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Category:Warrior

Contents 1 Background 2 Introduction 2.1 Tanking 3 Which Races can be a Warrior? 3.1 Horde 3.1.1 Tauren 3.1.2 Orc 3.1.3 Undead 3.1.4 Troll 3.2 Alliance 3.2.1 Gnomes 3.2.2 Humans 3.2.3 Dwarf 3.2.4 Night Elf 3.2.5 Draenei 4 Resources 5 Warrior Abilities 5.1 Warrior talents 5.2 Unconfirmed Spells and Talents in Wrath of the Lich King 6 Specialisation 7 Essential Quests 7.1 The Affray 7.2 The Summoning 8 Endgame Roles 9 Starting Statistics 10 Strengths 11 Weaknesses 12 Further Warrior Reading & Resources

Background

Warriors have been ever-present across the battlefields of the WarCraft world. So long as wars are fought, foot soldiers are a necessity. Horde and Alliance alike all employ Warriors who comprise the majority of their forces. Their strength, characteristic heavy plate armour and weapon prowess make their presence known on the frontlines, where blows and blood are exchanged in a frightening fury. Experience in battle has hardened their bodies against damage and disciplined their minds to keep cool under pressure and rally their brethren to victory.

Introduction

Warriors are the melee-centered class. These characters are tough as nails and masters of weaponry and tactics. The special abilities of the Warrior are naturally combat-oriented. The Warrior is the ultimate toe-to-toe fighter with the most options available to him. Unlike other Warriors you might have played in other games, the Warrior of World of Warcraft has many different options and abilities to use during combat. - Blizzard Entertainment

The Warrior is the melee guru of WoW. They are adept at 'tanking' for a group and dealing back damage of their own with any one of their many weapon choices. Another tool of their trade are their shouts, which can temporarily buff their teammates and grant them a limited amount of crowd control. Different stances are available to suit any situation a Warrior may find themselves in, whether they're soloing or with a group. And lastly, a plethora of combat abilities are at their disposal that have a range of a effects from plain direct damage to stuns and damage over time. The World of WarCraft Warrior is definately a step in the right direction for melee classes of MMORPGs.

Tanking

A job that suits a Warrior well is "tanking". Tanking is the art of keeping foes attention on you instead of the other party members. This is done by using talents and skills the generate the most Threat. The Warrior has certain tools at his disposal, such as the talent "Taunt", which immediately focuses the selected foe's attention onto the warrior. This is essential while in a group with others, such as cloth-wearers, as they cannot take much damage. Tanks are designed to take great ammounts of damage, thanks to their plate armor and specialised skills.

Towards the higher levels, to be an efficient Tank, the Warrior might choose talents from the Protection tree. The talents and skills obtained from there are geared towards making the Warrior last as long as possible, by deflecting blows / adding to Stamina etc.

Warriors are not the only class capable of tanking; the other plate-wearers, Paladins, can be highly efficient at the task if specialised in tanking. Druids also have Bear form, which is again, highly suitable for a tanking role.

Which Races can be a Warrior?

Horde

Tauren

War Stomp - active
Activate to stun up to 5 opponents within 8 yards - lasts 2 sec - 2 min cooldown

Endurance - passive
Max Health increased by 5%

Cultivation - passive
15 skill bonus to Herbalism

Nature Resistance - passive
All Tauren get +10 Nature Resistance

Orc

Blood Fury - active
Increases base melee attack power by 25% for 15 sec and reduces healing effects on you 50% for 25 sec.

Hardiness - passive
25% resistance to stun and knockout effects.

Command - passive
Pet melee damage increased by 5%.

Axe Specialization - passive
Orcs get +5 to Axe and Two-Handed Axe Expertise.

Undead

Will of the Forsaken - active
Activate to become immune to Fear, Sleep, and Charm effects. Can also be used while already afflicted by Fear or Sleep - lasts 5 sec - 2 min cooldown

Cannibalize - active
Activate to regenerate 7% of total health every 2 sec. by consuming Humanoid or Undead corpses within 5 yds - lasts 10 sec - 2 min cooldown

Underwater Breathing - passive
Underwater breath lasts 300% longer than normal

Shadow Resistance - passive
All Undead get +10 Shadow Resistance

Troll

Berserking - active
Activate to increase attack and casting speed for 10 seconds. Speed is raised by 10% at full health, increasing as health is lost to a maximum bonus of 30%. 3 minute cooldown.

