First and foremost this set needs to get a clear image in regard of what it should be used for… (in my opinion it’s the Meteor skill). Once that’s been dealt with it all comes down to mechanics. A good set should provide necessary damage, smooth mechanics that won’t piss you off with overcomplicated hurdles and, obviously, offer defensive power as well. Given how recent set reworks went, there should be mobility included in some ways - not saying I approve of that, it’s simply a fact. As they won’t rework Teleport itself we need other methods - baked into the set. Because someone decided to add more weapons, offhands and whatnot with multipliers which in return limits gearing options. Because DPS is pretty much everything in the end.
Now as for Tal Rasha, I would say that we have two main distinct features here:
Meteor (automatic)
multiple (four) elements
Looking at Nilfur boots, the old/new (2) piece buff, the Meteor % on Tals offhand and the comments in the PTR notes it should be obvious that it boils down to Tal Rasha being our Meteor set.
With that in mind, redesin the set in a way that makes Meteor viable, adds mobility, offers enough defense AND IS NOT GIMPED BY DESIGN.
So, that being said… Meteor getting two 2H staffs clearly isn’t helping at all unless we will be allowed to use a staff and a source. Not to mention the recent changes to DMO… that set getting Meteor added for real on top of more DR and greatly improved mobility? Nope, isn’t helpful either, especially if you leave Tal Rasha in the dust.
It’s even worse, Tal Rasha (2) is now fully working inside DMO which makes the Tal Rasha rework an utter fail if the set should be our Meteor set. Sorry to be this blunt, but it’s the painful truth.
My first step would be either scrapping Smoldering Core as a Meteor item and create a new 1H item for Meteor… or, as already mentioned, make it so that TR6 allows us to wear a 2H staff and an offhand. Then increase Meteor % on the Tal Source and maybe even add an additional Meteor % affix on all TR items except the chest piece.
The next move would be to bake in a mechanic that makes SoJ a really powerful ring when comined with Tal Rasha. Like “Each of your static elemental damage bonus now works on every damage type, regardless of the actual element”… let’s say you have 70% elemental damage (Amulet, Bracer, SoJ, Enchantress skill), then this would mean a 1.7x1.7x1.7x1.7= x8.35 multiplier on all damage.
Then do something with Elemental Exposure passive and the source (Primordial Soul) that buffs it. Primordial Soul needs at least 20-25% per stack. How about Tal Rasha spreading an Elemental Exposure Aura depending on your stack level? Just a random thought, though…
Another annoying factor of Meteor is that we need a way to gather up targets and then hit them with a hammer (aka Meteor)… so create a fast clearing build. I would use our second outer space skill… aka Black Hole, and sadly that one has no useful item support and pestered with a long cooldown. You could very well have a mechanic that drops a Black Hole on every Meteor cast and then repeats Meteor after Black Hole expires. That second Meteor could be a Molten Impact Meteor Shower with the effect of every rune… for more area of effect and damage. I want to be able to let Armageddon rain down on the hordes of hell.
As for damage reduction. Well, that seems to be a simple matter of figures. Tying it to a stack mechanic is okay, but it has to be strong enough (like 20% DR per stack or an equivalent amount of all resistances)… but they could very well grant an automatic equipped Energy Armor in addition to all resistances. That would be a really strong defensive power that also offers some offensive potential (+6% crit chance through Pinpoint Barrier rune)
The problematic part is mobility. Not sure if I want another Teleport unlock since Teleport offers NOTHING but Calamity (Arcane) inside a Tal Rasha setup. I made the suggestion to change Wave of Force in a way that casting Wave of Force teleports you before releasing its shock wave. This would essentially mean to have unlocked a quasi-Teleport/Calamity skill at the expense of 25 AP per cast - but with more variety in terms of elements, e.g. Heat Wave creates a fire element Teleport. Not to mention you won’t need that obnoxious wand and loose damage! It’s pretty charming if you ask me, but I would also be fine with something that grants movement speed based on stacks and allows to walk through enemies unhindered. No matter what, mobility is a must.
Finally the decision has to be made whether the set should still be buffing all damage or be limited to Meteor. If it’s all damage, then they need to up it quite a bit, but even then Meteor still needs some extra buff on top of that. Otherwise they can go wild, but that will likely piss of those who want to play Tal Rasha with Explosive Blast, Arcane Orb or whatever else might be worth a shot.
TLDR: much to do
If the Tal Rasha set and the related items go live as-is, then it’s DOA no matter what.