Protection Warrior Beginner's Guide

This is intended to be a simple guide to the basic rotation and dynamics of the spec that gets you up and running without requiring more advanced optimization.

Information on hero talents will be coming soon, but in general know that overall they add a minor layer on top of how each spec plays, and most of what’s here should be applicable regardless.

As a Protection Warrior you’ll use a one-handed weapon and a shield.

Talent Build #

This is a simplified talent build designed to avoid complex interactions and skip unnecessary abilities. While not optimal in all cases, it should be a great way to get started learning the spec and should work reasonably well in world content, delves, dungeons, and raids. Abilities and talents not chosen in this build are not described here, and the rotation information assumes you’ll be using the build.

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Resources #

Rage – Warrior’s main resource. You’ll gain rage whenever you auto-attack, are attacked by an enemy, or when you use certain abilities like Charge or Avatar. Your rage will then drain slowly over time. You’ll spend rage on Shield Block and Ignore Pain for mitigation, or Revenge for damage. Try to keep your rage from staying full so you can benefit from further rage generation, though this will sometimes be difficult to do in practice.

Stances #

Protection warriors should be in Defensive Stance most of the time, but can use Battle Stance to help squeeze in some damage if there’s no risk of dying. Just make sure to swap back to Defensive Stance afterwards.

Core Abilities #

Shield Slam – Spends rage for minor single target damage on a short cooldown. Through Heavy Repercussions will extend your active Shield Block each time its used, and through Punish will provide stacking damage reduction from the target for a short time. These effects mean you should be using Shield Slam whenever possible, both offensively and defensively.

Shield Block – Spends rage to provide melee damage reduction for a short time, on a short cooldown and has two charges. Has its duration extended with each Shield Slam use. Should be used to keep the buff active, though note that the effect doesn’t stack so to maximize uptime you’ll want to wait until the buff is almost off to reactivate it.

Ignore Pain – Spends rage to provide a stacking damage absorb. Should be used liberally while damage is expected or to prevent rage from filling up.

Revenge – Spends rage for decent area damage in front of you and applies Deep Wounds to the targets. Will occasionally become free to use and should be prioritized if it does. Otherwise use this whenever you aren’t in danger and are filling up on rage.

Rend and Thunder Clap – Rend applies a DoT to a single target, and Thunder Clap applies the same DoT to surrounding enemies (while also applying a minor slow). For simplicity you can just always use Thunder Clap to apply it, but try to keep the DoT up on enemies continously. While it doesn’t directly provide damage mitigation the DoT will help you keep threat on enemies you’re not directly attacking so it’s important to keep active.

Damage Cooldowns #

Avatar – 1.5m cooldown. Grants a 20% damage buff for 20s. Immovable Object will also activate Shield Wall regardless of cooldown when its used, providing damage reduction.

Effects #

These are some of the more notable effects, interactions, and passive talents that you should be aware of. It’s not covering effects (even if they’re very strong) that provide flat bonuses or that don’t require much thought to use, and it only includes those used in our recommended build.

Mastery: Critical Block – Greater chance to block, and gives a chance to critically block for twice the damage reduction. Also provides an attack power increase. More mastery points increase each of these effects.

Indomitable and Fueled by Violence – These provide passive healing through spending rage and dealing damage with Deep Wounds. You shouldn’t need to think about this too actively but generally know that the more active you are in your rotation the more passive healing you’ll get.

Battle-Scarred Veteran – A passive emergency defensive that give substantial damage reduction and increased healing when you drop below 30% health. The effect has a 3m cooldown. Since you can’t control its use you shouldn’t need to think much about it, but try to be aware of when it’s available or not so you know if you need other measure to survive in a pinch.

Defensives / Sustains #

Shield Wall – 40% damage reduction on a 3m cooldown. Gains a second charge with Defender's Aegis allowing for more flexibility in its use. Immovable Object will also activate Avatar regardless of cooldown when its used, giving a damage bonus.

Last Stand – Raises your maximum health by 30% for 15s and heals you for the same amount, with a 3m cooldown. Basically provides additional an additional buffer for your health so should be used either proactively when substantial damage is anticipated or reactively when you’re dropping low on health and are at risk of dying.

Spell Reflection – Grants 20% magic damage reduction for 5s, and reflects the first harmful spell cast on you back to the caster. Start off by thinking about it as a basic damage reduction cooldown and then begin to think about places where the reflect aspect would be useful offensively.

Rotation Overview #

This is an overview of the core rotation. It’s not a strict priority order but rather an outline of how the different abilities interact and are used. It assumes you’re using the recommended talent build above.

Maintenance - keep these active or use these as much as you can

• Shield Block should be active most/all of the time if you try to refresh it as close to when it expires as possible
• Shield Slam should be used whenever available
• Ignore Pain should be used to prevent rage from capping out, or when expected bursts of damage are incoming
• Thunder Clap to keep Rend active on all enemies

Mitigation - use these as needed to reduce incoming damage

• Demoralizing Shout has a 45s cooldown and can be used either to cool things down if your health is low or limit anticipated damage bursts
• Shield Wall is your major defensive with a 3.5m cooldown - should be saved for near-wipes or major boss abilities

Sustain - use these to restore health and help your healer out

• Impending Victory whenever available and you’re not at full health
• Last Stand has a 3m cooldown and can be used either as an emergency heal or to dampen major incoming damage

Threat – use these to make you get and keep aggro

• Taunt to pick up stray enemies not attacking you
• Disrupting Shout has a CC component described below, but is also an AoE taunt if you need to grab a group of enemies

Damage – if everything above is set use these to fit in some damage

• Revenge to spend surplus rage on damage, or anytime you have the proc making it free
• Avatar on a 1.5m cooldown to gain a damage buff

Crowd Control #

Taunt Interrupt Disrupting Shout – Dual-purpose AoE taunt and AoE interrupt. Can be used to lock down packs that have gotten out of control, to stop multiple casters at once, or as a last-ditch single target interrupt if nothing else is available.

Taunt Taunt – Makes the target attack you. Essential when tanking to pick up enemies you don’t have aggro on. Niche usefulness as a ranged pull when solo.

Interrupt Pummel – Interrupts the target’s cast.

Stun Shockwave – Stuns all enemies in front of you for 2s.

Snare Hamstring – Slows the target for 15s.

Mobility #

Intervene – Charges to an ally and intercepts attacks on them for a short while. Helpful to peel an enemy off somebody that’s pulled them outside of a pack.

Charge – Run towards the target, dealing a small amount of damage and rooting them for 1s. Gains a second charge with Double Time.

Heroic Leap – Jump to the targeted location, doing a small amount of damage. Also grants a short movement speed increase with Bounding Stride

Utility #

Buff Battle Shout – Grants a 5% increase to attack power to your group. Keep this up at all times.

Berserker Rage– Removes fear and incapactitate effects and makes you immune to them for 6s.

Heroic Throw – Throws your weapon at the target, useless for damage but helpful to pull enemies from a distance.

Not Used #

Slam – No rotational interactions and damage small enough that it can be safely ignored.

Whirlwind – No rotational interactions and damage small enough that it can be safely ignored.