Transmogrification Journal 1: Paladin Tier-2 Judgment Recolor

            I’ve spoken at length about how I choose items to compliment the gear sets I collect for vanity. While the example was based around three shields, the same criteria hold true for selecting weapons, cloaks, tabards, non-set items, and even mounts. This post is going to discuss the first of my planned series about actual sets I am transmogrifying and using on the Public Test Realm as I try and decide which I’ll end up using when 4.3 goes live.

            I’ll begin with what is sure to be a popular plate set people will be using in 4.3 because it is not class-specific; the recolor of the Paladin Tier-2, the purple Judgment Armor, (what I call “the Blessings Set”) which is healer-plate available in Outland Regular and Heroic dungeons and is likely very easy to farm as a lv80+ for any plate class and spec. I saw a few warriors on the PTR using pieces of this set and I just finished gathering all 8 pieces for my own warrior on live servers, so he may end up using this set himself on occasion (Though Wrathful Gladiator is likely what I’ll stick him in). Anyway, on to the set…

This is a set where you can choose to show the helm or not depending on your preference and still look good in it. The bracer graphic IS visible so you will want to pick them up or find a reasonable substitute that doesn’t stand out too much. It’s a dress, so boots are less important, but are still noticeable if you’re really off the mark. The belt is very small so you can do without it if you have a reasonable substitute, but since most belts in Cataclysm are WWF World Champion size, you’re going to need SOMETHING to transmog them into so as not to obscure the detail of the set. I advise against showing a cape or tabard with this set due to the back being every bit as detailed as the front and you would miss out, spending 90% of your game time viewing your character from behind.

            If you’d like to see what this looks like on races that can use this Plate Armor (every race can be warriors and death knights), you can view the set in 3d here and just change the model in the display to your preferred one (It’s pretty neat to see it on Worgen and Undead male models, and Goblin females look kinda cute in it too). I recommend choosing the “Java” quality setting if it is available for you, as it animates the models whereas the “Flash” option is stationary. If this is a set you’re interested in collecting, check out The Visual Roleplay Gear List where they have a comprehensive page on it. They list all the items and where to get them.

            Now, to accessorize! Once you’ve picked up your set, you still have a weapon, and possibly a shield depending on your spec. There is also your cape, your tabard, and even the mounts you ride around on to consider when completing your vanity uniform. I’m going to list several items for each of these categories for your consideration and then give you my recommendations and explain why I’ll be using certain items to round-out my transmogrification experience relating to this specific set. I’ll start with the one-handed weapons for tanks, since that’s what I am…

            If you are a lv85 tank that does, at least, Zandalari-level heroics and low-end raids, the weapons you are likely to be using are among the following: Mace of Acrid Death, a “One-Hand” classification mace, Lava Spine, a “One-Hand” sword, Soul Blade, another “One-Hand” sword, Elementium-Edged Scalper, a “One-Hand” axe, Unbreakable Guardian, a “One-Hand” sword, Reforged Heartless, a “One-Hand” sword, Bloodlord’s Protector, a “One-Hand” sword, Renataki’s Soul Slicer, a “One-Hand” sword, Zulian Slasher, a “One-Hand” sword, Gurubashi Punisher, a “One-Hand” mace, Stormwake, the Tempest’s Reach, a “Main-Hand” sword, Mandible of Beth’tilac, a “One-Hand” sword, and Obsidium Cleaver, a “One-Hand” axe. As you can see if you read this list all the way through, only ONE weapon carries the classification of “Main Hand” and it is a sword. So all your vanity swords, axes, and maces that have “Main Hand” as their weapon type… well, you don’t get to change your weapon to look like them. Good going Bliz… But, there IS a good possibility that you will have a Mace, Axe, or Sword, even at higher item levels since the Mace of Acrid Death can be 372 and useful even in heroic Firelands. And, while threat is devalued for tanks, the Elementium-Edged Scalper and Obsidium Cleaver both give you a strong item level Axe of 365, 378, or 391 and are great possibilities for long-term transmogrification use. The Unbreakable Guardian and Mandible of Beth’Tilac are tank mainstays so transmogrifying your sword will be extremely easy if you can avoid the whole “cannot change into a Main-Hand item” problem. Damn you Single-Minded Fury Warriors and Frost Death Knights… this is all your fault… If you are a player who is still in lower-level heroics, or even regular dungeons, there is still a decent spread of items for you from craftables and dungeons, though maces will be the hardest to come buy since there is not a craftable one for tanks. Cookie’s Tenderizer in Heroic Deadmines is likely your best bet, or the Mace of Transformed Bone. Warriors have the added bonus of potentially using Fist Weapons as their main-hand, but since I’m a paladin, I’m not going to cover those in regards to this particular set. Maybe when 4.3 comes out and I transmog this set onto my warrior too…

