Naxxramas is a much more expensive raid to run than what we’ve done thus far. There is a literal cost to get in the door. We’ll need to gather materials to get frost resistance gear crafted. Even more, materials are needed to turn in tokens for your Tier 3 armor pieces. And we should expect both higher repair bills and a higher need to use consumables. There is a clear need to start Naxxramas preparation now. Even if Phase 6 isn’t expected until January 2021. It’ll give you time to craft and save up what you need. And avoid the sticker shock of prices when Phase 6 is announced.
Attunement | Frost Resistance Gear | Tier 3 Armor | Loot Guide
Cost of Materials | Using Professions | Earning Gold
This guide was created for my guild, Onyxia’s Bakery on Pagle-Alliance, to help with our own Naxxramas preparation. If you play Horde (especially Shaman) be sure to check out Frost Resistance Gear for Naxxramas and Tier 3 Armor Guide for Naxxramas. Those cover all classes and were written for a general WoW Classic audience.
Naxxramas Attunement
The first step in Naxxramas preparation is attunement. For Naxxramas attunement is a simple quest. You must be honored with Argent Dawn to start. You will need to turn in various materials, depending on your AD reputation level.
Honored
- 60 gold
- Arcane Crystal x5
- Nexus Crystal x2
- Righteous Orb x1
Revered
- 30 gold
- Arcane Crystal x2
- Nexus Crystal x1
Exalted
- Free
Gaining Argent Dawn Reputation
As you can see, earning Argent Dawnrep now can save gold for attunement later. Reaching exalted may not be workable for everyone. But revered is, and should be everyone’s goal. You could just pay the higher cost of Honored. But you can earn gold for your other Naxxramas preparation needs while also working on your rep.
Kill Undead
- Regular mobs – Give rep until 3000/6000 into Friendly.
- Elite mobs – Give rep until 11999/12000 into Honored.
- Strat/Scholo trash mobs – Give rep until 11999/12000 into Honored
- Strat/Scholo bosses – Give rep through exalted
Complete Western & Eastern Plaguelands Quests
- In case you skipped them while leveling up, go back and complete all the quests you can find in the Plaguelands.
- As well as any dealing with Stratholme or Scholomance.
- Drop from the undead in Plaguelands, Strat, and Scholo.
- Turn in for rep and a valor token, which can provide extra rep.
- It is recommended to save these until revered if going for exalted.
- Keep at least 15 valor tokens for the shoulder enchant quest. Valor tokens will also have increased value come Phase 6.
Run Dungeons
Stratholme and Scholomance are a great rep and gold combination. You’ll get rep from kills until Revered. While also picking up scourgestones and some extra money.
If you see guildmates asking to run one of these dungeons consider jumping in for your own benefit. If you want to form a group specifically for this focus on Scholomance. It gives a good rep and better gold.
Wowhead’s Argent Dawn Reputation Guide
Frost Resistance Gear
All raiders will be required to meet a 200 frost resistance (unbuffed) minimum for the Sapphiron fight in Naxxramas. This is simple to do, thanks to two quests found within Naxx. And some crafted gear we’ll get recipes for inside Naxx. Even though you can’t get the gear before Phase 6, gathering the materials should be a part of your Naxxramas preparation.
While we won’t get the gear until after Phase 6 arrives we need to start gathering the materials now. It avoids future price hikes. And allows everyone to be ready at once when we pick up the quests and recipes.
Casters & Healers – Cloth Armor
Glacial Regalia | Source: Wowhead
- Bolt of Runecloth x14 (Runecloth x70)
- Ironweb Spider Silk x16
- Essence of Water x14
- Blue Sapphire x3
- Arcanite Bar
- 30 gold
Rogues & Feral Druids – Leather Armor
- Enchanted Leather x40
- Cured Rugged Hide x9
- Ironweb Spider Silk x12
- Essence of Water x8
- Blue Sapphire x3
- Arcanite Bar
- 30 gold
Hunters – Mail Armor
- Heavy Scorpid Scale x56
- Cured Rugged Hide x9
- Ironweb Spider Silk x12
- Essence of Water x8
- Blue Sapphire x3
- Arcanite Bar
- 30 gold
Paladins & Warriors – Plate Armor
DPS paladins and warriors should review their options in the frost resistance guide.