Regeneration - passive
Increase health regeneration bonus by 10%. Also allows 10% of normal health regen during combat.

Beast Slaying - passive
5% damage bonus to Beasts.

Throwing weapon specialization - passive
Increase Throwing Weapon skill by 5.

Bow specialization - passive
Increase Bow skill by 5.

Alliance

Gnomes

Escape Artist - active
Escape the effects of any immobilization or movement speed reduction effect - 1 min cooldown

Expansive Mind - passive
Increase Intelligence by 5%

Arcane Resistance - passive
All Gnomes get +10 Arcane Resistance

Engineering Specialist - passive
15 skill bonus to Engineering

Humans

Perception - active
Activate to dramatically increase stealth detection - Lasts 20 sec - 3 min cooldown

The Human Spirit - passive
Increase Spirit by 5%

Diplomacy - passive
10% bonus to faction point gain

Sword Specialization - passive
Humans get +5 to Sword and Two-Handed Sword Expertise

Mace Specialization - passive
Humans get +5 to Maces and Two-Handed Maces Expertise

Dwarf

Stoneform - active
While active, grants immunity to Bleed, Poison, and Disease effects. In addition, Armor increases by 10%. Lasts 8 sec. - 3 min cooldown

Gun Specialization - passive
Dwarves get +5 to Gun Skill

Frost Resistance - passive
All Dwarves get +10 Frost Resistance

Treasure Finding - passive
Activate to see treasure chests on mini map - lasts until canceled - no cooldown

Night Elf

Shadowmeld - active
Activate while immobile and out of combat to enter stealth mode - lasts until canceled - no cooldown

Quickness - passive
Dodge chance increased by 1%

Wisp Spirit - passive
Become a wisp when dead with movement speed increase of 50% (25% faster than normal ghost)

Nature Resistance - passive
All Night Elves get +10 Nature Resistance

Draenei

Gemcutting - passive
Jewelcrafting skill increased by 5.

Gift of the Naaru - active
Heals the target 50 + 15/Level over 15 sec - 40 yd range - 1.5 sec cast - 3 min cooldown

Inspiring Presence - passive (Mages/Priests/Shaman only)
Increases the chance to hit with spells by 1% for you and all party members within 30 yards.

Heroic Presence - passive (Hunters/Paladins/Warriors only)
Increases chance to hit by 1% for you and all party members within 30 yards.

Shadow Resistance - passive
Shadow Resistance increased by 10.

Resources

List of all the resources that Warriors can use (some training at Weapon Master might be required) and their primary stats.

