TBC Anniversary Badge Gear Guide: Best G'eras Buys for Phase 3.5
TBC Anniversary badge gear guide: all 81 new G'eras items by Badge of Justice cost, the best first buys for each role.
In this guide 14 sections
Quick summary
- G'eras in Shattrath added 81 items on October 22, 2026, the day Zul'Aman opened (Blizzard for the date, Wowhead's item table for the count).
- Prices are set by slot. Bracers cost 35 badges, most other armor and cloaks 60, chests, helms, legs and trinkets 75, relics 20, and the wand 25. Nether Vortex costs 15 (Wowhead).
- The best buys are cheap. The 25-badge Carved Witch Doctor's Stick is BiS on 5 caster lists. The 60-badge Nyn'jah's Tabi Boots are BiS for Rogue, Feral DPS and Enhancement. The 35-badge Slikk's Cloak is a top mitigation pick on 3 tank lists, and the Brooch of Deftness is rated Best on 2 (counted from Wowhead's BiS guides).
- Badges now drop from every boss in Karazhan, Gruul's Lair, Magtheridon's Lair, SSC, Tempest Keep and Zul'Aman, plus Kazzak and Doomwalker (Blizzard).
- Primal Nether and Nether Vortex are no longer soulbound, so you can trade them.
This TBC Anniversary badge gear guide covers the new G'eras stock that arrived with Phase 3.5, the Zul'Aman update. Blizzard's update notes describe it as "more powerful wares." Some sites call this "Phase 4", which in this guide means the later Sunwell Plateau phase. That phase has no date yet.
How we pick the best badge buys
We don't rank items by item level alone. Each "buy first" pick below meets three tests:
- It's on your spec's current list. We count how many of Wowhead's current best-in-slot lists for Black Temple, Hyjal and Zul'Aman rate the item BiS or a top option.
- It's cheap for the slot. Fewer badges per BiS slot ranks higher, so a 25-badge wand beats a 75-badge pair of legs.
- A raid drop won't replace it soon. If a common Zul'Aman or Karazhan drop is as good, the badge item drops down the list.
The tables show the cost and the list ratings, so you can apply the same tests to your own spec.
What changed on October 22
| Change | Detail |
|---|---|
| New G'eras stock | "More powerful wares," including Nether Vortex |
| World boss loot | Kazzak and Doomwalker loot is Bind on Equip |
| Badge drops | Kazzak, Doomwalker; all bosses in Karazhan, Gruul's, Magtheridon's, SSC, Tempest Keep, Zul'Aman |
| Trade | Primal Nether and Nether Vortex no longer soulbound |
| Heroic keys | Honored reputation |
| Epic gems | New Black Sacks of Gems and Brilliant Glasses can contain epic gems |
All rows are from Blizzard's update notes.
Our Zul'Aman preparation guide covers the raid and timed run.
New G'eras items by slot and badge cost
| Slot | Items | Badge cost each | Total to buy all |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wrist | 12 | 35 | 420 |
| Shoulders | 4 | 60 | 240 |
| Hands | 9 | 60 | 540 |
| Waist | 9 | 60 | 540 |
| Feet | 6 | 60 | 360 |
| Chest | 4 | 75 | 300 |
| Head | 2 | 75 | 150 |
| Legs | 9 | 75 | 675 |
| Back | 6 | 35 (Slikk's), 60 (others) | 335 |
| Neck | 1 (Brooch of Deftness) | 35 | 35 |
| Off-hand | 2 (Voodoo Shaker, Fetish of the Primal Gods) | 35 | 70 |
| Trinket | 6 Battlemaster's trinkets | 75 | 450 |
| Relic | 9 idols, librams and totems | 20 | 180 |
| Wand | Carved Witch Doctor's Stick | 25 | 25 |
| Reagent | Nether Vortex | 15 | — |
Item counts and costs are from Wowhead's G'eras item table. The totals are our arithmetic.
