Wikia

The item level is a rather important property of every item. It has two main functions — reflect the item's usefulness and at the same time determine the minimum level a character must have in order to use it (see Minimum level requirements and Item Level section below). Also, item level is tied to many enchants which can only be applied to items of a particular item level or higher (usually 35, 60, or 300).

Up until Patch 3.2, the true item level was hidden in the game, and only UI mods can read it via the function GetItemInfo. Now, however, a new option has been added under Display in the Interface Options to show the item level on item tooltips.

As Hyzenthlei (Tauren Shaman 60 on Zul'Jin) first found out, and was later confirmed by a presentation at Blizzcon, Blizzard uses a formula to calculate item level from the item's stats.^{[citation needed]} The following is an attempt to reverse-engineer this formula. This text is based on a forum post by Hyzenthlei (the original author) in the Blizzard forums, but that post has since disappeared.

Item Level Chart

These charts only account for rare or better items.

Classic (minLevel = 60)

ilvl	Misc	MC	BWL	TAQ	Naxx-40	PVP
60	BRS, Scholo, and Strat Crafted Drops Quests PvP	Various boss drop
61	Classic 5/10-man dungeons Crafted Drops	Various boss drop
62	Classic 5/10-man dungeons Crafted Drops	Various boss drop
63	Classic 5/10-man dungeons Crafted Drops PvP Quest rewards	Various boss drops
64	Crafted Drops [Satchel of Helpful Goods]	Various boss drop
65	Dungeon 2 sets ZG set chest/neck/trinket ZG trash rares ZG boss epics RAQ set rings Abyssal Council epics	Various boss drops				Battleground items
66	Azuregos/Lord Kazzak Mandokir/Jin'do epics (ZG) Kurinnaxx/Rajaxx epics (RAQ) Darkmoon Cards	Tier 1 set pieces Various boss drops				R6 rare gloves/boots
67	Azuregos/Lord Kazzak RAQ set cloaks	Various boss drops
68	Azuregos/Lord Kazzak Abyssal Council rares High Priests/Edge of Madness/ Gahz'ranka rares (ZG) Hakkar epics (ZG) Buru/Ayamiss epics (RAQ)	Various boss drops				R7 rare chest/legs
69	Azuregos/Lord Kazzak Moam epics (RAQ)	Various boss drops
70	Azuregos/Lord Kazzak RAQ set weapons	Majordomo Various boss drops	BWL trash drops
71	Azuregos/Lord Kazzak Green Dragons Mandokir/Jin'do (ZG) Kurinnaxx/Rajaxx (RAQ) some RAQ trash drops Quel'Serrar	Majordomo Various boss drops		TAQ trash drops		R8 rare helm/shoulders R12 epic legs/gloves/boots
72	Ossirian epics (RAQ) Green Dragons
73	Buru/Ayamiss rares (RAQ)	Ragnaros	Razorgore	Skeram
74	Moam rares (RAQ)	Ragnaros	Vaelastrasz			R13 epic helm/shoulders/chest
75		Ragnaros Rhok/Lok Benediction/Anathema	Broodlord Lashlayer Firemaw Ebonroc Flamegor	Revered Bronze Signets Royal Trio (shared) Royal Trio (Vem)
76		Tier 2 pants (Ragnaros)	Tier 2 set pieces	Royal Trio (Yauj) Sartura scepter questline weapons
77		Ragnaros weapons	Chromaggus	Fankriss scepter questline stuff
78		Ragnaros		TAQ set shoulders/boots Royal Trio (Kri) Viscidus Huhuran		R14 weapons
79				Qiraji regalia/armaments
80				Exalted Bronze Signets	crafted FrR gear
81			Nefarian weapons	TAQ set helm/legs Twin Emperors Ouro	some Naxx weapons
82
83			Nefarian		Various Naxx drops
84				C'Thun weapons
85					Naxx wing bosses
86					Tier 3 shoulders/boots Corrupted Ashbringer
87
88				TAQ set chest C'Thun	Tier 3 helm/bracers/gloves/belts/legs Sapphiron weapons
89					Kel'thuzad weapons
90				[Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian]	Sapphiron
91
92					Tier 3 chest/ring Kel'thuzad

The Burning Crusade (minLevel = 70)

