Item level

The item level is a rather important property of every item. It has two main functions — reflect the item's usefulness and at the same time determine the minimum level a character must have in order to use it. Up until Patch 3.2, the true item level was hidden in the game, and only UI mods can read it via the function GetItemInfo. Now, however, a new option has been added under Display in the Interface Options to show the item level on item tooltips.

As Hyzenthlei (Tauren Shaman 60 on Zul'Jin) first found out, and was later confirmed by a presentation at Blizzcon, Blizzard uses a formula to calculate item level from the item's stats. The following is an attempt to reverse-engineer this formula. This text is based on a forum post by Hyzenthlei (the original author) in the Blizzard forums, but that post has since disappeared.

Item Level Chart

Classic (minLevel = 60)

ilvl	misc	MC	BWL	TAQ	Naxx-40	PVP
63	Classic 5/10-man dungeons	various boss drops
64		various boss drops
65	Dungeon 2 sets ZG set chest/neck/trinket ZG trash rares ZG boss epics RAQ set rings Abyssal Council epics	various boss drops		Friendly Bronze Signets		Battleground items
66	Azuregos/Lord Kazzak Mandokir/Jin'do epics (ZG) Kurinnaxx/Rajaxx epics (RAQ) Darkmoon Cards	Tier 1 set pieces various boss drops				R6 rare gloves/boots
67	Azuregos/Lord Kazzak RAQ set cloaks	various boss drops
68	Azuregos/Lord Kazzak Abyssal Council rares High Priests/Edge of Madness/ Gahz'ranka rares (ZG) Hakkar epics (ZG) Buru/Ayamiss epics (RAQ)	various boss drops				R7 rare chest/legs
69	Azuregos/Lord Kazzak Moam epics (RAQ)	various boss drops
70	Azuregos/Lord Kazzak RAQ set weapons	Majordomo various boss drops	BWL trash drops	Honored Bronze Signets
71	Azuregos/Lord Kazzak Green Dragons Mandokir/Jin'do (ZG) Kurinnaxx/Rajaxx (RAQ) some RAQ trash drops Quel'Serrar	Majordomo various boss drops		TAQ trash drops		R8 rare helm/shoulders R12 epic legs/gloves/boots
72	Ossirian epics (RAQ) Green Dragons
73	Buru/Ayamiss rares (RAQ)	Ragnaros	Razorgore	Skeram
74	Moam rares (RAQ)	Ragnaros	Vaelastrasz			R13 epic helm/shoulders/chest
75		Ragnaros Rhok/Lok Benediction/Anathema	Broodlord Lashlayer Firemaw Ebonroc Flamegor	Revered Bronze Signets Royal Trio (shared) Royal Trio (Vem)
76		Tier 2 pants (Ragnaros)	Tier 2 set pieces	Royal Trio (Yauj) Sartura scepter questline weapons
77		Ragnaros weapons	Chromaggus	Fankriss scepter questline stuff
78		Ragnaros		TAQ set shoulders/boots Royal Trio (Kri) Viscidus Huhuran		R14 weapons
79				Qiraji regalia/armaments
80		[Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros] [Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker]		Exalted Bronze Signets	crafted FrR gear
81			Nefarian weapons	TAQ set helm/legs Twin Emperors Ouro	some Naxx weapons
82
83			Nefarian		various Naxx drops
84				C'Thun weapons
85					Naxx wing bosses
86					Tier 3 shoulders/boots Corrupted Ashbringer
87
88				TAQ set chest C'Thun	Tier 3 helm/bracers/gloves/belts/legs Sapphiron weapons
89					Kel'thuzad weapons
90					[Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian] Sapphiron
91
92					Tier 3 chest/ring Kel'thuzad

