Overview
Your priorities in order: become uncrittable, build enough effective health to survive spikes, then add threat stats so your DPS can go all-out.
Strengths
- +The premier raid tank — top threat and toolkit
- +Spell Reflection and interrupts add unique utility
- +Handles every TBC tank assignment
Weaknesses
- −Gear-gated: must reach crit immunity and EH first
- −Rage-dependent threat on low incoming damage
Stat priority & caps (raid)
Stat caps (raid)
| Stat | Cap | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Defense (crit immunity) | 490 defense | 490 defense skill makes you uncrittable by a raid boss (removes the 5.6% crit chance). Resilience or class talents (e.g. a Druid's Survival of the Fittest) substitute for part of it — this is the first tanking goal before any other stat. |
| Hit Rating | 142 rating | 9% (142 rating) yellow-attack cap. Not a survival stat, but it sharply steadies threat by removing missed taunts and abilities. |
| Expertise | 26 expertise | 26 expertise (≈102 rating) removes boss dodge; higher values chip at frontal parry to reduce parry-haste. Threat/uptime stat, taken after crit immunity. |
- Defense (crit immunity): 490 defense skill makes you uncrittable by a raid boss (removes the 5.6% crit chance). Resilience or class talents (e.g. a Druid's Survival of the Fittest) substitute for part of it — this is the first tanking goal before any other stat.
- Hit Rating: 9% (142 rating) yellow-attack cap. Not a survival stat, but it sharply steadies threat by removing missed taunts and abilities.
- Expertise: 26 expertise (≈102 rating) removes boss dodge; higher values chip at frontal parry to reduce parry-haste. Threat/uptime stat, taken after crit immunity.
Full gear with usage %, gems and enchants is on the Protection Warrior PvE BiS list.
Recommended talent build
13/5/43 · RaidThe standard Protection build with Impale points: Devastate, one-point wonders through the tree, and enough Arms crit scaling to hold threat on aggressive DPS. Swap the Arms points toward Imp Thunder Clap for multi-target tanking weeks.
Arms
13Reduces the cost of your Heroic Strike ability by 1 rage point.
Increases your Parry chance by 1%.
Increases the bleed damage done by your Rend ability by 25%.
Increases the amount of rage generated by your Charge ability by 3.
Increases your chance to resist Stun and Charm effects by an additional 3%.
Reduces the cost of your Thunder Clap ability by 1 rage point and increases the damage by 40% and the slowing effect by an additional 4%.
Increases the critical strike chance of your Overpower ability by 25%.
Generates 1 rage per 3 seconds while in combat.
Your critical strikes cause the opponent to bleed, dealing 20% of your melee weapon's average damage over 12 sec.
Increases the damage you deal with two-handed melee weapons by 1%.
Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your abilities in Battle, Defensive, and Berserker stance by 10%.
Increases your chance to get a critical strike with Axes and Polearms by 1%.
When activated, increases your physical damage by 20% and makes you immune to Fear effects, but increases all damage taken by 5%. Lasts 30 sec.
Gives your melee attacks a chance to stun your target for 3 sec and generate 7 rage when using a Mace.
Gives you a 1% chance to get an extra attack on the same target after hitting your target with your Sword. (Proc chance: 1%, 500ms cooldown)
Reduces the cooldown of your Intercept ability by 5 sec.
Gives your Hamstring ability a 5% chance to immobilize the target for 5 sec. (Proc chance: 5%)
Reduces the cooldown of your Retaliation, Recklessness and Shield Wall abilities by 4 min and increases their duration by 2 sec.
Your Rend and Deep Wounds abilities also increase all physical damage caused to that target by 2%.
A vicious strike that deals weapon damage plus 85 and wounds the target, reducing the effectiveness of any healing by 50% for 10 sec.
Whenever you are struck by a Stun or Immobilize effect you will generate 10 rage and 5% of your total health over 10 sec.
Reduces the cooldown of your Mortal Strike ability by 0.2 sec and increases the damage it causes by 1%.
You generate 25% more rage from damage dealt.
Fury
5Increases the area of effect and duration of your Battle Shout, Demoralizing Shout and Commanding Shout by 10%.
Increases your chance to get a critical strike with melee weapons by 1%.
Increases the melee attack power reduction of your Demoralizing Shout by 8%.
Gives you a chance to generate an additional rage point when you deal melee damage with a weapon.
Increases the bonus damage done by your Cleave ability by 40%.
Causes all enemies within 10 yards to be Dazed, reducing movement speed by 50% for 6 sec.
Regenerates 1% of your total Health over 6 sec after being the victim of a critical strike.
Increases the melee attack power bonus of your Battle Shout and the health bonus of your Commanding Shout by 5%.
Increases the damage done by your offhand weapon by 5%.
Reduces the rage cost of your Execute ability by 2.
Gives you a 5% melee damage bonus for 12 sec up to a maximum of 12 swings after being the victim of a critical strike.
Decreases the casting time of your Slam ability by 0.5 sec.
Your next 10 melee attacks strike an additional nearby opponent.