Category	Usability	Notes
Resources
Health	Yes	Important to have as much as possible if tanking
Energy	No	N/A
Mana	No	N/A
Rage	Yes	Required for most of the Warrior's abilities
Primary statistics
Strength	Important	Adds to Attack Power and Block (Essential for Tanking)
Agility	Important	Adds to Crit chance, Armor and Dodge
Stamina	Important	Adds to Health (Essential for Tanking)
Intellect	Not Important	Not needed by Warriors ("What's Intellect, can I eat it?"), helps to speed up training of weapons slightly.
Spirit	Not Important	Spirit is not used by Warriors in general.
Other Bonuses	For Tanking	Armor, Defense, Dodge, Block Rating,
Other Bonuses	For Damage	Crit Rating, Attack Power,
Armor Types
Cloth	Yes	Not suitable for melee based combat, so not desirable for a Warrior
Leather	Yes	Less suitable than Mail or Plate for melee based combat
Mail	Yes	The Warrior's best choice of armor until level 40 when Plate is available
Plate	Yes	The armor of choice for Warriors over level 40
1-Handed Melee Weapons
1-Handed Axes	Yes	Can be used with a shield, or in both hands for dual-wield
Daggers	Yes
Fist Weapons	Yes
1-Handed Maces	Yes	Specialisation in the Arms tree can give your melee attacks a chance to stun the target for up to 3 seconds, and generate up to 6 Rage, when using a 2 handed Mace
1-Handed Swords	Yes	Specialisation in the Arms tree gives you up to a 5% chance to get an extra attack on the same target after dealing damage
2-Handed Melee Weapons
2-Handed Axes	Yes	Specialisation in the Arms Talent Tree can improve the chance to get a critical strike by up to 5%
2-Handed Maces	Yes	Specialisation in the Arms tree can give your melee attacks a chance to stun the target for up to 3 seconds, and generate up to 6 Rage, when using a 2 handed Mace
Polearms	Yes	Specialisation in the Arms Talent Tree can improve the chance to get a critical strike by up to 5%
Staves	Yes	Staves tend to be more for casters though
2-Handed Swords	Yes	Specialisation in the Arms tree gives you up to a 5% chance to get an extra attack on the same target after dealing damage
Ranged Weapons
Bows	Yes	Fairly low damage, useful for pulling
Crossbows	Yes	Fairly low damage, useful for pulling
Guns	Yes	Fairly low damage, useful for pulling
Thrown	Yes	Fairly low damage, useful for pulling
Wands	No	N/A
Class Specific
Idol	No	N/A
Libram	No	N/A
Totem	No	N/A
Offhand Equipment
Shields	Yes	A must for tanking.
Weapons	Yes	Can Dual-Wield, good for DPS spec

Warrior Abilities

Understanding the Rage Bar

Red is for Rage - Grrrr....! So just what is the rage bar? The red rage bar replaces the mana bar many of us are familiar with from almost all RPGs right under our health bar and functions in a different, almost reversed way. The basic principle is still the same, this is the pool you draw from to cast your spells and use your abilities. However, when a Warrior is at rest, the rage bar is empty. Rage is generated during combat by damage you cause, receive or block and there are also abilities that can raise your rage instantly, should you find yourself low in a tight situation.

Once rage is generated, you can then use this rage to activate your abilities just as you would use mana. After combat, rage will slowly fade to 0 and you'll have to build it back up again to continue using skills. Rage is instantly reset to 0 when switching stances, as well. Rage Tips

• When switching between stances, all accumulated rage is reset! Keep this in mind, plan ahead and choose your stance carefully so you don't have to start from scratch in mid battle!
• Rage slowly resets to 0 after battle so try to get back into combat quickly to keep up the momentum you gained from your last fight

Understanding Stances

Stances are a nifty feature of the Warrior that allow them to adapt to whatever play style they are in the mood for. Currently, there are three available: Battle, Defensive and Berzerker. Located above the action bar you'll find the button used to switch your stance. Each stance has i's own set of icons you can set for it, so you'll be ready with the skills you prefer for that stance when you switch to it. Stance Tips

• All accumulated rage is reset to 0 when switching stances, however stance switching in combat is a viable way to slay your foes. If you are say, in a group, you could begin attacking enemies in Battle Stance with DOT attacks like Rend, expend all rage you've acquired through direct damage attacks then switch over to Defensive Stance to begin tanking.
• Rage slowly resets to 0 after battle so try to get back into combat quickly to keep up the momentum you gained from your last fight.

Understanding Shouts

Shouts function much like Diablo II Barbarian Warcries. Once cast, these spells have a range of effects. They can temporarily buff you or your teammates, de-buff your enemies or allow you to control a crowd by drawing some or all monsters to you and away from your group. All shouts require rage. Shout Tips

• Keep your party buffed with Battle Shout if possible. Especially with other tanks in your group.

Understanding Combat Abilities

Combat Abilities function much like many Diablo II Barbarian Combat Skills and Paladin Combat Skills work. Some Combat Abilities are available all the time, most others are only available in certain stances.

Warrior talents

Each talent is assigned talent points which you gain when your character reaches a new level, starting at level 10. Each level after 10 you are assigned 1 talent point and you can then spend that point in o­ne of the trees. Some talents have prerequisites, so spend the point wisely.