The Burning Crusade (minLevel = 70)

ilvl	PvE (party)	PvE (raid)	PvP	crafted
81 (uncommon)	req.57 world drop BoEs initial quest rewards
115 (rare)	Heroic dungeons
95 (epic)			Terrokar spirit shard rings	Basic engineering goggles
100	req.70 world drop BoEs Exalted reputation weapons Darkmoon cards Heroic MT event rings (Yor)			BS FrR legs/helm JC caster helms; FrR ring Tailoring Soulcloth set
105	Heroic end-boss weapons Exalted reputation gear Terokk BoE cloaks Ogri'la event rings (Shartuul) Ogri'la Apexis Infusion epics			most crafted BoEs
107				BS T1 weapons
110	Heroic end-boss gear SWMT Kael'thas (normal) Seasonal event boss drops Initial badge loot (jewelry, off-hands, helms)	Violet Signet (Honored)
113			S1 (General's/Marshal's) bracers S1 necklaces
115	SWMT (Heroic) Exalted Shattered Sun FR badge gear	Karazhan [Violet Badge] [Phoenix-Fire Band]	S1 relics	BS FrR chest; NR chest/legs/helm JC NR ring LW set bracers/belts Tailoring [Primal Mooncloth Belt]
120		Tier 4 sets (Karazhan/Gruul/Magtheridon) Violet Signet (Revered) Outdoor raid boss drops		LW set chests LW [Cloak of Darkness] Tailoring [Primal Mooncloth Robe]
123			S1 Arena weapons S1 Arena armor sets S1 (General's/Marshal's) belt/boots S1 (Sergeant's) cloaks	BS T2 weapons
125	SWMT Kael'thas (Heroic)	Karazhan end-boss (Malchezaar) High King Maulgar/Gruul the Dragonkiller Magtheridon		JC T2 figurines
126			S2 (Veteran's) bracers
127				BS T2 armor Eng T1 goggles
128	Zul'Aman badge gear	Zul'Aman gear Serpentshrine Cavern gear Tempest Keep gear Band of Eternity (Friendly)	S2 (Veteran's) rings/necklaces S4 PVP trinket	SSC/TK crafted BoP boots SSC/TK crafted BoE belts
130		Violet Signet (Exalted)		BT crafted SR gear
132		Zul'Aman weapons
133		Tier 5 sets (SSC/TK) Zul'Aman end-bosses (Malacrass/Zul'jin)	Battlemaster trinkets
134		SSC/TK weapons
135	[The 2 Ring]
136		Band of Eternity (Honored)	S2 (Merciless) Arena weapons S2 (Merciless) Arena armor sets S2 (Veteran's) belts/boots S3 cloaks	BS T3 weapons
138		SSC/TK end-boss gear (Vashj/Kael'thas) ZA end-boss weapons
141	Sunwell badge gear	Hyjal/BT gear SSC/TK end-boss weapons	S3 (Vindicator's) bracers/rings/necklaces	Hyjal/BT crafted BoP shoulders Hyjal/BT crafted BoE bracers
144		Band of Eternity (Revered)
146	Sunwell badge weapons	Tier 6 sets (Hyjal/BT)	S3 (Vengeful) Arena weapons S3 (Vengeful) Arena armor sets S3 (Vindicator's) belt/boots	BS T3 armor
151		Hyjal/BT end-boss weapons (Archimonde/Illidan) BT trash rings
152		Band of Eternity (Exalted)
154		Tier 6 bracers/belt/boots Sunwell Plateau gear	S4 (Brutal) Arena weapons S4 (Guardian's) bracers/rings/necklaces
156		[Twin Blades of Azzinoth]
159		Sunwell token-exchange gear	S4 (Brutal) Arena armor sets S4 (Guardian's) belt/boots	Eng T2 goggles SWP crafted BoP chests SWP crafted BoE gloves JC BoE rings; BoP necklaces
164		Sunwell end-boss (Kil'jaeden) [Thori'dal, the Stars' Fury]

Wrath of the Lich King (minLevel = 80)