ilvl	PvE (party)	PvE (raid)	PvP	crafted
95			Terrokar spirit shard rings	Basic engineering goggles
100	world drop BoEs Exalted reputation weapons Darkmoon cards Heroic MT event rings (Yor)			BS FrR legs/helm JC caster helms; FrR ring Tailoring Soulcloth set
105	Heroic end-boss weapons Exalted reputation gear Terokk BoE cloaks Ogri'la event rings (Shartuul) Ogri'la Apexis Infusion epics			most crafted BoEs
107				BS T1 weapons
110	Heroic end-boss gear SWMT Kael'thas (normal) Seasonal event boss drops Initial badge loot (jewelry, off-hands, helms)	Violet Signet (Honored)
113			S1 (General's/Marshal's) bracers S1 necklaces
115	SWMT (Heroic) Exalted Shattered Sun FR badge gear	Karazhan [Violet Badge] [Phoenix-fire Band]	S1 relics	BS FrR chest; NR chest/legs/helm JC NR ring LW set bracers/belts Tailoring [Primal Mooncloth Belt]
120		Tier 4 sets (Karazhan/Gruul/Magtheridon) Violet Signet (Revered) Outdoor raid boss drops		LW set chests LW [Cloak of Darkness] Tailoring [Primal Mooncloth Robe]
123			S1 Arena weapons S1 Arena armor sets S1 (General's/Marshal's) belt/boots S1 (Sergeant's) cloaks	BS T2 weapons
125	SWMT Kael'thas (Heroic)	Karazhan end-boss (Malchezaar) High King Maulgar/Gruul the Dragonkiller Magtheridon		JC T2 figurines
126			S2 (Veteran's) bracers
127				BS T2 armor Eng T1 goggles
128	Zul'Aman badge gear	Zul'Aman gear Serpentshrine Cavern gear Tempest Keep gear Band of Eternity (Friendly)	S2 (Veteran's) rings/necklaces S4 PVP trinket	SSC/TK crafted BoP boots SSC/TK crafted BoE belts
130		Violet Signet (Exalted)		BT crafted SR gear
132		Zul'Aman weapons
133		Tier 5 sets (SSC/TK) Zul'Aman end-bosses (Malacrass/Zul'jin)	Battlemaster trinkets
134		SSC/TK weapons
135	[The 2 Ring]
136		Band of Eternity (Honored)	S2 (Merciless) Arena weapons S2 (Merciless) Arena armor sets S2 (Veteran's) belts/boots S3 cloaks	BS T3 weapons
138		SSC/TK end-boss gear (Vashj/Kael'thas) ZA end-boss weapons
141	Sunwell badge gear	Hyjal/BT gear SSC/TK end-boss weapons	S3 (Vindicator's) bracers/rings/necklaces	Hyjal/BT crafted BoP shoulders Hyjal/BT crafted BoE bracers
144		Band of Eternity (Revered)
146	Sunwell badge weapons	Tier 6 sets (Hyjal/BT)	S3 (Vengeful) Arena weapons S3 (Vengeful) Arena armor sets S3 (Vindicator's) belt/boots	BS T3 armor
151		Hyjal/BT end-boss weapons (Archimonde/Illidan) BT trash rings
152		Band of Eternity (Exalted)
154		Tier 6 bracers/belt/boots Sunwell Plateau gear	S4 (Brutal) Arena weapons S4 (Guardian's) bracers/rings/necklaces
156		[Twin Blades of Azzinoth]
159		Sunwell token-exchange gear	S4 (Brutal) Arena armor sets S4 (Guardian's) belt/boots	Eng T2 goggles SWP crafted BoP chests SWP crafted BoE gloves JC BoE rings; BoP necklaces
164		Sunwell end-boss (Kil'jaeden)

Wrath of the Lich King (minLevel = 80)

ilvl	PvE (5-man party)	PvE (10-man raid)	PvE (25-man raid)	PvP	Crafted
187	Level 80 Instances Honored reputation rewards				Rare craftables
200 (rare)	Level 80 Instances (Heroic) Revered reputation rewards Argent Tournament Armor rewards			Season 5 PVP Savage Gladiator set
200 (epic)	Level 80 Instances (Heroic) End Bosses Trial of the Champion Emblem of Heroism rewards Exalted reputation rewards Most world drop epics Argent Tournament Weapon rewards	Tier 7 Heroes' sets Naxxramas The Obsidian Sanctum		Season 5 PVP Hateful Gladiator Set Season 5 PVP Wintergrasp rewards (3.08)	Frozen Orb craftables Darkmoon cards
206					[The 5 Ring] (fishing daily reward)
213	Emblem of Valor rewards	Kel'thuzad The Eye of Eternity The Obsidian Sanctum (with Drakes)	Tier 7.5 Valorous sets Naxxramas The Obsidian Sanctum	Season 5 PVP Deadly Gladiator gear Season 6 PVP Wintergrasp rewards (3.1)
219	Trial of the Champion(Heroic) The Forge of Souls The Pit of Saron Halls of Reflection	Tier 8 Valorous sets Ulduar
226	Emblem of Conquest rewards	Ulduar "Hard Mode(s)" Algalon the Observer	Kel'thuzad The Eye of Eternity The Obsidian Sanctum (with Drakes) Tier 8.5 Conqueror's sets Ulduar	Season 6 PVP Furious Gladiator honor accessories Season 7 PVP Wintergrasp rewards (3.2)	Runed Orb craftables
232	The Forge of Souls (Heroic) The Pit of Saron(Heroic) Halls of Reflection (Heroic)	Ulduar "Hard Mode(s)" weapons Trial of the Crusader Tier 9 Conqueror's Set	Ulduar weapons	Season 6 PVP Furious Gladiator Sets and Weapons
239			Ulduar "Hard Mode(s)" Algalon the Observer	Season 6 PVP T2 Furious Gladiator weapons
245	Emblem of Triumph rewards	Trial of the Grand Crusader	Tier 9 Triumphant sets Trial of the Crusader [Val'anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings]	Season 7 PVP Relentless Gladiator accessories and weapons	Crusader Orb craftables
251	[Quel'Delar] quest rewards	Tier 10 sets Icecrown Citadel Ashen Verdict Friendly rings		Season 7 PVP Relentless Gladiator sets Season 8 PVP Wintergrasp rewards (3.3)
258		Trial of the Grand Crusader Tribute Chest Rewards The Lich King The Ruby Sanctum	Trial of the Grand Crusader Tier 9 Totally Triumphant Sets	Season 7 PVP T2 Relentless Gladiator weapons
259		Ashen Verdict Honored rings
264		Tier 10 Sanctified sets Icecrown Citadel (Heroic) Emblem of Frost rewards	Tier 10 Sanctified sets Icecrown Citadel	Season 8 PVP Wrathful Gladiator accessories and T1 weapons	Primordial Saronite craftables
268		Ashen Verdict Revered rings
270				Season 8 PVP Wrathful Gladiator set pieces, off-hands, relics and shields
271		Lich King (Heroic) The Ruby Sanctum (Heroic)	Lich King The Ruby Sanctum
272			Trial of the Grand Crusader Tribute Chest rewards
277		Ashen Verdict Exalted rings	Tier 10 Heroic Sanctified sets Icecrown Citadel (Heroic)	Season 8 PVP T2 Wrathful Gladiator weapons
284			Lich King (Heroic) The Ruby Sanctum (Heroic) [Shadowmourne]