            Now that we’ve looked at what you are likely to have equipped, lets take a look at what you’d get to play with as far as visuals. This is not an exhaustive, comprehensive list and it’s not intended to be. I am only providing suggestions that I would personally consider using. There will undoubtedly be items in the game I don’t have, don’t know about, or don’t believe fit the bill aesthetically, but others may disagree. If you have any suggestions regarding possible matches that I don’t cover, don’t hesitate to let me know, I’d love to hear about them, whether I end up agreeing or not.

If you are using a One-Hand Mace
One handed maces have a few interesting transmogrification choices and most items aren’t too difficult to pick up, though some will require some raid farming

Mithrios, Bronzebeard’s Legacy. Drops from Normal-difficulty Lich King in Icecrown Citadel 25-player. It is a little more blue than purple (not counting the glow), but is close enough that not too many people would take notice. Also, if you are using the Windwalk enchant, the enchant has a purple tint to it that may push it over the edge of acceptable into the purple spectrum, but mostly all you’re going to see is the white cloud. Aesthetically the design of the mace doesn’t match up very well unfortunately, but it’s a fair size, not too small a weapon for a tank that it looks silly or underpowered.

 

The Blackout Truncheon from Grandmaster Vorpil in Heroic Shadow Labyrinth has a strong color similarity, as well as having the convenient One-Hand classification, but its major drawback is that it has its own enchant animation which is a black mist. I don’t know if this interferes with Cataclysm enchants or not, but I assume it does. The black makes it just a little too off-color for me to consider using this for myself though the purple is a reasonably close match and would otherwise be ok.

There are a few others that people might be interested in choosing over either of these two recommendations and I encourage people to look at as many options and possibilities as they can since that is half the fun of this whole process. Looking sweet wearing it is the other half ^_^. Some people may like the Sand Polished Hammer from Ossirian in Ruins of Ahn’Quiraj (AQ20), but personally I just feel like the purple is too-light a color to match the set properly and the large amount of off-white stone coloring on the hammer becomes the more eye-catching element of the weapon where as purple is the attention-grabbing color of the armor, creating a discord between the two that ultimately prevents the harmony I seek in accessorizing my sets. I don’t have this weapon so I’m unsure if a windwalk enchant could tip the balance towards purple in its favor, however. Also, individual tastes on the matter may vary, so it deserves to be included in your personal evaluations. Aledar’s Battlestar, from Eadric in Trial of the Champion is much more on the blue side than purple, and the gold trim really sets it apart from the set in a jarring fashion, but, again, I don’t have this item and windwalk is a very obscuring enchant which may tip the balance allowing it to appear seamless. And, as stated previously, some people just aren’t as picky as I am about things, and since your choice of reasonable One-Hand classification maces is rather limited, it may be something worth considering. One last mace to recommend is Heroic Shatterskull Bonecrusher. This item is a shared drop from every boss in Firelands. This is not going to be widely available to people, but for those who are killing Firelands heroics, you may be able to pick one of these up after the main spec users have gotten theirs so I figured I’d mention it. It has a built in red glow and has bright pink accentuating lines so it doesn’t quite match color-wise, and the aesthetics of the mace aren’t congruent with the armor, but like I said, your one-hand mace options are somewhat limited.

If you are using a One-Hand Axe
There are a few more transmogrification options for this type because it is a weapon that has historically been used to dual-wield.

Breeching Comet This ostentatious weapon comes courtesy of Kael’Thas Ssunstrider in Heroic Magister’s Terrace. Suitably outlandish, this magically crystalline weapon is definitely a brighter purple than the set, but still manages to suit it well. It also has a comfortable size on the character model so people will definitely notice you using this weapon. While its form is not really congruent with the armor, its eye-catching nature can help bring attention to the armor by virtue of people already looking at you.