ilvl	PvE (5-man party)	PvE (10-man raid)	PvE (25-man raid)	PvP	Crafted
130 (uncommon)	req.67 world drop BoEs
138 (uncommon)	req.68 world drop BoEs initial quest rewards
187 (rare)	Normal lv80 instances Honored reputation rewards				Rare craftables
200 (rare)	Heroic instances Revered reputation rewards Argent Tournament armor			S5 Savage set
200 (epic)	Heroic Dungeons (Final Boss) gear Trial of the Champion 3.0 [Justice Points] rewards Exalted reputation rewards Argent Tournament weapons World drop BoE epics	Heroes' Tier 7 sets Naxxramas Obsidian Sanctum		S5 Hateful Set and Accessories S5 Wintergrasp rewards (3.08)	[Frozen Orb] craftables Darkmoon cards
206					[The 5 Ring] (fishing daily reward)
213	3.0 [Justice Points] rewards	Kel'thuzad Eye of Eternity Obsidian Sanctum (with Drakes)	Valorous Tier 7 sets Naxxramas Obsidian Sanctum	S5 Deadly gear S6 Wintergrasp rewards (3.1)
219	Heroic Trial of the Champion Forge of Souls Pit of Saron Halls of Reflection	Valorous Tier 8 sets Ulduar
226	3.1 [Justice Points] rewards	Ulduar (Hard Modes) / Ulduar Weapons	Kel'thuzad Malygos Obsidian Sanctum (with Drakes) Conqueror's Tier 8 Sets Ulduar	S6 Furious honor accessories S7 Wintergrasp rewards (3.2)	[Runed Orb] craftables
232	Heroic Forge of Souls Heroic Pit of Saron Heroic Halls of Reflection	Ulduar Hard Mode Weapons Trial of the Crusader Conqueror's Tier 9 Sets	Ulduar weapons	S6 Furious set pieces S6 T1 Furious weapons
239			Ulduar (Hard Modes)	S6 T2 Furious weapons
245	3.2 [Justice Points] rewards	Trial of the Grand Crusader	Triumphant Tier 9 Sets Trial of the Crusader [Val'anyr, Hammer of Ancient Kings]	S7 Relentless accessories S7 T1 Relentless weapons	[Crusader Orb] craftables
251	[Quel'Delar] quest rewards Elemental Unrest Event Bosses	Tier 10 Sets Icecrown Citadel Ashen Verdict Friendly rings		S7 Relentless set pieces S8 Wintergrasp rewards (3.3)
258		Trial of the Grand Crusader Tribute Chests Lich King Ruby Sanctum	Trial of the Grand Crusader Totally Triumphant Tier 9 Sets	S7 T2 Relentless weapons
259		Ashen Verdict Honored rings
264	3.3 [Justice Points] rewards	Sanctified Tier 10 Sets Heroic Icecrown Citadel	Sanctified Tier 10 Sets Icecrown Citadel	S8 Wrathful accessories S8 T1 Wrathful weapons	[Primordial Saronite] craftables
268		Ashen Verdict Revered rings
270				S8 Wrathful set pieces S8 Wrathful off-hands, relics and shields
271		Heroic Lich King Heroic Ruby Sanctum	Lich King Ruby Sanctum
272			Trial of the Grand Crusader tribute chests
277		Ashen Verdict Exalted rings	Tier 10 Heroic Sanctified sets Heroic Icecrown Citadel	S8 T2 Wrathful weapons
284			Heroic Lich King Heroic Ruby Sanctum [Shadowmourne]

Cataclysm (minLevel = 80-85)

For Cataclysm items there no longer appears to be any relation between item budget and rarity; that is, an uncommon ilvl300 and a rare ilvl300 will have the same budget. The difference lies in the character level requirement, with rares being equippable one or more levels earlier than uncommon items of the same ilvl. World drop blues appear to be about one character level better than greens of the same ilvl, crafted items two levels, and zone drops up four levels earlier.

Uncommon/green caps out at ilvl 318 for Twilight Highlands quest rewards and world drops requiring character level 85. The highest rare/blue items are ilvl 346 with the exception of the upgraded crafting recipes for the later seasons' entry-level PVP gear.

Also note that the Cataclysm-era PVP gear was reitemized prior to Mists of Pandaria with lower item levels but greater overall PVE stats. Resilience and PVP power are now free and the budget on gear was changed from primary/stamina/secondary/resilience to primary/stamina/secondary/secondary, making it exactly the same value as PVE gear of its level for PVE purposes. Seasons 9-11 armor were affected by these changes, but not crafted gear. The Cataclysmic (S11) T1 weapons suffered an ilvl nerf without receiving the budget split or PVP power to offset it, but no other weapons were changed. The gear is listed here under the current ilvl along with its historic values.

