Caster Weapons: DPS

Live from the sunny beaches of the Outer Banks, I've decided to entertain everyone with a mid-week post. One of the requested topics I've had is on weapons for casters.

What's better? A staff? Or a 1h and offhand?

There are many schools of thought regarding this. The primary one is the most correct...you use the one that is the best for you. If you have an epic offhand and a decent 1-hander, and an epic staff drops, it'll probably be an upgrade.

But what's better to go after? A good staff? Or a good 1h and good offhand?

For the most part, staves gives more stat bonuses, whereas a 1h/OH combo is much better at giving more of one stat or two. For example, if you wanted to get a lot of +damage, a 1H/OH combo will get you more. If you want more +stam, +int, +hit, etc., a staff is usually better.

It's usually best to see what your options are, and look at what you'll be gaining/losing if you go each route. It's interesting sometimes to note how a blue offhand and an epic 1Her can be better for a shadow priest than an epic staff. Why? The staff has a lot of crit, which isn't worth as much for a shadow priest...the 1h/oh combo gives more +damage, which is much better for a shadow priest.

In summary, the general rule of lots of different stats vs. maximizing one stat works often, but it's usually best to compare the two options as if you're comparing two headpieces or trinkets.

Healers....I'll get to you later this week. Much more to say about that.