Well, you’ve done it.  You’ve fought through the lowbie zones of Azeroth, into the Plaguelands and destroyed the demons of Outland and you’re ready to take on the forces of the Lich King in Northrend.  If your end goal is healing at level 80, now is a good time to switch your spec over to Holy, start collecting your gear and learn the fine art of healing.  You should be able to find plenty of squishy bodies to keep alive in the dungeons of Northrend, so get ready to wiggle those magic fingers of healing love.  While you could possibly keep your fellow adventurers alive healing in that fancy Retribution gear, you’ll do a much better job with some good old spell power plate.  Read on for a step-by-step guide on getting all the healing gear you’ll need in Northrend before level 80.  This guide is written so you can use your new gear immediately as you get it, but feel free to read ahead if you want to gather gear above your level.

Where to Level

Here is a summary of which zones to be in at each level with the more detailed explanations in the guide below.  Feel free to continue leveling in a zone after you level if there are still things you need from that zone.

• Level 68  - Howling Fjord, Borean Tundra, Utgarde Keep
• Level 69  - Howling Fjord, Borean Tundra, The Nexus
• Level 70  - Borean Tundra, Utgarde Keep
• Level 71  - The Nexus, Dragonblight
• Level 72  - Azjol-Nerub
• Level 73  - Ahn’kahet, Grizzly Hills, Drak’tharon Keep
• Level 74  - Zul’drak, Drak’tharon Keep, Gundrak
• Level 75  - Zul’drak, Violet Hold
• Level 76  - Gundrak, Sholazar Basin
• Level 77  - Icecrown, Storm Peaks, Halls of Stone, Oculus
• Level 78 & 79 - Icecrown, Utgarde Pinnacle, Culling of Stratholme, Halls of Lightning, Oculus
• Level 80 - All Heroics and Raids

Level 68

Chances are, if you’ve been thinking ahead and gathering some healing gear, you’re currently running around wearing an arraiment of colorful green armor with maybe a few blues thrown in for good measure.  You may not have any spell power gear at all yet and you’re just now starting to build up your healing set.  You’ve just hit level 68 and you’re wondering where you should go and what you should do as you begin your healing journey.  The greens in Northrend can be better than many blues in Outland.  However, there are also a number of Northrend blues you can get right off the bat to really give you the edge.

Utgarde Keep

The first blue pieces you can get in Northrend are your neck piece, a ring and a trinket.  The first thing you should do when you hit 68 is head to Howling Fjord and find a group for Utgarde Keep. 

Alliance 

• First pick up Fresh Legs! from Scout Valory, who can be found by going up a path from inside the Vyrkul camp outside of Valiance Hold.  She will guide you to Defender Mordun outside of Utgarde Keep who will give you the quest Into Utgarde!, which requires you to slay the last boss of Utgarde Keep, Ingvar the Plunderer. 

Horde

• Horde can get this quest from Dark Ranger Marrah right at the entrance of the instance.

Both

1. Make sure to pick up Disarmament at the same time as your first quest.
2. Both Dark Ranger Marrah and Defender Mordun will also give you the quest Disarmament, which requires you to travel into Utgarde Keep with your group and steal five Vyrkul Weapons.
3. Clear Utgarde Keep and get your rewards!

The Horde have a choice of two neck pieces from the same quest:  the Amulet of Constrained Power and the Necklace of Calm Skies.  The rewards for Alliance are comparable quality but not really itemized well for Holy Paladins.  Once you’ve plundered the keep, your quest reward will include your first Northrend ring, the Signet of Swift Judgment.  There is also a chest piece drop you can get in Utgarde Keep, but you won’t be able to use it for a couple levels.

Alternate Neck - Borean Tundra

Both factions also have a neck piece available in Borean Tundra.  The Horde should get their neck from the Howling Fjord quest above, since the version there is better and easier to get.  The Alliance, though, should get it from Borean Tundra since that one is a better piece.  Even so, the Alliance version in Borean Tundra isn’t quite as good as the Horde version in Howling Fjord.

The Alliance Neck in Borean Tundra

The Alliance should head to Borean Tundra to get the Indomitable Choker of Light.  The item is a reward from the quest Call to Arms! which requires you to ring a bell in a nearby town hall.  You do need to go through a long chain to get to the final quest, but it is relatively easy and fun.  Start at General Arlos in Valiance Keep with the quest A Time for Heroes.

The Horde Neck in Borean Tundra

If you’re Horde and you’d rather not go into an instance now (although you should, at least for the ring), you can head to Borean Tundra instead and get the Clutch of Undying Will for your neck.  However, its not as good of a neck and it requires you to slay three elite San’layn in Borean Tundra (make sure to bring friends).  It is also part of a relatively long chain that starts at Fezzix Geartwist with Load’er Up.  You will want to do this chain eventually though because it leads to the most epic quest in the game.