The warrior class is one that can take a constant barrage of blows from a horde of enemies and keep on dealing out death to those who cross him. Warriors use their skill with a blade, cunning tactics, brute strength, and unbridled wrath to bring opponents to their knees. Every warrior has a different fighting style, from heaving giant axes to making devastating cuts with a cruel sword, but they all specialize in one field or another. Along with their chosen weapon of destruction come their chosen talents. Warrior talents can help them hit harder, last longer, attack faster, or get angrier. By choosing the right talents for your own personal style, you can become more powerful than you ever imagined.

Arms

The Arms mastery is one that will dramatically increase your damage dealt. Every ability in the Arms tree will give your opponents less time before you end their life. The Arms tree is closely tied with the Battle and Berserker Stances, but it can increase weapon damage in the Defensive Stance as well. For fighting alone against mobs of enemies, this master is a perfect choice. The best way to advance in the Arms mastery is to choose one weapon type you want to specialize in, and then put points into that weapon type and the special ability improvements. There are also three entirely new abilities, Sweeping Strikes, Mortal Strike, and Deep Wounds. All three will bring down anyone foolish enough to cross your path.

Protection

Bolster your defenses and skill with a shield by taking up the Protection mastery. A warrior customized in the Protection tree will take more punches and live much longer in battle. The Defensive Stance best accommodates the Protection mastery because it is geared toward the same combat style. For group-play, it is good to have at least a few points in this mastery. The majority of skill improvements for Protection are for the Defensive Stance skills, and are mostly for protecting a group. If you like to play the role of tank or defender, you are most suited for the Protection mastery.

Fury

Brave and fearless are those who undertake the Fury mastery. Warriors who specialize in the Fury mastery hold nothing back, assaulting their foes in a controlled frenzy of blows powerful enough to shatter any remaining fire in the eyes of your enemies. You will intimidate the sturdiest opponent as you unleash your wrath with this unique set of talents. Many of these talents will only activate after landing a critical strike, and will leave your target begging for mercy. The Fury mastery goes well with all combat stances, and will benefit anyone who chooses to customize their warrior with talents from that tree.

Here is a list of all the Warrior's skills.

Unconfirmed Spells and Talents in Wrath of the Lich King

Here is a list of spells and talents that are completely unconfirmed, but quoted from various sources on the net:

• Titan's Grip - Allows you to equip two-handed axes, maces and swords in one hand, but you attack 28/26/24/22/20% slower then normal

• Strength of Arms - Increases your Strength and total health by 1/2/3/4/5%.

• Shockwave - "Sends a wave of force in front of the warrior, causing ${$m3/100*$AP} damage (based on attack power) and stunning all enemy targets within 10 yards in a frontal cone for 4 sec. This ability causes a high amount of threat." [20 rage, 45 sec cooldown]

• Sword and Board - When your Devastate and Shield Slam abilities deal damage they have a 2/4/6/8/10% chance of refreshing the cooldown of your Shield Slam ability and reducing its cost by 100% for 5 sec.

• Safeguard - ,"Reduces damage taken by the target of your Intervene ability by 20/40/60% for 6 sec. In addition, your Charge, Intercept and Intervene abilities have a 33%/66%/100% chance to remove all movement impairing effects when used."

• Trauma - "Your normal melee critical strikes increase the effectiveness of Bleed effects on the target by 15/30% for 15 sec."

• Bladestorm - Instantly Whirlwind all nearby targets and for the next 4.5 sec you will perform a whirlwind attack every 1.5 seconds. While under the effects of Bladestorm, you can move but cannot perform any other attacks or abilities but you do not feel pity or remorse or fear and you cannot be stopped unless killed. [25 rage, cooldown: 90 sec]

• Stalwart Protector - You gain 1/2 rage every time you parry or dodge an attack.

• Furious Resolve - Reduces threat caused by attacks in Battle and Berserker Stance by 4/7/10% and increases your total Stamina by 1/3/5%.
• Mighty Blow - Inflicts normal damage plus $s1 to an enemy, knocking it back.