Reduces the chance for your attacks to be dodged by 1% and reduces the duration of all Disarm effects used against you by 25%. This does not stack with other Disarm duration reducing effects.
The Berserker Rage ability will generate 5 rage when used.
Increases your attack speed by 5% for your next 3 swings after dealing a melee critical strike.
Increases your chance to hit with melee weapons by 1%.
Instantly attack the target causing (Attack Power * 45 / 100) damage. In addition, the next 5 successful melee attacks will restore 10 health. This effect lasts 8 sec. Damage is based on your attack power.
Reduces the cooldown of your Whirlwind ability by 1 sec.
Increases attack power by 2% and reduces threat caused by 2% while in Berserker Stance.
Warrior goes on a rampage, increasing attack power by 30 and causing most successful melee attacks to increase attack power by an additional 30. This effect will stack up to 5 times. Lasts 30 sec. This ability can only be used after scoring a critical hit.
Protection
43Increases the instant rage generated by your Bloodrage ability by 3.
You retain up to an additional 5 of your rage points when you change stances. Also greatly increases the threat generated by your Bloodthirst and Mortal Strike abilities when you are in Defensive Stance.
Increases your Defense skill by 4.
Increases your chance to block attacks with a shield by 1% and has a 20% chance to generate 1 rage when a block occurs. (Proc chance: 20%)
Increases your armor value from items by 2%.
When activated, this ability temporarily grants you 30% of your maximum health for 20 sec. After the effect expires, the health is lost.
Allows your Shield Block ability to block an additional attack and increases the duration by 1 second.
Gives your Revenge ability a 15% chance to stun the target for 3 sec. (Proc chance: 15%)
Increases the threat generated by your attacks by 5% while in Defensive Stance and increases your expertise by 2.
Reduces the cost of your Sunder Armor and Devastate abilities by 1 rage point.
Increases the duration of your Disarm ability by 1 secs.
Reduces the cooldown of your Taunt ability by 1 sec.
Increases the effect duration of your Shield Wall ability by 3 secs.
Stuns the opponent for 5 sec.
Gives your Shield Bash ability a 50% chance to silence the target for 3 sec. (Proc chance: 50%)
Increases the amount of damage absorbed by your shield by 10%.
Increases physical damage you deal when a one-handed melee weapon is equipped by 2%.
Reduces all spell damage taken while in Defensive Stance by 2%.
Slam the target with your shield, causing 225 to 235 damage, modified by your shield block value, and dispels 1 magic effect on the target. Also causes a high amount of threat.
Reduces the rage cost of your offensive abilities by 1.
Increases your total Stamina by 1% and your total Strength by 2%.
Sunder the target's armor causing the Sunder Armor effect. In addition, causes 50% of weapon damage plus 15 for each application of Sunder Armor on the target. The Sunder Armor effect can stack up to 5 times.
Points are filled on each tree above — hover a talent for its tooltip; highlighted talents are the build's key picks.
Threat rotation
- 1Open with a Shield Slam + Revenge and get Sunder/Devastate stacks up.
- 2Shield Slam on cooldown (your top threat + Shield Block value).
- 3Revenge on proc; Devastate to fill and maintain Sunder Armor.
- 4Heroic Strike / Cleave to dump excess rage; Thunder Clap / Demo Shout for debuffs.
- 5Shield Block on cooldown for uncrushability; Shield Wall / Last Stand for spikes.
Get uncrittable (defense/resilience + talents) before you step into a raid, then stack stamina and armor for effective health, then hit/expertise for threat. Keep Shield Block up to avoid crushing blows, and pre-plan Shield Wall/Last Stand for known damage spikes. Face the boss away from the raid.
Warrior macros
Focus macros
Focus Pummel
Interrupt a focus caster (needs Berserker Stance) without leaving your target.
#showtooltip Pummel /cast [target=focus] Pummel
Defensive
Spell Reflection
Swap to Defensive Stance and reflect the next spell — great vs Polymorph and Fear.
#showtooltip Spell Reflection /cast [stance:1] Defensive Stance /cast Spell Reflection
Utility
Charge / Intercept
One gap-closer button that casts Charge in Battle Stance and Intercept in Berserker/Defensive.
#showtooltip /cast [stance:1] Charge; [stance:2] Intercept; [stance:3] Intercept
PvE addons
Full list on the Warrior addons page.
Best race (PvE)
Blood Fury (attack power on demand) plus the axe expertise bonus give Orc the top Horde PvE damage.
Mace/sword specialization gives free weapon skill (effective hit/expertise) for top Alliance threat and DPS.
More on the best race for Warrior page.
Best professions (PvE)
Common mistakes
- ✕Tanking before you're crit-immune.
- ✕Chasing avoidance over stamina/armor (effective health) for progression.
- ✕Letting Shield Block lapse and eating crushing blows.
FAQ
Is Warrior the best tank in TBC?
Warriors are the premier raid tank for threat and toolkit; Druids and Paladins fill specific roles (AoE, off-tanking). Prot Warrior tanks every fight.
How do Warriors become uncrittable?
Through Defense/resilience and talents to remove the boss's crit chance — not a Defense 'cap' number but the effective crit-immunity threshold. See the caps below.