If you don’t want to bother with any of these, there’s a BoE neck for both factions you can buy at level 72.

New Trinket - Howling Fjord

Once you’ve gotten your neck piece and your ring, there is also a new trinket you can get at 68.  To get it, you’ll need to spend some time questing in Howling Fjord.  The trinket comes from Elder Atuik, a Kalu’ak, and is a reward for the quest, Return to Atuik, which is the end of a long chain.  To start the chain, you’ll need to talk to Orfus of Kamagua, a Kalu’ak near The Ancient Lift.  You’ll also need to do a number of quests for “Silvermoon” Harry along the way at Scalawag Point.  Your reward will be the choice of the Horn of the Herald or the Mender of the Oncoming Dawn.

Lastly, if you have 390 Engineering, you can make or buy a Noise Machine for another trinket option.

Whichever you choose, there’s no point in waiting for your blues.  Head out there at 68 and start collecting your healing gear!

Level 69

1.  Head to the Auction House

The first thing you can do at level 69 is head to the Auction House and buy yourself a new shield, the Beneficent Bulwark for about 50 gold.  This shield will last you until at least level 73 when you can buy another new shield from the AH or wait for a free one at 74.

2.  Howling Fjord

If you’ve already done the quest chain for your first trinket, you can get a second one from the same questing area in Howling Fjord at level 69.  To start your new chain, you’ll want to talk to Handsome Terry for the quest Forgotten Treasure.  This will eventually lead to The Jig is Up, given by Annie Bonn, which requires you to kill an elite with a few friends.  The reward is a choice between the Sailor’s Knotted Charm and the Strike of the Seas.

3.  Borean Tundra

Once you’ve leveled to 69 and gotten your trinkets, both factions should head on over to Borean Tundra and get ready to journey into the Nexus.  At 69, a quest will open up for you in the starting city, either Warsong Hold or Valiance Keep, that will eventually lead you to your next Northrend blue, the Invigorating Sabatons.  Alliance should talk to Midge in Valiance Keep while Horde will talk to Endorah in Warsong Hold.  These two open up a long quest chain that will take you to the northern portions of Borean Tundra and into Coldarra and the Nexus itself to face down the Blue Dragonflight.

The Invigorating Sabatons are one of the rewards for the quest Quickening, which requires you to get 5 Arcane Splinters from the Crystalline Protectors inside the Nexus.  You’ll need a 5-man group, but you don’t necessarily even need to kill a boss while inside.  These boots can be replaced at level 71, so feel free to take the tanking boots instead as your reward (if you plan on tanking ever) and wait it out two more levels for your healing boots.

A new cloak for you, the Cloak of Azure Lights, is also the reward for another quest Prisoner of War from the same hub, which is the end of an epic quest chain and requires you to defeat Keristrasza, the last boss of the Nexus. To open the chain, make sure to do all the quests around Coldarra and turn in the Scintillating Fragment you find.  The cloak is very nice and will last you at least until level 73.  The Nexus also has a bunch more drops for you, but you won’t be able to use them for a couple more levels.

Once you get your new boots and cloak, continue leveling until the big seven zero.

Summary

• Beneficent Bulwark - shield
• Invigorating Sabatons - boots
• Cloak of Azure Lights - back
• Sailor’s Knotted Charm - trinket
• Strike of the Seas - trinket

Level 70

1.  First Stop - the AH

Ding!  Congrats, you’ve hit level 70!  At level 70 a couple nice pieces of Northrend healing gear opens up to you.  If you have the cash, immediately head to the auction house and pick up some Gauntlets of Cheerful Hearth if you can find them.  They should cost about 30 gold on most servers.  If you don’t want to drop the dough, you can wait and get some better gloves anyway at level 72.

2.  Borean Tundra

If you’re looking to do a bit more questing in Borean Tundra, you can get the Activist’s Signet of Blasting or the Band of Wholesome Preservation as your second ring.  You’ll need to complete all of the D.E.H.T.A. quests in Borean Tundra, ending with The Assassination of Harold Lane from Arch Druid Lathorius.  There are about 11 quests total you’ll need to complete from the D.E.H.T.A. quest hub and you’ll probably need a couple friends to complete some of them.

3.  Head back to Utgarde Keep for a bit

If you haven’t gotten this chest yet, make sure to do a run-through Utgarde Keep to kill Skarvald the Constructor and his pal Dalronn, which drop the Chestplate of the Northern Lights.  It has about a 33% drop chance, so it shouldn’t take you much more than 3 runs to get it unless you’re very unlucky.  Continue leveling until you hit 71.

