Clarification on sockets

Community General Discussion
1

at what point does raw ilvl and main stat become worth more than a socket im seeing a lot of info on sockets being worth up to 15 ilvls and lower gear gear is simming higher but there has to be a general rule to follow right?

thanks

2

I think 15 ish ilvls is the general rule. It depends on the piece though. Something like bracers has less stats than legs though so a socket (50 stat) is a bigger difference on bracers.
Sorry to say there is no exact rule to follow.

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3

The best rule to follow is always sim top gear when you get a new piece of gear.

Otherwise, there are too many variables to give an accurate rule of thumb.

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4

Or go with personal preference. Because of how DK runes work, I prefer haste over all secondary stats. Haste really helps me perform by getting my runes back faster.

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5

higher budget items they are worth less, lower budget items (RINGS, bracers, boots+gloves to an extent) they can go as high as like 20-25ilvl and above depending on what your spec favors

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6

I have a 410 ring with a socket that still sims higher than a half dozen 440 rings I’ve gotten from the chest.

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7

I know this is such a generic answer but always sim it.

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8

I’m no sim-master, but a socket with a gem of +120 primary stat is really hard to beat. I hate getting a higher ilvl item with no socket for a slot that does have a socket. Your ilvl goes up, which allows you to qualify for higher ilvl drops, but hurts your dps.

Personally, I hate the fact that drops vary based on current ilvl, it feels like Blizzard is once again cheating us to ensure we grind longer.

9

As mentioned here:

  1. Always Sim it… it will depend on the slot
  2. 15 ilvl is the general rule. It even has been my personal experience with Trinkets, which are fickle little things to sim and consider.

With that being said, it really comes down to:

  1. Depends what you are stacking. Since there are no real BiS anymore and no soft/hard caps anymore, it comes down to how are you handling the hand you were dealt with the gear you have.
  2. Gear nowadays has a lot more to do with feeling than anything else. You can be simmed like a top world raider and if it feels clunky no amount of addons telling you otherwise will change your mind from feeling you are stacking something wrong.

If you are playing Outlaw, stacking that Crit to the sky is going to be very rewarding. But you will always want to favor good ilvl weapons over sockets in weapons. You just need solid auto-attacks in that spec that no socket will help with.

EDIT: For sanity sake, don’t chase the sockets. Honestly… not worth it. It’s a maddening rabbit hole from which you can’t escape.

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