The Warrior is a plate class without a single spell: it lives on Rage, which it generates itself by hitting things. It is easy to pick up, but squeezing the maximum out of Arms and Protection is another matter: both specs demand a feel for cooldowns and for the resource.
Specializations
| Spec | Role | Artifact | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arms | Melee, damage | Strom'kar, the Warbreaker | Strength → haste ≈ crit → versatility → mastery |
| Fury | Melee, damage | Warswords of the Valarjar | Strength → haste → crit → mastery → versatility |
| Protection | Tank | Scale of the Earth-Warder | Stamina → haste → versatility → mastery → crit |
The stat priority is a guideline for 7.3.5. The exact order depends on your talents and legendaries, so check the final answer with a sim.
Arms
- A two-hander and a measured rhythm: you bank Rage and spend it in windows under Colossus Smash.
- Key buttons: Mortal Strike, Colossus Smash, Execute below 20% target health.
- Watch the Colossus Smash debuff before anything else: everything strong has to land inside that window.
- Do not bank Rage for nothing — capping the resource is pure lost damage.
Fury
- Two two-handers in your hands and the fastest tempo of any Warrior spec: Rage pours in like a river and you barely need pauses.
- Key buttons: Bloodthirst for Rage and Rampage as the main dump.
- Watch Enrage: outside that buff you hit noticeably weaker, which is why Rampage gets pressed often.
- The spec scales heavily with haste and with AoE, but it reacts painfully to pauses in combat.
Protection
- An active tank: survivability rests not on block "by itself" but on abilities pressed at the right moment.
- Key buttons: Shield Slam, Shield Block against physical damage, Ignore Pain as a shield against magic and big hits.
- Watch your Rage before anything else: you need it not for damage but to keep Shield Block and Ignore Pain from running out.
- Pulling packs in Mythic+ goes through Thunder Clap and Charge; holding threat on the targets is easy.
Legendary items
- Ayala's Stone Heart — a ring, free Executes in any phase of the fight. The best one for Arms, useful for the others as well.
- Archavon's Heavy Hand — gloves for Arms: Mortal Strike refunds Rage.
- Kazzalax, Fujieda's Fury — a cloak for Fury: Bloodthirst stacks a buff to your damage and to the healing you receive.
- Valarjar Berserkers — legs for Fury, Rampage crits refund Rage.
- Thundergod's Vigor — a belt for Protection: Thunder Clap reduces the cooldown of Demoralizing Shout.
The all-purpose Prydaz, Xavaric's Magnum Opus and Sephuz's Secret suit every spec and can be worn without worry until the spec-specific ones drop.
Class Order Hall
The Warrior order hall is Skyhold, floating above the Halls of Valor in Stormheim. You get there at level 98 when the class calls you in, and from then on it is your base: the artifact forge, champion missions, turning in Artifact Power and a portal master to any zone of the Broken Isles.
Tips for newcomers
- Level one artifact all the way up: Artifact Knowledge on 7.3.5 is so high that a second spec catches up in a single evening.
- Keep Charge and Pummel on separate, convenient keys — interrupts and mobility decide more in Mythic+ than a few extra percent of damage.
- Do not chase ilvl blindly: a strong legendary and the right stats are often worth more than a couple of item levels.