How do weights work?

The weighting system allows you to give a weight value to attributes that matter to you and applies your ratings to items in your search results. Each weight value is multiplied by an item's stat points and then added together to get the item's total score. This score is used to sort the results and display the highest scoring items.

If you decide that spell damage is worth twice as much as spell crit, you could add the weights as 2 and 1, 100 and 50, or any other numbers with the same ratio.

Please note that weights only work for Armor, Weapons, Gems and Consumables.

What is the difference between weights and equivalency?

The equivalency of two attributes describes how much one equals the other. You may find equivalency ratings that say something like 1 agility = 1.5 strength. This is not the same as weight values; in fact, it's the exact opposite! Equivalency describes the ratio of the stats to each other, which can be used to derive the stat weights. In this example, an appropriate set of weights might be agility 3 and strength 2; this works out to agility being 1.5 times as valuable as strength.

Is there a way to save a template that I have created?

There sure is! You can save your stat weighting scales by going to the 'Preset' dropdown menu, selecting 'custom,' and then filling in your own weights. After you've modified them to your liking, you can hit 'Save' to give them a name so they can be used for future searches as well.

Weights also carry over from one item list to another if you use the database menu, so going from a weighted list of weapons to the cloth armor listing will also maintain your current weight scale.

Is it better to match sockets and gain the socket bonus, or use the best gems?

The weighting system answers this for you automatically. It compares the score of matching gems plus the score of the socket bonus, to the score of the best gems it could put in that item. It will automatically put in the gems that result in the highest net rating, taking socket bonuses into account. When the socket colors are matched, the socket bonus text will be listed below the gems for each item.

What are the default weight presets based on?

We've done a great deal of research, tracking down equivalence points for all of the classes. We'd like to thank all of the hard-working theorycrafters at Elitist Jerks, TKA Something, Shadow Panther, The Druid Wiki, Emmerald, Lootrank, Pawn Mod, and Rawr, as well as a host of threads on the World of Warcraft forums. They provided the inspiration for the weighted search and a starting point for our preset values.

Why does it give a higher score to 2H weapons over 1H weapons, when using a 1H + OH is better?

The scores are based off the stat weights of the item by itself. Two-handers rank higher because by themselves they do have better stats than a one-hander with nothing else in the off hand. If you add up the scores of a main hand and off hand item, the total score is what you should use to compare to that of a two-hander. We do not assume a score for your offhand item, as there is no way of knowing what you have or can obtain for that slot unless you do a weighted search for it.

Why does the preset list X as more important than Y?

Some attributes come in unusual value ranges on items, which affects their equivalency to other stats. It does not mean that your should focus on or ignore that stat, but that a single point of it is worth more or less compared to other stats. Stats with high number ranges (armor, weapon damage, penetration, etc) will require smaller weight values, while stats with low number ranges (mana regeneration) will require much larger weight values.

In essence, giving mana regeneration a score of 100 and healing a score of 25 does not say that mana regeneration is more important than healing, simply that each point of mana regeneration is the equivalent of 4 points of healing.

Why don't you have a preset for PvP/Tier 6 Raiding/...? Why doesn't your preset give a stat value for X?

If you would like to suggest changes to the existing presets or new presets for other specs or situations, please do so to feedback@wowhead.com.

Why doesn't the preset limit the items to X, Y, and Z?

The weight presets are for sorting; filters are for limiting the search results. If you want to restrict the items you see, use the appropriate tool - the filter options. The only limit applied by the weight scales is that it will not display items with a score of 0 or less. You should continue to use the existing filtering system if you want to see items of a specific type, slot, source, speed, etc.

Why does it suggest the gems it does for the sockets?

The suggested gems are based on your weights. If you would like to see a different gem in the sockets, try increasing the weight of the appropriate stat. If you feel the weights in the presets need to be adjusted, please let us know at feedback@wowhead.com.