Shaman set comparison Below are tables that can provide a quick comparison of all Shaman Sets . All numbers include possible set bonuses , with procs in parentheses ; it does NOT include Socket Bonuses . Raid Tier Sets . Classic Tier Sets . These sets are notable for the fact that many carry Elemental Resistance on the armor itself , and is geared primarily towards the Restoration Tree of Shaman Specialization ( Though Elemental Shaman can make limited use of them as well ) . Burning Crusade Tier Sets . Starting with Burning Crusade , all three specialization trees for Shaman received tailored Tier Sets , as well as sockets . In addition , Elemental Resistances on Armor were removed in favor of crafted resist gear , flasks , and totems / spells . Wrath of the Lich King Tier Sets . With the release of WotLK , Tier Sets were further divided into 10 - and 25 - man versions until Patch 3 . 2 , with the 25 - man versions having slightly higher stats and item levels than the 10 - man pieces . Argent Colliseum / Tier 9 Armor Sets . In Patch 3 . 2 , Tier gear was segmented once more into 10 , 25 , and 25 - man Heroic gear to coincide with the two new difficulty levels for the Argent Coliseum , 10 - man Heroic and 25 - man Heroic . Heroic versions of the 10 - man and 25 - man instances consisted of boss Hard Modes , and have a limited number of retries before loot is downgraded , thus encouraging a " clean " run . Also unique to Tier 9 is that only 25 - man Heroic gear is purchased with new , " universal " Tier Tokens ; 10 and 25 - man Tier 9 can be purchased with varying numbers of Emblem of Triumph and Trophy of the Crusade for all available slots . Finally , Alliance and Horde Tier 9 sets differ in appearance to reflect the growing PvP tensions between the Alliance and Horde factions at the tournament . The sets are also named after historical figures within the faction , such as Thrall for the Horde and Nobundo for the Alliance . The stats on the gear are identical , however . For the table below , stats and links are to the Horde version of the gear . Tier 10 Armor Sets . With the release of 3 . 3 comes the ( presumed ) final Tier Gear in Wrath , Tier 10 . While data about the sets themselves will not be posted until well after Patch 3 . 3 is active on the Live Realms , details about purchasing the new Tier items has been revealed by Blizzard to be a hybrid setup of the purchase structure in Tier 9 . For Tier 10 , normal 10 - man Tier Gear will be purchasable with Emblem of Frost from Armor Vendors ; 25 - man gear however , will require both a drop from Icecrown Citadel as well as the original piece of Tier 10 gear in order to purchase . In short , Emblems will purchase Tier 10 normal gear , while both a drop and said piece of T10 will be needed to purchase T10 . 5 , or 25 - man Tier 10 . It ' s assumed that any enchantments , gems , or other modifications to the item will be lost with the upgrade , but this has not been confirmed just yet . It ' s not currently known if there will be a third level of gear above 25 - man Tier 10 , similar to 25 - man Heroic Tier 9 gear in the Argent Tournament . Cataclysm Tier Sets . Currently , nothing is known publicly about the Tier 11 or above armor sets in the new expansion , Cataclysm . However , a condensing of stats on gear was announced for Patch 4 . 0 , including the removal of Attack Power , Armor Penetration , and several other ratings and bonuses from gear in favor of returning to the core stats of Agility , Stamina , Intellect , Spirit , and Strength . For an example of what the new stats table on armor pieces may look like , examine the stats on Classic Tier 1 , Tier 2 , and Tier 3 gear . Even this , however , is speculation and can easily change prior to release on the Live Realms . PvP Battleground Sets . Note that many of these sets have been discontinued in the current version of World of Warcraft , and are listed here merely for comparison purposes . Arena Sets . " Coming Soon "