Introduction

In Crest Economy, we mentioned that "not all slots are equal" and hinted at crafting high-value slots. This guide shows you exactly what that means and why it matters for upgrade decisions.

When you're deciding which gear to upgrade, slot strength is just as important as item level. A chest upgrade gives you far more power than a bracers upgrade at the same item level.

How Slot Power Works

Armor slots follow exact 75% scaling tiers - each tier has 25% less stat budget than the previous:

• Tier 1: Helm, Chest, Legs, Weapons (highest power)
• Tier 2: Shoulders, Gloves, Belt, Boots (75% of Tier 1)
• Tier 3: Cloak, Bracers (75% of Tier 2)
• Jewelry: Neck, Rings (no primary stats, but massive secondaries)

What a +3 Upgrade Gives You

Here's what upgrading from 681 to 684 (+3 item levels) looks like across different slots using real data:

Slot Type	Primary Stat Gain	Secondary Stat Gain	Rough DPS Value*
Tier 1 (Chest)	+173 Agility	+73 Secondaries	+8,360
Tier 2 (Gloves)	+130 Agility	+55 Secondaries	+6,285
Tier 3 (Bracers)	+97 Agility	+41 Secondaries	+4,690
Jewelry (Ring)	+0 Agility	+241 Secondaries	+9,880

Using Hunter stat weights as example: Agility 31.0, Secondaries 41.0 average

The Formula: Each tier gets exactly 75% of the previous tier's stats. So if Tier 1 gets 173 Agility, Tier 2 gets 130 (75% of 173), and Tier 3 gets 97 (75% of 130).

Why This Matters for Upgrades

The power difference between slots is significant. A Tier 1 upgrade gives you 78% more total power than a Tier 3 upgrade. When you're spending crests, target the slots that give you the most power per crest spent.

For most DPS specs, the priority order is usually: Jewelry > Tier 1 > Tier 2 > Tier 3

Slot Power Comparison (Just for Fun)

Here's what a full 684 item looks like across each slot type - the total stat budget each slot gets:

Slot Type	Example	Primary Stats	Secondary Stats	Stamina	Total Stats
Tier 1	Chest	5,771 Agility	2,436 total	43,042	51,249
Tier 2	Gloves	4,328 Agility	1,826 total	32,281	38,435
Tier 3	Bracers	3,246 Agility	1,370 total	24,211	28,827
Jewelry	Ring	0 Agility	8,039 total	24,211	32,250

Using real Hunter gear data at 684 item level

Notice how jewelry gets massive secondaries to compensate for no primary stats, while armor follows the exact 75% scaling pattern.

Secondary Stat Context & Diminishing Returns

Secondary stats often outvalue primary stats for DPS specs. For many classes, Critical Strike, Haste, and Mastery are worth more per point than your primary stat. This is why jewelry slots are surprisingly powerful despite having no primary stats.

Diminishing Returns: After 30% of any secondary stat, you hit diminishing returns starting at -10% efficiency. This is why we keep stats balanced rather than stacking one high.

Secondary Stat Ratings (Level 80)

Here's how much rating you need for 1% of each stat:

Stat	Rating for 1%	Notes
Haste	660	Affects cast speed, GCD, DoT/HoT ticks
Crit	700	Chance for critical strikes
Versatility	780	1% damage done, 0.5% damage reduction
Mastery	Varies	Different conversion per specialization

Diminishing Returns Brackets (Level 80)

The penalty brackets show when your secondary stats start losing efficiency:

Penalty	Haste	Crit	Versatility	Mastery
-10%	19,800 - 26,400	21,000 - 28,000	23,400 - 31,200	21,000 - 28,000
-20%	26,400 - 33,000	28,000 - 35,000	31,200 - 39,000	28,000 - 35,000
-30%	33,000 - 39,600	35,000 - 42,000	39,000 - 46,800	35,000 - 42,000
-40%	39,600 - 46,200	42,000 - 49,000	46,800 - 54,600	42,000 - 49,000
-50%	46,200 - 132,000	49,000 - 140,000	54,600 - 156,000	49,000 - 140,000
-100%	>132,000	>140,000	>156,000	>140,000

These penalties start at 30% of any secondary stat and get progressively worse

Why this matters: Keep your secondary stats balanced around 30% each rather than stacking one stat to 50%+. The efficiency loss from diminishing returns makes balanced stats much more effective.

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For the Data Nerds: The Math Behind Slot Strength

Correcting the 1% myth: Earlier guides mentioned stats scale "roughly 1% per item level" - that's actually wrong. The real scaling is more complex:

• Primary stats: ~0.94% per level
• Stamina: ~1.29% per level
• Secondaries: ~0.42% (armor) to ~0.62% (jewelry) per level

The scaling uses exponential curves with different base values and growth rates per stat type. Each slot tier uses exact 75% and 56.25% multipliers, which is where our tier system comes from.

Why this matters: Tools like SimulationCraft and Wowhead use precompiled tables based on similar formulas. No one has fully cracked The War Within's exact system yet (unlike previous expansions), but the patterns are clear enough to make informed upgrade decisions.

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Now that you understand slot strength, you can make more informed decisions about crest spending and upgrade prioritization. Remember: you can always sim your upgrades for precise answers, but understanding these patterns helps with quick decisions during raids and dungeons.

For more stat optimization, check out Tertiary Stats to understand the hidden power of Avoidance, Leech, and Speed.