Quote:The BoP DS stuff is a bit of a letdown. The hunter BP is barely better than tier 2 (.5% crit, and 6ap). Compared to the weaponsmiths who are getting 100+ dps two handers I'm a bit disapointed.
Those two base stats are on par with the corresponding stats on the dragonstalker BP. However, this breastplate also has 200+ more armor and three sockets. With the "endgame" of BC still largely unreleased into beta, the gems those sockets were balanced for probably aren't in the game yet. But just for example, here's one of the epic (PvP) gems from thott's beta site:
Quote: Bold Ornate Ruby
Unique
+20 Attack Power
"Matches a Red Socket."
It's a red gem, but if you don't mind missing the set bonus and want to max AP, 3 rubies can make this BP have 65 more attack power than the dragonstalker breastplate. You could also choose from many combinations of resilience/resistance/crit/etc. The sockets basically let you own a section of the item budget, and like enchants, you can always upgrade to a better gem. Here's thott's list of known gems: http://www.thottbot.com/beta?gem=All