Here, we rank all-new class & spec tier set bonuses in WoW SoD Phase 4from the perspective of how they enhance each class's gameplay, focusing solely on set bonuses rather than overall stats.
WoW Season of Discovery Phase 4 Best Tier Sets Ranking
In WoW Season of Discovery Phase 4, the reworking of 0.5 dungeon Tier Sets significantly influences the class meta by introducing enhanced set bonuses that are likely to be pre-BiS quality for different specializations. These changes not only provide powerful bonuses tailored to enhance specific class abilities but also necessitate a strategic reevaluation of gear choices across all classes. For instance, the updated sets for Warriors, Mages, and Druids offer enhancements that boost critical class functions, such as increased rage generation for Warriors and mana efficiency for Mages, directly affecting their roles in raids and PvP. This reconfiguration of set bonuses compels players to adapt to new gameplay dynamics and strategies, potentially shifting the preferred roles and effectiveness of various classes in both PvE and PvP scenarios. Now let's rank all tier set bonus from the best to the worst:
1. Ele Shaman Tier Set
Overall Ranking: S++
Set Bonuses: Increased totem range, instant casts for key offensive spells, and perpetual casting enhancements for Lava Burst. These bonuses potentially elevate DPS output to extremely high levels, necessitating future rebalances.
For Raid: This set propels Elemental Shamans to high damage output levels with bonuses that enhance the casting speed and reset mechanics of their critical spells. The potential for continuous, high-frequency casting of powerful spells like Lava Burst can dominate raid DPS charts.
For PvP: The instant cast and cooldown reset features greatly enhance the Elemental Shaman's burst capacity in PvP. Being able to output high damage in quick succession can be overwhelming for opponents, making the Shaman a key target in group engagements.
2. Rogue Tank Tier Set
Overall Ranking: S+
Set Bonuses: Energy reductions, significant mitigation from magic damage, and physical damage reduction mechanisms. Introduces a highly skill-dependent tanking style that rewards tactical management of abilities.
For Raid: Although a niche role, the Rogue Tank set provides intriguing possibilities for handling specific raid mechanics that require evasion tanking. Enhanced threat generation and damage mitigation from magic and physical attacks increase the viability of Rogues in tanking roles for certain encounters.
For PvP: The set’s bonuses to damage mitigation make Rogue Tanks surprisingly sturdy in PvP. The ability to reduce damage from both magic and physical sources allows them to engage more confidently in skirmishes and control points in battlegrounds.
3. Feral Druid Tier Set
Overall Ranking: S
Set Bonuses: Enhancements to Feral Fairy Fire, critical chance boosts for periodic damage from Rake and Rip, and potential rotation changes due to Savage Roar mechanics. The ability for periodic damage to crit significantly boosts DPS.
For Raid: For raiding, the Feral Druid tier set is exceptional. The improvements to Feral Fairy Fire enhance the raid's overall hit chance against bosses, and the ability for Rake and Rip's periodic damage to crit boosts single-target DPS significantly. The synergy between Rip and Ferocious Bite, which refreshes Savage Roar, simplifies the rotation and increases DPS uptime.
For PvP: In PvP, the critical chance for periodic damage means sustained pressure on targets, which can be crucial for wearing down opponents over time. The rotation simplification also allows for more focus on tactical positioning and less on strict rotation adherence.
4. Resto Druid Tier Set
Overall Ranking: S
Set Bonuses: Shared benefits from Innervate, increased mana retention from healing spells, and significant buffs to Tranquility. The buffs to healing spells and Tranquility significantly enhance group healing capabilities.
For Raid: This set is incredibly powerful in raid settings. The ability to double the effects of Innervate ensures better mana sustainability for both the Resto Druid and another mana-dependent class. The enhancements to Tranquility, including no cooldown and doubled healing, can turn the tide in high-damage encounters, providing massive group healing.
For PvP: While the Tranquility bonuses are less impactful in PvP due to its stationary nature and susceptibility to interrupts, the self-applying Innervate remains valuable for prolonged fights. The potential for increased mana recovery with standard healing casts also ensures longevity in drawn-out battles.
5. Holy PaladinTier Set
Overall Ranking: S
Set Bonuses: Enhanced procs from Judgments, critical strike improvements, and splash healing effects. Massive improvements to healing throughput and utility.
For Raid: This set maximizes the effectiveness of Holy Paladins in raids by enhancing the utility and efficacy of their judgments and healing spells. The guaranteed procs from Judgment of Light and Wisdom can significantly enhance group sustainability, while the splash healing from healing spells maximizes efficiency in keeping the raid group at full health.
