found throughout the Holy Priest Season 4 Survival Guide
Shadowlands Season 4: Recycled Content.
This page is intended to be a bit of a quick-reference to help answer some of the easier questions for this patch, as well as point you in the right direction for some of the common questions. As always, if you have any Holy Priest related questions please visit us in #holy on the Warcraft Priests Discord and we'll be more than happy to help you out!
As many of the new systems and tuning changes were unavailable to completely test on PTR, some of the below information may be different to what goes live. As usual, I will do my best to keep the article updated throughout the Season as things change, but if you notice something you think is incorrect or should be added/removed please let me know ASAP via the Warcraft Priests Discord (Niphyr#3419) or on twitter @MechPriest. Thanks!
TL;DR
The main thing to stress is you only have access to 3 Puzzling Cartel Dinar so choose carefully before spending them. This page is up to date with the latest information prior to the patch launching. Check #holy-faq on the Warcraft Priests Discord for the latest information.
| Raid Focus | Mythic+ Focus | |
|---|---|---|
| Puzzling Cartel Dinar Purchases | 1. Soulwarped Seal of Wrynn 2. Maledict Opus 3. Cabalist's Hymnal (4. Shadowed Orb of Torment) | 1. Soulwarped Seal of Wrynn 2. Antumbra, Shadow of the Cosmos / (Maledict Opus¹) 3. Cabalist's Hymnal (4. Resonant Reservoir) |
| Upgrade Order | 1. Maledict Opus 2. Soulwarped Seal of Wrynn 3. Trinkets 4. Anything with Leech 5. Chest / Legs / Head | 1. Maledict Opus 2. Soulwarped Seal of Wrynn 3. Trinkets 4. Anything with Leech 5. Chest / Legs / Head |
| Legendary | No Change (Flash Concentration) | No Change (Flash Concentration) |
| Legendary Slot | Flash Concentration - Neck (or Wrist) Unity - Wrist (or Feet) | Flash Concentration - Neck (or Wrist) Unity - Wrist (or Feet) |
| Covenant | No Change (Primarily Night Fae) | No Change (Primarily Kyrian) |
| Tier (Catalyst) | No Change | No Change |
| Talents | No Change | No Change |
| Playstyle | No Change | No Change |
¹ Mythic+ Note: Antumbra, Shadow of the Cosmos can be a great option if your focus is purely Mythic+ where you are regularly generating stacks. If you don't want to maintain a second weapon/offhand, Maledict Opus is also a very good option. read more.
Other things worth mentioning include:
- Genesis Lathe while buffed, is still not as strong as the higher item level Maledict Opus
- Leech is worth around 15 item levels, Sockets around 10, Avoidance around 5.
- Domination Sockets have also been removed from gear that previously had them.
- All 3 Shadowlands raids are back in a Mythic+ style "Fated" rotation. read more
- The initial 8 Shadowlands dungeons are no longer part of the Mythic+ pool and instead the pool has the below 8 dungeons with the new Shrouded seasonal affix. read more
- Tazavesh: Streets of Wonder
- Tazavesh: So'leah's Gambit
- Operation Mechagon: Junkyard (Battle for Azeroth)
- Operation Mechagon: Workshop (Battle for Azeroth)
- Return to Karazhan: Lower (Legion)
- Return to Karazhan: Upper (Legion)
- Iron Docks (Warlords of Draenor)
- Grimrail Depot (Warlords of Draenor)
- Warlords of Draenor dungeon rings with intellect on them are bad, don't use them. read more
- Mecha rings are good, but you have easy access through Puzzling Cartel Dinar to Soulwarped Seal of Wrynn which is better. read more
- If you use them, use Logic Loop of Recursion and Rebooting Bit Band.
- Getting access to Return to Karazhan also means return of Drape of Shame which is really good again and worth picking up if you can. read more
Tuning Changes
No tuning changes to any Holy Priest spells.
Some minor changes to trinkets/weapons, below are some of the changes worth mentioning
- Shadowed Orb of Torment Mastery increased by 12%.
- Inscrutable Quantum Device secondary stat gain reduced by 25%.
- Resonant Silver Bell healing increased by 15%, and Spectral Feline now appears when healing an ally below 50% health (was 40%).
- Scars of Fraternal Strife secondary stats granted by each rune increased by 25%, and Final Rune's explosion damage increased by 25%.
- The Lion's Roar cooldown reduction from critical heals increased to 6 seconds (was 3 seconds), and now absorbs 30% of all damage taken in the zone of protection (was 20%).
- Genesis Lathe's Ephemeral Effusion effects increased by 10%.