Best badge gear for casters
| Item | Cost | Wowhead rating (spec) |
|---|---|---|
| Carved Witch Doctor's Stick (wand) | 25 | BiS: Affliction, Destruction, Arcane, Frost, Shadow. Pre-Raid: Fire. Great: Priest healer |
| Fetish of the Primal Gods (off-hand) | 35 | BiS: Elemental, Frost, Shadow; BiS for AoE: Arcane. Good: Affliction, Destruction |
| Skycall Totem | 20 | BiS: Elemental |
| Pantaloons of Arcane Annihilation | 75 | BiS: Elemental. Pre-Raid: Arcane, Frost. Mediocre: Affliction, Destruction |
| Studious Wraps, Voodoo-woven Belt, Runed Spell-cuffs | 60, 60, 35 | Good for warlocks; Pre-Raid for mages |
| Cloak of Arcane Alacrity | 60 | Mediocre for warlocks |
Our budget math: the wand and off-hand cost 60 badges for two BiS slots on most caster lists. Elemental's three BiS badge items (Skycall Totem, Fetish, Pantaloons) cost 130.
Best badge gear for physical DPS
| Item | Cost | Wowhead rating (spec) |
|---|---|---|
| Nyn'jah's Tabi Boots | 60 | BiS: Rogue, Feral DPS, Enhancement. Temporary hit option: all 3 Hunter specs |
| Dory's Embrace (cloak) | 60 | Best: Arms, Fury; Best without hit: Protection. Great: Enhancement. Optional: Beast Mastery, Marksmanship |
| Master Assassin Wristwraps | 35 | Great: Enhancement. Optional: Arms, Fury, Beast Mastery, Marksmanship |
| Trickster's Stickyfingers, Shallow-grave Trousers | 60, 75 | Great: Enhancement |
| Stonebreaker's Totem | 20 | Best: Enhancement |
| Eternium Rage-shackles | 35 | "Easy to obtain" for Arms and Fury |
| Libram of Divine Judgement, Brooch of Deftness | 20, 35 | Optional for Retribution (the brooch for hit) |
Wowhead's Rogue guide says Dory's Embrace "is not a good choice for Rogues," because it doesn't even beat the Karazhan cloak. Rogues should spend on the boots.
Best badge gear for tanks
| Item | Cost | Wowhead rating (spec) |
|---|---|---|
| Slikk's Cloak of Placation | 35 | Best Tanking Value: Feral tank. Best Mitigation: Protection Warrior. Mitigation/EHP: Protection Paladin |
| Brooch of Deftness | 35 | Best Individually: Feral tank. Best Overall: Protection Warrior |
| Bracers of the Ancient Phalanx | 35 | Best Overall: Protection Warrior. Optional mitigation: Protection Paladin |
| Girdle of the Protector, Sabatons of the Righteous Defender, Libram of Divine Purpose | 60, 60, 20 | Best Threat: Protection Paladin |
| Idol of Terror | 20 | Best Individually: Feral tank |
| Battlemaster's Determination | 75 | Best Defensive Cooldown: Feral tank |
Our budget math: a Protection Warrior's three top picks (cloak, brooch and bracers) cost 105 badges. A Protection Paladin's threat set (belt, boots and libram) costs 140.
Best badge gear for healers
| Item | Cost | Wowhead rating (spec) |
|---|---|---|
| Light-Blessed Bonds (gloves) | 60 | BiS: Priest healer |
| Achromic Trousers of the Naaru | 75 | BiS for haste: Priest healer |
| Treads of the Life Path | 60 | BiS: Shaman healer |
| Wristguards of Tranquil Thought | 35 | Great: Priest healer |
| Battlemaster's Alacrity | 75 | Great: Priest healer |
| Voodoo Shaker, Cloak of Swift Reprieve | 35, 60 | Good: Priest healer |
| Libram of Mending | 20 | Optional (Holy Light): Holy Paladin |
Wowhead's Restoration Druid guide lists Gargon's Bracers of Peaceful Slumber, Gnarled Ironwood Pauldrons, Achromic Trousers, Pants of Splendid Recovery and Light-Blessed Bonds only as further options, behind raid and crafted pieces. By our third test, a Restoration Druid gets less from this vendor than other healers, so it should save badges or spend them on an alt. Our healer and tank tier list covers what each healer brings to a raid, and the priest and paladin guides show where these items fit in a full gear set.
