The highest item level shoulder armor a level 21–30 character can wear as a Mage start with Azure Stormsewn Epaulets (item level 35, uncommon). 80 items fit the slot and band; the top 25 are ranked here by item level, then quality, not by simulation.
| # | Name | ILvl | Req. | Armor | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Azure Stormsewn EpauletsFOREVER | 35 | 30 | 35 | Cloth | Crafted: Tailoring |
| 2 | Cloudy Stormsewn EpauletsFOREVER | 35 | 30 | 35 | Cloth | Crafted: Tailoring |
| 3 |  Nightsky Mantle | 35 | 30 | 35 | Cloth | Drops from Vile Sting (Thousand Needles) at 1.1% (+418 more) (vanilla) |
| 4 |  Vital Shoulders | 35 | 30 | 35 | Cloth | Drops from Vile Sting (Thousand Needles) at 1.1% (+404 more) (vanilla) |
| 5 |  Interlaced Shoulderpads | 35 | 30 | 31 | Cloth | Found in Armor Crate (Scarlet Monastery) at 1.9% (+456 more) (vanilla) |
| 6 | Thistlefur Mantle | 34 | 29 | 34 | Cloth | Drops from Vile Sting (Thousand Needles) at 1.1% (+404 more) (vanilla) |
| 7 |  Elder's Mantle | 33 | 28 | 34 | Cloth | Drops from Heartrazor (Thousand Needles) at 1.1% (+385 more) (vanilla) |
| 8 | Death Speaker MantleCHANGED | 32 | 27 | 37 | Cloth | Drops from Death Speaker Jargba (Razorfen Kraul) at 33.3% (vanilla) |
| 9 |  Durable Shoulders | 32 | 27 | 33 | Cloth | Drops from Heartrazor (Thousand Needles) at 1.1% (+385 more) (vanilla) |
| 10 | Resilient Mantle | 32 | 27 | 33 | Cloth | Drops from Heartrazor (Thousand Needles) at 1.1% (+371 more) (vanilla) |
| 11 |  Invoker's MantleCHANGED | 30 | 25 | 32 | Cloth | Crafted: Tailoring |
| 12 | Luminescent Amice | 30 | 32 | Cloth | Quest: Fallen Sky Lake (vanilla) | |
| 13 | Sage's Mantle | 30 | 25 | 32 | Cloth | Drops from Dragonmaw Battlemaster (Wetlands) at 1.1% (+492 more) (vanilla) |
| 14 | Raincaller Mantle | 29 | 24 | 32 | Cloth | Drops from Brontus (The Barrens) at 1.3% (+430 more) (vanilla) |
| 15 | Silver-thread Amice | 29 | 24 | 32 | Cloth | Drops from Brontus (The Barrens) at 1.3% (+449 more) (vanilla) |
| 16 | Chestnut MantleCHANGED | 28 | 34 | Cloth | Quest: Allegiance to the Old Gods (vanilla) | |
| 17 | Feline MantleCHANGED | 28 | 23 | 34 | Cloth | Drops from Wolf Master Nandos (Shadowfang Keep) at 50.0% (vanilla) |
| 18 | Desert Shoulders | 28 | 31 | Cloth | Quest: Grimtotem Spying (vanilla) | |
| 19 | Silk Mantle of Gamn | 28 | 31 | Cloth | Quest: Uncovering the Past (vanilla) | |
| 20 | Watcher's Mantle | 28 | 23 | 31 | Cloth | Drops from Brontus (The Barrens) at 1.3% (+430 more) (vanilla) |
| 21 | Cross-stitched Shoulderpads | 28 | 23 | 28 | Cloth | Found in Armor Crate (The Barrens) at 2.9% (+680 more) (vanilla) |
| 22 | Ghostly MantleCHANGED | 27 | 34 | Cloth | Quest: Deathstalkers in Shadowfang (vanilla) | |
| 23 |  Ivycloth Mantle | 27 | 22 | 30 | Cloth | Drops from Akkrilus (Ashenvale) at 1.3% (+489 more) (vanilla) |
| 24 | Rose MantleCHANGED | 27 | 30 | Cloth | Quest: Morganth (vanilla) | |
| 25 | Sanguine Mantle | 27 | 22 | 30 | Cloth | Drops from Akkrilus (Ashenvale) at 1.3% (+469 more) (vanilla) |
Ranked by item level, then quality, among items with a known source: gear nothing drops, sells, rewards or makes yet (raids not yet open, the client's test items) is left out. The class filter keeps what the class can equip at level 30 (armor type, weapon skill, Dual Wield, the item's own class limit); the side filter drops items that only the other side's vendors and quests offer. Source: the best known drop first (a Forever rate at 10+ loots, else the vanilla 1.12 chance), then vendors, quest rewards and the profession that makes it. Reviewed picks: Mage Best in Slot.
Other slots: Head, Back, Chest, Wrist, Hands, Waist, Legs, Feet. Every slot and level.