Warrior
The 1 Oct build fixed the thing that made Warriors miserable: critical strikes now generate 100% extra Rage. Fury sits at the top of the 11 Oct sim (951), Arms is #5, and both the Fury and Protection trees were re-laid-out — the builds here are rebuilt from the 3 Oct client.
Source pending
Alliance races: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome, SkyborneHorde races: Orc, Tauren, Troll, Undead, Skyborne
Sourced: Blizzard news · 22 Sep
What the tier lists say
Each rating exactly as its tier list gives it, with the list's own date. Ratings are opinions, so lists often differ; we compare them only within one role.
Arms
PvE · damage listsOne ratingB on 1 list
| Rating | List | Page date | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | damage dealers | page 3 Oct · read 6 Oct | 6 Oct |
Fury
PvE · damage listsDifferent scalesS on one list, #1 of 5 on a ranked list
| Rating | List | Page date | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | damage dealers | page 3 Oct · read 6 Oct | 6 Oct |
| #1 of 5 | best raid DPS | page not shownnot dated · read 6 Oct | 6 Oct |
Protection
PvE · tank listsDifferent scalesS on one list, #1 of 3 on a ranked list
| Rating | List | Page date | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | tanks | page 3 Oct · read 6 Oct | 6 Oct |
| #1 of 3 | best raid tanks | page not shownnot dated · read 6 Oct | 6 Oct |
The whole class
PvP · class listsLists agreeB on 2 lists
| Rating | List | Page date | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | PvP tier list | page 2 Oct · read 6 Oct | 6 Oct |
| B | PvP tier list | page not shownnot dated · read 6 Oct | 6 Oct |
Leveling
One rating
- Cclass leveling tier list (levels 1–20) · page not dated
Class tier list, no mode stated
One rating
- Bclass tier list · page not dated
What changed this patch
1 Oct: crits generate 75% → then 100% extra Rage (hotfixed 2 Oct); Rend and Sunder Armor instantly tap enemies; Berserker Rage at 30 (was 32); Bloodthirst 45% AP (was 35%); Booming Voice adds 5–25% Rage cost reduction.
Sourced: Dev notes · 1 Oct
1 Oct Fury tree: new talents Lingering Rage (Rage decays 2–10 sec later), Furious Precision (off-hand hit, replaces Boundless Rage's slot), Gore Drinker (heal on Bloodthirst/Whirlwind/Execute, requires Enrage); Precision and Improved Cleave removed; Dual Wield Specialization no longer grants off-hand Rage/hit; Flurry now requires Death Wish.
Sourced: Dev notes · 24 Sep
1 Oct Protection tree restructured: Toughness removed; Iron Will moved in from Fury (row 1); Improved Bloodrage, Improved Revenge, Improved Disarm, Improved Shield Bash repositioned; Focused Rage row 5, Bastion row 6.
Sourced: Dev notes · 24 Sep
Sunder Armor threat values corrected on all ranks, with a small increase from Attack Power.
Sourced: Dev notes · 24 Sep
Protection: Bastion (row 5) and Focused Rage (row 6) swapped, so Focused Rage comes earlier and smooths out leveling before Shield Slam. (The tree data here already reflects the swap.)
Sourced: Dev notes · 24 Sep
Arms: Bloodthrill proc chance 4/8/12/16/20% (was 2–10%), main-hand only (includes Cleave/Heroic Strike); Slam cooldown 18 sec (was 15 sec); Improved Slam −1.5/3 sec.
Sourced: Dev notes · 24 Sep
8 Oct: Rage from damage taken reworked, so expect more Rage when hit. It is now tuned for 20–40% armor (was 50%), no longer drops with more Stamina, counts crits and crushing blows, and ignores absorbs.
Sourced: Dev notes · 8 Oct
Demoralizing Shout now puts threat on each target it hits (it caused none).
Sourced: Dev notes · 8 Oct
Arms: Impale requires Deep Wounds again; Deep Wounds no longer scales with off-hand attack power.
Sourced: Dev notes · 8 Oct
Seen in the beta
The crit-Rage complaint is resolved (1–2 Oct). Early leveling still wants Unbridled Wrath.
Source pending
Thunder Clap works in Defensive Stance; Vanguard lets Charge be used in Defensive Stance. Tactical Mastery trained at 14, Victory Rush at 20, Improved Battle Shout baseline.
Source pending
Unlike the Paladin, Prot Warrior keeps an interrupt (Shield Bash) and a snare (Piercing Howl).
Source pending
Sim, 11 Oct run: Fury 951 (first of 20 damage results, 14% ahead of the next), Arms 741 (fifth); as a tank, deep Protection 479 (third of three tanks). On the same run, the 'Fury-prot' hybrid beat deep Protection, 517 to 479.
Sourced: Sim · 11 Oct run