Where to farm Badges of Justice in Phase 3.5
| Source | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Zul'Aman | Every boss drops a badge; 3-day lockout |
| Karazhan, Gruul's, Magtheridon's | Older raids now pay badges |
| SSC and Tempest Keep | Same |
| Kazzak and Doomwalker | Badges, and their loot becomes Bind on Equip |
| Heroic dungeons | Keys at Honored and final reduced difficulty. See our heroics guide |
| Heroic daily quest | 2 badges a day from Wind Trader Zhareem in Lower City |
| Zul'Aman quests | "Hex Lord? Hah!" pays 5 badges, and "Undercover Sister", after Zul'jin, pays 10 |
Blizzard's notes don't say how many badges each boss drops. Warcraft Tavern's badge guide lists these figures for a full clear:
| Instance | Badges per full clear (Warcraft Tavern) |
|---|---|
| Karazhan | 22 |
| Black Temple | 18 |
| Zul'Aman | 13 |
| Serpentshrine Cavern | 12 |
| Mount Hyjal | 10 |
| The Eye | 8 |
| Gruul's Lair | 5 |
| Magtheridon's Lair | 3 |
| Heroic Shattered Halls or Botanica | 5 |
| Most other heroics | 2–4 |
Check your Currency tab after your first clear to confirm the numbers on your realm. Our Karazhan raid guide, Gruul and Magtheridon guide and world boss guide cover each badge source.
Example: a geared player who runs a full Karazhan, two Zul'Aman clears and the heroic daily every day for a week could, by those figures, earn more than 60 badges. That's one 60-badge BiS piece plus a relic or the wand.
Compare ways to fill a slot
| Method | Badges | Time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Badge item | 20–75 | Several lockouts of farming | Guaranteed slots (wand, boots, cloaks) |
| Zul'Aman drop | 0 | Loot rolls over 3-day lockouts | Rings and trinkets from hostage chests |
| Tier 6 tokens | 0 | Black Temple and Hyjal, now without attunement | Set bonuses |
| Crafted with Nether Vortex | 15 per Vortex | Profession time | Crafted BiS pieces |
Follow this buy order
- Relics and the wand (20–25): cheap, and often BiS.
- 35-badge pieces your list rates Best or BiS: Fetish, Slikk's Cloak, the Brooch and the Phalanx bracers.
- 60-badge BiS pieces: Nyn'jah's Tabi Boots, Light-Blessed Bonds and Treads of the Life Path.
- 75-badge legs and trinkets last, unless your list rates them BiS.
- Nether Vortex only once you've planned a craft. It's been tradeable since October 22 (Blizzard).
This order applies the three tests from the top of the guide to Wowhead's ratings and costs.
Avoid these badge mistakes
- Buying a 75-badge piece first. Two cheap BiS pieces often cost less than one pair of legs (Wowhead costs, our math).
- Buying by item level instead of by your list. Pantaloons of Arcane Annihilation are BiS for Elemental but rated Mediocre for warlocks (Wowhead).
- Holding Nether Vortex you won't use. You can trade it now (Blizzard), so craft or sell it.
- Skipping old raids. Karazhan and Gruul's now pay badges as well as loot.
Alts and returning players
- Returning players: Black Temple and Hyjal lost their attunements on October 22 (Blizzard). Badge gear plus heroics at Honored is the fastest catch-up path. Our fresh 70 catch-up guide puts it in order.
- Alts: plan each alt's buys separately. A 20-badge relic or the 25-badge wand is a good first target, and heroics at Honored make an alt's first badges quick. Our Honor Hold and Thrallmar and Keepers of Time guides cover the first heroic keys.
- Gemming: our gems and enchants guide covers sockets for every new piece.
Independent sellers list gearing services on the TBC Anniversary gearing page, and the TBC Anniversary hub links every guide for this version. Blizzard's End User License Agreement restricts account sharing and paid in-game services, and a marketplace listing isn't publisher permission.
FAQ
When did G'eras get the new badge items? On October 22, 2026, the day Zul'Aman opened (Blizzard).
How many badges do the new items cost? 35 for bracers, 60 for most armor and cloaks, 75 for chests, helms, legs and trinkets, 20 for relics and 25 for the wand (Wowhead).
What's the best badge item for casters? Carved Witch Doctor's Stick, BiS on 5 caster lists for 25 badges (counted from Wowhead's BiS guides).
Are Nyn'jah's Tabi Boots worth 60 badges? For Rogue, Feral DPS and Enhancement, yes. All three lists rate them BiS.
Can I trade Nether Vortex? Yes. Since October 22, Primal Nether and Nether Vortex are no longer soulbound (Blizzard).
Which raids drop Badges of Justice in TBC Anniversary? Every boss in Karazhan, Gruul's Lair, Magtheridon's Lair, Serpentshrine Cavern, Tempest Keep and Zul'Aman, plus Kazzak and Doomwalker. Heroic dungeons and the heroic daily quest still give badges too.
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