What You Wearing?

There are tons of places that you can find gear lists for starting druid tanks. Emmerald's , Adventures in Azeroth and Big Bear Butt. Let me just say this, the heavy clefthoof set is going to be your best friend to start out. Get it and get it early. And gem it!

I had mine ready and waiting for me when I hit 70. I had also done quite a few BGs so I had the merciless gladiator shoulders and hands waiting for me. My wife and I were able to hit 70 on a Tuesday night, and run Kara on Thursday with our guild. I was off tank (OT) and she was off healer (OH). Were we just a little low, maybe, but we did it.

The point is, plan ahead and get the gear before you turn 70. Don't wait until you hit 70 to decide, "hey, maybe I need good gear to run Kara or heroics".

Now, keep in mind that there aren't that many Bear Kara drops as far as leather goes. You will have to get badge gear or 25 man raid drops. So you will be keeping some of your gear for a long time. Keep a list of what would actually be an upgrade for you. You don't want to take something someone else could use if it really isn't an upgrade. I recommend getting the Rating Buster Addon. It is quite useful to evaluate quickly whether or not something is better for you.

Also, use Rawr to plan ahead. You can get a lot of information for both your cat and bear forms using this tool.

As far as cat gear goes, speak with your guild about the Kara drops. My guild has the rule that you only roll for your main spec and if no one wants an item, then people can roll for an off spec. This has caused some issue since I say my spec is feral and should then roll on both cat and bear items, since I do both in the runs. However, my guild disagrees and I had to pick what I wanted to roll on, Cat or Bear. I chose Bear because I want to tank, but it is a discussion you need to have with your guild leaders and raid leaders. Don't let it become an issue, find out what the rules are before you go.

Overall, for a feral, gear is important, and you will be spending a lot of time getting it. But if you plan ahead, you can be ready to roll when you hit 70.