From October 22 at 3:00 p.m. PDT / 23:00 BST, Badges of Justice stop being a heroic-only currency on the TBC Anniversary realms. The patch that opens Zul'Aman also puts Badges on almost every endgame boss and gives G'eras in Shattrath a new, much stronger stock. Most of it is item level 128 for 35–75 badges. The catch: Blizzard's patch note doesn't list the items, so it pays to have a buy order before you spend. Here's what G'eras is expected to sell, what each piece costs, and the order to buy in.
TL;DR — Quick answer
- What changes on October 22: Badges of Justice now drop from Doom Lord Kazzak, Doomwalker and every boss in Karazhan, Gruul's Lair, Magtheridon's Lair, Serpentshrine Cavern, Tempest Keep and Zul'Aman. G'eras adds "more powerful wares", including Nether Vortex (Blizzard).
- Expected new stock: about 80 items, mostly item level 128 (cloaks 136, trinkets 133). Bracers cost 35, belts/boots/gloves/shoulders/cloaks 60, legs/chests/helms/trinkets 75, relics 20, Nether Vortex 15 (Warcraft Tavern).
- Buy first: your class relic (20) and a 35-badge bracer. They give the best return per badge. Save for a 75-badge legs piece next.
- Gold play: Nether Vortex is no longer soulbound, so 15 badges become a tradeable reagent.
- Confirmed vs expected: Blizzard confirmed the badge sources, the stronger G'eras stock and Nether Vortex. The exact item list comes from the original patch 2.3 restock, so check G'eras in game after 3:00 p.m. PDT before planning a large purchase.
What exactly did Blizzard change for Badges of Justice?
This is the part Blizzard put in writing. Quoting the official Zul'Aman announcement:
"G'eras in Shattrath now offers more powerful wares in exchange for Badges of Justice, including Nether Vortex." — Blizzard, Face the Gods of Zul'Aman on October 22
The same post lists the new badge sources:
| New badge source (Oct 22) | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Doom Lord Kazzak, Doomwalker | Outdoor world bosses | Confirmed — loot also becomes Bind on Equip |
| All bosses in Karazhan, Gruul's Lair, Magtheridon's Lair | Tier 4 raids | Confirmed |
| All bosses in Serpentshrine Cavern, Tempest Keep | Tier 5 raids | Confirmed |
| All bosses in Zul'Aman | New 10-player raid, 3-day lockout | Confirmed |
| Heroic dungeons + the daily heroic quest | Existing sources | Unchanged |
The same patch also sets every Heroic to its final, reduced difficulty and drops the key requirement to Honored. Black Temple and Hyjal no longer need attunement. Our full October 22 patch breakdown covers those changes. This post sticks to what you should spend your badges on.
What will G'eras sell after the Zul'Aman patch?
Blizzard's note says "more powerful wares" without naming items. The best guide is the original patch 2.3 restock, which arrived with Zul'Aman in 2007 and again in 2022 on TBC Classic. Warcraft Tavern lists that restock as G'eras's Phase 4 stock, and the WoWWiki archive calls it "Zul'Aman-level epic gear (also comparable to drops from Serpentshrine Cavern/Tempest Keep)".
The item stats below come from Wowhead's TBC-era tooltips. We pulled every piece individually so you don't get later-expansion stat conversions. Here's the stock by price:
| Cost | What you get | Item level |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Nether Vortex (crafting reagent, now tradeable) | — |
| 20 | Class relics: 3 Librams, 3 Totems, 3 Idols | 128 |
| 25 | Carved Witch Doctor's Stick (wand) | 132 |
| 35 | Bracers for every armor type, Brooch of Deftness, Voodoo Shaker, Fetish of the Primal Gods, Slikk's Cloak of Placation | 128 |
| 60 | Belts, boots, gloves, shoulders, and four resilience cloaks | 128 / 136 |
| 75 | Legs, chests, Amani Mask of Death / Mask of Primal Power, Battlemaster's trinkets | 128 / 133 |
Two caveats. First, Wowhead tags Battlemaster's Alacrity and Cloak of Swift Reprieve as Sunwell-phase items, so don't count on them this week. Second, Blizzard can and does tweak Anniversary vendors. Treat the list as the expected stock, not a guarantee, until you've checked G'eras on the Terrace of Light (Shattrath 50.8, 42.6).