 

Troggbane, Axe of the Frostborne King, from Lich King 10man is likely your best bet for a matching transmogrification axe. It is a little too spikey in design, with hard edges and points, to really fit the flowing elegance and detail of the T2 recolor, and there is some blue glow coming from the axe and pommel that will be visible even through the windwalk enchant. While not perfect, this one is fairly close if you’re an axe person; and, while you can’t solo him, 10m Lich King is a pretty easy farm these days.

There a few other decent options for this slot if you’re not fond of my top two options. The Elementium Bonesplitter is a crafted item which shouldn’t be difficult for anyone to pick up if they are interested. The purple is a little bright and the axe has some noticeable gold trim (especially on larger races), but the overall feel of the axe is compatible with the set and has a certain imposing look because of it’s impressive size for a one-hander. The Vicious Gladiator’s Cleaver can be purchased from the Honor Weapons vendor in your faction’s capital city for 2450 Honor Points (will likely be less in 4.3). The purple of this weapon compliments the set well. The weapon is a little on the small side unfortunately and that may put some people off. The Brutal Gladiator’s Cleaver, similar in tone to its Vicious descendant, the purple of the weapon is subdued but noticeable. The weapon is a little small and somewhat incompatible in its design to the armor, but is very easy to pick up from the lv70 PvP weapon vendor at only 245 Honor points if you’re not able to pick up anything else matching right away. Lastly, the Heroic Obsidium Cleaver. This item is purchased from the Firestone vendor outside of Firelands once you have the regular version (drops from Firelands trash and is BoE) and a Crystallized Firestone, a heroic-mode only random drop similar to Sunmotes from Sunwell. The Firestones are BoP. This is another weapon that will likely be difficult for the majority of people to obtain. The purple is slightly too bright for the set, especially with the pink highlighting, though the muted gray blends well enough with the armor. The axe’s design doesn’t suit the armor well aesthetically, but it could work for some people, and if you have this, you won’t need to pay a transmogrification fee to wear it since its probably your default weapon anyway.

If you are using a One-Hand Sword
There are a wealth of swords available that meet the aesthetic requirements of color and form to suit the set, but you really run into the Main-Hand restriction with these which is unfortunate.

My personal recommendation across all weapon types if you have the option, is Hatestrike from Patchwerk in Naxx10. It already has a strong silver and purple color scheme, windwalk makes it even more purple and really brings it out as an appropriate weapon for the set with the glow. While the enchant does obscure the detailed runes and the chattering mouth to a certain extent, it is really hard to go wrong with this sword. Its biggest drawback is being a raid drop so it could be a very long time before you get one if you’re unlucky with drops.

 

Edge of the Cosmos drops from Pathaleon the Calculator in regular Mechanar. While this geode-looking weapon is a little more purple than the set, it is definitely a distinctive-looking weapon that should be appealing to people. It’s biggest drawback is that it almost looks like a dagger on smaller-scale models like the female Blood Elf which I personally find disappointing. It has both the purple and gold of the set already on it and can be farmed a little more quickly because of the shorter lockouts of 5man heroics compared to raids like Naxxramas.

Ruthless Gladiator’s Slicer This sword will be reasonably easy to pick up once 4.3 hits and you can purchase it with honor points. It has a large, aggressive graphic and looks quite gladiator-y. The purple on the blade is a little dull, but it works, while the blade is a little bit on the rusted-gray side as opposed to clean silver, but, again, should suit the set just fine. Aesthetically the sword is all over the place with spikes and sharp angles so it’s a little discordant with the flowing armor but some people will just like its dangerous-look too much to care. Resonant Kris This drops from High Prophet Barim in Lost City of the Tol’vir and should be easy for anyone to pick up. The purple on the sword is a little bit muted but definitely visible and the gray of the blade matches the gray-silver of the armor fairly well. It has a sleek, curved shape to it that suits the set well but it is somewhat of a small weapon. Shaarde the Lesser This drops from Shirrak the Dead watcher in regular Achunai Crypts. Another unique geode weapon, again, much brighter than the set, but its distinctiveness may excuse it in the eyes of some players.

If you are using a Shield
Fortunately, unlike the different types of restrictions on weapons, a shield is a shield and is easy to transmogrify. There are a few nice shields that go with this set, some are easier to pick up than others.