Fated Raids
Each week one of the 3 Shadowlands Raids becomes the weekly Fated raid, which increases the difficulty and adds Mythic+ style affixes to the encounters. Doing Fated raids grant higher item level gear. As usual, the last few bosses in each raid drop slightly higher item level loot.
| Sepulcher | Fated Raids | |
|---|---|---|
| Raid Finder | 239 / 246 | 265 / 272 |
| Normal | 252 / 259 | 278 / 285 |
| Heroic | 265 / 272 | 291 / 297 |
| Mythic | 278 / 285 | 304 / 311 |
There are also quests that reward Puzzling Cartel Dinar. You can use your Dinars to purchase raid Trinkets, Weapons & Soulwarped Seal of Wrynn from a vendor beside the Great Vault in Oribos. You can only obtain 3 of the Puzzling Cartel Dinar per character so spend them wisely.
There is a secondary currency that drops from raid bosses, allowing you to obtain Heroic Upgrade (heroic) and Mythic Upgrade (mythic) to upgrade existing Fated gear.
Shrouded Mythic+ Dungeon Affix
Season 4 brings with it a new affix, Shrouded.
At the start of the dungeon you can pick which stat you want to gain buffs for throughout the run. Versatility will typically be your goto choice here. was nerfed. Haste is the best choice for Junkyard as it increases the damage from the bots Zap, and either Haste (preferred) or Critical Strike for the remaining dungeons.
As you kill Dreadlords throughout the dungeon you will gain an extra stack of your chosen stat buff, as well as a short temporary buff granting some mana regeneration.
Gear Discussion
As usual gear is a hot topic, we're going to go through some of it and answer some of the more common questions.
Weapons
Maledict Opus being available at a higher item level than nearly all other weapons makes it a really simple choice for raiding Holy Priests. It's also a great option to use one of your Puzzling Cartel Dinars on as it drops from a boss fairly deep into Sanctum.
For Mythic+ Holy Priests, there is a lot of discussion around using Antumbra, Shadow of the Cosmos, both where and how.
In Mythic+, Antumbra becomes a passive damage increase, as you spend a lot of your globals casting damage spells. It increases both your healing and your damage more than any alternatives. That said, with the availability of a high item level staff in Season 4, the gap has been reduced, and it does also mean you need to obtain and maintain an offhand. So while it may technically be "Best in Slot", if you instead choose Maledict Opus you won't be at any significant disadvantage for doing so.
In Raids, Antumbra can be challenging and disruptive to use well and limits your spell casting options. As you want to try and sit on 19 stacks as much of the encounter as possible, you are encouraged to build them early, then once you reach 19 stacks, completely avoid casting any spells that will grant additional stacks. If executed correctly this can provide a small healing increase. If you want to go to the extra effort to track it and play around it, go ahead, but if you don't see it suggested as the "Best in Slot" weapon for raiding, this is why.
Rings
With the available item level increasing, Soulwarped Seal of Wrynn will be stronger than ever and is an easy choice for one of your Puzzling Cartel Dinars. It is easily the most difficult item out of all 3 raids to obtain and it also happens to be one of the strongest relative to other options.
A backup ring option for anyone making the weird choice not to buy Soulwarped Seal of Wrynn, is to obtain Logic Loop of Recursion and Rebooting Bit Band from the two Mechagon Mythic+ dungeons. This combination is the next best thing, and is solid in both Mythic+ and raid.
You should avoid using any of the Warlords of Draenor dungeon rings/necklaces that have intellect on them. The stat budget on these compared to the current rings means they are significantly underwhelming.
Trinkets
With removal of the popular dungeon trinkets Unbound Changeling and Soulletting Ruby, and addition of the Season 1 and Season 2 raid trinkets, there are plenty of options. Unfortunately lots of trinkets doesn't mean lots of competitive options.
- S-Tier: Cabalist's Hymnal
- S-Tier: Shadowed Orb of Torment (raid)
- S-Tier: Resonant Reservoir (Mythic+)
- A-Tier: Titanic Ocular Gland
- A-Tier: Elegy of the Eternals
- A-Tier: So'leah's Secret Technique
- B-Tier and below: Everything else.
As has been the trend, the stat trinkets continue to perform really well.
To quickly run through the S-Tier trinkets:
- Cabalist's Hymnal is obtainable at a higher item level making it a really strong trinket. It is "gated" by the end boss of a raid so it is suggested you spend your third Puzzling Cartel Dinar on this trinket (With your first and second being a Weapon and Soulwarped Seal of Wrynn).
- Shadowed Orb of Torment has been buffed and is a great raid trinket, provided you're wary of the health deficit component. Many people don't like running an on-use if they can help it, in which case you should choose one of the A-Tier trinkets which aren't too far behind in performance. It is suggested not to spend a Puzzling Cartel Dinar on this trinket primarily because it drops from a fairly early boss in Sanctum and is relatively easier to obtain than the Hymnal.