- Thorium Bar x40
- Arcanite Bar x7
- Essence of Water x10
- Blue Sapphire x3
- 30 gold
Everyone
- Keep your Tier 2 headpiece from Onyxia. It offers 10 frost resistance for free. The #DontDeleteYourHat movement has begun.
- Once Phase 6 is released you’ll need to get one Ice Guard to apply to your frost resistance pants.
The guild will provide all raiders with a Glacial Cloak and Greater Resistance enchant. If you have the means you can provide your own cloak mats, helping out everyone else.
- Bolt of Runecloth x4 (Runecloth x20)
- Ironweb Spider Silk x4
- Essence of Water x2
Frost Resistance Gear for Naxxramas – Covers frost resistance gear for all armor types in more detail.
Tier 3 Armor
Each class has a Tier 3 armor set available from Naxxramas. They are token base and require the competition of a quest, like AQ40. But unlike AQ40 the extra pieces needed don’t drop in Naxx. They are an expensive assortment of trade goods. The total value of which is 900-2300 gold, depending on your class. You want to start gathering these mats right now. Given the total sum, this will save you gold and stress in the long run.
Just breathe. We’re going to get you through this.
Do You Need To Get Every Piece of Tier 3?
Before you dive into getting a lot of materials for your Tier 3 armor take a look at the pieces, their stats, and the set bonus. Yes, overall Tier 3 armor is great. In vanilla, it lasted through much of the TBC leveling process. But it isn’t all great for all classes and specs.
The set bonus goes up to 8-piece. But there is a 9th set piece available to all classes. Kel’Thuzad drops class rings which are part of your Tier 3 armor and count toward the set bonuses. You may find you want that over a piece requiring materials. Adjust your mat shopping list accordingly.
We don’t know how much time we’ll have in Naxx. In vanilla TBC released 6 months later. There may not be enough time for everyone to get their full set. Waiting to buy materials at the last minute is going to cost you a lot more stress and gold. The gold you’ll want to save up for flying mounts in TBC later. That said, the value of these materials will likely start to drop as TBC approaches. You may be left holding materials not worth much. Personally, I’d rather get what I might need now. Then take the time we have to get the goal I want for TBC. It may end up being a bit more work in the end. But I won’t be worrying about materials while running Naxx. And I’ll have no hesitation hitting the need button when a Tier 3 token drops.
Druid
Dreamwalker Raiment | Source: Wowhead
- Arcane Crystal x1
- Cured Rugged Hide x36
- Mooncloth x6
- Nexus Crystal x7
Hunter
- Arcanite Bar x17
- Cured Rugged Hide x18
- Nexus Crystal x8
Mage
- Arcane Crystal x3
- Cured Rugged Hide x6
- Mooncloth x21
- Nexus Crystal x6
Paladin
- Arcanite Bar x20
- Cured Rugged Hide x15
- Nexus Crystal x7
Priest
Vestments of Faith | Source: Wowhead
- Arcane Crystal x3
- Cured Rugged Hide x6
- Mooncloth x21
- Nexus Crystal x8
Rogue
- Arcanite Bar x5
- Cured Rugged Hide x42
- Nexus Crystal x5
- 275 Gold
Warlock
- Arcane Crystal x3
- Cured Rugged Hide x6
- Mooncloth x21
- Nexus Crystal x8
Warrior
- Arcanite Bar x20
- Cured Rugged Hide x19
- Nexus Crystal x4
Tier 3 Armor Guide for Naxxramas – A more detailed breakdown of pieces and materials.
Naxxramas Loot Guide
There is a lot more loot to be had in Naxxramas aside from the Tier 3 armor sets. There are more weapons available than in any previous raid. Not to mention armor pieces which are better BiS for some than Tier 3. And of course new necklaces, rings, and trinkets to go along with your new armor.
