[Druid] Reaching the Level 80 Hit Cap As Moonkin

As I been leveling I find I've yet to replace any of my moonkin gear, but as I transition from my early 70s to my mid-70s, it occurs to me that I'm going to want to start looking out for good gear for myself, lest another [Manimal's Cinch] happen where the pre-raid best in slot is some green that people vendored without knowing better.

As a moonkin, first and foremost on my mind reaching the hit cap. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, but hit is always worth more than damage. Because if you don't hit, how much damage are you doing?

And for the math conscious... 1 point of Hit rating is worth 1.09687 Spell Power courtesy of Graylo of Gray Matter. Sure, it's not a lot, but all else being equal, go for the hit. Hit would be especially important beyond the moonkin's own dps if the raid expects the moonkin to provide a debuff such as Improved Faerie Fire for the rest of the raid.

Most if not all raiding moonkin will talent for Balance of Power which brings the chance to miss down to 13% versus a raid boss. Assuming the raid's lucky enough to have a shadow priest (because goodness knows they were a rare breed on my server), the chance to miss will only be 10%. This means that the hit cap would be 341 or 263 hit rating depending on the presence of a shadow priest.

Now if we go to WoWHead and look at the leather caster gear with hit rating... wow, there is none prior to T7! Well, we're used to being the neglected spec. There's no reason we can't wear some cloth to make up for it.

So here's the list of spell hit gear to watch out for (or grind for). Some slots have more options listed than others since I try to go far enough down the list that there is something reasonably convenient to attain in the event heroics and thus badges are in short supply. I'm also assuming [Veiled Monarch Topaz] for all sockets unless following the socket bonus results in more hit or dps. As always, you can socket for spell hit as an option if your gear does not have it natively.

Head
[The Argent Skullcap]	61 hit	Icecrown quest - The Crusaders' Pinnacle
[Hat of Wintery Doom]	52 hit w/ socket	Tailoring BoE
Neck
[Necklace of Taldaram]	43 hit	Ahn'kahet (H) drop
[Emeline's Locket]	37 hit w/ socket	Icecrown quest - The Admiral Revealed
[Amulet of the Malefic Necromancer]	37 hit w/ socket	Icecrown quest - Poke and Prod
Shoulder
[Mantle of the Underhalls]	33 hit w/ socket	Icecrown quest - Mantle of the Underhalls (Alliance only)
[Spauldors of the Runeseeker]	28 hit	Un'goro Crater quest - The Activation Rune
Back
[Hateful Gladiator's Cloak of Ascendancy]	34 hit	38,000 honor
[Dark Soldier Cape]	29 hit	Honored w/ Knights of the Ebon Blade
[Cape of Seething Steam]	29 hit	Halls of Lightning drop
Chest
[Water-Drenched Robe]	76 hit	Violet Hold (H) drop
[Ebonweave Robe]	68 hit	Tailoring BoE
[Robes of Lightning]	55 hit	Halls of Lightning quest - Whatever it Takes!
Wrist
[Fleshwerk Shackles]	26 hit	Icecrown quest - Killing Two Scourge With One Skeleton
[Soothsayer's Wristwraps]	23 hit	Zul'Drak quest - Hell Hath a Fury
Hands
[Ebonweave Gloves]	51 hit	Tailoring BoE
[Lava Burn Gloves]	36 hit	Violet Hold drop
Waist
[Girdle of Bane]	48 hit	Utgarde Pinnacle (H) drop
[Plush Sash of Guzbah]	45 hit w/ socket	40 Emblem of Heroism
[Belt of Unified Souls]	42 hit	Culling of Stratholme (H) drop
[Sash of the Wizened Wyrm]	40 hit	Honored w/ Wyrmrest Accord
Legs
Forget it. There aren't any. Find some good DPS pants and socket hit if needed.
Feet
[Leiah's Footpads]	51 hit	Icecrown quest - The Air Stands Still
Ring
[Ring of Northern Tears]	39 hit w/ socket	Jewelcrafting BoE
[Brunnhildar Runed Ring]	39 hit	Storm Peaks quest - Making a Harness
[Shimmering Cold-Iron Band]	30 hit	Howling Fjord quest - Down to the Wire/Hasty Preparations
[Voodoo Signet]	24 hit	Gundrak quest - For Posterity
Trinket
[Mark of the War Prisoner]	73 hit	Violet Hold (H) drop
[Figurine - Twilight Serpent]	58 hit w/ socket	Jewelcrafting BoP
[Rune of Infinite Power]	55 hit	Dragonblight quest - Mystery of the Infinite, Redux
Two-Handed Weapon
[Grand Staff of Jordan]	68 hit	325 Stone Keeper's Shard
[Chilly Slobberknocker]	50 hit	Zul'Drak quest - The Champion of Anguish
[Stave of Youthful Sorrow]	44 hit	Icecrown quest - Tirion's Gambit
One-Handed Weapon
[Flameheart Spell Scalpel]	34 hit	Revered w/ Kirin Tor
[Ritualist's Bloodletter]	30 hit	Icecrown quest - Time to Hide
Off-Hand
[Telestra's Journal]	39 hit	The Nexus (H) drop

It can take several pieces, but it's definitely possible to reach 263, or even 341 hit rating before Naxx. It's even possible to do it with just quest and rep rewards if random drops just aren't happening or PvP isn't your thing. There's an unfortunate derth of decent hit gear in certain slots (shoulders, wrist, legs, and feet), but those can be focused on for sheer dps with other pieces.

Keep in mind that I just pulled out the gear with highest amount of hit rating I could find so in some cases there are greens listed that might be better passed over in favor of gear with less hit but more damage, but if you're having trouble reaching the hit cap, this is a good list to start with.

Final Note: The arena season is not up yet so I did not include any gear that requires an arena rating or arena points. There are a few pieces of very nice hit gear though if you can swing it.