Post by turkey
Haste. You're going to get it, and a lot of it, so embrace it. Arguing about the pros and cons in 3.1 is like worrying about getting mp5 over spirit. The options you think exist simply do not.
Conqueror's Sanctification RegaliaThree out of five pieces have haste. But you want that four piece set bonus, right? So skip one item, and half your tier still has haste on it.
But now we have to pick an item to replace that one tier piece. What are the options for upgrades?
Shoulders:
Mantle of the UnknowingA nice crit alternative with a socket. I'm currently wearing this til I get my 8.5, and might even keep it equipped after that, unless of course I get...
Amice of Inconceivable HorrorTwo lovely sockets make this attractive as the highest spell power option we have in the game. But it has haste.
Legs:
Leggings of Profound DarknessSwapping haste for crit, very nice. Too bad about that spirit.
Hands:
Handwraps of the VigilantNOW we're talking! Crit crit crit. But if only it didn't have that spirit on it. Wait, you say there's an even BETTER alternative?
Pharos GlovesHey look, no spirit, I think we found our winner! But, what's that in it's place? HASTE?
Let's look at the chest and head for other alternatives. There has to be a way to squeeze in more crit and lose that haste and spirit!
Chest:
Robes of the Umbral BruteEight more crit! And 82 haste. Not the direction we we're hoping for. And they're ugly.
Head:
Conqueror's Circlet of SanctificationThree more crit! No spirit! And it doesn't screw up the look of my tier set! Oh, and 66 haste.
Crown of LuminescenceTwo more crit and 16 more spell power! Looks good, except we're stuck with three pieces of tier with haste on them. Is 16 spell power worth losing that much crit overall?
Wrist:
Shackles of the Odalisque
The best crit bracers in the game. Unfortunately, these are not as good as the next two alternatives.
Unsullied CuffsGrasps of ReasonHaste.
Boots:
Savior's SlippersAwesome pure crit boots. What could possibly improve on these?
Boots of Fiery ResolutionLook at these intellect and spell power monsters! But there's that haste again.
Treads of the False OracleI'm noticing a trend here in our best in slots....
Speaking of which, here's our best in slot neck:
Pendant of the Shallow GraveHow can a ten man hard mode neck be better than 25 man hard mode alternatives? Because the 25 man necks have zero crit and lots of haste.
Same thing for our ring choices:
Conductive SealStarshine CircleBoth 239 level, and both haste and regen. Blizz hates us.
Getting the point? You just aren't going to find gear that replaces haste or spirit with double crit or spell power. You will get haste no matter what you do. And it's not the end of the world. Stop obsessing over it. Get a crit weapon and spell power trinkets and figure out how to make the most of a less than ideal but not as bad as you think situation.
Post by turkey
I'll apologize for the tone. I just read two more threads arguing about the merits of haste and wanted to post about the reality of the situation as far as actual choices are concerned.
Haste is all over your best gear alternatives. You'll hit 9-10% haste without even trying, and I think it's time to maybe discuss what to do with the haste rather than whether or not we should be trying to get it in the first place.
I suppose it goes back to the mp5 versus spirit debate. Sure mp5 is marginally better on paper, but in reality you aren't going to find it on cloth in Ulduar. I imagine people reading threads here and then passing on spirit cloth when they first start Ulduar because they assume there must be mp5 alternatives that don't actually exist.
A few weeks back when I was still shopping for a weapon, I waited forever for
Rapture to drop. It never did.
Icecore Staff did, however. Now, going by the strict theorycrafting, I shouldn't even want Icecore. But in taking it, I was able to switch out other haste pieces for crit, and actually squeezed in a huge spell power gain.
Haste shouldn't be avoided, and it is actually impossible to do so. I just get the feeling that from the conversations elsewhere on the site that point might be getting lost in the shuffle.