- Resonant Reservoir continues to be a large damage increase. Not much more to say, really. It is suggested not to spend a Puzzling Cartel Dinar on this trinket primarily because it drops from a fairly early boss in Sepulcher and is relatively easier to obtain than the Hymnal.
Not much to say about the A-Tier trinkets, all relatively easy to obtain and all are static stat increases. B-Tier and below consists of "the rest" which are primarily healing/shield effect trinkets. These all continue to scale as well as we would hope, particularly as you gear up and get into higher levels of HPS.
Drape of Shame
This legion classic Drape of Shame is back, though there isn't really much to talk about with it. It's good, the bonus is grants is on top of a regular amount of stats so pick it up when you can. That said the bonus is small enough you shouldn't stress about trying to farm it, but if you do happen to get one you likely won't remove it until Dragonflight.
Item Levels
As mentioned earlier, Fated Raids and Mythic+ grant access to higher item levels.
| Sepulcher | Fated Raids | |
|---|---|---|
| Raid Finder | 239 / 246 | 265 / 272 |
| Normal | 252 / 259 | 278 / 285 |
| Heroic | 265 / 272 | 291 / 297 |
| Mythic | 278 / 285 | 304 / 311 |
Mythic+ gear in the vault is item level 304, and the maximum upgrade for Mythic+ gear is 298.
Below is a list of each slot and the maximum item level available from Mythic Fated Raids. This is mostly useful for planning what to take from your vault and where to put your legendary.
| Slot | Item Level | Item(s) (Source) |
|---|---|---|
| Head | 311 | item (Sylvanas - SoD) |
| Neck | 311 | item (Kel'Thuzad - SoD) item (The Jailer - SotFO) |
| Shoulder | 311 | item (Sire Denathrius - CN) item (Kel'Thuzad - SoD) item (Lords of Dread - SotFO) |
| Back | 311 | item (Stone Legion Generals - CN) item (Lords of Dread - SotFO) |
| Chest | 311 | item (Stone Legion Generals - CN ) item (Rygelon - SotFO) |
| Wrist | 311 | item (Sylvanas - SoD) item (Lords of Dread - SotFO) |
| Hands | 311 | item (The Jailer - SotFO) |
| Waist | 311 | item (Kel'Thuzad - SoD) |
| Legs | 304 | Many |
| Feet | 304 | Many |
| Ring | 311 | item (Sire Denathrius - CN) item (Sylvanas - SoD) item (Rygelon - SotFO) |
Keep in mind that the Back slot is also where you may obtain a Drape of Shame.
Build and Playstyle
As there are no notable changes to any Holy Priest spells or effects, nothing really changes here.
Legendary
You will continue to use Flash Concentration and Unity.
Because Season 4 legendaries don't go beyond 291 item level, if you want to properly min/max you should put them on your lowest budget slots. Wrists/Back/Neck are the preferred slots, but Back will have Drape of Shame for most Holy Priests.
The difference between the low budget item slots is very small so don't feel obligated to re-craft your legendary as the benefit is tiny.
- Flash Concentration can be either slot, Neck is a good option as it allows for Unity on Wrist.
- Unity on Wrists is the best option for a heroic raider (with Waist/Feet close behind). If you raid Mythic and have access to 311 items then Wrists or Feet are both fine. This also suits the recommendations for Discipline as well. If you off-spec Discipline at all, avoid Feet as that's the preferred slot for The Penitent One
Covenant
No change to your covenant choice in Season 4. All covenants continue to be relatively competitive.
Raid focused Holy Priests will lean towards Night Fae for not only Fae Guardians, but also Soulshape.
Mythic+ focused Holy Priests will lean towards Kyrian primarily for Boon of the Ascended, and the phial is also nice to have in some dungeons. Both Night Fae (particularly Guardian Faerie and Soulshape) or Necrolord (particularly Fleshcraft) are also solid options for additional survivability.
Tier Set
No change to the tier set from Season 3.
You will continue to use it. While the tokens will only drop from the Fated Sepulcher of the First Ones, any Fated items obtained from all 3 of the raids or Mythic+ can be converted at the Creation Catalyst to their respective tier item. Aim to upgrade the highest item level pieces in each slot to obtain your 4-set bonus ASAP.
Talents and Playstyle
No change to talent choices or playstyle.
Patch 9.2.7 Sources
Most of these are just a summary from news posts made by Icy Veins and Wowhead.
- Season 4 Announcement - (source)
- Icy Veins Season 4 overview - (source)
- Wowhead Shrouded First Look - (source)
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