Stat Priorities
Stat Rankings
Like many other tank specs, Guardian values increases in Agility, Armor, and Stamina significantly more than secondary stats, meaning you will almost always prefer to put on gear with a higher item level outside of jewelry pieces and trinkets.
When comparing similar item level pieces, you can use the following stat priority for a decent mix of damage and defense:
Item Level > Haste > Vers > Crit > Mastery
As always though, if you are looking for the exact offensive value of these stats you should sim yourself.
Stat Outline
Agility affects all attack power scaling abilities, notably the armor bonus from Ironfur scales off your agility.
Haste reduces your GCD as well as the cooldown of Mangle, Thrash, and Frenzied Regeneration.
Critical Strike provides you with dodge, thanks to the Lightning Reflexes passive.
Mastery increases your maximum health, healing received, and attack power.
Versatility gives a flat percent increase to most of your damage and healing, including things like After the Wildfire and Elune’s Favored, while also granting some additional damage reduction.
Races
No race has a significant advantage over the others currently, however being a Night Elf for Shadowmeld does sometimes give you unique opportunities to skip trash or avoid mechanics. For Horde you can opt for Highmountain Tauren and their uncapped AoE CC racial.
Enchants
Helm: Greater Rune of the Void Ritual
Cloak: Chant of Leeching Fangs
Chest: Crystalline Radiance
Bracers: Chant of Armored Leech
Boots: Defender’s March
Legs: Stormbound Armor Kit
Rings: Radiant Haste
Weapon: Authority of Radiant Power (Defense) or Authority of the Depths (Damage)
Gems
Algari Diamond: Elusive Blasphemite (speed increase) or Culminating Blasphemite (very minor damage increase)
Other Gems: In order to maximize the benefits of your Algari Diamond, you’ll want to insert 1 of as many types of gems as possible, including a Quick Onyx, Quick Ruby and Quick Sapphire.
From there, fill out the rest of your gem slots with Versatile Emeralds.
Consumables
Food: Feast of the Midnight Masquerade (Primary Stat)
Flasks: Flask of Tempered Swiftness
Potions: Tempered Potion
Health Potions: Algari Healing Potion
Weapon Buff: Ironclaw Weightstone (Blunt Weapons) or Ironclaw Whetstone (Bladed Weapons)