Cataclysm (minLevel = 85)

ilvl	PvE (party)	PvE (raid) (10-Player or 25-Player)	PvP	Crafted
312	Random drops
317-316	Crafted
318	Level 83-85 quest rewards
325	Crafted, quest rewards, random drops
333	Level 85 Instances Honored reputation rewards
339				4.0/4.1 Crafted Bloodied PVP rare set
346	Level 85 Instances (Heroic) Justice Point rewards Revered reputation rewards
352 (rare)			Season 9 Bloodthirsty Gladiator rare set
353 (epic)	Zul'Gurub and Zul'Aman Instances (Heroic) Midsummer Boss
358 (rare)				4.2 Crafted Bloodthirsty PVP rare set
359 (epic)	Exalted reputation rewards Tier 11 Justice Point rewards^[1]	The Bastion of Twilight Throne of the Four Winds Blackwing Descent Tier 11 sets	Season 9 PVP Vicious Gladiator Weapons	[Chaos Orb] Crafted items
365 (epic)	Elemental Bonds Cloaks [Mark of the World Tree] rewards		Season 9 PVP Vicious Gladiator epic set	4.2 [Chaos Orb] Crafted items
372 (epic)		The Bastion of Twilight (Heroic) Throne of the Four Winds (Heroic) Blackwing Descent (Heroic) Tier 11 Heroic sets	Season 9 Glorious PVP Vicious Gladiator Weapons
378 (epic)	Avengers of Hyjal Friendly, Honored and Revered rewards	The Firelands Tier 12 sets Tier 12 Valor Point rewards	Season 10 PVP Ruthless Gladiator Weapons	[Living Ember] Crafted Items
379 (epic)		Sinestra
384 (epic)		Ragnaros Dragon Soul (LFR)	Season 10 PVP Ruthless Gladiator epic set
390 (epic)		Spine of Deathwing (LFR) Madness of Deathwing (LFR)
391 (epic)	Avengers of Hyjal Exalted rings	The Firelands (Heroic) Tier 12 Heroic sets Tier 12 Valor Point + [Crystallized Firestone] rewards	Season 10 Glorious PVP Ruthless Gladiator Weapons
397 (epic)		Ragnaros (Heroic) Dragon Soul Tier 13 Valor Point (non-set) Rewards		[Essence of Destruction] crafted gear
403 (epic)		Spine of Deathwing Madness of Deathwing		Cataclysmic Gladiator PVP Rewards
406 (epic)		The Sleeper and The Dreamer
410 (epic)		Dragon Soul (Heroic)
416 (epic)		Spine of Deathwing (Heroic) Madness of Deathwing (Heroic) Fangs of the Father

Terms and definitions

StatValue — the amount of a given stat on an item
StatMod — the weighting given to the stats
ItemValue — the total modified value of the stats on an item
SlotMod — weighting based on equipment slot
ItemSlotValue — ItemValue modified for the item slot
ilvl — the effective level of an item (hidden in game)

Historical overview

During the original reverse-engineering of the individual "cost" of each stat, Hyzenthelei set out assuming that +1 to Heal had a cost of 100. He then compared items of similar item level and comparable stats and thus arrived at the first version of the StatMod table (which stood the test of time very well). Later, during a presentation by Blizzard at BlizzCon, a slide revealed that 1% Melee Crit = 14 points. This confirmed Hyzentheleis table (1% melee crit was indeed 14 times as expensive as one point of a basic stat), but at the same time gave a benchmark for the proper scale — rate basic stats with one point.

