Review of Set Bonuses for Season 3 Tier Set in Priest Dragonflight - Initial Impressions

Dragonflight Season 3 Tier Set bonuses have recently been revealed for all 39 specializations in the upcoming Patch 10.2 PTR. 

Dragonflight Season 3 Tier Set Bonuses & Models for All Classes & Specializations

Before we dive into the specific details for the Priest class, let's take a moment to explore the various tier set bonuses and armor models that have been unveiled. It's always fascinating to see the unique designs and effects that each class and specialization will have access to in the new season.

First Impressions of the Dragonflight Season 3 Tier Set Bonuses

We have meticulously examined the newly revealed tier set bonuses to provide us with a deeper understanding of how these bonuses will impact their respective specs in Dragonflight Season 3.

• Discipline Priest Season 3 Tier Set First Impression

Let's begin with the Discipline Priest tier set bonuses:

1. 2-Set-Priest Discipline 10.2 Class Set 2pc- Smite and Penance damage increased by 20% and Smite extends the duration of an active Atonement by 2.0 sec.
2. 4-Set-Priest Discipline 10.2 Class Set 4pc- Smite has a 100% chance to cast an additional time during Shadow Covenant, dealing (80% of Spell power) Shadow damage.

The Discipline Priest's tier set implementation offers significant damage increases to Penance and Smite, along with the added bonus of extending the duration of an active Atonement with each Smite cast. This synergizes well with the recent changes to Mindbender, where Smite casts can reduce the cooldown of Mindbender, providing more uptime. However, it's important to note that these bonuses are most effective when the Discipline Priest can remain stationary, as movement can negatively impact their potential output.

While the Atonement extension from the 2-piece set bonus may initially seem impactful, it often extends the duration of the lowest-health target rather than the lowest duration. In key environments, where the Discipline Priest has the opportunity to extend the tank's Atonement duration with Flash Heal casts, the extension feels somewhat useless. Additionally, in raid encounters that are bursty in nature, the slightly increased durations after a burst of damage are less noticeable. This set bonus has high potential but relies heavily on remaining stationary and may not be as practical in real-world scenarios.

• Holy Priest Season 3 Tier Set First Impression

Now, let's shift our focus to the Holy Priest tier set bonuses:

1. 2-Set-Priest Holy 10.2 Class Set 2pc- Holy Word: Serenity applies 14 sec of Renew to its target. Holy Word: Sanctify applies 5 sec of Renew to allies it heals.
2. 4-Set-Priest Holy 10.2 Class Set 4pc- Renew's healing has a chance to cause your next Holy Word: Sanctify or Holy Word: Serenity to not consume a charge when cast and cost 50% less Mana, accumulating up to 2 charges.

The Holy Priest's latest tier set applies Renew to targets healed by Holy Word: Serenity and Holy Word: Sanctify. The 4-piece set bonus transforms Renew's healing into discounted Holy Word costs that do not consume a charge. Although this may seem like an exciting feedback loop, it falls short in practice. In Mythic+ environments, where there are fewer targets to Renew and casting Renew is not ideal, the "free" Holy Words do not grant a charge. They simply allow you to spend a charge without the cooldown being triggered. This means that if you don't have a Holy Word charge available, you won't be able to take advantage of the proc.

In raiding environments, the set bonus has a limited proc rate per minute to prevent overcapping procs during Holy Word: Salvation casts, where the entire raid would be affected by Renew. While this idea is logical, the procs of Renew felt infrequent, making it difficult to leverage the synergy between applying Renew and receiving Holy Words. The previous tier set bonus offered valuable Prayer of Mending value, which contributed to increased Apotheosis uptime and allowed Priests to generate new Holy Words for more Holy Word: Salvation casts. The current set bonus feels like a downgrade in terms of playstyle and output.

• Shadow Priest Season 3 Tier Set First Impression

Last but not least, let's explore the tier set bonuses for Shadow Priests:

1. 2-Set-Priest Shadow 10.2 Class Set 2pc- Shadow Word: Death triggers 2 additional times at 50% effectiveness. Triggers again 1 additional time at 50% effectiveness if Deathspeaker is active or your target is below % health.
2. 4-Set-Priest Shadow 10.2 Class Set 4pc- Each time you take damage from Shadow Word: Death, gain a stack of Death's Torment, increasing the initial damage of your next cast of Shadow Word: Pain by 250% or increasing the damage of your next Shadow Crash by 50%, stacking up to 12 times.

The Shadow Priest's tier set bonuses revolve around two of their lesser-used spells, Shadow Word: Death and Shadow Word: Pain. These spells have historically played a smaller role in the Shadow Priest rotation. However, this set bonus aims to elevate their significance and make them impactful within the rotation.

Looking at initial numbers and comparing the set bonuses to others in Patch 10.2, the Shadow Priest's bonuses appear to be quite strong, especially for Single Target encounters. The 2-piece set bonus, in particular, interacts well with Deathspeaker and Inescapable Torment, providing an added AoE value. The 4-piece set bonus also enhances the potency of Shadow Crash by increasing the damage based on the backlash damage taken from Shadow Word: Death. These bonuses show promise, but it's important to be cautious of temporary power gains and potential changes to the baseline class.

In terms of talent interactions, the Shadow Priest's talent tree offers two general build ideas, one focused on spawning apparitions and utilizing Idol of Yogg-Saron, and another centered around Mindbender with Inescapable Torment and Idol of Y'Shaarj. Recent nerfs to apparitions and the removal of the apparition set bonus have solidified the dominance of the Mindbender-focused build. While the set bonus provides benefits, there are concerns about the changes made to Shadow Crash, as it is a crucial spell in the Shadow Priest rotation and any additional value may exacerbate frustrations when it misses due to movement or environmental factors.

Overall, the Dragonflight Season 3 tier set bonuses offer interesting and potentially powerful mechanics for each Priest specialization. While there are some concerns and areas for improvement, it's an exciting time for Priests as they look forward to experimenting with the new gear options in the upcoming season. By the way, have you checked our hot offers here? Go check them out and we'll see you in the next one!