug those Klaxxi Ambers all the time, then you don't even need much mana regen either.  But that can get expensive and I like to be cheap and use Golden Carp Consomme because I can cook it with all those leftover fish I had from my fishing days (and you can buy it as well from food vendors in Pandaria).  But having good gear does help make challenge modes easier, and I hope that this list is helpful to someone else other than me!