Summary

• Gauntlets of Cheerful Hearth - gloves
• Chestplate of the Northern Lights - chest
• Activist’s Signet of Blasting - ring
• Band of Wholesome Preservation - ring

Level 71

1.  Back to the Nexus for new boots, bracer and ring!

If you’re getting sick of your Invigorating Sabatons already, the Nexus has an upgrade for you once you reach level 71 in the form of the Greaves of the Blue Flight.  These babies drop from Ormorok the Tree-Shaper in the Nexus.  It has a 33% chance to drop, so a few runs and they should be yours.  These should keep you until at least level 74.

While you’re there, make sure to stop by Grand Magus Telestra to pick up your Insulating Bindings (another 33% chance).  These can be skipped if you’re waiting for the quest bracers at level 73. 

Lastly, you can also get a new ring, the Band of Glittering Permafrost, from the last boss of Nexus, Keristrasza.

2.  Through Borean Tundra and into the Dragonblight!

There’s one more trinket you can get at level 71.  The trinket itself, the Medallion of Heroism, isn’t too amazing, but the extremely long questline you do to get it is the most epic one in the game. Make sure you do it.  This questline ends with The Battle for the Undercity.  Alliance will want to start with Private Casey in eastern Borean Tundra with the quest The Lost Courier.  The quest chain can also be started in Howling Fjord, but the jist is you want to bring an Alliance Missive to High Commander Halford Wyrmbane in Wintergarde Keep, however you do that.  Horde will want to start the chain with Load’er Up! in Borean Tundra, which you can actually start at level 68.  You can also get a nice pair of Mail healing legs from this quest if you want those.

Enjoy your new blues!

Summary

• Greaves of the Blue Flight - boots
• Insulating Bindings - wrist
• Band of Glittering Permafrost - ring
• Medallion of Heroism - trinket

Level 72

1.  To the Auction House

A new neck is available in the AH at level 72, the Mark of the Spider, if you can find it.  Its pretty expensive though at around 125 gold on most servers.  There are a couple more necks you can get at level 74 if you want to wait.

2.  Deep into Azjol-Nerub!

At level 72, you’ll want to head out into the big world, Dragonblight, to fight the nerubian of Azjol-Nerub.  Don’t worry, you don’t have to go in too far.  Krik’thir the Gatewatcher, the first boss of Azjol-Nerub, holds an upgrade for your gloves:  the Aura Focused Gauntlets, at a 33% drop chance.  These gloves will hold you until at least level 75.

Besides that, continue questing around Dragonblight, Borean Tundra, and Howling Fjord until you reach level 73.

Summary

• Mark of the Spider - neck
• Aura Focused Gauntlets - gloves

Level 73

1.  To the Auction House again!

At level 73, you’ll want to stop by the Auction House to pick up your new shield, the Saronite Protector, for about 60 gold.  If you don’t want to spend the gold you can wait for a drop at level 74.

2.  Into Ahn’kahet

At level 73, you’ll want to stick around Dragonblight for awhile killing the nerubians for your next two blues, the Crawler-Emblem Belt, which drops from Elder Nadox, the first boss of Ahn’kahet and the Cloak of the Darkcaster, which drops from Jedoga Shadowseeker, the 3rd boss of Ahn’Kahet and is very nice for your level.

3.  To the Grizzly Hills

From there, you can head on over to the majestic Grizzly Hills to talk to Sergeant Thurkin (for Horde) or Lieutenant Dumont (for Alliance) in their respective cities.  They will both lead you to Samir in western Grizzly Hills, who will start a long chain, starting with Filling the Cages that will ultimately take you into Drak’tharon Keep for two new pieces of gear.  The quests you’ll be looking for are near the end of the chain and start with Mack Fearsen.  The first is Search and Rescue, which requires you to free an NPC from some webs in the instance and will give you a new ring, Kurzel’s Angst.  That NPC will give you a quest that asks you to kill Novos the Summoner, the second boss of Drak’tharon Keep.  Your ultimate reward will be an upgrade for your wrists, the Disavowed Bracers.  Most of these pieces will last you until at least level 76, so they’re definitely worth it.  There are also a couple other drops from Drak’Tharon Keep that you won’t be able to use until 74.

Summary

• Crawler-Emblem Belt - belt
• Disavowed Bracers - wrist
• Cloak of the Darkcaster - back
• Kurzel’s Angst - ring

Level 74

At level 74 a number of new healing blues opens up for you.

1.  Like usual, stop by the Auction House

First stop, back to the AH!  You’re going to be looking for some Brilliant Saronite Legplates, which are pretty cheap at about 40 gold.  Find it on the AH or find a Blacksmith to make one for you.  If you absolutely can’t find them, you could buy some Legguards of the Forlorn Seas on the AH for about 50 gold, but they’re not quite as good as the crafted legs and are usually more expensive due to their rarity.