Lets get the popular one out of the way first; yes, you can get away with using the Bulwark of Azzinoth with this set. The color does not match exactly, the shield being slightly more gray, but with a reasonable purple-tint that is close enough for most people. The rigid and spikey design of the shield is at odds with the flowing elegance of the set, but probably not enough to turn most people off to pairing them up. This shield is MASSIVE and is the only shield in the game that looks like it could do more damage than your main hand and looks like enchanting a shield spike on it would be laughably redundant. It is also the only shield that is worn sideways on the back which makes it even more unique and eye-catching than it already is. Defensively, this is the shield-of-shields when it comes to appearance. But, because of that, you’re going to see this EVERYWHERE. Doesn’t make it bad, just means you will look like everyone else who farmed it, because whether it goes with a set or not, someone is very likely gonna be wearing this.

 

As far as I’m concerned, the Titansteel Shield Wall is 100% perfectly suited to this set. It’s rounded elegance and detail compliment the design of the set nicely, the silver of the shield is a near spot-on match for that of the gear, and the purple glow of the Kirin-Tor rune in the center gives it the purple it needs creating a very strong unifying effect between the shield and the set. It is very easy to acquire as well, being a simple Wrath craftable. It is a little disappointingly small, but nothing as bad as the crafted shield from Cataclysm some people have been stuck with, and since it only shares its design with one other shield from Wrath, it is also fairly unique.

A shield that I wasn’t going to consider that actually surprised me was the heroic version of Shard of Torment from heroic Baleroc in the Firelands. Of these three shields, this is obviously the most difficult to obtain and will likely be out of reach of most people for some time to come, but it actually suits the set quite well. The shape of the shield, being demonic in inspiration, is a little at odds with the pious nature of the Paladin set, so that may turn some people off to it. The shape is also much rougher and sprawling than the gear which does create a noticeable contrast. The bright blue at the top of the mouthpiece in the middle of the shield is also not represented in the armor but somehow is not very distracting from the harmony of color between the shield and the armor in my opinion, but it is something you will notice. The shield itself is purple and the bottom of the animation in the center is purple and this does compliment the set nicely. If you are also using Hatestrike, it can be an interesting juxtaposition, wearing holy armor but using a weapon with a demonic mouth and a shield with one as well. Lastly, the heroic version of Lost Pavise of the Blue Flight from heroic Sindragosa in ICC 10man. The purple is a little too bright to match the set perfectly, and the silver/gray isn’t a spot-on match either, but it may work for some people because of the VERY distinctive and unique design. The boss isn’t too difficult nowadays so it’s another strong possibility for many people to use.

            That covers things from a tanking perspective, but I’m sure there are some DPS paladins out there who are going to wear this set, so I’ll cover some 2-handed weapons here as well. Again, if you are doing at least Zandalari-level heroics or some kind of raiding, you are likely using one of the following weapons; Akirus the Worm-Breaker, Shalug’doom, the Axe of Unmaking, Reclaimed Ashkandi, Greatsword of the Brotherhood, Masterwork Elementium Deathblade, Skullstealer Greataxe, Zoid’s Firelit Greatsword, Sulfuras, the Extinguished Hand, Reforged Trollbane, Jeklik’s Smasher, if you’re very lucky Zin’rokh, Destroyer of Worlds, or at the very least, Oversized Oblique Ogre Obliterator. There are a good mix of swords, maces, and axes at all item levels so people likely won’t have too much trouble being able to transmog into the items that they want.

            Now, there are dozens of amazing two-handed weapons available in the game, I’m only going to cover the ones that I would personally use with this set because of my criteria of primarily color-matching and thematic similarity; but everyone has their own preferences. One last thing I should mention; the weapon you transmogrify to retains the enchant of the weapon you transmogrified from, so it is very likely that all DPS have Landslide on their 2hander. Landslide is a yellow/brown enchant and will typically not look so good with your purple-themed weapon. I don’t have a 2h mace to transmog, so I don’t know if Torch of the Damned will show the enchant or if its built-in purple flame graphic makes it immune to enchant graphics, just be warned when planning your set out.

If you are using a Two-handed Sword
If you are using a two-handed sword, there are several worthwhile options to consider when making your transmogrification picks whether you want small and unassuming or huge and ostentatious, there’s a little something for everyone in a matching purple and silver.

Shaard the Greater is a unique, geode-inspired weapon with a distinctive silhouette. It drops from Tavarok in Mana-Tombs on regular difficulty which means it can be farmed in a very short period of time. It may be a little too purple, as most weapons seem to be, but it is a nice looking weapon overall and one that can be picked up quickly playing solo.

