Moonkin gem selection 10 comments
updated 24th of Mar 2010
posted 10th of Nov 2009
by Aeiedil
WoW v.3.3.3
Selecting gems as a moonkin is not an overly complex process, although is not as simple as just filling all your sockets with Runed Cardinal Rubies. If you are unsure as to which gem to use, just consult my flow chart below. If you are looking for information relating to enchantments and what would be best to choose for your Moonkin, please read this : Moonkin enchant selection
Just start at the top, and follow the line that is the colour of the socket you are gemming. Gray is used for your meta gem, all other gem colours are pretty self explanatory. I have not put any Yellow gems down for the simple reason that you get less benefit that Orange gems. If you have 2 Veiled Ametrines you will have 24 spell power and 20 hit. If you have 1 Runed Scarlet Rubie and 1 Rigid King's Amber you will have 23 spell power and 20 hit.
This may seem minor, but it all adds up. Also, Ametrines are usually cheaper than either King's Ambers or Cardinal Rubies.
edit 13th Nov 2009 : As per the post by Lilija in this thread on the EU Druid forums, if you are looking at gemming a blue gem and it is down to the decision as to whether or not the socket bonus has spell power, then you should gem Runed if the spell power socket bonus is not equal to or greater than 8 spell power. If the socket bonus is equal to or greater than 8 spell power, or if you don't currently have 2 blue or purple gems, then socket Purified. Otherwise, socket Runed.
Comments
color: yellow, 400 haste=> SP on socket?no=> runed, this is the path i follow, so this is basically saying that i have to put a red gem in a yellow socket or am i missing something?
Hi bahamutth,
That is correct, if you don't get any spell power from the socket then the extra spell power from a Runed will outweigh the crit increase from the Ametrine. The difference will be small, so feel free to use the Ametrine if it makes you sleep a little better at night, the flow chart is here to allow players that can't be bothered reading through a load of text to find a good gem choice nice and easily. As with everything, there's nothing to stop you going your own way.
the only problem with this flowchart is that reckless ametrines become better than potents once you're past the crit soft-cap.
always nice for a well thought out flow chart. easy to read and good work :)i was just gonna stack runed but you have made me think twice ;) many thanks
Rather than 1000 my own crit cap is <900. But I can't think of any way to represent the sliding scale of the crit cap on the decision chart that wouldn't defeat its purpose of making gem selection nice and easy.
The standard yard-stick is 1500-[INT]/3 I believe. As you say though, it's hard to think of a way to visualise it.
I might have to do some checks on my own gear and see what levels of Intellect I actually have at the point where I am crossing the Crit soft-cap. Present figures were taken with TOTGC levels of gear in mind due to having been initially published prior to ICC :) The 1000 still seemed accurate enough though when I did initial checks in ICC gear.
can you describe the crit cap? i have 1493 int with just MotW...so that yard-stick you mentioned would put me at 7/3 = 2.3333, what does that mean? that i only need 3 more crit (rating or %) to be capped? currently 915 crit rating, aforementioned int, with no potents socketed. 3054 sp and 897 with a mix of runed and reckless (+2 purified). amidoin it rite? cuz i see a ton of moonkins with potents socketed and i kind of chuckle at them as i out dps them in lower gs gear.../shrug
That's quite often because a lot of Moonkin seem to think "right, 400 haste, don't need any more", quite falsely.
At the point your stats look like you are at, it shouldn't really matter what you gem in orange sockets, but you would probably see more benefit from Reckless than Potent, but I have no tests to back up that statement.
That's what I figured...I mean I have basically a 100% crit for starfire during lunar eclipse, and high enough crit that I'd have to have bad RNG to not proc either eclipse quickly.
That being said, is there a certain point where it's best to socket straight runed? Or is it always the better dps choice to keep doing reckless. with almost 900 haste and no buffs my wrath is 1.11, once it goes to 1 unbuffed (it's under 1 with NG and well under one with NG and shaman totem) should I ditch reckless's for runed cardinals?
I'm sure that there will be a point at which Reckless becomes less favourable than Runed in yellows, however I'm unconvinced that point is reachable even in BiS gear. Keep in mind that your comparison is either 23 SP, or 12 SP + 10 ( can't remember) haste + socket bonus, usually 5 SP.
Your tradeoff is about 6 SP vs 10 haste, and most and most weightings put 1 haste at more valiable than 0.6 Spell Power, do see? :)