With WoW 2.0, the table was reworked, some properties (most notable Stamina) changed their price, and others were replaced. In particular many combat-related stats were changed to combat ratings. All existing items were updated to reflect this change. This simplified the table, because Combat Rating points are worth exactly one "item point", the same as base stats (exc. Stamina).

Calculating Item Level

-- The following examples are all pre-wotlk formulas, which appear to have changed in 3.0.

The item level calculation was reverse-engineered upon a number of observations on the items in game:

Different statistics appear to be worth different amounts: One randomly enchanted item could have 40 attack power, 20 strength, or 30 stamina.
Different gear slots appear to be given different stat allocations: A helm or chestpiece has many more stats than gloves or a belt.
The more stats on an item, the more possible stats you may have. An item might have 50 Strength, or 35 Strength and 35 Spirit, or 28 each of 3 stats...

From these observations we are able to calculate the item level: The calculation process.

The item is assigned its stats. Each stat has a different value denoted by its StatMod, listed in the table below; this is multiplied by the Stat Value to give a true indication of the worth of that statistic. This is then raised to the 1.7095 power (Log2/Log1.5) as shown below:

(StatValue[1]*StatMod[1])^1.7095

This is repeated for every stat on the item and the totals are summed together, then raised to the 1/1.7095 power, to give the ItemValue:

ItemValue = [(StatValue[1]*StatMod[1])^1.7095 + (StatValue[2]*StatMod[2])^1.7095 + ...]^1/1.7095

This sum is divided by the SlotMod to give the value of stats allowed for that particular piece (greatest for Chest/Head/Legs and lower for Rings,Wrists etc)

ItemSlotValue = ItemValue / SlotMod

Finally, the quality of the item must be taken into account. For example, a green item at lv70 may have the same stats as a blue item at lv65, but the green item has much higher iLevel:

The third and final modification takes into account item quality. The end result is a calculated value for item level.

Uncommon: ilvl = ItemSlotValue * 2.0 + 8.00
Rare: ilvl = ItemSlotValue * 1.8 + 0.75
Epic: ilvl = ItemSlotValue * 1.2 + 26

This calculated item level usually matches Blizzards item level quite well.

The heart of the formula is to take each modified stat value to the 1.7095th power, sum up these terms and draw the 1.7095th root from the sum. This process makes single, high values of one stat more expensive than multiple, lower stats. Still it is a fairly simple mathematical model, but not so simple that it is just all the stats added together. Previously it was thought that the power was 1.5 or 1.6; calculations since have shown 1.7095 to be a more accurate model.

Gems do not use a standard iLevel formula. For example perfect iLevel 70 Uncommon Northrend gems have higher stats than non-perfect Uncommon Northrend gems, and non-perfect Uncommon iLevel 70 Northrend gems have higher stats than corresponding iLevel 130 Epic Outland gems.

Stat modifiers

The stat modifiers or "StatMod" values are a "cost" associated with the stat, so an item of the same level can have more of a stat with a low StatMod, than with a high one. The same item could for example either have 5 mana regen/5 or 12 Spirit.

Stat	StatMod
Bonus armor	0.07 (1/14)
Armor Penetration	0.14 (1/7)
Attack Power vs (demons, beasts, undead) ²	0.33
Ranged Attack Power ²	0.40
Spell Healing ²	0.45 (5/11)
Attack Power	0.50
Spell Damage vs (demons, beasts, undead) ²	0.55
Blocking Value	0.65
Stamina (Burning Crusade and later items only)	0.67 (2/3)
Spell Damage (One school)	0.70 ²
Spell Damage (All Spells)	0.86 (6/7)
Spell Penetration	0.80
Magic Resist (One school)	1.00
Primary Stat (STR, AGI, INT, SPI)	1.00
Stamina (pre-Burning Crusade Items only)	1.00
Combat Rating (Any)	1.00
Health per 5 sec	2.5
Mana per 5 sec	2¹
Magic Resist (All schools)	2.5
Damage Shield ²	3.15
Stealth Skill	2.00
+1 Stealth Level	7.00

¹ Mana regeneration cost 2.5 for every 1 mana/5 sec prior to patch 3.2. In patch 3.2, all items with mana regeneration had their amounts boosted by 25%, without changing their item level budgets. This means that mana regeneration now costs 2.0 for every 1 mana/5 sec.

² These statistics are almost never found on Burning Crusade or Wrath gear.

Notes:

+Holy has value of 0.92 on some items (according to Hyzenthlei), while for example Green Lens will have the same +34-36 to any school including Holy
Magic Resist (All schools) includes items that specifically state "All Resistances", along with items that list each individual school.
An item that adds damage to two schools of magic may be charged anything between one school and all spells. This varies among a few items that do this which seemingly depends on usability of two schools for any classes.

These stat mods were obtained by evaluating several thousands of items. Some values (like resists or +spell damage) are pretty reliable since they occur on many items and in large values. Knowing the base that Blizzard uses, most others were rounded to a number that would appear to make sense.

[12/11/12 - Despite the hard work put into this by the original author, this is wrong (using the Vanilla stats). Looking at multiple items, I can successfully say the slot mods are incorrect. Slot mods appear to be class specific. Multiple examples of this are available, and apparently in evaluating "several thousands of items", they did not look at items that were obviously similar.

