Block rating and block value. Valuable or not?

Think they are different discussion points really.

BV relates to your EH just like stamina does. Frankly, once your at a comfortable EH level, BV is worth more as it adds to threat and makes you easier to heal.

Simple example. Your BV is 800 and your at 30K health...

Mob hits for 5500 every second.

For simplicity sake, we will assume 50% avoidance and that your blocking every hit.

Net is: Your taking about 4700*30/60 = 2350 damage per second.

Now, lets change it up...your health is 28K and your BV is 1K so now your only taking 2250 damage per second.

Either health pool is sufficient for the job, but your easier to heal with the increased BV.

So, really, rule is simple if your EH is adequate for the challenge, then BV> stamina.

As to some of the other discussions. Yes, avoidance is still the best mitigator of damage. But, that said, getting block capped plays to our strength which is taking smooth damage.

I would suggest that once you get block capped, increasing base avoidance and armor will still be the primary concerns for tanking bosses.

I still plan on having a block set maximizing block value for off-tanking though.
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Garath Lvl 80 Paladin, Gorefiend

Block cap is handy. Not getting hit generally mitigates more damage thank blocking, though. I go for the avoidance stuff, but prioritize item level.

But then, I've always been an avoidance junkie. Strength is just on so much now that I don't see much merit in stacking SBR/BV pieces over Def/Dodge/Parry pieces - unless the latter has too much wasted item value to expertise/hit.

YMMV, of course. Block stuff is golden on some fights like loatheb. But again, it's not really necessary.

I too favor the blocking theory of gearing...

Once you're unhittable/uncrittable, stacking stamina/armor/block value seems VERY appealing, every point of dodge/parry fights against this..making you block less. That is, until someone tells me bosses are just hitting too hard, rendering blocking worthless (ie. BC blocking)

My theory is that there are 3 approaches after unhittable/uncrittable (besides the obvious, goals of increasing stamina/armor):

1) Get as much block value as you can, which keeps your block % very high, blocking very often, for the maximum amount possible (while keeping your HP's/Armor high, and unhittable/uncrittable capped). This gives you maximum value from your block value that you're stacking, and gives you the most consistant/lowest damage taken per hit

2) Forget blocking, stack avoidance stats, making you mitigate more damage over time, but the damage you take will be spikey (ie. harder to heal, potentially impossible to heal)

3) mish/mash of blocking stats, and avoidance, when you block, it's less significant, and less often, making block value seem more worthless, and like you'd be better off just going with #2.


someone pointed out that all the high end gear has both block rating, and block value, which may make #1 impossible to do in reality. (unless you just keep shooting over the unhittable cap just for the extra block value).


#1 seems most appealing to me, with #2 coming in second...#3 just seems bad, adding avoidance makes you block less, making block value seem less and less useful.

I tend to prefer avoidance, but only because I am at the block cap. The block cap might seem useless for fights where you get hit hard, but for example on patchwerk, guaranteeing that you block 1.5k/2k dmg on every hit(depending on if libram is up) even off of a 10k hit is a huge reduction. I only wear 3 pieces with block rating on them: T7 chest, T7 gloves, and inexorable sabatons(want to replace). If there were lots of items with Def/Dodge/BV I would take all of them I could, but I can't justify wasting itemization points on block rating when it is just getting pushed off the attack table anyway.

P.S.: What is with all this parry rating and expertise even on Paladin gear? Seems like it is impossible to find pieces without wasted stats somewhere.

upon further investigation I found that for 10 man raids...we have many gear peices with NO block value alternative:

hands: neither
shoulders: neither
wrist: neither
ring #2: none
trinket #1: none
trinket #2: none

this renders my option #1 impossible, #2 or #3 are the only options available in the current itemization.

can you cite examples of block value items for these slots that are BoE? I've found none.

I failed to list weapon..but there are no block value weapons either.