 

The Mardenholde Greatsword is a world BoE with a random enchant, so your best bet to pick one up is to check the AH on your server. It’s not a very exciting-looking weapon but it matches well both in color and aesthetics. Because it’s a random drop and cannot be farmed so if you have your heart set on this item you could be waiting a long time, but instance farming always drops more BoEs than outside an instance if you’re looking for greens.

Other items people may want to consider include Blackblade of Shahram, which may look more like an axe, but it’s classified as a sword and has colors that suit this set very well. The blade is a bright silver and the hilt is a rich purple. Dropped from General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire, this weapon is a quick farm on short notice. Demonshear drops from Balnazzar in the human quarter of Stratholme in Eastern Plaguelands. The blade’s silver is more gray, and the purple filling is more burgundy, but should be close enough to suit most people. It is somewhat small and plain considering how ostentatious and elaborate two-handed weapons have become, but some people may enjoy it. The Claymore of Ancient Power is another strong sword candidate. It’s purple, it’s got a fluid design form with some in-blade detailing, and it’s not terribly challenging to farm from Naxx10. The Dragon Wing Blade is a more subdued sword with the purple confined to the hilt and the blade being bright white. It shares a model with Demonslayer and both items are random world drops in the old world, so your best bet for picking up this one is checking the AH frequently. Its biggest downfall is that it is somewhat small and looks more like a one-handed weapon. If you’re in a position to kill heroic Firelands bosses you could potentially pick up the heroic version of Zoid’s Firelit Greatsword, which is a good option for sword matching, but probably won’t require you to have to use transmogrification. Lastly, for those of you who are Alliance, there is an Alliance-only weapon, Claymore of the Prophet bought from the Argent Tournament grounds. The purple is a little bright, but it’s a very unique weapon that might strike your fancy and is worth looking into.

If you are using a Two-handed Axe
There aren’t many purple axes out there, in fact I think there are only 2 that I know of, but there are more with strong silver tie-ins that work just as well. Still, there’s not much to choose from in the axe category, but here are a few I believe match up well with the Tier-2 recolor.

Dark Edge of Insanity This axe from C’thun in AQ40 shouldn’t be confused with Dark Edge of Depravity which drops off Yogg. This distinctive axe is a one-of-a-kind model. It may look a little too silithid for some, and the strong pink in the center of the axe may distract too much from the set for some, but it’s a large, menacing weapon that matches up color-wise rather well all things considered. It is also the most purple-colored axe out there, so if you’re a slave to color like I am, this may be your best bet, but it will be difficult to farm, AQ40 is a LONG instance, and Twin Emperors still cannot be solo’d.

 

The Dark Iron Axe is a weapon you likely won’t see anyone wearing because it is an old-world quest reward from Searing Gorge. If you missed it, you can find the Ceremonial Slayer’s Axe which shares its model on the AH if you’re lucky. The colors may be plain but the design is very sturdy and subtle and it has a good size on character models so it doesn’t look underpowered.

While it may come across as uncreative and desperate by some, the Arcanite Reaper heirloom actually has a complimentary model to this set. While it’s lost some of its luster because everyone leveling 2H weapon class has this item, it’s a respectable-sized weapon with a neat design and should get a little bit more respect (especially considering how few other axes mesh well with this set).

If you are using a Two-handed Mace
The holy grail of Tier-2 recolor two-handed weapon transmogrification awaits you once you get your hands on this weapon classification. There are two, very popular, spot-on matches for this particular set. You won’t be the only one using these (at least not once people see you with one and start farming it themselves) but you’re going to look so awesome that you just won’t care.

The Torch of the Damned is a hell of a weapon for this set. It has a unique model, it has an animation, the purple matches up very well, and it looks like a weapon someone wearing this armor would carry. It’s only potential drawback is the pink hue of the flames coming from the head of the torch. I don’t know if this animation will prevent Landslide from overshadowing the weapon or not, but I hope so.

 

Hammer of the Naaru is perhaps the de-facto ret-paladin-looking weapon of the Burning Crusade expansion and the weapon perfectly suited to this set as a mace. A Dranaei Paladin is even using this in the Burning Crusade opening movie. It is a distinctive weapon with an eye-catching and bright head. This whole weapon just exudes Paladin, and, dropping from the first boss in Gruul’s Lair, it can be easily picked up if the drops are in your favor.