Which G'eras items give the best value per badge?
Ranked by upgrade per badge for a typical Tier 4/Tier 5 character heading into Zul'Aman, Hyjal or Black Temple. All stats are TBC tooltip values.
1. Your class relic — 20 badges
Relics are the cheapest real upgrade on the vendor, and most specs replace a pre-raid relic with them:
- Idol of Terror (Feral): Mangle has a chance to grant 65 Agility for 10 sec.
- Libram of Divine Purpose (Retribution): +94 damage on Seal and Judgement of Righteousness.
- Skycall Totem (Elemental): Lightning Bolt can grant 100 spell haste rating for 10 sec.
- Totem of Living Water (Restoration Shaman): Chain Heal base mana cost −20.
- Idol of Budding Life (Restoration Druid): Rejuvenation mana cost −36.
If your spec has a relic here, buy it first. Twenty badges is about one good heroic day.
2. A 35-badge bracer
Bracers are the best value on the list. They have the same item level as the 75-badge pieces and cost less than half.
- Eternium Rage-shackles (plate DPS): +32 Strength, +32 Stamina, attacks ignore 150 armor.
- Bracers of the Ancient Phalanx (tanks): +45 Stamina, +23 defense rating, +22 expertise rating.
- Master Assassin Wristwraps (Rogue/Feral): +17 Agility, +18 crit rating, +50 attack power, one socket.
- Runed Spell-cuffs (casters): +25 spell haste rating, +29 spell damage.
- Vambraces of the Naaru / Gleaming Earthen Bracers (healers): +55 healing, plus mp5 on the mail version.
3. A 75-badge legs piece
Legs have the biggest stat budget on the vendor:
- Bloodthirster's Wargreaves (plate DPS): +46 Strength, +43 Stamina, 3 sockets, +38 hit rating.
- Shallow-grave Trousers (Rogue/Feral cat): +45 Agility, +46 Stamina, +30 haste rating, +92 attack power.
- Shifting Camouflage Pants (Hunter/Enhancement): +34 Agility, +90 attack power, ignores 175 armor.
- Pantaloons of Arcane Annihilation (casters): +45 spell haste rating, +54 spell damage.
- Achromic Trousers of the Naaru (healers): +45 spell haste rating, +101 healing.
- Unwavering Legguards (Prot Warrior/Paladin): +73 Stamina, 3 sockets, defense and block rating.
For most melee and casters this is the single biggest item on the list. Before you spend 75 badges, check whether your current legs are already Tier 5.
4. Armor penetration pieces for physical DPS
Black Temple is the armor penetration tier. Wowhead's Phase 3 DPS ranking says "Phase 3 is the expansion of Armor Penetration, and all physical DPS classes will want to take advantage of that." G'eras sells plenty of it: Chain of Unleashed Rage (60, plate belt, 154 ArP), Pauldrons of Gruesome Fate (60, plate shoulders, 154 ArP), Vestments of Hibernation (75, leather chest, 150 ArP) and Steadying Bracers (35, mail, 105 ArP).
5. Battlemaster's trinkets — 75 badges, item level 133
Five trinkets are expected: Cruelty (+40 crit rating), Determination (+80 attack power), Audacity (+47 spell damage), Depravity (+40 spell crit rating) and Perseverance (+88 healing). Each has a use effect: +1,750 maximum health for 15 sec on a 3-minute cooldown, shared across all Battlemaster's trinkets. They're fine fillers if you're still running a quest trinket. They're expensive for what they give, though, and raid trinkets usually beat them.
6. The 136 resilience cloaks — 60 badges
Dory's Embrace, Cloak of Subjugated Power, Kharmaa's Shroud of Hope and Cloak of Arcane Alacrity all carry +20–23 resilience on an item level 136 back slot. They're great for players who arena and raid on one set of gear. Pure PvE raiders lose stats to resilience, so buy these last.
What to skip
Skip Brooch of Deftness (35) unless you're short on hit. It's +48 Stamina, +22 hit and +21 expertise, but no Strength or Agility. Skip the wand if you already have a raid wand. And skip any 60-badge piece in a slot where you already wear Tier 5.
How fast can you earn badges now?
