How both raiders and non-raiders can earn tier sets in patch 9.2 with the Creation Catalyst, now live!

With Shadowlands patch 9.2 we saw the return of class tiers sets with 5-piece armor sets for every class, featuring unique bonuses for your spec depending on how many pieces you have equipped. And more people than ever will be able to get and use this stylish gear, because tier sets come from more more sources than just raiding, rewarding PVPers and Mythic dungeoneers as well.

And starting today, the Creation Catalyst is live, allowing you to convert Shadowlands Season 3 pieces into tier pieces, which will help all players fill out their tier sets. So we may soon be seeing lots of players in tier gear.

So where do you get these new tier sets, and how long will it take to obtain all this gear? Let’s talk about how to get your tier set in patch 9.2.

Raiders will get tier tokens from the Sepulcher of the First Ones

At the beginning of the PTR, tier pieces dropped directly in the raid. Players complained, and Blizzard changed the gear pieces to tokens that can be used by multiple classes to get their tier pieces. This is great, because there’s nothing worse than getting a piece of gear for a Monk, and the Monk has all the gear they need, while the Rogues and Warriors are hurting for gear — the gear goes to waste and no one’s happy. Now the raid drops different types of Zenith token, so if the Zenith Chest Module — which can be used by Monks, Rogues, and Warriors — drops and the Monk is already decked out in their tier set, fighting over loot can commence, the way raiding was intended.

Tier set tokens drop from the following bosses in the Sepulcher of the First Ones:

• Hands: Lihuvim, Principle Architect
• Helm: Anduin Wrynn
• Legs: Halondrus the Reclaimer
• Shoulder: Lords of Dread
• Chest: Rygelon

On other difficulties these bosses are now all accessible, but like most raids, the bosses and wings for LFR featured a staggered release. In LFR, Lihuvim just became available March 22, and the other three — Anduin Wrynn, Lords of Dread, and Rygelon — are all ready to drop their tokens on April 5.

How to get patch 9.2 tier sets outside of Sepulcher of the First Ones

Get tier sets from the Great Vault

It’s time for the weekly reset on Tuesday (or Wednesday for Europeans). You’ve been raiding or running Mythic+ ad nauseum or grinding honor in rated PVP. When you go and check out the Great Vault you might have a piece of tier gear waiting for… or you may not, it’s not guaranteed. But now tier gear can be a reward in the Great Vault, and it doesn’t matter what activity you did for your Vault reward: you’ll always have a chance to get a tier set piece in the Vault. If you’re lucky (and again, don’t hold your breath), you could earn your 4-piece set bonus over four weeks without every stepping foot inside the Sepulcher of the First Ones.

Get tier set from the Creation Catalyst

If you’re unlucky with the Vault, there’s still another option: Shadowlands Season 3 gear, from all sources, can be converted into tier gear via the Creation Catalyst in Zereth Mortis. The Creation Catalyst is now live, so even the most casual player can start collecting your tier set — and unlucky players can fill in missing tier pieces that would just not drop. Initially, players will only be able to craft one piece per week. As patch 9.2 goes on, more will be allowed per week, letting everybody unlock their tier sets.

To craft a piece of tier gear, you’ll need to drop a piece of Season 3, non-tier gear into the Creation Catalyst window. The item keeps the same ilevel, but the stats will change to match the secondary stats of the tier gear. Any tertiary stats, like leech or gem sockets, will remain unchanged. Gear for slots without an equivalent tier piece — like cloaks, bracers, belts, and boots — can also be converted, so their stats better align with tier gear stats, but they will not become tier set items with tier bonuses. The currency used to convert gear is Cosmic Flux, which can be obtained from many different sources, including activities in Zereth Mortis, raiding, PVPing in rated arenas, and Mythic dungeons. This is also the currency needed to upgrade Legendaries, and you’ll need quite a bit of it if you want to craft a whole set.

How much Cosmic Flux do you need? The costs are as follows:

• Bracers: 600
• Cloak: 600
• Belt: 800
• Boots: 800
• Shoulders: 1,200
• Gloves: 1,200
• Helm: 1,500
• Chest: 1,500
• Legs: 1,500
• Upgrade Legendary: 2,000

So there you have it: every way to earn patch 9.2 tier set gear. Raiders will collect tokens, anyone participating in Season 3 content can check the Great Vault, and all players can spend Cosmic Flux at the Creation Catalyst. This may be the most open gearing system WoW has ever given us — and yet, is it enough? We’ll see how the system plays out after patch 9.2 has been live long enough for all of the catch-up mechanisms to unlock.

Originally posted March 3, 2022. Updated April 12, 2022.