Warrior guide for WoW Forever

The warrior is the melee class by definition: no mana, no pet and almost no self-healing (Forever adds Victory Rush). Everything revolves around rage, which builds up when you hit and get hit and is spent on abilities. That makes the warrior scale enormously with gear and turns the first few dozen levels into the hardest stretch in the game: with a poor weapon and little armour, every two-mob pull is a decision.

Arms (damage)

Two-handed damage. This is the spec of big, slow hits: a heavy weapon, Mortal Strike once you reach it and, in Forever, a Slam on a cooldown that fits the rotation better. It is the most comfortable tree for leveling because every hit matters and you do not depend on two weapons.

Fury (damage)

Dual-wield damage from level 20. It lives off crit thanks to Flurry and punishes misses, since wielding two weapons adds an extra 19% miss chance. It is the tree for dungeons and buffed groups; solo it struggles more until you own two decent weapons.

Protection (tank)

Shield tank. It builds threat with Sunder Armor and survives with defense, dodge, parry and block. It is the most sought-after spec from the very first dungeons and the one that deals the least damage solo, so almost nobody levels with it from start to finish.

On September 30 Blizzard published its Forever class deep dive for the priest and the warrior. These are the changes you will notice most as a warrior, in our own words. Blizzard warned that everything could keep changing during the beta, and acknowledged that rage generation in the beta had bugs whose cause it was still tracking down; it said finding it could take a couple of weeks.

• Rage from taking damage: it is calculated ignoring your armour (as if you always had 50% damage reduction) and ignoring absorbs, so wearing more armour or receiving a Power Word: Shield no longer costs you rage.
• Rage from dealing damage: it depends on the speed of the weapon you hit with, and crits give extra rage again. The deep dive spoke of 75% more than a normal hit; the October 1 notes raise it to 100%.
• Tactical Mastery becomes a baseline ability at level 14 (you keep 10 rage when you change stances), and the Arms talent Improved Tactical Mastery raises that up to 25. Victory Rush arrives at level 20: after killing a non-trivial enemy you have 20 seconds to use an instant attack that scales with attack power and heals you for 10% of your maximum health, on a 30-second cooldown.
• Recklessness, Retaliation and Shield Wall no longer share a cooldown, and the last two drop to 15 minutes.
• Rend and Thunder Clap scale much more with attack power, and Thunder Clap can now be used in Defensive Stance (with a 6-second cooldown and less threat). Sunder Armor applies even if the target has a stronger Expose Armor, and its threat scales with attack power. Battle Shout gives less attack power, because both factions now have shamans and paladins, but it already includes the Improved Battle Shout effect.
• Arms: Weaponmaster replaces the four weapon specializations (axes and polearms give crit, maces and staves ignore part of the armour and swords can grant an extra attack). With Bloodthrill, your main-hand hits on an enemy with your Rend can activate Overpower. Improved Slam moves to row 6 of Arms, costs 2 points and stops Slam from delaying your auto-attack. Spearing Strike (16-point milestone) dismounts the target and deals double damage to mounted targets, dragons and giants.
• Fury: Bloodthirst no longer heals; it now gives 10% movement speed for 10 seconds, and Precision raises hit. In the deep dive, Raging Blows (16-point milestone) made Whirlwind hit with both weapons and Dual Wield Specialization also granted off-hand hit; the October 1 notes rework that part of Fury, as you will see in the changes section. Death Wish now increases the damage you take instead of lowering your armour and resistances.
• Protection: Vanguard (16-point milestone) lets you use Charge in Defensive Stance; Bastion (row 5) raises your damage with a shield and Focused Rage (row 6) makes your offensive abilities cheaper. Shield Specialization gives 5 rage on block instead of 1, Master of Defense gives rage when you dodge or parry with a shield and Defiance only raises threat with a shield equipped.

Blizzard still sees the warrior as the master of melee combat, with a strength no other melee class has: sustained damage to several melee targets at once. It lacks easy tools to recover after taking too much damage, though. Talents, Legacy talents included, are changed at your class trainer in a capital city, and dual specialization arrives at level 40. Read our summary of the deep dive or Blizzard's official article.