If you didn’t get the cloaks from Ahn’kahet or Nexus, there is a cloak you can buy off the AH at level 74, the Cloak of the Moon, which is crafted by tailors, for about 25 gold.  It isn’t great but its cheap and it’ll do if you didn’t get the others.  Alternatively, you could go to Venture Bay in Grizzly Hills and spend 50 Venture Coins for an equally bad cloak, the Oil-Stained Tarp.

While you’re at the AH, make sure to look out for the Brighthelm of Guarding.  This is a very nice helm that is a steal at about 50 gold.  This helm will last you until at least level 77 where you can get a new one from a questline in Icecrown.

And the last piece at the AH you can get is Raine’s Signet of Blasting.  This ring isn’t too great, but the set is decent if you can get the matching necklace at level 76.

2.  To Venture Bay, Grizzly Hills

Your first stop after that will want to be to pick up the Venture Co. Libram of Mostly Holy Deeds for 30 Venture Coins in Venture Bay.  It will be your first and only Northrend libram until level 80.  You could also buy an Arcane Revitalizer for 70 Venture Coins.

3.  Into the Land of the Trolls

If you’re cheap and don’t want to buy your legs, you can also go out and get your own.  Seargeant Moonshard in Zul’drak has a short (2 quest) chain that leads you to kill an elite in Zul’drak, Malas the Corrupter.  You’ll probably need a friend or two to kill him.  Your reward are the Legplates of the Vengeful Mendicant, which are almost as good as the crafted ones.  If you don’t want to get any of these legs, there’s an even better leg piece than any of these at level 75, so you could just wait until then.

Now that you have your legs, head into Zul’drak and talk to Gymer, the King of the Storm Giants.  He’ll give you a quest chain (4 quests) that ends with you riding on his back killing as many Scourge as possible.  When that’s done, he’ll reward you with your new shoulders, the Life-Light Pauldrons.  If you don’t like this quest you can wait until level 75 to get your blue shoulders from Violet Hold.

The last quest chain you’ll want to do is an epic one where you pose as an undercover agent in the Scourge army.  The quest Betrayal will give you a new neck, the Choker of Betrayal.  To start it, talk to Crusader Lord Lantinga at Light’s Breach for the quest In Search of Answers.  Eventually you’ll find an Unliving Choker which will lead into the chain you need.  If you don’t want to go to all that trouble you can also get a comparable neck from Drak’Tharon Keep.

4.  Drak’Tharon Keep

If you have some time, make sure to do a few more runs of Drak’Tharon Keep to try for your Crystal Pendant of Warding, which drops from Novos the Summoner, the 2nd boss of Drak’Tharon Keep, and your Tharon’ja’s Aegis, which drops from The Prophet Tharon’ja, the last boss of Drak’Tharon Keep.

5.  Gundrak

Your last stop is to the far side of Zul’drak to talk to Chronicler Bah’kini near Gundrak.  He has just one quest for your healing gear (no quest chain this time).  He has another easy quest too if you want to get some off-spec gear.  He wants you to go into Gundrak and recover a piece of the Drakkari Colossus, the 2nd boss of Gundrak.  As a reward, he’ll give you the Slippers of the Mojo Dojo, which are extremely nice at your level.

Summary

• Venture Co. Libram of Mostly Holy Deeds - libram
• Arcane Revitalizer - trinket
• Choker of Betrayal - neck
• Crystal Pendant of Warding - neck
• Brilliant Saronite Legplates - legs
• Legguards of the Forlorn Seas - legs
• Legplates of the Vengeful Mendicant - legs
• Cloak of the Moon - back
• Oil-Stained Tarp - back
• Brighthelm of Guarding - helm
• Life-Light Pauldrons - shoulders
• Slippers of the Mojo Dojo - feet
• Tharon’ja’s Aegis - shield
• Raine’s Signet of Blasting - ring

Level 75

At level 75, you’ll be spending most of your time in Dalaran at the Violet Hold, defending against the jailbreakers.  Before you head in though, you can take the portal to your major city’s AH and pick up a large number of things if you have the gold.

1.  At the AH

The first thing you can pick up is Melia’s Magnificent Scepter, your first Northrend blue weapon, for about 100 gold.  Alternatively, you can get a blue weapon for free at this level from a quest in Zul’drak (see below).  You can also get your Brilliant Saronite Gauntlets or get a Blacksmith to make them for you.  You should find them for about 30 gold.  For your neck, you can get the Blood Sun Necklace, which is made by jewelcrafters and sells for about 30 gold.  For your back, you can get a crafted cloak off the AH, the Cloak of Frozen Spirits for about 25 gold, however it still isn’t as good as the cloak you can get a few levels ago out of Ahn’kahet and even Nexus.  Lastly, you can make yourself a trinket if you are a jewelcrafter, the Figurine - Sapphire Owl.  If you you have 400 Alchemy, you could also make a Mercurial Alchemist Stone.

