Hey Guys, I wrote this guide to help players make smart gear choices with their characters. I noticed there are certain DPS boosting affixes that only appear on specific item slots, so I tried to outline what bonuses to go for on each slot. Making good use of the AH search feature can help you get this gear in an affordable manner as well.
First, decide what you'll be focusing on (other than damage). My suggestions are to match it up with the helm's socket bonuses: HP, gold, magic find, or EXP. These will always match up with your in-game goals. "I need gold for the AH," "I need to find more items," or "I need to beat this tough boss." So your gear should reflect this by picking out secondary stats based on your goals. However, things need to die for you to get anything you're after, so the primary focus will be on DPS stats.
Weapon - high damage, most important. A nice other bonus is either life on hit or % damage converted to life. Select one of those based on the weapon's speed. If slow, get %, if fast, get the set values.
Offhand - Again, high damage is ideal, but offhands can also have Critical Damage Chance, so get that. if you can't find crit, go for your class' primary stat.
Rings - Rings can have + damage as well which can be very effective. Rings actually have the full spectrum of potential DPS increasing affixes. One of the most powerful, is attack speed increase.
Amulet - Amulets have the same potential as rings, so go for damage and attack speed if you can.
Gloves - gloves can't have + damage, but they potentially can have attack speed (preferred), critical strike chance, and critical damage.
Helm- Helms really only have Critical Strike Chance as a DPS increase (other than class specific abilities). Ideally, you want a helm with crit and a socket so you can boost your secondary goal via the unique helm gem bonus.
Bracers - Bracers can also have critical strike chance, so unless you use a lot of channeled abilities, go for the crit.
Boots - Boots are the only item that can increase run speed. Everyone needs this, only get boots if they have increased run speed.
Shoulders, Chest, Legs, belt - for these items you can focus solely on your secondary goal + your class' primary attribute. For example: +Str and + vitality, or +Dex and +Gold find. There are no other DPS increases to get from these slots.
I hope this has been helpful for teaching you how to pick items for your character.
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First, decide what you'll be focusing on (other than damage). My suggestions are to match it up with the helm's socket bonuses: HP, gold, magic find, or EXP. These will always match up with your in-game goals. "I need gold for the AH," "I need to find more items," or "I need to beat this tough boss." So your gear should reflect this by picking out secondary stats based on your goals. However, things need to die for you to get anything you're after, so the primary focus will be on DPS stats.
Weapon - high damage, most important. A nice other bonus is either life on hit or % damage converted to life. Select one of those based on the weapon's speed. If slow, get %, if fast, get the set values.
Offhand - Again, high damage is ideal, but offhands can also have Critical Damage Chance, so get that. if you can't find crit, go for your class' primary stat.
Rings - Rings can have + damage as well which can be very effective. Rings actually have the full spectrum of potential DPS increasing affixes. One of the most powerful, is attack speed increase.
Amulet - Amulets have the same potential as rings, so go for damage and attack speed if you can.
Gloves - gloves can't have + damage, but they potentially can have attack speed (preferred), critical strike chance, and critical damage.
Helm- Helms really only have Critical Strike Chance as a DPS increase (other than class specific abilities). Ideally, you want a helm with crit and a socket so you can boost your secondary goal via the unique helm gem bonus.
Bracers - Bracers can also have critical strike chance, so unless you use a lot of channeled abilities, go for the crit.
Boots - Boots are the only item that can increase run speed. Everyone needs this, only get boots if they have increased run speed.
Shoulders, Chest, Legs, belt - for these items you can focus solely on your secondary goal + your class' primary attribute. For example: +Str and + vitality, or +Dex and +Gold find. There are no other DPS increases to get from these slots.
I hope this has been helpful for teaching you how to pick items for your character.