Haven’t gotten ahold of one of those two yet? Well, there is always Jeklik’s Smasher. Yeah, it matches well enough, and if it’s what you’ve got, it’s what you’ve got. But if you’re wearing this, you should be running Black Temple and Gruul’s Lair every week for one of the better two maces. Wrathful Gladiator Bonegrinder is a little darker in the purple coloring than the armor, but all-in-all matches up fairly well with the set both in color and in style and is worth a look. The heroic version of Warmace of Menethil from Lich King 10man matches up fairly well, though it does have some light-blue highlighting effects which may dissuade some from picking it up. But, if it’s something you’re interested in, Heroic Lich King isn’t too terrible in cataclysm and hopefully won’t cause too many people trouble while trying to pick this up. One last mace I want to mention is Hammer of Grief, a drop from Maiden of Grief in Heroic Halls of Stone in the Storm Peaks. While the mace has prominent gold ornamentation, the purple is a good match for the set and the weapon does have a distinctive and unique model. Being a poorly-optimized iLvl200 weapon, it has likely been forgotten and this might be the time to give it some love.

            Last, but not least, we have the Holy Paladin who will want to don this set. The shield recommendations stay the same for you. The Titansteel Shield Wall or Lost Pavise of the Blue Flight will probably be the most thematically similar to other healing shields, though it might be fun to fool everyone by healing with the giant Bulwark on your arm. The heroic version of the shield from Beth’tilac, Ward of the Red Widow is also somewhat purple, but not really enough to match, though it may work just fine for you, especially if it’s the shield you are already wearing anyway so you won’t have to transmog it. As far as weapons go you could go the same route as described for Paladin tanks but most-likely you are using a weapon with the “main hand” classification, so here are some additional recommendations for you.

            There are many Main-Hand maces that fit the bill for this set so you’ve got lots to choose from. My personal recommendation is Twilight’s Hammer which drops from Cho’gall in the Bastion of Twilight, which is something many healers are either using already, looking to pick up anyway, or may have saved in their bags after they upgraded in Firelands. It is a little too purple to match perfectly, but lets face it, you are using Power Torrent and that enchant renders almost any visual distinctiveness irrelevant because it is overpowering red or purple depending on the cycle. The purple of power torrent matches very well with the set, but the red dooms it at the same time. It’s not something you’re going to be able to get away from with almost any weapon you pick. But, if you’re sick of the hammer because you’ve been using it forever, here are some other weapons to consider.

The normal difficulty version of Valius, Gavel of the Lightbringer drops from Lich King 10man. This will be a very distinctive weapon and it is very large, even on a smaller-model like Blood Elf female.

 

K’iru’s Presage is purchased with Justice Points on the Isle of Quel’Danas from the Shattered Sun offensive at Revered reputation. This mace is just a little too bright-purple to match completely, but it should be passable for most people. The design aesthetic suits the armor well and its still an effective-looking size.

The Torch of Holy Fire from Kel’Thuzad in Naxx25 is also a close fit for the set, though it has its own animation which is yellow and interferes with the purple/gray color-scheme of the set. This animation, however, may prevent a Cataclysm enchant, so if you’re sick of looking at the sometimes-obnoxious Power Torrent, this may be just the ticket, but I don’t have confirmation on this. The Essence Focuser is basically the Blackout Truncheon, but without the black animation on the head, so a decent contender. The Hand of Eternity is a very expensive crafted piece which looks identical to the one-handed Sand-Polished Hammer. Since healers likely won’t be using a one-hand type of weapon, if they want this graphic, this is the item they’ll have to get.

            There aren’t nearly as many swords to choose from as maces, but if you happen to have one, here are items you may want to consider. The heroic version of Firethorn Mindslicer. The mindslicer is not a weapon anyone really uses so if you are one of the people able to clear heroic Firelands bosses, this is likely going to be rolled on for vanity-sake anyway. It is a little bit too purple, but it’s close enough for some. It’s a larger, distinctive sword that should catch some eyes, the only drawback being you’re likely using a mace as your weapon, either the crafted 365, the Twilight Hammer, or the spell power mace from Ragnaros, so you won’t have a sword to apply this image to. Grieving Spellblade is another fantastic sword that is already purple, silver, elegantly curved, and richly detailed with runes. It drops from Grand Widow Faerlina and Gluth in Naxx10. The silver is a little more prominent on this weapon than the purple, but it still meshes very well with the set and the windwalk enchant. And, actually, there are barely a double-digit number of “main hand” classification axes in the game, never mind ones that are purple or match this set. In the incredibly unlikely event that you have an axe (unless the Dragon Soul raid or new 5mans drop one) you’re stuck with what you’ve got (and you’ll be stuck in 4.3 if they do drop too).