Check out the Naxxramas Loot Guide for a full list
Repairs & Consumables
Repairs and consumables will be more of a thing and should be part of your Naxxramas preparation. Many of the raid bosses are on par with Twin Emps and C’thun. Which took both wipes and consumables to get down the first time.
If you don’t keep much gold handy you’ll want to build up a reserve to cover these added costs. Especially for the initial weeks where we are learning and perfecting fights.
Repairs
For those of you who did early runs into Blackwing Lair and AQ40 you know several wipes in a row are possible. Naxx will be no different, and likely harder during its later bosses. In fact, there is a chance of death for some classes just getting to the raid entrance. As you have to get by much high-level undead.
Repair bots are great to keep a raid going. But they don’t take rep or PvP discounts. And they will be handling most of your repairs, adding to the cost.
It doesn’t take a lot of gold to keep up with the added repair bills. A bit of extra farming now will pay off nicely once Phase 6 arrives. And anything left over can go into your TBC flying mount fund.
Consumables
If you don’t use much in the way of consumables this may change. Naxx was designed to be “hardcore.” Including bosses balanced against a raid running extra buffs and consumables. The abuse of stacking consumables and world buffs was a thing in vanilla, just not as widely done as it is in Classic. The developers recognized this. And they needed Naxx to keep everyone busy for 6 months until TBC was ready. So they opted to balance for a fully buffed raid. Where most previous raid bosses were balanced for a raid running standard class buffs. A raid lacking consumables was like a raid going into Molten Core in quest gear. Putting them at a big disadvantage.
Check out my Consumables for Naxx guide for an idea of what consumables you may be expected to bring each week. Consider stocking up ahead of Phase 6 and the expected price hikes.
Cost of Materials for Naxxramas Preparation
For many players the total cost of Tier 3 turn in materials is high. Especially for mail and plate wearers. That’s why it is important to start early. Right now, if you can. As a rule, prices go up over time. And once the rush for Naxxramus preparation begins you’ll likely see even faster price hikes. That said no one can 100% predict the future of the market.
Naxx Armor Cost Estimator – This Google Sheet shows the total cost of frost resistance and Tier 3 armor sets. Based on Pagle auction house prices (I will update it from time to time). It’ll give you an estimate on total material costs for all classes if you were to buy everything you needed.
Using Professions for Naxxramas Preparation
The best method to gather many of the materials needed for Naxx is with relevant professions. Gatherers can collect some items, and sell others to buy what they need to be made. Arcanite, Cured Rugged Hide, and Mooncloth cooldowns are all cheaper than the final product.
Profession Cooldowns
All classes can benefit from the cooldowns available to certain professions.
Tailoring creates Mooncloth every 4 days
- Mage
- Priest
- Warlock
Tailoring is one of the cheaper professions to skill up quickly. Extra Mooncloth is useful for creating 16 slot and 18 slot bags.
Leatherworking creates Refined Deeprock Salt/Cured Rugged Hide every 3 days
- Druid
- Hunter
- Rogue
This is the lowest buy, highest sell of the three cooldowns. It has also been the most stable of the three in the markets.
Alchemy creates Arcanite Bars every 2 days
- Hunter
- Paladin
- Warrior
Without mining, you need some start-up gold to buy Arcane Crystals. Never sell your cooldown for 5-6 gold. The market can vary, but more often than not you’ll see a profit return by buying your crystal to transmute, then selling the bar.
Professions On Alts
If you have a level 35+ alt they can be used for professional cooldowns. To skill them up quickly you’ll need to buy materials. That and training will cost you gold upfront. But the cost savings will break even within two months. And you can create a profit after that.
WoW Classic Professions Leveling Guide
If starting a new alt specifically for this I recommend a hunter or warlock. They level the fastest at lower levels.
Nexus Crystals
Nexus Crystals are not easily farmed. Disenchanting a level 51+ blue item has a small chance of becoming a Nexus Crystal. Most will come from unwanted epics in raids. Which go to the guild bank for raid enchants. The bank getting a surplus big enough to meet everyone’s needs is unlikely.
