The Threat set is plate that carries caster stats. Spell damage drives a paladin tank's threat, so our gear search, working only from pre-raid items with published Forever stats, filled the set with spell damage, Intellect and hit around a one-hander and a shield. Its pieces average item level 62.1. The biggest gaps to the next best item are the talisman and, for the Horde, the axe.

Pre-raid gear

Each slot lists its runners-up with the score you would lose by wearing one on this fight. Tanks aren't searched for gear on three bosses: they wear the single-boss set of the same length, and those fights show the single-boss tables.

Where a gap reads "level", the two items are within the sim's noise of each other.

Weapon and shield

The Horde set wears Flurry Axe, an item level 47 world drop that binds on equip. It swings every 1.5 seconds and can grant an extra attack. Because each white swing carries a seal proc with a fixed fifth of your spell damage, more swings a second means more of that damage. Its next best costs 48.8 TPS.

The Alliance set wears Sageblade, a Blacksmithing sword with 94 spell damage, which also turns on the Human's Sword Specialization. Flurry Axe is next, 11.8 TPS behind.

The shield is Evergreen Shield, a Blacksmithing craft with 1 % crit and a little spell damage. No paladin attack scales with block value, so a shield's armor and block matter to your healers, not your threat.

Trinkets and libram

Weakness Analyzer (22 spell damage, sold by Pix Xizzix in Stranglethorn Vale) and Talisman of Ascendance (a quest reward in the Eastern Plaguelands) are both spell damage trinkets. Losing the talisman costs 26.5 TPS. Our engine lets the talisman stack from your abilities and never ends it after six spells, so that gap is probably smaller in game. Weakness Analyzer's use, 5 % crit for 20 seconds, isn't simulated. Press it anyway.

The libram is Sentinel's Libram, which takes 10 seconds off Swift Judgement. Libram of Law (4 % Judgement damage) is next, 17.8 TPS behind.

Head, chest and shoulders

Stalwart Helm is a Blacksmithing helm with 2 % hit and 38 spell damage, and the next helm costs 14.4 TPS. The chest and gloves are quest rewards from the Soulforge line, Soulforge Breastplate and Soulforge Gauntlets. The Alliance shoulders, Theramore Mantle, are an Exalted reward from the Theramore Expeditionary Force, so start that reputation early. The Horde wears Lightforge Spaulders from Blackrock Spire.

Enchants

• Weapon: Crusader. Its Holy Strength buff shows 45.5 % uptime on this fight.
• Head and legs: Arcanum of Focus, the 8-spell-damage Arcanum, in both slots.
• Neck: Spell Power. Wrists: Healing Power, worn for the 8 spell damage that comes with the healing. Feet: Mystic Rugged Armor Kit, 6 spell damage and 40 armor.
• Chest: Mystic Rugged Armor Kit. Hands: Minor Haste. Back: Lesser Agility.
• Shield: Greater Stamina. It adds no threat. It is there because nothing else fits the slot.

Consumables

For threat, spell damage leads the list: Elixir of Holy Power (2.9 %), Brilliant Wizard Oil on your weapon (2.9 %) and Greater Arcane Elixir (2.7 %). Then Elixir of the Mongoose (1.8 %) and Dragonbreath Chili (1.6 %), whose flames scale with your spell damage. Juju Power, R.O.I.D.S., Tender Wolf Steak and Juju Might add under 1 % each.

Dense Dynamite (Engineering) is worth 0.7 % and Demonic Rune 2.9 %. Flask of the Titans adds 0.0 % of threat, through Touch of the Grave for the Undead. Take it anyway for the health.

Greater Stoneshield Potion is in the list but our sim never drinks it: its armor makes it a defensive cooldown, which our runs never press, so it is worth nothing here. Keep it for the phase where the boss hits hardest.