For PvP: The increased judgment procs ensure that every hit replenishes health or mana, providing a constant stream of support in team fights or duels, enhancing the paladin's staying power in prolonged engagements.
6. Shadow PriestTier Set
Overall Ranking: S
Set Bonuses: Utility in PvP with Flash Heal in Shadow Form, increased crit for spells, and major buffs to Mind Blast synergies. Enhances both single-target and AoE damage potential, significantly impacting rotation and DPS output.
For Raid: Shadow Priests receive a significant DPS boost from their set, with enhancements to Mind Blast that alter their rotation to incorporate more frequent and powerful bursts. This makes them highly effective in both single-target and AoE raid scenarios, optimizing their damage output.
For PvP: The ability to cast Flash Heal in Shadow Form and increased crit for spells enhance the Shadow Priest's survivability and burst damage in PvP. These changes allow them to maintain pressure on opponents while being resilient against counterattacks.
7. Feral TankTier Set
Overall Ranking: A
Set Bonuses: Ability to cast Rebirth and Innervate in forms, reduced cooldown on Enrage, and enhanced threat generation. These changes are particularly beneficial in PvP, offering both utility and improved threat management.
For Raid: The Feral Tank set bonuses include utility spells like Rebirth and Innervate being castable in forms, which can be a raid lifesaver in emergencies. The reduction in Enrage cooldown and removal of the armor penalty is a modest boost to survivability. Increased threat generation makes it easier to maintain aggro on multiple targets, essential in many raid encounters.
For PvP: These bonuses offer more strategic flexibility in PvP, allowing for emergency healing or mana restoration. The increased threat is less relevant, but the ability to use pivotal utility spells without shifting out of form can be unexpectedly beneficial in group fights.
8. Heal MageTier Set
Overall Ranking: A
Set Bonuses: Extensions and buffs to healing capabilities. While less traditional, the healing bonuses provide substantial support potential.
For Raid: Although unconventional, the Heal Mage set provides substantial support capabilities, enhancing the mage's ability to contribute to raid survival through increased healing outputs and efficiency.
For PvP: These bonuses can transform a mage into a secondary healer in PvP scenarios, providing unexpected sustainability to the team and confusing opponents who may not anticipate significant healing from a traditionally DPS-focused class.
9. Ret PaladinTier Set
Overall Ranking: A
Set Bonuses: Synergies between Judgments and Seals, enhancing both damage output and rotational complexity. The set facilitates a more dynamic combat style with built-in mechanics that were previously manually managed.
For Raid: The Ret Paladin set enhances the synergy between Judgments and Seals, allowing for a more fluid combat experience. Improved critical strike chances and the persistence of Seal effects after casting another Seal can greatly optimize DPS output in raids. This set facilitates a dynamic rotation that can adapt to varying boss mechanics.
For PvP: In PvP, this set enhances the Ret Paladin's burst damage capabilities and allows for more versatile use of Seals, providing a tactical advantage in duels and team fights. The ability to maintain Seal effects longer can lead to sustained pressure on opponents, making the Ret Paladin a formidable adversary.
10. Prot PaladinTier Set
Overall Ranking: A
Set Bonuses: Block value increase, healing upon blocking, and enhancements to Holy Shield. Significant increases to survivability and threat management, especially in AoE scenarios.
For Raid: Prot Paladins benefit from increased block value and healing after blocking, which enhances their tanking durability. The modified Holy Shield, which increases its damage based on block value and removes charges, significantly boosts AoE threat generation—ideal for handling multiple adds during raids.
For PvP: While tank bonuses are generally less impactful in PvP, the enhanced block value and Holy Shield modifications can provide notable survivability against physical damage dealers. This set can make Prot Paladins tougher to bring down in battlegrounds and arena settings.
11. Heal PriestTier Set
Overall Ranking: A
Set Bonuses: Faster casting for key healing spells, enhanced critical strike chances. These bonuses streamline healing operations and boost overall efficiency.
For Raid: The Heal Priest set improves healing efficiency with faster spell casting and enhanced critical strike chances. These changes help maintain high throughput during intense raid damage phases, ensuring the raid's health bars are topped off more consistently.
For PvP: In PvP, the faster casting times can be the difference between life and death in fast-paced combat. Increased crit rates for healing spells mean more significant and timely heals, potentially turning the tide in close encounters.