2.  Zul’Drak

If you’re looking for a new free weapon, head to Gurgthok in Zul’drak for a fun group quest, the Champion of Anguish, to get your Screw-Sprung Fixer-Upper.  You’ll have to get a group and fight a number of mobs in an arena similiar to the Ring of Blood in Nagrand.

3.  The Violet Hold

Once you’ve got those, talk to Warden Alturas in Dalaran and he’ll ask you to protect Violet Hold.  Head inside and clear it and he’ll reward you with the Dalaran Warden’s Legplates, which will last you at least until 77.  While you’re there, keep an eye out for the Spaulders of Ichoron, which drop from Ichoron at a 50% chance and the Pendant of Shadow Beams which drops from Zuramat the Obliterator.  Since the bosses themselves only have about a 17% chance to spawn, you might have to run this quite a few times before you get the drops.  However, there are two new shoulders you can get from epic questlines at level 77 if you want to wait that long for your new shoulders.  There are some additional necks as well at that level.

Summary

• Melia’s Magnificent Scepter - weapon
• Screw-Sprung Fixer-Upper - weapon
• Brilliant Saronite Gauntlets - gloves
• Dalaran Warden’s Legplates - legs
• Spaulders of Ichoron - shoulders
• Cloak of Frozen Spirits - back
• Pendant of Shadow Beams - neck
• Blood Sun Necklace - neck
• Figurine - Sapphire Owl - trinket

Level 76

1.  Back to the Auction House

At level 76, most of your new gear will come from the Auction House or from your local Blacksmith.  At 76, you can work on finishing up your Brilliant Saronite set with the wrists and the belt.  You could also get the Brilliant Saronite boots and shoulders if you didn’t get the better pieces for those slots already.  These will cost 30 - 40 gold each.  You’ll get a new belt from an epic questline in Icecrown at 77 if you want to wait rather than spend your gold.  Another item you could get from the AH is the second set piece, Raine’s Choker of Combustion, for about 100 gold.  If you have the ring, the set bonus can help make up for their relatively mediocre stats.

2.  Gundrak

If you didn’t get it while in Gundrak previously, make sure to venture back in for your Arcane Focal Signet, which drops off of Moorabi, the 3rd boss.

3.  Sholazar Basin

If you want a long adventure, there is a cloak you can get out of Sholazar Basin at level 76, the Polished Protodrake Cloak.  Its not as good as the cloak out of Ahn’kahet, but it is from a quest so it might be easier to get.  You get the cloak from the quest Post-partum Aggression, where you ride a mammoth with Hemet Nesingwary.  The quest is the end of a long chain in which you have to complete almost every other quests in Sholazar Basin first, starting at Nesingwary’s base camp.

Another piece you can get from Sholazar Basin is the neck.  You can choose from either Artuis’s Focus Stone or the Choker of Binding from the quest A Hero’s Burden.  This quest is at the end of another long chain in which you have to run errands for both the FrenzyHeart Tribe and the Oracles before ultimately choosing a side in this very quest.  In the process, you’ll get one of these necks, which are fairly mediocre compared to what else you can get at this level.

Sholazar is as good a place as any to quest at level 76, so feel free to go for this cloak and neck if you feel the desire.

Summary

• Arcane Focal Signet - ring
• Brilliant Saronite wrists - wrist
• Brilliant Saronite belt - belt
• Brilliant Saronite boots - boots
• Brilliant Saronite shoulders - shoulders
• Polished Protodrake Cloak - back
• Artuis’s Focus Stone - neck
• Choker of Binding - neck
• Raine’s Choker of Combustion - neck

Level 77

Level 77 is where the big major questlines open up.  Make sure you have Cold Weather Flying when you reach 77 as you’ll need it for the many quests you’ll be doing in Icecrown.  Icecrown has a ton of huge epic quest chains that end in many nice blues for you.

1.  Auction House

To start, If you’re still missing a good belt, you can pick up the Belt of Crystalline Tears from the AH for about 30 gold.  However, there are three other better belts available to you at this level, so this isn’t recommended unless you absolutely can’t get the others for some reason.  You can also get a blacksmith to make you one of two weapons, the Cudgel of Saronite Justice or the Saronite Spellblade for 75 - 100 gold, but there’s also a comparable weapon you can get at this level from an epic quest chain in Icecrown if you want to save the gold.  You can also buy a Twisted Puzzle-Ring, but there are some other better rings available at this level, so its not recommended unless you’re in a hurry for upgrades.

