Looking to start a new warrior but unsure of how to go about it? Well, put aside your worries, because we’ll tell you everything you need to know to get your new warrior on the way up. This guide will teach you the ropes of warrior, and tell you all you need to know for your first forty levels.

Gear is the first thing you need to know about as a warrior. And the first thing you need to know about gear is : Cap your hit ASAP. But don’t get more than you need (5%) if you can avoid it, as it is worthless beyond this point. Otherwise, get as much Strength and AP as you can; Strength is better, one Strength is worth about 2.25 AP for leveling purposes. Agility and Stamina aren’t horrible, but are nowhere near as good as the others.

After gear, it’s time to discuss talent specs. Everyone and their mother says to go DW Fury, but guess what? They’re wrong. At lower levels, you will be MUCH better off using a one-handed weapon and a shield and going Protection these days. At least until level forty. An added bonus is that you’ll be able to get into instances as a tank while you level MUCH faster than you would as DPS, which is really nice now that the DF system is in place.

www.wowhead.com/?talent#LZZi0trx0dV:bZc is our go-to spec for Protection leveling. Make sure to get key damage-improving talents like Improved Revenge and Concussion Blow as soon as you can. With this spec you will rarely drop below 80% health, and at these levels will be doing as much damage as any pure DPS build. Not to mention you have more to do, meaning it is more fun to play.

After 40, of course, you will have to choose whether to continue as Protection, or re-spec to a DPS tree. The other trees begin to really come into their own around this point, so make sure to consider carefully what you want to do with your warrior. If you really like Protection, it is still a good leveling spec, it just ceases to be the undisputed best.

Now, you know you should spec Protection, but there is a lot to keep in mind to play Protection to it’s maximum, so pay attention! First of all, stay in Defensive stance. You may lose a tiny bit of damage, but a ton of amazing reactive abilities are D-stance only, meaning you need to stick to it! The only exception is switching over to Battle stance, Charging or Victory Rushing, then switching back.

You should use a priority system when deciding which attack to use. Rather than some set rotation, always use the best ability available. Priority should generally be Bloodrage>Shield Block>Concussion Blow>Revenge>Mocking Blow>Battle Shout(If down)>Heroic Strike. You can opt to skip Shield Block and save it for emergencies, but be careful not to leave it sitting around unused too much.

Now, obviously that list isn’t all you need to know about warrior. When things go bad or you have to pull multiple enemies, obviously things will change. Don’t forget to use cool-downs like Retaliation(Battle Stance), Shield Wall, and Last Stand. When damage gets too heavy, use Demoralizing Shout and Thunderclap. Don’t let Battle Shout drop off for long; use Bloodrage to start it up before you start fighting, if you need to.

Want to read more guides and articles by this author? Be sure to check out my blog, WoW Gold Spot, for all my latest tips and tricks for everything WoW related. To read about Warriors specifically, check out my farming guide for Warrior Gold.

Tags: World Of Warcraft