MeinMMO demon Cortyn has a bone to pick with Blizzard. Because the new tier sets in World of Warcraft force playstyles that are simply not fun.
Anyone who knows me a little knows that since “The Burning Crusade” I have been playing primarily one class and specialization in World of Warcraft with passion: the Shadow Priest.
I just love the class. I like the dark look, I enjoyed the story around Xal’atath, and I am an absolute fan of the creepy sound effects that one hears during the Void form.
The Shadow Priest over the years
The specialization has gone through many changes over the years – both thematically and in terms of playstyle and utility for the group.
What started as an “acceptable” damage dealer that was mainly taken as a mana battery later became the master of multi-dots and occasionally a real pain in PvP. While I am also a creature of habit, I found most changes good and sensible. The class became more complex and the playstyle more versatile.
Especially in the last season, the Shadow Priest was extremely strong over long stretches – due to crazy synergies with the new amplifier specialization of the Caller and especially because of the Soul of Power (“Power Infusion”), a strong haste buff for the priest and a chosen group member.
Since this was a problem especially in connection with the “God Comp”, i.e., the best possible group for Mythic+ in the past season, there were some nerfs. Some were justified, others I consider (and many other Shadow Priests agree) as unnecessary and counterproductive.
The End of Choice – Talent Obligation Due to Tier Set
However, for me, the new tier set from the raid Amirdrassil, Hope of Dreams, has taken the cake.
The tier sets in their current form are “difficult”, as they go exactly against what Blizzard intended to achieve with the introduction of the new talent trees.
With the new talent trees, the developers took a lot of time and tried to allow as many classes and specializations as possible to have different playstyles.
But especially with the tier set from the latest raid and specifically for the Shadow Priest, that is simply no longer the truth:
- 2-piece bonus: ‘Shadow Word: Death’ is triggered 2 more times with an effectiveness of 15%. It is also triggered an additional time if the Deathspeaker is active or the health of your target is less than 20%.
- 4-piece bonus: Each time you take damage from ‘Shadow Word: Death’, you gain a stack of ‘Death’s Agony’, which increases the initial damage of your next ‘Shadow Word: Pain’ by 225% or the damage of your next ‘Shadow Bolt’ by 50%. Stackable up to 12 times.
The tier set bonuses are so specialized for the ability “Shadow Word: Death” that it simply makes no sense not to improve this ability in the talent tree.
This, in turn, forces the Shadow Priest into a very narrow choice of talents. Because Shadow Word: Death also appears in several other talents. Logically: If you improve Shadow Word: Death, you necessarily have to take the talents that benefit from an improved Shadow Word: Death.
Essentially, one must therefore skill the “left column” of the talent tree, that is, the Mindbender (a summonable shadow beast) and the talent tied to it, which allows it to deal a little AoE damage with each use of Shadow Word: Death and simultaneously extends its duration.
Additionally, every serious guide now tells me: Throw out the Void Eruption and replace it with “Dark Ascension” – a buff that further increases the damage of abilities (like Shadow Word: Death).
The Void Eruption has been my absolute favorite spell since Legion. There is no ability in the entire game that evokes such a good feeling as this “ascension” of the Shadow Priest into its Void form. The sound effects, the flying shadow particles, the spell animation – everything just feels smooth and good. It’s a button you press and then you simply feel powerful – regardless of the actual numbers that come out at the end. The Void Eruption significantly contributes to making my Shadow Priest feel like “mine”.
Current guides unfortunately also agree on this. It’s no longer a matter of taste whether I should keep the Void Eruption or not – in connection with the tier set it is simply useless and pales in comparison to the significantly less effective alternative where I carry silly blinking wings on my back. Yes, thank you.
Of course, one can now say: Then just don’t play that. Skill how you want and just take the talents that are fun, even if they don’t fit the tier set. That’s a nice thought, but it’s simply not practical.
After all, I regularly attend raids and am also involved in higher-level “Mythic+” dungeons in my guild. My performance is important to me. I want to be a valuable part of the group and not someone who is dragged along and laughed at.
This is an indirect social pressure – one that wouldn’t have to exist if the tier set didn’t ensure that only a very specific specialization is viable.
How can versatility be preserved?
The whole idea of versatile, flexible classes with a wide selection of talents is moot when there is a tier set in the endgame that basically says: “Skill X or you are playing your class wrong.”
I see very few good solutions that could solve the problem:
- Tier set bonuses are abolished again. Yes, I can already hear you scream.
- Tier set bonuses are made more general and provide universal benefits.
- Each specialization gets several tier set bonuses to choose from that influence different talents.
I am aware that none of these solutions are optimal and would all require more work from Blizzard. But it is also not my job to ensure that the various talents are appreciated accordingly. That is the responsibility of the developers.
I can only observe that Blizzard has taken “my” Shadow Priest away from me with the current tier set. I enjoy the old specialization, which no longer makes any gameplay sense after receiving the tier set.
I hope that there is a better solution for The War Within and that tier sets become something I can look forward to again – because currently they only lead to an annoyed “How do I have to adjust my playstyle now?”