12. DPS RogueTier Set
Overall Ranking: A
Set Bonuses: Enhancements to Faint, increased poison critical strike damage, and energy cost reductions. The set bonuses refine both survivability and burst phases, particularly in single-target scenarios.
For Raid: The DPS Rogue set focuses on enhancing poison damage and energy efficiency, which can significantly increase overall DPS in raid environments. The chance for finishing moves to reset energy costs allows for prolonged damage phases, especially beneficial during boss burn phases.
For PvP: In PvP, the enhanced poison damage and reduced energy costs for abilities can make Rogues even deadlier. The ability to sustain high damage output without pausing for energy regeneration makes them formidable in one-on-one encounters and valuable in team fights.
13. Enh ShamanTier Set
Overall Ranking: A
Set Bonuses: Critical strike chance boosts and enhanced attack speeds. Solid improvements to melee combat efficiency, benefiting overall DPS.
For Raid: Enhancement Shamans gain increased attack speed and critical strike chance, which directly translates to higher melee DPS. This is particularly effective in raids where consistent damage output is crucial.
For PvP: The boost in critical strike chance and attack speed also benefits PvP, enabling Enhancement Shamans to deliver rapid, high-impact hits to their enemies, increasing their threat level in combat situations.
14. Resto ShamanTier Set
Overall Ranking: A
Set Bonuses: Mana retention improvements and unique healing wave enhancements. Increases versatility and effectiveness in healing, particularly in raid settings.
For Raid: The Resto Shaman set enhances mana sustainability and healing versatility. The ability for Healing Wave to jump to additional targets at reduced effectiveness turns it into a pseudo-chain heal, increasing the Resto Shaman's effectiveness in raid-wide healing scenarios.
For PvP: Mana efficiency is crucial in PvP, and the bonuses that improve mana recovery are highly valuable. The modified Healing Wave allows for more strategic healing, potentially covering more allies with fewer casts.
15. Tank ShamanTier Set
Overall Ranking: A
Set Bonuses: Enhanced attack speed post-defense actions and damage mitigation boosts. Offers robust defensive capabilities, improving both survivability and threat management.
For Raid: The Tank Shaman set introduces bonuses that significantly boost defensive capabilities and enhance utility. Increased attack speed following defensive maneuvers like parries or dodges allows for quicker retaliation and threat management. Additionally, the activation of Shield Mastery and enhancements to stone skin and windwall totems provide a substantial increase in survivability against both physical and magical damage, which can be pivotal during high-damage raid segments.
For PvP: In PvP, these enhancements make the Tank Shaman a more viable contender, capable of withstanding considerable punishment from opponents while maintaining threat on enemy players in objective-based games like capturing flags or defending nodes. The improvements to mitigation from both physical and magical sources allow Tank Shamans to act as formidable front-line defenders or disruptors in battlegrounds and arenas.
16. DPS WarlockTier Set
Overall Ranking: A
Set Bonuses: Increased mana generation from Life Tap, enhanced critical strike chances, and boosts to Nightfall and Immolate synergies. These changes significantly enhance mana sustainability and DPS, particularly through improved proc chances.
For Raid: DPS Warlocks see improvements in mana management and damage output through increased effectiveness of Life Tap and enhanced proc chances for critical spells. These changes bolster their sustained DPS and burst capabilities in raids.
For PvP: The set’s enhancements also support PvP engagements by reducing the downtime associated with mana regeneration and increasing the frequency of high-damage spell procs, making Warlocks even more formidable in duels and team fights.
17. Warrior DPSTier Set
Overall Ranking: A for Two-Handed, B- for Dual Wield
Set Bonuses: Rage generation on stance change, ability retention post-stance change, and stance-specific damage boosts. Encourages active stance management, significantly affecting playstyle and rotational complexity.
For Raid: This set greatly benefits Warriors who engage in stance dancing to maximize their DPS potential. The ability to retain stance-specific abilities for a short duration after switching stances offers a new layer of tactical depth, allowing for more flexible and responsive gameplay. The additional rage upon changing stances also helps mitigate the traditional rage starvation Warriors face when switching stances frequently, thus maintaining higher DPS uptime.
For PvP: The benefits of the Warrior DPS tier set extend into PvP, where the flexibility to use stance-specific abilities outside of their normal restrictions can surprise opponents and adapt quickly to changing battle conditions. The rage bonus upon stance change ensures that Warriors can continue to execute high-cost abilities without pause, keeping the pressure on their adversaries consistently.
