Ranking the Nerub-ar Palace tier set looks from best to worst

With the second week of The War Within Season 1 upon us, it’s time to once again don our fashion critic helms and evaluate the looks of the Nerub-ar Palace tier sets. Each of the thirteen classes has a new ensemble, but thankfully they’re not all covered in cobwebs and a number of limbs that qualifies as “too many.” With four different raid difficulties as well as two PVP recolors, each class gets six different color schemes — be sure to check out the options across the spectrum for each look.

Whether you’re well on your way to completing your chosen tier set or you’re still leveling your way through Khaz Algar, feast your eyes on the newest pinnacle of fashion for each class. As always, I’ll dish out my opinions from top to bottom. Minor spoilers for The War Within story, as some of the sets reflect events that have transpired since the end of Dragonflight.

These sets are on fire (one of them literally)

I’ll readily admit to a mage-bias, given that I’ve been slinging Pyroblasts since I was a teenager trying out a new MMO. With that being said, the mage set is the clear winner. The arcane enthusiast community was hit especially hard by the destruction of Dalaran, but the Sparks of Violet Rebirth gives us a chance to look amazing while doling out some fiery/frosty/magenta revenge on Xal’atath and her minions. The embedded gems are a nice touch, the shoulders are fierce, and the eye-covering helm gives an air of inevitability to the mage’s impending victories.

Death Knights get the Exhumed Centurion’s Relics, a perfect fit for the frozen undead berserker on the go. There are a lot of great details, but my favorite is the chipping on the spikes that suggests a battle-hardened veteran ready for their next foe’s end. The Evoker ensemble, Destroyer’s Scarred Wards, gives us a vibrant reminder of Deathwing’s reign of terror. The cloak is unique, the boots scream “ready for adventure,” and the fiery shoulder effect is a can’t-miss.

Larger than life

My favorite part about the Paladin set, Entombed Seraph’s Radiance, is the way the wings on the spaulders move around — they seem to flow from the character themselves instead of the armor. With flared, aerodynamic lines and a helm that means business, this look brings the hammer down across all six recolors. Rites of the Hexflame Coven is the amazing Warlock ensemble which fell a tier in my book due to the bare-chested look. However it stays near the top due to an incredible helm as well as six ghostly arms that periodically give an arachnid flair that’s sure to at least confuse your enemies in Azj-Kahet.

I’m not a huge fan of most of the Demon Hunter set’s color iterations, but the red/gold/green PVP version of the Husk of the Hypogeal Nemesis hits it on the head. The vicious toe guards elevate the look, but the enormous horns give it staying power. I initially had the Priest set higher on my list, but each time I looked at the Shards of Living Luster I took the facial expression of the helm less seriously — now all I see is a concerned owl. However, I am drawn in by the cutting shoulder accents and find gold details.

These sets are sets

Kicking off the ‘just alright’ section of the Nerub-ar Palace wardrobe is Gatecrasher’s Fortitude, the Monk’s fur-lined look. It seems a bit out of place unless we head to an underground tundra later in the expansion, although the ensemble is slightly redeemed by the overpowering glow effects and the striking bull shoulderpads. Warriors will be donning the Warsculptor’s Masterwork, which would have scored higher if it didn’t take me so long to realize that the shoulder pieces are actually grumpy and bearded.

Druids have clearly impressed our new Arathi friends since their set is the Mane of the Greatlynx, which features ferocious felines and glowing kitty paws throughout. It’s another set that fell on my list the more I looked at it, this time because the mohawked headpiece began to look like a fierce cat superhero Halloween mask.

Fizzling out

Waves of the Forgotten Reservoir is the Shaman look, and I had it on the very top of my list when I thought that we were getting a floating elemental crystal above our heads. Finding out that it was actually a water-ponytail was the disappointment of the fashion season, and with no other redeeming features, Shamans find themselves on the bottom tier. Rogues will be wearing the K’areshi Phantom’s Bindings, which unflatteringly makes our sneaky allies look wider than they are tall. Some of the recolors work better than others, but the spikes look too much like feathers to my eye — the yellow-orange LFR set evokes a demon-haunted Big Bird seeking some stabby revenge.

The Lightless Scavenger’s Necessities for Hunters has elements that work, like the asymmetrical spaulders and an on-the-go bear trap. And yet the whole look lacks the gravitas that usually comes with tier sets. It looks like someone’s bad handwriting on a crafting order resulted in some Death Knight questing gear made out of mail by accident, and it ended up in the treasure hoards of Queen Ansurek to be plundered by hapless Hunters.

Alright, fashion critic helm doffed — each of these sets actually looks pretty amazing, especially given the fact that there are six color schemes to choose from. We’ll be spending the next few months with arachnophobia mode on while we seek to complete our wardrobes with these silky new outfits. Which ones are your favorites, and which would you gladly unravel into Weaverthread?