ilvl	PvE (solo/party/LFR)	PvE (10/25-man raid)	PvP	Crafted
272 (uncommon)	req.77 world drop BoEs Hyjal/Vash'jir quest rewards
289 (uncommon)	Deepholm quest rewards
292 (rare)	req.80 world drop BoEs
300	req.81 world drop BoEs
308	req.82 world drop BoEs Blackrock Caverns Throne of the Tides			req.80 crafted BoEs
312 (uncommon)	Uldum quest rewards
316	req.83 world drop BoEs Stonecore Vortex Pinnacle			req.81 crafted BoEs
318 (uncommon)	Twilight Highlands quest rewards
325	req.84 world drop BoEs			req.82 crafted BoEs
333	req.85 world drop BoEs Grim Batol Halls of Origination Lost City of the Tol'vir Honored reputation rewards			req.83 crafted BoEs
339			S9 Bloodthirsty armor (i352 during 4.x)	S9 crafted PVP armor
346 (rare)	Heroic dungeons 4.0 [Justice Points] rewards Revered reputation rewards			Jewelcrafting rings/necks 4.0  [Chaos Orb] weapons/cloaks
352 (epic)			S9 Vicious armor (i365 during 4.x)
353	Zul'Aman Zul'Gurub
358			S10 Vicious armor (i371 during 4.x)	S10 Bloodthirsty PVP armor (rare)
359	Exalted reputation rewards World boss BoEs	4.0 [Valor Points] rewards and Tier 11 Normal Blackwing Descent, Normal Bastion of Twilight, and Normal Throne of the Four Winds	S9 Vicious T1 weapons	4.0  [Chaos Orb] chests and belts Archaeology artifacts Darkmoon Card trinkets
365	Holiday event bosses Elemental Bonds cloaks [Mark of the World Tree] vendors			4.2  [Chaos Orb] weapons
371			S10 Ruthless armor (i384 during 4.x)
372		Heroic Blackwing Descent, Heroic Bastion of Twilight, Heroic Throne of the Four Winds and Tier 11	S9 Vicious T2 weapons
377			S11 Ruthless armor (i390 during 4.x)	S11 Vicious PVP armor (rare)
378	End Time Well of Eternity Hour of Twilight 4.3 [Justice Points] rewards	4.2 [Valor Points] rewards and Tier 12 Firelands Avengers of Hyjal rewards	S10 Ruthless T1 weapons	[Living Ember] gloves and boots
379		Heroic Lady Sinestra
384	Raid Finder Dragon Soul and Tier 13	Ragnaros	S11 Cataclysmic T1 weapons (i397 during 4.x)
390	Raid Finder Deathwing		S11 Cataclysmic armor (i403 during 4.x)
391		Heroic Firelands and Tier 12 Avengers of Hyjal Exalted rings	S10 Ruthless T2 weapons
397		Heroic Ragnaros  [Dragonwrath, Tarecgosa's Rest] 4.3 [Valor Points] rewards Normal Dragon Soul and Tier 13		[Essence of Destruction] legs and bracers
403		Normal Deathwing
410		Heroic Dragon Soul and Tier 13	S11 Cataclysmic T2 weapons
416		Heroic Deathwing [Fangs of the Father]

Mists of Pandaria (minLevel = 85-90)

As in Cataclysm, item budget is solely derived from item level. Rarity is purely cosmetic, designating the item's origins. The major addition is blue world drops from Pandaria with reduced (Cata-level) requirements.

Ghostcrawler had previously discussed the possibility of an "item squish", where item stats would be rescaled every expansion, adjusting damage, healing and health along with them. However, beta-test items listed on Wowhead indicate that this will not be happening in Mists of Pandaria.

Patch 5.1 added an upgrade system in which items of ilvl 458 and higher can be upgraded +8 ilvls for 1500 of the relevant currency (Justice for PVE rares, Valor for PVE epics, Honor for PVP rares, Conquest for PVP epics). The epics are done in two steps of +4 ilvls for 750 VP/CP, while the rares are done in a single step. The upgrade simply adds more of the item's existing stats; as certain pieces (helms, chests, legs, and particularly weapons) have larger budgets than others (bracers, amulets, rings) at any given ilvl, the same number of points spent can add far more stats on different pieces. However, the total gained is typically much less than replacing a lower-level piece with a higher.