2.  Face the Wrath of the Lich King!

You’ll find a ton of new healing pieces at level 77 from quests in Icecrown.  The Girdle of Eternal Memory, a nice belt, can be obtained from the epic questline that ends with Light Within the Darkness.  To start the questline, you must first unlock the Crusader’s Pinnacle area in Icecrown by completing a number of quests at the Argent Vangaurd.  To get started, talk to Highlord Tirion Fordring at the Argent Vanguard and get the quest Honor Above All Else.  You’ll also be rewarded The Argent Crown as soon as you open up the Crusader’s Pinnacle and you’ll have your choice of two trinkets on the way as well, the Cannoneer’s Morale or the Cannoneer’s Fuselighter, so you’ll get three new healing pieces from this long questline and open up a number of other quests in Icecrown.  The entire questline should be soloable.

At this point, you have a choice.  You can continue questing in Icecrown or move on to Storm Peaks.  There are two very similiar shoulder pieces available to you, both from epic questlines, one in Icecrown and one in Storm Peaks.  However, the one in Storm Peaks will require you to enter the Halls of Lightning, one of the more difficult 5-man dungeons in the game.   There is also two rings you can get, one in Icecrown and one in Storm Peaks.

If you decide to stay in Icecrown, your reward will be a new shoulder piece in the form of the Pauldrons of Morbidus.  You can get these from a long epic quest chain that requires you to kill Morbidus for the final quest The Flesh Giant Champion.  Before you can start this chain, you’ll need to unlock another area of Icecrown for the Ebon Blade, called the Shadow Vault.  You start these quest lines from Thassarian for Alliance and Koltira Deathweaver for Horde.  Both death knights can be found aboard their respective faction’s airships which are flying above Icecrown.  Get the quest It’s All Fun and Games to start the chain.  Once you unlock the Shadow Vault, talk to Darkrider Aly to start your gruesome work at the Fleshwerks with the quest Killing Two Scourge with One Skeleton and you’ll eventually have your shoulders.

3.  Working for the Ebon Blade

Once you’ve completed both epic questlines above in Icecrown and unlocked the Shadow Vault, a new one will open up for you that will lead you to your next blue weapon, the Hammer of Wrenching Change.  This hammer is a quest reward for Tirion’s Gambit, the epic culmination of all your Icecrown adventures, which starts at Matthias Lehner with the quest Where Dragons Fell.   However, to open this quest chain, you must first complete the quest chain to investigate Icecrown Citadel that starts with your local Ebon Blade Death knight on your faction’s airship.  Look for the quest Exploiting an Opening.

Also after unlocking the Shadow Vault, you can head to Njorndar Village to get a new shield, the Bulwark of Redemption from the quest Banshee’s Revenge.  To reach that quest, visit the Bone Witch in the cave near the village and complete her chains.

Another branch of Ebon Blade quests you can get will lead you to Vereth the Cunning, a death knight who charges you with killing various elite undead in the area around him (make sure you have friends).  The final quest in this chain, The Fate of Bloodbane, will reward you with a choice of two cloaks, the Bloodbane Shroud or Bloodbane’s Fall. 

A last Ebon Blade quest branch will lead you to the quest Basic Chemistry, which will reward you with the Newt-Eye Ring. 

So, as you can see, you’ll want to get in good with the Ebon Blade and do just about all the quests they have for you.

4.  To the chilly Storm Peaks?

If you decide to go to Storm Peaks instead, your reward will be the Pauldrons of Extinguished Hatred from the quest Diametrically Opposed, which requires you to kill Volkhan, the second boss of Halls of Lightning.  This is the end of another long epic quest chain that starts at Gretchen Fizzlespark with the quest They Took Our Men!  You’ll need to complete the quest Whatever it takes! from King Jokkum in order to open this one up.

Also in Storm Peaks, the Alliance will be able to get a new ring, the Ring of the Northern Winds from a quest chain involving Brann Bronzebeard and ending with The Brothers Bronzebeard.  You’ll want to make sure to do this chain for the lore alone, if not for the ring.  To start the chain, get the quest Aid from the Explorer’s League from Brann Bronzebeard.  The Horde can get the same ring from a different chain but have to wait until level 78.  The Horde quest ends with Forging the Keystone and starts with Boktar Bloodfury with the quest The Missing Bronzebeard.

While you are in Storm Peaks, you can also stop by the Halls of Stone for two drops.  The Chain of Fiery Orbs drops off the Maiden of Grief and the Ironshaper’s Legplates drop off of Sjonnir the Ironshaper, the last boss of the Halls of Stone.

5.  Into the Oculus

Lastly, there’s another ring you can get at level 77 from a relatively simple quest called The Struggle Persists that requires you to rescue Belgaristrasz from inside the Oculus.  The reward is a choice of either the Ring of Temerity or the Flourishing Band.  To get the quest, just talk to Raelorasz at Coldarra once you reach level 77.

