about to hit 90

[nsgid]

and once i hit 90, I was wondering what pieces of gear i should upgrade first with the burdens? helm,hands, boots, etc? Any specific pieces recommended?

[Deleted]

On most my alts, I only got one burden - the guaranteed drop from the fiery chest. Generally, I used them for helms, to make sure I got a meta gem and had the ilevel for the legendary meta-gem (i.e. 502+; even an upgraded 496 won't hold one) asap if I am aspiring for that. Helms also have a lot of stats (like chest and legs), so in raw stats they are good too for upgrading early.

[nsgid]

how long does it take to get the legendary meta gem? I'll be a healing priest btw.

[XDurionX]

I´d recommend upgrading off-Set items, like rings, belt etc. since you´ll replace 4/5 of the set slots as soon you´ll get to do lfr.

[nsgid]

I´d recommend upgrading off-Set items, like rings, belt etc. since you´ll replace 4/5 of the set slots as soon you´ll get to do lfr.

That's a very good point, thank you!

[Deleted]

I´d recommend upgrading off-Set items, like rings, belt etc. since you´ll replace 4/5 of the set slots as soon you´ll get to do lfr.

Yeah, but RNG is RNG. My 558 ilevel main has one piece of T16 (and a LFR one at that). I gave him a 535 helm - only this reset was it replaced (with an Ordos drop). Even if you are lucky enough to get 4 tier tokens "as soon as you get to do LFR", a 535 helm could well be the 5th slot you don't replace with 528 gear.

how long does it take to get the legendary meta gem?

It takes a long time: several months, I suspect. But if you are actually going to play on your priest - i.e. it will be the main character you will use to raid - then it makes sense to follow the quest chain. You'll get some of the grindy widgets you need along the way as you go thru LFR or harder difficulty raids. And it will be months until WoD comes out. The LMGs are totally worth it (just got the healing and sinister one for my alt priest recently).

[Ooshraxa]

how long does it take to get the legendary meta gem? I'll be a healing priest btw.

I recently dinged an alt to 90, with the express purpose of powering through to the legendary cloak before WoD launches.

If you have a full set of timeless gear (with one piece upgraded from the guaranteed burden) and an upgraded BoA staff, your ilevel will allow you to zone into every single LFR. So that's not an issue.

My experiences have been like this:
Two weeks to get 10 of each of the first sigils. Got the last of the sigils on the first reset day of the second week.
Run the first LFR's, they're very fast - and queues are still decent (at least in my battlegroup).
Honored with Black Prince is a breeze with the Thunder Isle mobs - round them up, go to town.

After getting the Sha drop, you arrive at the really annoying "pause" part: Three full weeks of valor capping. Unless you're lucky enough to get all of the sigils in one week, you're looking at 3½ weeks of maxxing valor, while you make sure to reach exalted with the Black Prince (might as well, you need it later on).

Then there's a bunch of stuff you need to do (couple of hour's work) but then you can start collecting secrets of the empire. You have 20 shots per week (12 ToT, 8 SoO) at getting them. Lei Shen and Sha of Pride both have guaranteed drops. Theoretically, you can get all 20 in one week - but I wouldn't count on it

After those drops and a small amount of work (if you're not a Night Elf, the Salyin Battle Banner allows you to solo the Nalak part) - you have your meta gem.

TL;DR:
Optimal: 5 weeks, but you'll have to have near-won-the-lottery luck with every single drop.
Realistic: 7-8 weeks, depending on how many secrets of the empire you get.

PS: Be prepared to roll your eyes. A LOT. LFR groups still have no idea what to do on Garalon

- - - Updated - - -

On most my alts, I only got one burden - the guaranteed drop from the fiery chest. Generally, I used them for helms, to make sure I got a meta gem and had the ilevel for the legendary meta-gem (i.e. 502+; even an upgraded 496 won't hold one) asap if I am aspiring for that. Helms also have a lot of stats (like chest and legs), so in raw stats they are good too for upgrading early.

If he has money (or a tailor + less money), the 522 crafted helm is an option. I usually upgrade my chest, because it has the most stat-bang for the buck.
I've been second guessing that decision, though, since Sha of Pride drops the set chest. Decisions, decisions!