Warriors are masters of weapon and can use any type of armor including plate. They use s unique resource – rage that generates with taking and doing damage. They are perfect for those who look for offensive playstyle or like tanking.
Main warriors’ mechanic is “stance” that helps them to adapt to the situation. When you change stances, all your rage is gone unless you have put talent points in “Tactical Mastery” in Arms talent tree. Rapid switch between stances is the main warriors’ feature in PvE and PvP.
Their “Battle Stance” abilities and talents of “Arms” are focused on high melee damage, using two-handed weapon. “Arms” includes “Heroic Strike” (main element of all weapon specializations, that adds extra-damage to your next attack and wounds the target reducing healing effects), “Thunder Clap” (AoE ability increasing time between enemy’s attacks), “Charge” (generates rage and stuns the opponent) and “Retaliation” (instantly counterattacks any enemy that strikes you). “Battle Stance” doesn’t have any restrictions fines and allows using wide range of abilities, but primarily “Arms” ones.
Abilities and talents of “Defensive Stance” are focused on tanking, using shield and one-handed weapon. It includes abilities as “Shield Block” (blocks 75% of incoming damage), “Shield Bash” (interrupts target’s spellcasting), “Sunder Armor” (reduces enemy’s armor and generating extra threat). The warrior is an excellent tank due to high threat generation and access to various abilities. “Defensive Stance” decreases damage taken and caused by 10% generating extra threat.
“Berserker Stance” is aggressive stance. Its abilities and “Fury” talents are focused on doing maximum damage. Warriors’ critical hit chance is increased by 3% but all damage taken is increased by 10%. “Berserker Stance abilities are “Whirlwind” (attacks up to 4 enemies at a time), “Execute” (finishing strike converting your rage into damage), “Cleave” (hits two opponent targets at a time) and “Shout” abilities like “Demoralizing Shout” (reduces enemy’s attack power) and “Battle Shout” (increases your party’s attack power).
Leveling
Warriors is considered to be the most difficult class to level. They don’t have any opportunity to self-heal (only healing potions but they have cooldown time) or control a combat with couple of enemies. Warriors extremely depend on gear and consumables. Your leveling process will be very slow without a right weapon, food and healing potions. Besides you have to take breaks to restore health after each fight. Better to avoid fighting multiple opponents but if it happens, warrior has a wide range of defensive abilities that helps to survive. One thing to remember, all abilities have long cooldown time.
PvE
In PvE warriors are valuable for high DPS in melee combat and best tanking abilities. As tanks are always in a shortage, it’s easy to find dungeon or raid groups and reserve loot.
It’s easy playing style for tanks using several abilities with minimum stance changing. They mostly have to focus on providing steady rage generation, using “Sunder Armor” as more often as possible and burning extra rage into “Heroic Strike”. Their targeted and easy access to defensive things makes them a perfect choice for many raids and parties.
Many warriors choose “Fury” specialization with two fast one-handed weapons for giving maximum DPS. “Arms” warriors are less popular. Though they can get to dungeon groups but hardly to any raids as there is a limit of debuffs on one target and main warriors’ ability “Mortal strike” is rather useless in raids.
PvP
Again, in PVP warriors have to be equipped well. With assistance of any healing class, warriors become undefeated at battlegrounds. Many warriors prefer using “Arms” with two-handed weapon in PvP. Slower weapon’s speed causing more damage, oriented on critical strike chance.
Although warriors can resist “explosive” damage from other classes, in 1vs1 combats they are incredibly vulnerable to mages and hunters, as they or immobilize their opponents and always keep the distance.
Race
Every race has warrior choice. Orcs and Humans get high advantage because of their racial weapon abilities. Bonus weapon skills can provide significant increasing the capacity of damage and create more threat in tanking.
Dwarves get “Stone Form” (gives immune to disease, poisons and bleeding effects + 10% extra armor for 8 seconds duration) and gun specialization (rather useless for warriors). Stone form gives a great advantage in PvP, especially against rogues.
Gnomes get “Escape Artist” (removes any immobilization or movement speed reduction effects) and “Engineering specialist” (increases engineering skill by 15). Escape artist makes gnomes perfect for PvP. Extra Engineering skill allows you to create higher level devices earlier than any other races, for example if you are going to make level 19 or 29 twink character, Gnome is the best option.
Humans get “Diplomacy”, “Mace specialization”, “Sword specialization” and “Perception”. Due to weapon specialization humans are perfect for PvE, as it generates more threat and increases hit or critical strike chance as well. Perception gives a benefit against druids and rogues in PvP.
Night elves get “Quickness” (increases dodge chance by 1%). This passive ability is not so strong as it may seem. However, the threaten isn’t so vital for second tanks. “Shadowmeld” is fully PVP ability, allows you to stay in stealth for an ambush or avoid enemies.
Orcs get “Blood Fury” (increases attack power), “Hardiness” (increases chance to resist stun effects by 25%) and “Axe specialization “. Due to “Blood Fury” and “Axe specialization” orcs are perfect melee warriors in PvE. Their “Hardiness” makes them difficult to stun by others in PvP.
Taurens get “War Stomp” (stuns up to 5 enemies within 8 yards) and “Endurance” (increases total health by 5%). “War Stomp” is a powerful ability in PvP and can be useful for tanks in dungeons. “Endurance” is good for tanks.
Trolls get “Berserking” (increases attack speed), “Regeneration” (increases health regeneration rate by 10%) and “Beast slaying” (damage versus beasts increased by 5%). “Berserking” allows to generate more threat.
Undead gets “Will of the Forsaken” (gives immune to charm, fear and sleep effects), “Cannibalism” (allows to eat corpses to generate health) and “Underwater breathing” (allows to breathe under water 300% longer). “Cannibalism” and “Water Breathing” are great abilities to use while leveling. “Will of the Forsaken” makes Undead perfect in PvP.
Professions
The profession choice is not complicated. For any warrior willing to become effective both in PvP and PvE, Engineering is the best option, as it gives an access to control, survivability and universality in PvP and increases damage and threat in PvE. Engineering is usually combined with Mining, but Herbalism is also a good way to earn gold and buy ore at auction house if required.
Blacksmithing allows warrior to make own gear and weapon. However, it is a difficult profession with high expenses and much effort.
Alchemy and Herbalism are also popular, as you get self-supply of consumables, essential for warrior.