Summary

• Belt of Crystalline Tears - belt
• Girdle of Eternal Memory - belt
• Cannoneer’s Morale - trinket
• Cannoneer’s Fuselighter - trinket
• Bloodbane Shroud - back
• Bloodbane’s Fall - back
• Pauldrons of Morbidus - shoulders
• Pauldrons of Extinguished Hatred - shoulders
• The Argent Crown - helm
• Ironshaper’s Legplates - legs
• Hammer of Wrenching Change - weapon
• Cudgel of Saronite Justice - weapon
• Saronite Spellblade - weapon
• Bulwark of Redemption - shield
• Chain of Fiery Orbs - neck
• Twisted Puzzle-Ring - ring
• Ring of the Northern Winds - ring
• Newt-Eye Ring - ring
• Ring of Temerity - ring
• Flourishing Band - ring

Level 78

Level 78 opens up a lot of new gear and a lot of gear options, so choose which pieces you want and go for it!

1.  Auction House Stuff

At level 78, you can complete your Brilliant Saronite set with the chest and helm, about 40 gold each on the AH.  You also might want to look into buying the entire Ornate Saronite set if you plan on doing any PvP before 80.  Also, you can get new crafted gloves and legs from the AH in the form of the Righteous Gauntlets and the Righteous Greaves, which are also 40-50 gold each.  Lastly, you can buy the Bindings of the Construct from the AH for about 65 gold, which are a random BoE drop in the Oculus.

2.  Reputation Gear

At level 78, if you’ve been working on your rep, you can get at least one piece of gear from nearly every faction.

If you head on over to Sholazar Basin and make friends with the FrenzyHeart Tribe, you can get two new pieces of healing gear from Tanak, their reputation vendor, once you reach Revered.  They are the Discarded Titanium Legplates and the Sparkly Shiny Gloves.

If you’ve been working on your Kalu’ak reputation, you can buy a Totemic Purification Rod at Revered from the quartermaster.

If you’ve been working on your Wyrmrest Accord reputation a bit, you can buy the Bracers of Accorded Courtesy at Honored from Cielstrasza.

If you have Kirin Tor rep, you can get the Shroud of Dedicated Research at Honored.

If you’ve been working on your Argent Crusade rep (which you definitely should as a Holy Paladin), you can buy the Standard Issue Legguards at Honored from Veteran Crusader Aliocha Segard.

Lastly, If you didn’t get your shield in Icecrown yet, you can go to the Alliance (or Horde) Vanguard Quartermaster and get a new shield, Lordaeron’s Resolve.  You need to be Revered with the Alliance Vanguard or the eqiuvalent for the Horde.

3.  Quests

There’s one major quest line to pursue once you reach level 78, and that is the investigation of the Scarlet Onslaught in Icecrown.  The one item you’re looking for here is a neck piece, the Amulet of the Crusade, which is a reward from the quest The Admiral Revealed.  The quest is started by looting a Note from the Grand Admiral from the chests around the Scarlet Onslaught island in northwestern Icecrown, which you should find from doing the quest Intelligence Gathering.  Just look for the quest hub south-east of the island.

4.  Dungeons

Utgarde Pinnacle is an awesome source of new Holy Paladin gear at level 78.  Head straight to the instance and you’ll find Brigg Smallshanks directly inside with the quest Vengeance Be Mine!, which will reward you with the Platehelm of Irate Revenge when you complete the dungeon.  While you’re in there, keep an eye out for the Shroud of Ressurection, which drops from Gortok Palehoof, the second boss, and the Harpooner’s Striders, which drops from Skadi the Ruthless, the 3rd boss.  You can also get Tor’s Crest from King Ymiron, the last boss, as well as the Crown of Forgotten Kings for a second helm from this instance and the Signet of Ranulf for a ring.

But that’s not all.  The other dungeons you’ll want to visit at 78 are The Culling of Stratholme (for three pieces), the Halls of Lightning, and the Oculus (for two pieces).  The last boss of the Culling of Stratholme has a chance to drop three items you want:  the Beguiling Scepter, the Discarded Silver Hand Spaulders, and the Soul Preserver each at about an 18% chance.  You can get Ionar’s Girdle from Ionar, the 3rd boss in the Halls of Lightning at a 25% chance.  And the Oculus will give you both Eregos’ Ornamented Chestguard and the Tome of Arcane Phenomena from the last boss at about a 20% chance each.

You’ll need to work on getting all this gear for a couple levels because there’s no new gear available until you reach level 80.