As all saved epics turned into Nexus Crystals our server has a good supply. Prices aren’t cheap with the new enchants being new. But they aren’t as high as some other materials, either. And they could come down later on. Worth keeping an eye on.
Trade With Your Guildmates
No one character can have all the professions their frost resistance and Tier 3 set requires. So cooperation with your guildmates could be a good way to fill in the gaps.
Miners can farm Arcane Crystals and make trades with druids, mages, priests, and warlocks without the need to transmute. Or make a deal with an alchemist crafting Arcanite Bars but short on supplies.
If you can produce Mooncloth, Cured Rugged Hide, or Arcanite Bars you should do so. Save what you need and consider using the rest to trade for other materials. You can use the auction house prices to figure out a fair trade ratio.
Do not give away long professional cooldowns unless you are done with your own needs and feel generous. Those cooldowns have real value and are a key part of gathering the materials you need.
Earning Gold for Naxxramas Preparation
Everything you need is at the auction house. With enough gold, you can buy what you need without professions. Or fill in the gaps your professions don’t cover.
Making gold is a big topic, covered by many guides and videos on the Internet. You will best be served by doing some research on your own. But here are some general tips.
Do What Works For You
Farming, crafting, and flipping are all viable gold earning approaches. And you can find a YouTube video on any of them saying they make the most gold. Play to your strengths, not what an influencer says is best.
Farming is easy for anyone to start. Pick a spot and kill stuff. You can try for less common drops to sell on the AH. Or mobs that drop good trash (basilisk are excellent). It does take time and the ability to kill mobs on your own.
Crafting can make your gathering profession more profitable. Or with some startup gold, you can craft using the AH for your materials. Items that raiders use regularly are your best bet. This favors alchemy and engineering over the others. Enchanting requires much more time, as you need to advertise and sell your services in cities. And a lot of your competition is working just for tips with a better selection of recipes.
Flipping can offer the highest gold to time return. But it requires good knowledge of the market you’re working in. As well as start-up capital, and the willingness to take risks. If you’re into that do your homework before you get started. And have a Plan B in mind if Naxx is fast approaching and you haven’t gotten what you needed.
Everyone can run Scholomance. It is the most profitable 5-man dungeon in the game. The Dark Runes may cost less than a Righteous Orb, but they are a more common drop. And you are more likely to get a group to agree to round-robin on runes than having a PUG reserve orbs in Live Strat. It also grants Argent Dawn rep, which will lower your Naxx attunement cost.
Find a Mentor
If looking for specific help in making money with your professions or class ask the guild for help. Many earn a comfortable amount of gold. And several goblins, which are players who treat gold making as a part of the game.
Don’t start with, “How do I make gold?” Instead, start with “What should I selling using X profession?” Or “What are the other X class members farming for gold?” Ask specific questions and you’ll get specific answers.
Understand there can be several approaches to the same goal. Take in all the answers you get, then work with what appeals to you the most. It is harder to spend time making gold if it is something you dislike.
Don’t expect handouts. And don’t expect someone to give you all their secrets. But if you ask the right questions you’ll get helpful answers.
Buy Now, Sell Later
The materials you need for Naxxramas preparation will likely go up in price over time. You will save gold (which is as good as earning it) by buying what you need sooner rather than later.
If you’re making your own materials save what you need first. Then look at selling any surplus later. Your profits will be higher.
Stop Leveling Alts (unless for professions)
Whether you boost them or not, they are a drain on your resources.
They cost you more gold than you realize. At the start, you buy bags, gear, and skills. Casters purchase water. Then comes the mount. And then you can get into the more expensive gear and epic mount. At best you’ve broken even by level 40 with the gold the alt earns questing and doing dungeons.
Boosting alts is expensive over time. All those 5-10 gold runs add up, even with a guild discount. And boosted alts don’t make any money. A gold saved is as good as a gold earned.
More importantly, they cost you time. Whatever your means of making gold it takes time. Your raid main needs time for Naxxramas preparation. At least balance your efforts between the two.