18. DPS MageTier Set
Overall Ranking: A-
Set Bonuses: Immunity during Evocation, increased damage for varying magic schools, and significant improvements to mana management. The immunity and enhanced damage across different schools offer considerable PvP and PvE utility.
For Raid: DPS Mages receive significant boosts from their tier set. Full immunity during Evocation is a game-changer in both avoiding catastrophic raid damage and ensuring mana regeneration. The potential stacking damage increase from using multiple schools of magic can exponentially increase a mage's output in prolonged fights.
For PvP: In PvP, the immunity provided by Evocation can be used strategically to counter opponents' burst phases or to safely regenerate mana. The versatility from increased damage across different magic schools allows for flexible engagement with various types of opponents.
19. Ranged HunterTier Set
Overall Ranking: B+
Set Bonuses: Threat management with Distracting Shot, damage boosts post-Aim Shot. The bonuses suggest a shift towards more complex rotations and potential kiting utility.
For Raid: The bonuses for Ranged Hunters suggest a potential need for kiting with increased threat generation from Distracting Shot, which could be useful in specific raid encounters designed to utilize hunters in a kiting role. The damage increase after an Aim Shot can optimize DPS rotations, especially when paired with precise timing.
For PvP: The increased threat is largely irrelevant in PvP, but the damage boost following an Aim Shot can be very effective in burst sequences, essential for taking down targets quickly in arenas or battlegrounds.
20. Melee HunterTier Set
Overall Ranking: B
Set Bonuses: Minor improvements to hit mechanics and damage output against specific creature types. While the bonuses offer some DPS improvements, they're relatively minor.
For Raid: The set bonuses for Melee Hunters are somewhat underwhelming in raid environments. The enhancements to Mongoose Bite and the slight increase in hit chance provide a modest DPS boost, but they do not offer significant changes to the hunter's overall raid performance.
For PvP: In PvP, these bonuses allow for slightly better dueling capabilities against targets that dodge frequently. However, the impact remains minor, as the hunter's role in PvP typically leans more towards ranged combat and control rather than melee engagement.
21. Warlock TankTier Set
Overall Ranking: B
Set Bonuses: Utility with an instant-cast self-targeted Banish, mana gains from taking damage, and cooldown resets for Soul Fire. Introduces novel defensive mechanics and DPS potential, though its practical effectiveness may vary.
For Raid: Though traditionally not a standard role for Warlocks, the Warlock Tank set introduces unique mechanics that could allow for specialized tanking in certain niche raid situations, particularly where magic damage mitigation is crucial.
For PvP: The ability to cast an instant self-targeted Banish could provide strategic retreat options in PvP, allowing Warlocks to evade fatal damage temporarily and confuse opponents, potentially shifting the momentum of the fight.
22. Warrior TankTier Set
Overall Ranking: B
Set Bonuses: Block value increase, rage generation upon taking hits, and enhanced threat generation in defensive stance. While offering some enhancements to tanking efficacy, the creativity and impact of these bonuses are modest compared to other classes.
For Raid: The Warrior Tank tier set focuses on enhancing block value and offering strategic rage generation, which is crucial for maintaining threat and executing abilities regularly. The increased threat generation in defensive stance solidifies the Warrior's role in holding aggro, essential in large mob pulls and boss encounters where consistent threat is critical.
For PvP: In PvP, while tank-specific bonuses are often less impactful due to the focus on damage output and mobility, the increased block value and rage generation can make Warrior Tanks tougher to take down. This resilience can be particularly useful in holding points in battlegrounds or absorbing damage in arena team compositions.
23. Balance DruidTier Set
Overall Ranking: C
Set Bonuses: Thorns duration +200%, damage +100%, 3% increase in hit chance, 50% reduction in Starfall cooldown. The increased hit chance is useful; however, Thorns bonuses are less impactful.
For Raid: The Balance Druid set bonuses enhance the duration and damage of Thorns significantly, although this is less relevant for raid scenarios where direct DPS contributions are more critical. The additional 3% hit chance is beneficial for reaching hit caps, and the 50% reduction in Starfall cooldown greatly increases AoE damage potential, especially useful in encounters with multiple adds.
For PvP: In PvP, the extended Thorns duration and damage can deter melee attackers, providing a defensive advantage. However, the primary benefits remain more PvE-focused, with the increased hit chance and reduced Starfall cooldown not translating as effectively into PvP utility.
