Gear score Gear score is a numerical value based on the statistics of a player ' s gear . It is ( supposedly ) the maximum potential of a player ' s performance . However , it is up to the player to perform that well . In addition to item level ( ilvl ) , the item ' s actual statistics or abilities may or may not be included for calculation , as determined by specific formulas or addons . Most commonly , gear scores are a metric used to evaluate the relative strength of a player ' s equipment as a way of determining if that player meets a given threshold to join in certain raids or groups going through an instance . It should be noted that a given gear score , no matter which formula is used , does not necessarily mean that other players can not demand higher scores from others before joining a raid or group . Despite the possible flaws in the system , gear score can be a useful tool in determining an individual player ' s readiness for certain content . Rather than risking the waste of time and money on wipes and repair bills , gear score can provide a basic indication that a player is " likely " to possess gear sufficient to run ( or even trivialize ) the content in question . There is no substitute for checking a player ' s choice of gems , enchants , glyphs , and spec , plus knowledge of appropriate caps ( hit , haste , and / or crit ) , all of which reveal far more about a player than for what gear he or she has managed to win rolls or purchased by running heroics . That said , when used as an " initial " assessment of a player , followed by inspections of their Armory profile ( which does display things like item enhancements and achievements ) , gear score can allow the quick and efficient assembling of groups and raids intending to take on difficult content . Be warned : reliance on gear score , without following up the initial assessment with the armory or inspecting , is in fact counterproductive . It degrades the community by encouraging less knowledgeable players to " upgrade " based strictly on item levels , as well as decreasing the motivation of some players to improve ( as they receive raid invites and rolls on loot without needing to do so ) . Controversy . The usage of gear scores has caused a large amount of controversy due to a proportion of players who view it as unnecessary and distracting in the face of others options like DPS or Achievements . Teammate screening . The largest source of complaints appears to arise from the fact that while gear score addons / websites may calculate and suggest a gear score for certain content , frequently players have arbitrarily raised the minimum score needed before they will allow others to join them . Motivations for this may include a desire by some players to either decrease the chance of failure in the instance , or to increase the ease or speed of gameplay . Often , players will seek to run older content as fast as possible as a means to farm emblems as quick as possible . These groups frequently reject new players who may actually need gear from such content . Players often feel they are skilled enough to overcome their lack of gear . They feel upset that they are not given the chance to prove themselves because they fail whatever gear score requirement was imposed by the raid leader . A veteran player with a low gear score can outperform a newer player with a high gear score . Similarly a high gear score tank can be the counterweight for a low gear score healer or vice versa . Wrong - class gear . Unless the scoring formula takes class and talent build into account , players can artificially inflate their gear score by using gear with bonuses that don ' t benefit them , such as spell power armor for a warrior or bonus fire - spell damage for a frost mage . As of version 4 . 0 . 00 , the GearScore add - on displays a score specific to a player ' s current spec which weights appropriateness of that player ' s equipment to that spec . Even if a player ' s gear is class - and spec - appropriate , artificial inflation is possible . Gear score mods do not take soft or hard caps into account , for example , allowing players to increase their scores through " upgrades " that negatively impact performance . Even with the improvements to most item level based evaluations that try to combat trickery , there is no substitute for verifying a player ' s ability to properly evaluate gear sets . Sources . There is a variety of external web - sites and addons that can be used to score a character ' s gear .