-Belt of Valor - Lightforge Belt - Girdle of the Dawn - Girdle of Uther. All 4 are iLevel 58. Using this formula, the last 3 are about ilevel 58, but the Belt of Valor is at 48.25, clearly being wrong.

-Comparing all of the DS1 Belts (save Beaststalker, due to comparing a stat not on any of the other pieces) yields the same issue - Valor is weak by comparison.

-Field Marshal's Satin Vestments vs Field Marshal's Dreadweave Robe - the priest loot has the same stamina and additional +damage and healing, armor, intellect and mp5. At no point does the Warlock loot have more stats than the Priest's. This dictates it must in fact be different between classes. -Highlander's Lamellar Spaulders vs Highlander's Plate Spaulders - using the formula, they do not calculate to 65, but much more. It also shows Stamina does not have the same stat mod as Intellect between the loot/classes, but that intellect on paladin loot is more valuable than stamina.

I attempted to follow in the original author's footsteps, looking to see what could be wrong in the formula. I tested out the power of log(2)/log(1.5) to see if that was accurate, using the Highlander's Leather Shoulders and Lizardhide Shoulders - it was in fact accurate between Agility and Intellect.

I tried setting up the first example listed below: the formula did not yield 74.4, nor anywhere near it, for the Circle of Applied Forces. I checked if it were an issue of different stat mods for epics instead of rares, also did not check out. I even checked if Belt of Valor were mistakenly itemized under the epic formula by Blizzard instead of the rare formula. Surprisingly, this is in the realm of possibility, as it yields similar results to the other DS1 Belts. I then noticed the Priest and Warlock difference listed above. Currently, I'm testing out what values each class must yield. One thing I noted was the Sergeant Major's Bracers. Each of them carry the same stat numbers: 17 stamina and 7 of strength/agi/intellect.

Strength: Warrior/Paladin Agility: Rogue Intellect: Druid/Mage/Priest/Warlock/Hunter/Shaman

This confirms the previous find of agility being equivalent to intellect between a rogue and druid. This also gives me a headstart on the values of each piece. Stamina must be equivalent between classes, and the other stats are equivalent to each other. This brings us back to the Arathi Basin Plate Shoulders.

Considering that the item levels are too high, I calculated that, if Intellect = 1, Stamina = ~0.869318. I will continue editing this bracketed as I progress. -MM ]

Some of these weightings seem to be different on different item types. A probably non-conclusive list is:

Ring	StatMod
Magic Resist (One school)	0.72
Magic Resist (All schools)	1.80
Health per 5 sec	3.50
Neck
Health per 5 sec	3.50
Shield
Blocking Value	0.60
Defense	1.20

Slot modifiers

Some item types have better or more stats than items that go in different slots. Helms for example will always give better benefits than bracers of the same item level. A high SlotMod in this table means that the item will have better stats than an item for a slot with a lower number and the same ilvl.

Gear Piece	SlotMod
Head, Chest, Legs, 2H Weapon	1.00
Shoulder, Hands, Waist, Feet	0.75 (3/4)
Wrist, Neck, Back, Finger, Off-hand/Shield	0.5625 (9/16)
1H weapon	0.4219 (27/64)
Ranged	0.3164 (81/256)

Weapon DPS

Weapon DPS is inherent to the iLevel of the item: thus as more stats are assigned, the higher the DPS will be.

Weapon DPS follows the following formulae for Burning Crusade items:

Weapon Type	Uncommon	Superior	Epic
One Handed Weapon	iLevel<97: = iLevel*0.3448 + 16.7552	iLevel<97: = iLevel*0.4350 + 15.8250	iLevel<138: = iLevel*0.45 + 36.1
	iLevel>97: = iLevel*0.6333 - 10.7	iLevel>97: = iLevel*0.7488 - 14.4905	iLevel>138: = iLevel*0.6 + 15.5
2 Handed Weapon		1 Handed * 1.3
Ranged (Gun/Bow/xBow)	iLevel*0.5 + 1.4	iLevel*0.58 - 0.3	iLevel*0.4047 + 32.84
Thrown	iLevel*0.5542-8.8045	iLevel*0.6191-6.9569	iLevel*0.4047 + 32.84
Wand	1-Handed Melee * 1.77	1-Handed Melee * 1.80	1-Handed Melee * 1.83

DPS sacrifice

Many caster weapons sacrifice a portion of their Melee DPS to obtain spelldamage stats, for example the [Continuum Blade]. In this way, caster DPS and healer weapons gain spelldamage at an equivalent rate to melee weapons gaining melee DPS. The amount of Damage/Healing/FAP gained is proportional to the amount of DPS sacrificed in the following way:

Spell Damage = Sacrificed DPS * 4
Healing = Sacrificed DPS * 7.5
Feral Attack Power = Sacrificed DPS * 18.37 - 12.4843

One Handed caster weapons universally have damage ranges between 41.0-42.0 DPS. This damage range is the basis for the sacrifice of DPS for both one and two handed weapons.