Summary

• Totemic Purification Rod - weapon
• Beguiling Scepter - weapon
• Lordaeron’s Resolve - shield
• Tor’s Crest - shield
• Harpooner’s Striders - boots
• Amulet of the Crusade - neck
• Soul Preserver - trinket
• Tome of Arcane Phenomena - trinket
• Signet of Ranulf - ring
• Discarded Silver Hand Spaulders - shoulders
• Ionar’s Girdle - belt
• Brilliant Saronite chest - chest
• Eregos’ Ornamented Chestguard - chest
• Righteous Gauntlets - gloves
• Sparkly Shiny Gloves - gloves
• Bindings of the Construct - wrist
• Bracers of Accorded Courtesy - wrist
• Shroud of Ressurection - back
• Shroud of Dedicated Research - back
• Brilliant Saronite helm - helm
• Platehelm of Irate Revenge - helm
• Crown of Forgotten Kings - helm
• Righteous Greaves - legs
• Discarded Titanium Legplates - legs
• Standard Issue Legguards - legs

Level 80

Once you reach level 80, every piece of healing plate in the game will be available to you.  That being the case, you might want to turn your eye towards some epic gear.  You can get a large number of epics outside of raiding.  However, read on if you’re still interested in filling out your blues.

1.  Quests

To start off, you can now get a really bad breastplate from the Aces High! quest in Borean Tundra if you want to for some reason.

2.  Auction House

Stop by the AH for some quick, new level 80 gear.

• You can buy the Web Winder Gloves for about 30 gold.
• You can buy the Bands of Fading Light for about 40 gold.
• You can buy the Patina-Coated Breastplate for about 50 gold.

3. Champion’s Seals

Now that you’re level 80, you can buy some gloves with Champion’s Seals at the Argent Tournament.  You have to be a champion with one of your factions to buy these.

• Gauntlets of Shattered Pride - 10 Champion’s Seals (Alliance Only)
• Gauntlets of Mending Touch - 10 Champion’s Seals (Horde Only)

4. Reputation

There’s some new level 80 rep gear you can get.

• Gavel of the Brewing Storm - Revered with Wyrmrest Accord
• Girdle of the Warrior Magi - Revered with Kirin Tor

5.  Heroics (see my previous post for a list of 5-man epic gear)

The rest of your new gear will come from drops in heroic dungeons.  The drop rate is 25% for most of them.  Heroic Nexus, Heroic Halls of Stone, and Heroic Oculus are great ones to run, with 3 blue pieces and an epic available in each.  Heroic Culling of Stratholme and Heroic Azjol-Nerub are also good with two blue pieces and an epic in each.  Heroic Utgarde Pinnacle has three drops for you (but no epics).  Heroic Violet Hold has three drops, but you won’t have a chance at all of them every run.  The rest of the heroic dungeons have one or two drops for you.  You can see the complete details below.

• Grips of Sculptured Icicles drop from Commander Kolurg or Commander Stoutbeard, the first boss of Heroic Nexus.
• Amulet of Dazzling Light from Anomalus, the second boss of Heroic Nexus.
• Girdle of Ice drops from Ormorok the Tree-Shaper, the third boss of Heroic Nexus.
• Helmet of the Constructor drops from Skarvald the Constructor, the 2nd boss of Heroic Utgarde Keep.
• Facade Shield of Glyphs drops from Krik’thir the Gatewatcher, the first boss of Heroic Ajzol-Nerub.
• Ring of the Traitor King drops from Anub’arak, the last boss of Heroic Azjol-Nerub.
• The Faceguard of the Hammer Clan drops from Jedoga Shadowseeker, the third boss of Heroic Ahn’kahet.
• Shardling Leggaurds drop from the Krystallus, the second boss of Heroic Halls of Stone.
• Forge Ember and Spark of Life drops from Sjonnir the Ironshaper, the last boss of Heroic Halls of Stone.
• Legs of Physical Regeneration drop from Trollgore, the first boss of Heroic Drak’Tharon Keep.
• Mojo Frenzy Greaves drop from Moorabi, the third boss of Heroic Gundrak.
• Sabatons of Erekem drop from Erekem, one of the random bosses in Heroic Violet Hold.
• Globule Signet drops from Ichoron, one of the random bosses in Heroic Violet Hold.
• Solitaire of Reflecting Beams frops from Moragg, one of the random bosses in Heroic Violet Hold.
• Skywall Striders and Winged Talisman drops from Ionar, the third boss of Heroic Halls of Lightning.
• Gavel of the Fleshcrafter drops from Salramm the Fleshcrafter, the second boss of Heroic Culling of Stratholme.
• Pauldrons of Destiny drops from the last boss of Heroic Culling of Stratholme.
• Ferocious Pauldrons of the Rhino and Ring of the Frenzied Wolvar both drop from Gortok Palehoof, the second boss of  Heroic Utgarde Pinnacle.
• Ornamented Plate Regalia drops from King Ymiron, the last boss of Heroic Utgarde Pinnacle.
• Catalytic Bands and Band of Enchanted Growth both drop from Mage-Lord Urom, the third boss of Heroic Oculus.
• Ancient Dragon Spirit Cape drops from the last boss of Heroic Oculus.

Happy gear collecting!