Every boss in Zul'Aman now pays out, so a ZA clear gives badges even if no gear drops for you. Weekly badge income now has three parts:
- Heroics: each heroic boss drops a badge, and some dungeons pay out a lot. Warcraft Tavern counts 5 badges in Heroic Shattered Halls and Heroic Botanica.
- Daily heroic quest: 2 badges a day from Wind Trader Zhareem in Lower City.
- Raids and world bosses: every Kara, Gruul, Mag, SSC, TK and ZA boss, plus Kazzak and Doomwalker.
Rough budget: one heroic plus the daily is about 5–7 badges a day. Add one Karazhan and one Zul'Aman clear and you get to 75 badges (one legs piece) in about a week. Treat that as an estimate, not a promise. Your real rate depends on which heroics you run and how much of each raid your group clears. In the original patch 2.3, two Zul'Aman quests also gave badges: "Hex Lord? Hah!" for 5 and "Undercover Sister" for 10. Blizzard hasn't restated them for Anniversary, so count them only once they show up in your quest log.
Is Nether Vortex the best gold play for badges?
For a fully geared main, maybe. Blizzard confirmed two things: G'eras sells Nether Vortex, and Nether Vortex and Primal Nether will no longer be soulbound. In the original stock, Nether Vortex cost 15 badges and Primal Nether 10. That makes both a way to turn spare badges into tradeable reagents for crafted epics.
We don't have reliable post-patch Auction House prices yet. No one can know them before the vendor goes live, and early prices tend to crash once every geared raider starts converting badges. Our Nether Vortex and Primal Nether gold breakdown covers the supply side. The short version: sell early, before the market fills up.
Should you buy badge gear or wait for Zul'Aman and Black Temple loot?
Both. They don't compete. Badge gear fills the slots where loot is slow, so your raid drops can go to the slots that matter most.
- Fresh or returning 70: buy relic and bracers first, then legs. Pair them with Heroics, which now need only Honored for keys. Our fresh-70 heroic gearing guide lays out the route.
- Kara/Gruul-geared raider: two 60/75-badge pieces plus Zul'Aman's best drops get you ready for Hyjal and Black Temple. Neither raid needs attunement after October 22.
- Tier 5/Tier 6 main: buy only the relic and maybe a bracer, then put spare badges into Nether Vortex.
If you've been away, our returning-player checklist for Zul'Aman puts the whole catch-up path in order.
Short on time to farm the badges? timesaver.gg runs Heroic dungeon keys, Zul'Aman and Black Temple carries, and leveling on TBC Anniversary. Every run is played by hand by experienced TBC players.
- TBC Anniversary Heroic Dungeon Keys — the fastest badge engine after October 22
- Zul'Aman Carry — boss loot plus every ZA badge in one lockout
- Black Temple Carry — no attunement needed from October 22
- TBC Anniversary Power Leveling to 70 — get an alt to badge-farming level
- All WoW TBC Anniversary services
FAQ
When does the new G'eras badge gear go live on TBC Anniversary? With the Zul'Aman patch: October 22, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PDT / 23:00 BST. Blizzard confirmed that G'eras gets "more powerful wares", including Nether Vortex, at that time.
Which bosses drop Badges of Justice after October 22? Doom Lord Kazzak, Doomwalker, and every boss in Karazhan, Gruul's Lair, Magtheridon's Lair, Serpentshrine Cavern, Tempest Keep and Zul'Aman, according to Blizzard's announcement. Heroic dungeons and the daily heroic quest still award badges too.
What item level is the new badge gear? Mostly item level 128. The resilience cloaks are 136, the Battlemaster's trinkets 133 and the wand 132. That's comparable to Serpentshrine Cavern and Tempest Keep drops.
What should I buy first with Badges of Justice? Your class relic (20 badges), then a 35-badge bracer, then a 75-badge legs piece. Those three give the most upgrade per badge for most specs.
How many badges does Nether Vortex cost, and can I sell it? It cost 15 badges in the original stock. Blizzard confirmed Nether Vortex is no longer soulbound from October 22, so you can trade it or list it on the Auction House.
Is the full G'eras item list confirmed by Blizzard? No. Blizzard confirmed the stronger stock and Nether Vortex. The item-by-item list in this guide is the original patch 2.3 restock. Check the vendor in game before you spend 75 badges on one piece.