The amount of DPS Sacrificed simply Melee 1 Hand DPS - 41.5 In this way, a 2-handed caster staff and a one-handed dagger would both have the same spelldamage/healing. The actual melee DPS of the caster weapon would then be:

Weapon Type	Uncommon	Superior	Epic
One Handed Caster		41-42
2 Handed Weapon Caster/Feral		*0.3Melee One Hander DPS + 41.5**

To see how this works: A Superior iLevel 115 caster weapon such as the Continuum blade:

 Base DPS of 1-handed blue weapon iLevel 115 = 115*0.7488 - 14.4905 = 71.6215
 DPS is then set to 41.5, sacrificed DPS is therefore 30.12
 30.12*4= 120.5 = 121 Spelldamage.

Or for a Feral DPS Weapon, for example the Earthwarden:

 Base DPS of 2-handed epic weapon iLevel 100 = (100*0.45 + 36.1)*1.3 = 81.1*1.3 = 105.45
 (81.1-41.5) DPS is sacrificed, bringing the staff's DPS to 65.83. Sacrificed DPS is therefore 39.5
 39.5* 18.37 - 12.4843 = 713 Feral Attack Power

Armor values

Armor value is inherent to the item and dependent upon its iLevel. Additional armor can be purchased with normal stat points: gear with additional armor will show the armor value in Green text. However, for most pieces the armor value is given without the use of any normal Item value.

The maximum armor for a particular iLevel piece is calculated using the formula below, and then multipied by the Armor SlotMod to calculate the armor for that particular gear slot. Blue/Superior armors have 1.1 times the armor value of a Green Item, and Epic items have 1.25 times the armor of a Blue item (1.375 times a green). Shields have a separate formula of their own and have different multipliers between gear qualities as shown below.

Armor Class	Uncommon	Superior	Epic
Cloth	iLevel*1.19 + 5.1	Green * 1.1	Blue * 1.25 (Green * 1.375)
Leather	iLevel*2.22 + 10	Green * 1.1	Blue * 1.25
Mail	iLevel*4.9 + 29	Green * 1.1	Blue * 1.25
Plate	iLevel*9 + 23	Green * 1.1	Blue * 1.25
Shield	iLevel*85/3 + 133	Green * 1.22	Blue * 1.28

Armor slot modifiers

Each particular slot of armor receives a slightly different percentage of the maximum armor calculated above ("SlotMods"), according to this table:

Armor Slot	Multiplier	Fraction
Chest	1.00	16/16
Legs	0.875	14/16
Head	0.8125	13/16
Shoulders	0.75	12/16
Feet	0.6875	11/16
Hands	0.625	10/16
Waist	0.5625	9/16
Wrist	0.4375	7/16
Back (Cloth)	0.48	12/25

Capes are always cloth armor.

Using these two formulas: an iLevel 115 Blue quality Mail Bracer would have armor of:

(115 * 4.9 + 29)_Green * 1.1_Blue * 7/16_Wrist = 285.14

Compared to the blue bracers, all have an armor of 285: http://www.wowhead.com/?items=4.3&filter=qu=3;sl=9;minle=115

At one point the armor values of items seemed to decrease, but in a subsequent patch they returned to or exceeded their original values: [Dryad's Wrist Bindings] returned to normal but [Robes of Insight] gained 10 armor. The reasons for these changes are not yet known.

Sockets

Socket research is still underway- it is not quite known how adding sockets affects an item's iLevel.

Currently there does not appear to be one set Statmod for sockets or any set way that they are added to items. Initial tests suggested that the Statmod may be around 10-11 but many items do not follow this basic pattern.

One theory proposed is that Sockets are created by removing stats from the item after it has been created, in order to make the item the correct iLevel for the 'expected' gems.

For example: Chestpiece of Tanking: Stats 50 Stamina, 40 Defense, 20 Strength. iLevel is calculated at 110 (blue item) Then Stats are removed and sockets added in their place to take the place of those stats for the 'expected gems'. 12 Stamina is removed and replaced with a Blue Socket. - players are expected to socket this with Solid Star of Elune. 6 Stamina and 4 Defense is removed and replaced with a Yellow socket. - players are expected to socket this with Enduring Talasite. 6 Stamina and 4 Strength is removed and replaced with a Red socket. - players are expected to socket this with Sovereign Nightseye. The item then becomes: 26 Stam 34 Defense 16 Srength, R B Y Sockets.

Note that defense bonuses were removed from the game.

The "expected gems" never add any new stats to the item, and always match socket colors.

Another theory is that the fundamental formula for calculating iLevel changes once sockets are added, but no progress has been made on this new formula.

It is also possible that empty sockets have no item level and different gems add an item level depending on their own stats.

