Warrior Builds
Updated
Talents, priorities and stats for Protection, Fury and Arms. The beta only went up to level 30, so this page shows only what Icy Veins and Wowhead agree on.
Beta data · 3 specs · Updated after Nov 4–5
Specs and roles
| Spec | Role | PvE tier | Key point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protection | Tank | A | Rage from blocks, dodges and parries with a shield |
| Fury | Damage | A | Two weapons, damage to several targets |
| Arms | Damage | B | Two-handed weapon; a more PvP-oriented tree |
Tiers come from the beta tier list. The talent tables show only what Icy Veins and Wowhead agree on; each spec says where they differ.
Protection: tank
Protection holds threat with Rage: its talents give Rage on blocks, dodges and parries with a shield. With Vanguard, Charge works in Defensive Stance, so you keep your Rage between pulls.
| Talent | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Shield Specialization | 5 | Block chance and Rage on block |
| Improved Revenge | 3 | +60% Revenge damage |
| Improved Thunder Clap | 3 | Thunder Clap costs 6 less Rage |
| Master of Defense | 2 | 5 Rage on a dodge or parry with a shield |
| Vanguard | 1 | Charge in Defensive Stance |
| Improved Rend | 3 | Rend damage; an Arms tree talent |
| Defiance | 3 | More threat in Defensive Stance with a shield |
Icy Veins and Wowhead agree; Icy Veins recommends Defiance for dungeons. They differ elsewhere: Icy Veins adds Improved Bloodrage and Cruelty, Wowhead adds Last Stand. For dungeons at the cap, both recommend Focused Rage: cheaper attacks.
- 1Opening
Charge and Bloodrage; Battle Shout if you are the only Warrior in the group.
- 2Shield Block
On cooldown.
- 3Revenge
Every time it procs.
- 4Thunder Clap and Demoralizing Shout
Keep them up on the enemies.
- 5Sunder Armor
5 stacks on a boss.
- 6Heroic Strike
Only with spare Rage; Cleave against a group.
TipDo not switch stances with a full Rage bar: switching burns it. Execute requires leaving Defensive Stance. Both sources rank hit highly: a miss gives no damage, no Rage and no threat.
Fury: damage
Fury fights with two weapons. The off-hand has a 19% hit penalty: on the beta the total miss chance reached 27% (Icy Veins), so Furious Precision is a must. In Forever, Enrage triggers from any hit you take, not only from crits (Wowhead).
| Talent | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cruelty | 5 | +5% crit |
| Unbridled Wrath | 5 | A chance for extra Rage on hit |
| Furious Precision | 3 | +10% off-hand hit |
| Dual Wield Specialization | 5 | Off-hand damage and Rage |
| Death Wish | 1 | +20% physical damage for 30 seconds, but +5% damage taken; 3-minute cooldown |
Icy Veins and Wowhead agree. They differ: Icy Veins adds Piercing Howl and one point in Lingering Rage, Wowhead adds two points in Lingering Rage. Bloodthirst is the last talent of the tree; you reach it after level 40.
- 1Battle Shout
Always up.
- 2Death Wish
On cooldown, after pooling Rage.
- 3Overpower
Whenever it is available.
- 4Execute
On a target with low health.
- 5Heroic Strike or Cleave
Spend spare Rage.
TipImproved Cleave from older guides is not in the game: Blizzard removed it from Fury on Oct 2, and it is missing from the Icy Veins and Wowhead calculators too. Icy Veins and Warcraft Tavern rank hit and crit above Strength.
Arms: damage
Arms plays around a two-handed weapon, Rend and Overpower. Mortal Strike is the last talent of the tree, so until level 40 your main Rage spender is Spearing Strike. On the beta tier list Arms deals less damage than Fury.
| Talent | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Improved Rend | 3 | Rend damage |
| Improved Overpower | 2 | +50% Overpower crit chance |
| Improved Tactical Mastery | 5 | More Rage kept when switching stances; the path to Anger Management |
| Anger Management | 1 | 1 Rage every 3 seconds in combat |
| Deep Wounds | 3 | A bleed after a crit |
| Spearing Strike | 1 | A cheap strike, stronger against giants and dragonkin |
| Two-Handed Weapon Specialization | 3 | Damage with a two-hander |
| Sweeping Strikes | 1 | Your next 5 attacks also hit a nearby target |
Icy Veins and Wowhead agree. They differ: Icy Veins takes Deflection, Wowhead takes Improved Heroic Strike and Impale. Both spend the Legacy Talented points on Bloodthrill: Icy Veins all 5, Wowhead 3, with 2 into Two-Handed Weapon Specialization. Hits on a target with Rend sometimes enable Overpower.
- 1Battle Shout
Always up.
- 2Rend
Keep it on the target.
- 3Overpower
As soon as it is available.
- 4Sunder Armor
Up to 5 stacks.
- 5Spearing Strike
Your main Rage spender before Mortal Strike.
- 6Group of enemies
Rend on all of them, Sweeping Strikes when Overpower is ready; pool Rage for its cooldown.
TipUse Slam right after your own swing and only when you are not being hit: otherwise the long cast gets pushed back (Wowhead). Spearing Strike and Bloodthrill are new Forever talents.
Questions
Does a tank Warrior need a shield in WoW Forever?
Yes. Shield Specialization and Master of Defense give Rage on blocks, dodges and parries only with a shield.
Fury or Arms for dungeons?
Fury: it is in tier A on the beta tier list, Arms is in B.
Is Improved Cleave in Forever?
No. Blizzard removed it from Fury on Oct 2. Builds that include it are out of date.
When will the full level 60 build be out?
After the Nov 4–5 launch: the beta only went up to level 30, and raids open on Dec 9. Then we will add the layout for all 51 points.
See also
Launch groups, guide questions and news — on the Gabella Discord.Open Discord