ilvl		PvE (solo/party/LFR)	PvE (10/25-man raid)	PvP	Crafted
364 (uncommon)		req.83 BoEs
372 (uncommon)		initial quests Jade Forest vendors Valley of the Four Winds vendors
377 (uncommon)		req.84 BoEs
384 (uncommon)		Jade Forest quests			BS/LW/T/JC initial crafted gear
390 (uncommon)		req.85 BoEs
393 (uncommon)		Kun-Lai Summit vendors Townlong Steppes vendors
399 (uncommon)		Valley of the Four Winds quests Krasarang Wilds quests
400 (rare)		Jade Forest rare spawns
403 (uncommon)		req.86 BoEs
404 (rare)		Jade Forest BoAs and rare quests			BS/LW/T/JC initial crafted gear
408 (uncommon)		Townlong Steppes vendors Dread Wastes vendors
409 (rare)		req.80 rare BoEs
410 (rare)		Stormstout Brewery Temple of the Jade Serpent Valley of the Four Winds rare spawns
414 (uncommon)		Kun-Lai Summit quests
416 (uncommon)		req.87 BoEs
417 (rare)		req.81 rare BoEs
419 (rare)		Valley of the Four Winds BoAs and rare quests Krasarang Wilds BoAs and rare quests Kun-Lai Summit BoAs
420 (rare)		Krasarang Wilds rare spawns
425 (rare)		req.82 rare BoEs
429 (uncommon)		Townlong Steppes quests req.88 BoEs
430 (rare)		Kun-Lai Summit rare spawns
433 (rare)		req.83 rare BoEs
434 (rare)		Kun-Lai Summit rare quests Townlong Steppes BoAs
435 (rare)		Shado-pan Monastery
437 (uncommon)		Dread Wastes quests
440 (rare)		Townlong Steppes rare spawns Dread Wastes rare spawns Vale of Eternal Blossoms rare spawns Krasarang Wilds rare spawns (epic)
442 (rare)		Townlong Steppes rare quests req. 84 rare BoEs
450 (rare)		Dread Wastes BoAs and rare quests Mogu'shan Palace req.85 rare BoEs			S12 Contender's PvP armor Jewelcrafting rings/amulets
458 (rare)	466	Honored 5.0 JP vendors		S12 Dreadful armor	S13 crafted Dreadful armor
463 (rare)	471	Heroic dungeons 5.0 Cache of Treasures rewards			5.0 Blacksmithing weapons and shields 5.2 Blacksmithing TBC T1 weapons Archaeology equipment
470 (epic)	478	Holiday event bosses		S12 Malevolent weapons S13 Malevolent weapons
476 (epic)	484	Raid Finder Mogu'shan Vaults Heroic dungeons rare drops 5.1  [Greater Cache of Treasures] rewards World drop BoE epics		S13 Malevolent armor	BS/LW/Tailoring chests/gloves Inscription staves and offhands Engineering goggles 5.2 Blacksmithing TBC T2 weapons
483 (epic)	491	Raid Finder Tier 14 sets Raid Finder Heart of Fear Raid Finder Terrace of Endless Spring		S12 Malevolent armor
489 (epic)	497	Revered 5.0 VP vendors Exalted reputation quest rewards	Normal Mogu'shan Vaults
490 (epic)	498			S12 Malevolent Elite weapons
493 (epic)				S13 Tyrannical armor
496 (epic)	504	Sha of Anger (T14 gloves/legs) Galleon Dominance Offensive / Operation Shieldwall rewards Sunreaver Onslaught / Kirin Tor Offensive rewards	Normal Tier 14 sets Normal Heart of Fear Normal Terrace of Endless Spring		[Blood Spirit] chests/gloves
498 (epic)				S13 Tyrannical weapons
502 (epic)	510	Raid Finder Tier 15 sets Raid Finder Throne of Thunder	Heroic Mogu'shan Vaults		5.2 Blacksmithing TBC T3 weapons
503 (epic)	511		Normal Elite Terrace of Endless Spring
509 (epic)	517		Heroic Tier 14 sets Heroic Heart of Fear Heroic Terrace of Endless Spring
512 (epic)				S13 Tyrannical Elite armor S13 Tyrannical Elite weapons
516 (epic)	524	5.3 Heroic Cache of Treasures	Heroic Elite Terrace of Endless Spring
522 (epic)	530	Nalak (T15 gloves/legs) Oondasta Shado-Pan Assault rewards	Normal Tier 15 sets Normal Throne of Thunder		[Haunting Spirit] helms/boots
528 (epic)	536		Normal Thunderforged Throne of Thunder
535 (epic)	543		Heroic Tier 15 sets Heroic Throne of Thunder
541 (epic)	549		Heroic Thunderforged Throne of Thunder Ra-den
600 (epic)		Cloaks of Virtue

See also

• Combat rating system
• AEP, HAP
• Tanking Points