Socket bonuses

Socket Bonuses are proportional in value to the amount of sockets. The socket bonus does not have any bearing on the ItemValue and is there to give players 'something for nothing' for choosing more diverse gems. Socket Bonus for 1 socket has ItemValue of 2. (ie 3 Stamina, 2 Strength) Socket Bonus for 2 sockets has Itemvalue of 3. (ie 3 Spellcrit, 1.2 Mp5) Socket Bonus for 3 sockets has ItemValue of 4. (Ie, 4 Defense, 6 Stamina, 4.65 spelldamage)

Examples

Exceptions

Information below this point is subject to revision and/or deletion. 6/7/08 Thorgred (talk) 14:56, 6 July 2008 (UTC)

Procs and uses effects

The stat mods table contains the most frequently appearing stats. There are other stats which are sometimes unique or difficult to describe. All procs fall in this category, as do all Use:<do something> abilities. While these don't fit with an immediately obvious value, this system can be used to see what the blizzard item designers think they are worth and translate them into a stat-equivalent format.

Armor scaling

-- In 2.0, armor formulas have changed.

Armor values on items follow a simple linear scaling pattern within certain limits. For example, mail armor scales linearly between certain ilvls, at which points the slope of the linear increase changes. One of these points is ilvl 45, above this point it scales more rapidly. Remember that an ilvl 45 item can be worn at lvl 40, and shamans and hunters get mail at 40. So they wanted mail to scale up fast for those classes, but without raising the amour values of pre 40 warriors too high (don't worry warriors, plate armor scales up even faster). Examples of armor scaling are shown below.

Green Plate Chest AC = (ilvl-44) * 8.9 + 428
Green Mail Chest AC = (ilvl-46) * 4.9 + 254
Green Leather Chest AC = (ilvl-40) * 2.2 + 110
Green Cloth Chest AC = (ilvl-40) * 1.2 + 53
Green Shield AC = (ilvl-44) * 28.3 + 1380

This only applies between a certain level boundary, in this case between X and 65, where X is found using the general formula of "(ilvl - X) * Y + Z", although they will most likely also apply post-level 65, as there are no big armor changes past that level.

The armor value of rare or epic pieces is also very easy to obtain using a simple multiplier. If you really want to go into detail, you will notice that there are plate chests with ilvls below 44. Due to their ilvl they should be equippable below lvl 40 (if any class could) and follow a different scaling equation (which is why jouster plate stuff has such pitiful armor values compared to many other starting plate item, their ilvls are all low).

For Items of the same armor type (cloth, leather, etc) and the same ilvl

Rare Armor Value = Green Armor Value * 1.1
Epic Armor Value = Green Armor Value * 1.2

The exception to this is shields, which use a slightly different scaling

Rare Shield Armor Value = Green Shield Armor Value * 1.122
Epic Shield Armor Value = Rare Shield Armor Value * 1.280 ( = Green * 1.436)

Of course there are items with much higher armor than others around that lvl. Those items are using the extra armor as an actual stat. Only this extra armor, above and beyond the predicted armor is considered in item weighting. So while the base armor level of an item is free, going higher will cost you other stats.

The item slot plays a role in armor as well:

Slot	Armor Multiplier	Fraction
Chest	1.00	16/16
Legs	0.875	14/16
Head	0.812	13/16
Shoulder	0.750	12/16
Feet	0.69	11/16
Hands	0.624	10/16
Waist	0.562	9/16
Wrist	0.438	7/16
Back (always Cloth)	0.480

*Notes - Tier 4 plate armor seems to scale differently - the numbers crunched to 1325.28 rather than the 1510 that is actually on the piece. Perhaps a change is made to the scaling past iLvl 100-120?

DPS calculation

-- In 2.0, this section may no longer be applicable.

Just like AC, you can also calculate weapon DPS. Before you continue however, make sure you read the parts about AC and DPS sacrificing, from here it is assumed you know what is written there.

The idea is far more simple than the AC, as there are no equivalent to armor types in DPS. This is the calculation for green onehanders:

Green One Hander DPS = ( ilvl - 45 ) * 0.6 + 26.6

But instead of having multiple formulas, you just have to multiply the DPS of a green onehander of the same level with a certain number, linked to what kind of new weapon you have, to give the DPS of that weapon:

Modifier	DPS Multiplier
Two Hand	1.305
Ranged (bow, gun etc.)	1.275
Wand	1.522
Superior	1.105
Epic	1.215

Besides these multipliers, raid items (some other items maybe as well) can sacrifice DPS for stats, in that case you simply have to subtract that from the expected DPS.

Note:

This seems to fit in the item range of level 45-65, before the green items have a different formula and after might scale differently. Also, these multipliers could be off, or each case could be a formula on their own, but it fits so well it seems unlikely.

Examples

-- The following examples are all non-expansion examples, using formulas not applyable on TBC items.

AC example

To find an expected armorvalue for a given item you will first need to know the scaling of that item type.

Do a search on thottbot for green items of that type, with lvl ranges of 44-46. Find the base armor they have. Then do the same for items of that slot at ilvl 61-63.

Then use

ArmorScaling = (higharmor - lowamor)/(highilvl - lowilvl)

this is the armor increase per ilvl for a green of that armor type. Once you have that, do

ArmorValue = (Desiredilvl - highilvl)*ArmorScaling + higharmor

This will give the value of a green at that ilvl.

Then multiply it by 1.1 for a rare, or 1.2 for an epic.