            I mentioned I’m not fond of using cloaks with this set because of the detail on the back of the armor that would be completely covered up, so I didn’t spend a great deal of time searching for one. But I did find two capes that go well with the set. They may not be the best options one could find, and once I found these I stopped looking for anything that might be potentially better because I was satisfied, but if anyone has any other suggestions I’d be happy to hear them. The first is the Netherfury Cape and it works well enough. Baba’s Cloak of Arcanistry is the other and it matches the set a little bit better with the silver being more prominently displayed; but, as I said, I don’t show my cloak because it obscures too much when looking at my character from the back so ultimately this particular accessory turned out to be pointless. But, if you’re one of those people who like showing their cloak, these items may be for you. The cloaks have a strong, eye-catching purple that matches well enough and has some silver embroidery on parts of the cape which compliment the silver of the set. The biggest drawback for the Netherfury Cape is the gold trim near the top and bottom which does prevent it somewhat from completely unifying the look of the set, but it might not bother some people.

            I am personally against using a tabard with this set, but if someone has their heart set on it, here are a few I’d recommend: For Alliance only, the Darnasus, Gnomeregan, and Silverwing tabards have a compatible purple but they all have distinctive yellow detailing on it which does disrupt the unification of the set. The Horde does not have any faction-unique tabards which match this set.

            As far as what mounts suit this set the best, you’ve got a few options for flying mounts, but not many for ground mounts. The Armored Blue Wind Rider is an easy-to-acquire mount in Dalaran whose purple matches well with the set and the blue is just slightly off-color of the silver in the set making it passable, but unideal. The purple of the Dark Phoenix guild mount is a little too bright but can do in a pinch and should be reasonably easy to pick up for many people. The Flameward Hippogryph from the Molten Front dailies has a spot-on purple match but the flames of the wings may put some people off of using it. There are two mounts from the Netherwing faction in Shadowmoon Valley that match well; the Purple Netherwing Drake is nice but the green saddle is kind of an eyesore to me, the Violet Netherwing Drake matches the set better of the two in my opinion. I’ve never been a fan of the Nether Ray mounts, but the Purple Nether Ray isn’t bad. It doesn’t really fit the aesthetic of the set, but if you’re a fan of nether rays, this mount is for you. Another easy-to-acquire mount, the Swift Purple Wind Rider, has a spot-on purple but the yellow fur color can be a deal breaker depending on your preferences, but even the poorest of the poor and newest of the new are able to get their hands on this mount to match. A somewhat harder to get mount is the Icebound Frostbrood Vanquisher. It doesn’t match up perfectly, but the armor has a purple tinge to it and the bones, while a little too white to be silvery, aren’t necessarily a deal-breaker.

            For ground mounts, you have choices like the Forsaken Warhorse which has a lot of purple but doesn’t really suit the set aesthetically, but some people like the undead mounts so I figured I’d include it here. The Purple Skeletal Warhorse is a less intricately detailed version of the former with a lighter shade of purple which matches a little better. From Nagrand you can pick up the Silver War Talbuk which has little tufts of purple to accentuate the coloring but doesn’t quite match the set perfectly. My personal favorite with this set is the White War Talbuk. The white doesn’t quite match up with the silver but does give the mount an elegant look which suits the set and the purple horns are very striking.

            Well, that covers my Paladin Tier-2 Judgment recolor discussion, what I affectionately call my “Blessings” set. Personally I’m going to display my helm, not display my cloak, use the Hatestrike as my weapon and the Titansteel Shield Wall as my shield, though heroic Shard of Torment really made me have to give that decision some second thoughts. Here is what it looks like in its unified entirety…

I’ve also taken some in-game footage as well. I don’t have every item listed here so I just saved some time by only showing the combinations I’m considering using.. It is available up to 480p. There is no sound.