Blizzard's November 2 notes, published for the launch, tune the warrior once more. For the whole class, Defensive Stance raises threat by 80% (was 30%) and Slam has a 15-second cooldown (was 18). In Arms, Improved Tactical Mastery is now a 3-point talent that retains 5/10/15 additional rage when changing stances (was 5 points), Two-Handed Weapon Specialization grants 2/4/6% more damage with a two-handed weapon (was 1/2/3%), Bloodthrill is a 2-point talent with a 10/20% chance to activate Overpower (was 5 points) and Improved Slam cuts Slam's cooldown by 2.5/5 seconds. In Fury, Enrage moves to row 3 and Gore Drinker to row 5, now connected to Blood Craze; neither talent generates threat when it restores health, and Blood Craze no longer activates while you sit. Booming Voice also makes Piercing Howl cheaper, the new Reckless Swings (row 4, 1 point) gives 5 extra rage on your next 4 melee attacks at the cost of 25% of your base health, the new Improved Whirlwind (row 6, 2 points) shortens Whirlwind's cooldown and raises its damage to the closest enemy, Flurry is now a 3-point talent for 10/20/30% attack speed (was 5 points), and Death Wish is no longer needed for Flurry but for Bloodthirst. In Protection, Defiance raises threat by 7/13/20% (was 5/10/15%). Finally, Victory Rush showed the wrong damage in its tooltip; that is fixed.

Build 1.60.1.70170, from October 1, and an entry Blizzard added to its notes that same night (Warrior Updates in Today's Beta Build) are a thorough warrior revision. For the whole class: crits with basic attacks generate 100% more rage (the first notes said 75%), Rend and Sunder Armor tap the enemy to you instantly, queueing Heroic Strike no longer raises off-hand hit, and a bug that made Dual Wield Specialization grant its hit to both weapons is fixed. In Arms, Spearing Strike no longer requires a two-handed weapon, but it does require Battle Stance.

Fury is the tree that changes most. According to Blizzard, the aim is to give it utility and choices early in the tree for leveling, instead of making you spend points in Enrage to reach Flurry. The notes remove Improved Cleave and Boundless Rage and add three talents: Lingering Rage, which delays rage decay after leaving combat; Furious Precision, more off-hand hit; and Gore Drinker, which makes your next attacks heal you after using Enrage, Berserker Rage, Bloodrage, Death Wish or Bloodthirst. Flurry no longer requires Enrage (and since November 2 it no longer requires Death Wish either). Whirlwind always strikes with both weapons without spending a point, Raging Blows now makes Cleave and Whirlwind cheaper, Booming Voice also makes your shouts cheaper, Unbridled Wrath no longer gives double rage with two-handers, Blood Craze no longer triggers from Bloodthirst, Bloodthirst scales more with attack power and Berserker Rage is learned at level 30 instead of 32. In Protection, with players without a shield in mind, Toughness is removed and Iron Will (moving over from Fury), Improved Bloodrage, Improved Revenge, Improved Disarm and Improved Shield Bash move up a row.

A warning: the game client data we build the talent calculator from still shows the previous tree, with Boundless Rage, Toughness and Iron Will in Fury, so you will not see this revision there yet.

Before all this, the build 1.60.1.70009 notes documented only five warrior changes, and it looked like one of the classes that moves the least from Classic. Blizzard's September 30 class deep dive, summarised in the previous section, showed that was not the case. What changed in that build pointed mostly one way: giving Arms a real rotation.

The key change for anyone leveling as Arms is Slam. In Classic it was a 1.5-second cast with no cooldown that hardly anyone used in melee; in Forever it gets a cooldown (18 seconds on October 1, 15 since November 2), and Improved Slam, besides shortening the cast, cuts that cooldown by 2.5 or 5 seconds. On top of that comes Bloodthrill, a new Arms talent that used to trigger 2-10% of the time in the beta then triggered 4/8/12/16/20% of the time and, since November 2, is a 2-point talent that triggers 10/20% of the time, only from main-hand attacks. The result is that Arms has something to do besides waiting for Mortal Strike to come back.

For Protection, the September 24 notes announced that Bastion (a Forever talent) and Focused Rage were swapping rows so Focused Rage would come earlier. However, both the game client and the September 30 class deep dive place Bastion on row 5 and Focused Rage on row 6, so for now Focused Rage does not come earlier. And for the whole class, Sunder Armor gets its threat values corrected on every rank plus a small attack power increase: fewer surprises when tanking with the low ranks.

Recommendation: Arms from 10 to 60, with a detour into Fury only if you always play in a group. Arms uses a two-handed weapon, the easiest thing to keep upgraded while leveling (quest rewards and dungeon blues), and with the Slam and Bloodthrill changes it has the most complete rotation of the three trees on the way up. Dual-wield Fury shines with two good weapons and group buffs, but solo it misses too much until you have hit on your gear. Protection only if you plan to tank dungeons back to back: tanking is the fastest way to find a group and the slowest way to clear quests.

