Cataclysm Rating Conversions

One of the important things to know for gearing is what ratings convert to. The step up was BIG for Cataclysm. Here's the conversions:

Stat: 85 conversion (60, 70, 80)
1% melee hit: 192.056 (10, 15.769, 32.79)
1% spell hit: 153.645 (8, 12.615, 26.232)
1% crit: 268.878 (10, 22.077, 45.906)
1% haste: 192.056 (10, 15.769, 32.79)

Implications
First off, look down to the bottom: Haste>crit, as currently. It still has lower rating requirements, and presumably 1% haste will be better than 1% crit like it is now. However, keep in mind crit suppression has already been mentioned: Your crit rate on a tier 12 boss will be lower than on a tier 11 boss, and your hit needs will be higher.

Hit cap, presuming the 17% standard remains in tier 11 (it's been suggested to be higher in later tiers), is 2612 for the full 17%. The entry level blues we've seen have upwards of 300 in their combat ratings, so this is around 7-9 hit items to cap. That's actually not much different than tier 7 was, so we can put aside the "OMG HIT CAP WILL BE UNATTAINABLE NAO" fears. The itemlevel curve is VERY steep in what we've seen of Cataclysm gear. Early level 85 crafted one hand weapons have damage ranges only slightly below Shadowmourne.

Stat priorities as we know them now will be: Hit cap>Intellect*>Haste>Crit. Mastery remains the oddball, how good it is depends on it's conversion into our spec bonuses, but also on how much the "main armor type" mastery bonus is. Warlocks will always have their full armor type bonus, we can only wear cloth. Druids will only gain the bonus from leather, shamans only from mail, and so forth.

*-Per point, we don't really know where intellect will fall. However, it's still a primary stat and still on all of our gear, so it's going to be a major stat regardless.

Lastly, as we already know, stamina is again being inflated and it's itemization cost reduced. Health will rise more rapidly than other stats. Again, looking at the sort of stamina on entry level blues, six digit health on clothies is likely after a few tiers if not early. Damage and healing won't ramp up as quickly. In PVP this is most notable, as burst won't kill people, only hurt like a bitch. However, heals won't just pop people from 5% to full because you missed a kick, so damage will be a bit stickier.

The same model works in PVE, as well - you can expect less instant raid wide death than the current system (not to say there won't still be "Move or die" moments), but also slower healing from the damage you do take. The result isn't harder or easier, just different. Perhaps a bit more heroic, or perhaps closer to vanilla where DPS could pull agro and survive that first hit, unless it crit (or the dragon breathed and took out the entire even side).