Protection Warrior

What's different in Forever

From Blizzard's deep dive and 2 October notes:

• Shield Specialization gives 5 Rage on a block instead of 1.
• Master of Defense gives 5 Rage on a dodge or parry with a shield on.
• Improved Revenge adds 60% damage instead of a stun.
• Defiance adds 15% threat in Defensive Stance, but now needs a shield.
• Anticipation gives 20 Defense.
• Improved Shield Wall cuts 11 min off Shield Wall's cooldown.
• Toughness was removed, and Improved Taunt and Improved Shield Block became baseline.
• Iron Will, Improved Bloodrage, Improved Disarm and Improved Shield Bash moved up the tree, so players without a shield can reach Last Stand. Blizzard wants Protection usable as a PvP secondary spec.
• Blizzard's 24 September notes moved Focused Rage up to tier 5 (30) and Bastion down to tier 6 (35), so tanks get cheaper attacks before Shield Slam (ForeverDB).

Shield Block blocks two attacks, and Shield Wall gives 60% less damage for 12 sec on a 15 min cooldown.

Talents by level

With Legacy points, Wowhead adds Improved Sunder Armor 2 and Focused Rage 3. Icy Veins finishes Cruelty and takes Last Stand.

Threat and priorities

• Wowhead (30), one target: Charge, Bloodrage, Shield Block, Revenge, Thunder Clap, Demoralizing Shout, Sunder Armor (five stacks on bosses), Rend if threat is safe, Heroic Strike with spare Rage. On packs it moves Thunder Clap up, then tabs Rend between enemies and uses Cleave with excess Rage.
• Icy Veins: Shield Block on cooldown (two blocks refund its 10 Rage), Revenge whenever it lights up, Thunder Clap on cooldown on packs, Rend early, one or two Sunders. Tab between enemies every few seconds to spread threat.
• ForeverDB's level 30 card: Charge, Defensive Stance, Shield Block, Revenge, Sunder Armor, Heroic Strike.

The WoWSims APL, built for level 60, runs:

1. Last Stand below 40% health and Shield Wall below 35%
2. Shield Block above 40 Rage or just before Revenge comes back
3. Thunder Clap on three or more targets
4. Shield Slam
5. Revenge
6. Thunder Clap on two targets
7. Demoralizing Shout and Battle Shout refreshes
8. Rend, then Sunder Armor to five stacks
9. Cleave or Heroic Strike above 40 Rage

At every level the core is Shield Block into Revenge, with Thunder Clap for packs.

Levelling

Icy Veins recommends Protection as the fastest Warrior levelling spec. It suggests a two-hander until Revenge at 14, then sword and board. Wowhead agrees that after Revenge it matches a two-hander, and after 20 cleaves packs well. Vanguard at 25 lets you chain pulls without leaving Defensive Stance. Wowhead notes that thorns effects (Retribution Aura, Thorns) do a lot of dungeon damage right now, so a Paladin or Druid in the group helps.

Gear and consumables

Wowhead's level 30 picks include Pronged Reaver (Razorfen Kraul), Thermaplugg Medal of Honor (Gnomeregan) and Blacksmithing's Officer's Belt. At 20 it likes Bandsaw Wristbands, which pair with Shield Block. ForeverDB points to Forever's new Guard's Silvered Chain Leggings and Sentinel's Belt. WoWSims' level 60 kit: Major Frenzy Potion, Elixirs of Greater Defense, the Phalanx and the Mongoose, and Major Healthstone. Icy Veins adds Scroll of Protection III. Wowhead notes that Engineering's grenades solve ranged pulling.

Where guides disagree

• Threat — resolved: official notes corrected Sunder Armor threat earlier in Beta, and the 2 October notes explicitly fixed Demoralizing Shout generating no threat. Older advice based on those bugs is superseded. Refresh useful debuffs and spread threat as needed; this does not mean endlessly spamming a shout is the best rotation.
• Defiance at 30: ForeverDB's dungeon build and Wowhead take all three ranks. Icy Veins' calculator leaves it out, though its text mentions it.
• Survival or threat first: ForeverDB ranks survival stats first; Icy Veins puts weapon damage, hit and Strength first.