Recommended talent order, broadly:

• From 10 to 20, the Arms talents that raise damage and rage: this part of the tree has no hard decisions, and the 16-point milestone (new in Forever, with two class presets if you would rather not think about it) arrives around level 25-26.
• Take Improved Slam as soon as you use Slam regularly: up to 5 seconds less cooldown shows on every pull.
• Max Bloodthrill before heading down to Mortal Strike if your weapon is slow; it is where you get the most extra damage per point in the beta. Keep Rend on the target: it only triggers against enemies afflicted by your Rend.
• From 40 you can spread into Fury for Flurry if your crit is already decent; according to the November 2 notes, Flurry no longer requires Enrage or Death Wish. Switching trees cost only 1 silver during the beta; at launch, check what it costs at your trainer before you experiment.

Pacing tips for Forever:

• No level scaling: zones keep their fixed level. If a quest is orange, drop it and come back two levels later; the warrior is the class that benefits most from this.
• Dungeon quests: since October 1 they give half the extra experience they used to give on top of a normal quest. Go in for the loot and the mobs, not just the quests.
• Spend your Legacy Points (16 per character at launch) if this is your main: Well Rested, the example perk Blizzard has shown, gives more rested experience, which is time you do not spend fighting four wolves at once.
• Use the campsite: the basic campfire sets up vendors and repairs, and other players can craft you up to three objects with one-hour buffs. Repair before every dungeon, because a warrior wears plate down quickly.
• Dungeon blues are your real damage upgrade. Shadowfang Keep (22-30) and the Scarlet Monastery (34-45) are the two mandatory stops; the full list is below.

For both damage trees, the weapon rules: each point of two-hander DPS is worth about 6.5 strength, and for Arms slow weapons are rewarded because Mortal Strike and Slam deal weapon damage. Then come strength (1 strength = 2 attack power), hit and crit, which weighs more for Fury thanks to Flurry. In Classic the melee hit cap against bosses was 9%; Blizzard has not said what it is in Forever, where hit is one stat for spells, melee and ranged, and so is crit (Blizzard's Deep Dive Panel Recap). So hit on any piece works for you, and Blizzard points out it also makes your Taunt more reliable.

Protection flips the order: stamina as the base, defense above it because every point adds avoidance and reduces crits taken, then dodge, parry and block. Armour weighs enough that mail and plate always beat leather, and strength only counts for threat.

At level 30, the beta's last cap, the warrior still leans on Blacksmithing, though less than before: Arms and Fury equip three recipes (the veteran's helm and leggings and the Officer's Belt) and Protection another three (the protector's helm, the guard's leggings and the Sentinel's Belt). Both damage trees share the rest: the Avenger's Armor and Pugilist Bracers from Razorfen Kraul, the Ghostshard Talisman and The Frozen Clutch from the Scarlet Monastery, and the Viscous Hammer, a world drop, as the two-hander. Protection takes Ironspine's Ribcage, The Frozen Clutch, the Scarlet Boots and the Resplendent Guardian shield from the Scarlet Monastery; the Swinetusk Shank from Razorfen Kraul, and the Jimmied Handcuffs from The Stockade. The trinkets, and for the damage trees also the rings and the boots, come from the battleground supply officers; our list mixes both factions' versions, so get the one for yours.

On the way, the level-20 BiS is still a good stop: the veteran's Blacksmithing set, Cobrahn's Grasp from Wailing Caverns and The Axe of Severing from Shadowfang Keep for the damage trees, and the Rift Bracers, the Defias Renegade Ring and Doomspike for Protection.

Higher up, the Scarlet Monastery is the dungeon with the most BiS pieces for the class, 9 different items across the three trees (at level 40, the Raging Berserker's Helm, the Scarlet Leggings and the Aegis of the Scarlet Commander), followed by Razorfen Kraul and Blackrock Depths, with 3 each. Forever's new dungeons that are already playable, Hall of Thanes, Ruins of Lordaeron and Excavation Site, have no BiS-marked loot for the warrior in our data yet. The full list per dungeon is right below, and the BiS per level with alternatives per slot is on the warrior BiS page.