Let's try this on a stormrage helm, 183 armor, ilvl 76. Green leather helms: ilvl 45, armor 99 ilvl 64, armor 132

ArmorScaling = (132 - 99)/(64-45) = 1.74 armor/ilvl

(76 - 64) * 1.74 + 132 = 152.8 152.8 * 1.2 = 183.4 -> 183 armor

You can use this to find the ArmorScaling factor and expected armor for any item.

Item value examples

Circle of Applied Force
Binds when picked up
Unique
Epic
Finger Miscellaneous
+12 Strength
+22 Agility
+9 Stamina
Requires Level 60
Item Level 75

If we calculate the Item Value from the stats, we find that it's effective item level is 74.4.

Cloak of the Shrouded Mists
Binds when picked up
Epic
Back
57 Armor
+22 Agility
+12 Stamina
+6 Fire Resistance
+6 Nature Resistance
Requires Level 60
Item Level 74

Calculated item value is 74.3.

Shroud of Pure Thought
Binds when picked up
Back
65 Armor
+10 Stamina
+11 Intellect
Requires Level 60
Equip: Increases healing done by up to 33 and damage done by up to 11 for all magical spells and effects.
Equip: Restores 6 mana every 5 sec.
Item Level 75

Here the calculated value of 76.7 slightly exceeds the blizzard item level.

Minimum level requirements and Item Level

The iLevel (Item Level) of an item often determines the level required to use that item. There are two separate formulas for this attribute. The first can be used on items acquired before Burning Crusade, the second on those after this expansion came out.

Pre- Burning Crusade

minLevel = iLevel - 5

Post- Burning Crusade

Green quality: minLevel = (iLevel - 90) / 3 + 60
Blue quality: minLevel = (iLevel - 85) / 3 + 60
Epic : minLevel = 70

Wrath of the Lich King (Beta 9th Sept 2008 data (build 8905))

These are estimates based on the initial items datamined from the expansion. Though possible, these values are unlikely to change given their consistency with the rest of the formulas here. Blues seem to have different "levels" of blue with minLevel 80 being either iLevel 174 or 187. Heroic mode Blue drops are iLvl 200.

Green quality: minLevel = (iLevel - 142) / 4 + 70
Blue quality: minLevel = (iLevel - 134) / 4 + 70
Epic : minLevel = 80

Cataclysm

...

Exceptions

These are the general formulas. There are items, however, that do not follow these rules. Here is a (by no means complete) list of often occurring exceptions:

Quest items often have an iLevel of 1, or the level of the quest they belong to. In most cases, minLevel = iLevel in these cases.
Some quests give items whose minLevel is higher than the level needed to complete the quest. Because items obtained from quests in most cases don't have a minLevel, you can therefore have items with a higher iLevel than you can normally get.
Some items don't follow the formulas without apparent reason, especially in TBC. For example, [Terokk's Nightmace] has an iLevel of 115, but instead of the expected minLevel 70, it has a minLevel of 68.
The most exceptions are the items of epic quality, before TBC they tend to follow the rules for minLevel throughout level 1-59, but at level 60 and beyond the minLevel is capped. This is because of raiding instances. Items in these instances need to become more powerful in harder instances so people can become stronger even though they can't advance in level any more. Therefore, the iLevel of these items become higher, while players stay at level 60, so to be able to use these items, the minLevel is capped at level 60 for items before TBC, and at 70 for items in TBC.

Suitability of this formula for calculating DKP

The idea to use this formula as the basis for DKP values of items is rather natural. It has a few drawbacks though:

Using this formula simply yields the item level, so why not just use Blizzard's item level?
Stat usefulness is a function of the class using the item
Mid-range values on two useful stats is much superior to a high value in only one stat
Should the SlotMods influence the DKP value or not?

In summary, the StatMods table could be used as a starting point for a DKP mod, but after that much thought has to be put into such a project.

References

^ In Patch 4.2, the ilvl 359 Valor Point rewards were changed to be purchasable with Justice Points, and a new tier of Valor Point rewards (ilvl 378) was added.

External links

WoW Insider WoW Rookie: Understanding item levels and gear decisions by Michael Gray Sep 1st 2011 at 9:00AM

[0] In Patch 4.2, the ilvl 359 Valor Point rewards were changed to be purchasable with Justice Points, and a new tier of Valor Point rewards (ilvl 378) was added.

[1]

Wikia

Item level

Contents

Item Level Chart

Classic (minLevel = 60)

The Burning Crusade (minLevel = 70)

Wrath of the Lich King (minLevel = 80)

Cataclysm (minLevel = 85)

Terms and definitions

Historical overview

Calculating Item Level

Stat modifiers

Slot modifiers

Weapon DPS

DPS sacrifice

Armor values

Armor slot modifiers

Sockets

Socket bonuses

Examples

Exceptions

Procs and uses effects

Armor scaling

DPS calculation

Examples

AC example

Item value examples

Minimum level requirements and Item Level

Pre- Burning Crusade

Post- Burning Crusade

Wrath of the Lich King (Beta 9th Sept 2008 data (build 8905))

Cataclysm

Exceptions

Suitability of this formula for calculating DKP

References

See also

External links

Photos

Recent Wiki Activity