Specialisation

The main specialisation for Warriors is probably tanking/Protection Spec. To be an efficient tank, Warriors should choose items with as much Stamina, Strength, Defense, Armor, Block, and Dodge as possible. Enchantments can then be added to further boost stats on equipment, such as Enchant Bracer - Fortitude. Click here to read the earlier section on Tanking.

Essential Quests

For a full list of all Warrior specific quests, follow this list . However, there are some quests that require an extra bit of effort or skill and it helps to see how others have completed it. Some of these are listed below:

The Affray

Required for Beserker Stance, Level 30

The Summoning

Leads to the end of Chain quest Whirlwind Weapon, where you get to choose your reward of either [Whirlwind Axe], [Whirlwind Sword] or [Whirlwind Warhammer].

Endgame Roles

Because of the Warrior's natural ability to protect himself by using plate armor and a shield, the majority of Warriors choose to go Protection spec, and act as tanks in endgame raids and instances. However, many Warriors opt for a different option, to "Go DPS". Instead of building up on Defense/Armor/Stamina, they choose Stength/Agility/+Crit Chance to make themselves hit as hard as possible, at the cost of health points and damage mitigation. A fully DPS geared Warrior is a force to be reckoned with, but the need for such a role has been questioned. Warriors will rarely beat a similarly-geared Mage or a Rogue in terms of damage caused, although they do have their benefits; as well as dealing a nice amount of damage, a DPS Warrior could step in as an off-tank if needed (a Mage or Rogue wouldn't last long in the same situation!). This topic is the cause of many a heated debate on the Warrior forums, and probably will be for years to come.

Starting Statistics

Attributes	Dwarf	Gnome	Human	Night Elf	Orc	Tauren	Troll	Undead	Draenei
Strength	25	18	23	20	26	28	24	22	24
Agility	16	23	20	25	17	15	22	18	17
Stamina	25	21	22	21	24	24	23	23	21
Intellect	19	24	20	20	17	15	16	18	21
Spirit	19	20	21	20	23	22	21	25	22
Armor	34	53	47	57	36	32	51	43	36
Melee Attack	1	1	6	1	6	1	1	1	1
Power	33	19	29	23	35	39	31	27	31
Damage	9-12	3-6	4-7	4-7	10-13	11-14	5-8	4-7	9-12
Ranged Attack	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	6	N/A	N/A
Power	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	25	N/A	N/A
Damage	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	4-7	N/A	N/A
Armor
Cloth	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Leather	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Mail	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Shield	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X

Class Skills	Gnome	Dwarf	Human	Night Elf	Orc	Tauren	Troll	Undead	Draenei
Arms	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Weapon Skills
Axes	X		X		X	X	X
Daggers		X		X			X	X
Defence	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Maces	X	X	X	X		X			X
Swords		X	X	X	X			X	X
Thrown							X
2-Handed Axes	X					X
2-Handed Maces						X
2-Handed Swords								X	X
Unarmed	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Can Learn (at a Weapon Master)
Guns	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Staves	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Crossbows	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Bows	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Polearms	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X

Strengths

• The warrior can take a lot of punishment, which while good in itself, also means that there is more chance of him escaping safely from mobs.
• The warrior does not need to recharge anything other than his health, and he is ready for battle.
• The warrior can control crowds by taunting.
• The warrior excels as a close combat tank, being able to take more punishment that other melee classes.
• The warrior has a series of shouts which help all nearby party members.
• The warrior is designed for taking o­n more than o­ne enemy simultaneously if needs must.
• The warrior can use the toughest and strongest armour.

Weaknesses

• The warrior has to expend lots of saved up points to obtain a ranged attack (e.g bow).
• The warrior has a hard time "pulling" specific creatures, due to his close combat nature.
• The warrior has to build rage to use his best abilities.
• The warrior cannot output as much damage as some other classes (such as mage or rogue).
• The warrior abilities are all focused o­n close combat fighting.

Further Warrior Reading & Resources

• Forum to talk with other Warriors
• Warrior Skills
• Warrior Talents
• List of Warrior Trainers
• Quests for Warriors
• Warrior Item Sets
• Warrior Guides
• Warrior UIs/Mods
• Warrior Patch History