What it can wield. The warrior has the widest arsenal: in Classic it uses daggers, fist weapons, one- and two-handed axes, maces and swords, polearms and staves, and in the ranged slot bows, crossbows, guns and thrown weapons, which are for pulling. It carries a shield, learns dual wield at level 20 and learns the types it does not start with from a weapon master. Blizzard has not announced any change to this for Forever. As in Classic, every weapon type has its own skill, which rises with use up to 5 points per character level: with a newly learned type you will miss more for a while.

What our lists score. The types our warrior lists score are all of the above: one-handed axes, maces and swords, fist weapons, daggers, two-handed axes, maces and swords, polearms, staves, bows, guns, crossbows and thrown weapons. Arms only compares two-handers, Fury compares a two-hander against two one-handers, and Protection carries a one-hander with a shield. The weapon skill points some items carry add nothing to our score.

What changes in Forever. According to Blizzard's Deep Dive Panel Recap, weapon skill works as it always has, but items that grant it give less per piece so they are not always the obvious pick, and some items now reduce the chance for your attacks to be parried or dodged. From Blizzard's class deep dive, what weighs most on your weapon choice: rage from hitting depends on the weapon's speed, Weaponmaster replaces the four weapon specializations of Arms, and Unbridled Wrath gave 2 extra rage instead of 1 with a two-handed weapon, a perk the October 1 notes remove even though the game client still shows it. In the game client, Weaponmaster has five ranks: with all of them, axes and polearms give 5% crit, maces and staves ignore 15% of the target's armour and swords have a 5% chance to grant an extra attack.

Racials. In Classic, weapon racials were 5 points of skill with that weapon type; in Forever they are critical strike chance while you have it equipped, and they count for spells too:

• Human: Sword Specialization gives 2% crit with all spells and attacks while a one- or two-handed sword is equipped. Humans lose Mace Specialization.
• Orc: Axe Specialization gives 1% crit with all spells and abilities while a one- or two-handed axe is equipped.
• Dwarf: gains Mace Specialization, 1% crit with all spells and attacks while a one- or two-handed mace is equipped, and loses Gun Specialization.
• Troll: loses Bow Specialization and Throwing Specialization.

Night elves, gnomes, undead, tauren and the Skyborne have no weapon racial. The full comparison is in the best race for a warrior.

The warrior is the only class every race can play, including the Skyborne of both factions, the class's only new combination. The Skyborne start on Zephras Isle with their own level 1 to 12 adventure and, like every race in Forever, have two active and two passive racials; the beta notes did not give the specifics for a Skyborne warrior. Among the racials changed in the beta, the ones that touch the warrior are the weapon racials of humans, orcs, dwarves and trolls, covered in Weapons and weapon skill, and Eureka, the gnomes' new active racial: your next 3 non-periodic damaging abilities cost 10% less rage and deal 10% more damage (since October 1 it does not affect any periodic effect). Beyond that, pick by faction and looks: you will not feel the difference while leveling.

Mining + Blacksmithing is the obvious pairing for a warrior in Forever, and this time with data behind it: six of the level-20 BiS pieces and three of the level-30 ones, the beta cap, are Blacksmithing recipes. Forever adds more than 600 new recipes overall and every profession gains a passive bonus, so crafting your own gear stops being a luxury. Legacy also has its own Professions tree, although its perks are not detailed yet.

If you would rather make gold, Mining + Skinning sells well from day one and leaves Blacksmithing for later. First Aid is mandatory for a class with almost no heals, and Cooking is worth it because crafted food gives a small experience bonus. Each profession's leveling path is in the profession guides.

• Leveling with a shield from level 10. It is the slowest way to play a warrior. Carry the two-hander and switch to the shield only to tank dungeons.
• Neglecting the weapon. A warrior with a weapon five levels behind loses more than with any other piece. Check weapon quest rewards before anything else and run Shadowfang Keep for The Axe of Severing.
• Using Slam the Classic way. In Forever it has a 15-second cooldown: use it whenever it is up and let Improved Slam shorten it, do not save it.
• Skipping Sunder Armor while tanking. It is still your main threat tool: since build 70009 its values are corrected on every rank and, since the October 1 build, it taps the enemy to you instantly.
• Forgetting bandages. First Aid replaces food between pulls and costs nothing.
• Walking past the campsite. Repairing and receiving three one-hour buffs before a dungeon is free in Forever; take advantage on every run.
• Pushing orange quests. Without level scaling, two more levels change the outcome of every fight. Rotate zones instead of dying.
• Being afraid to respec. A reset cost 1 silver in the beta; at launch, check what it costs at your trainer, then try Fury at level 40 and go back to Arms if it does not convince you.