Protection Warrior
Tank
Tree restructured on 1 Oct (Toughness removed, Iron Will in, several talents moved); Shield Slam requires Concussion Blow, Master of Defense requires Shield Specialization. 11 Oct sim: deep Prot 479, third of the three tanks. On the same run a 'Fury-prot' hybrid did more damage than deep Prot, 517 to 479; the sim doesn't measure threat. Reference tree only.
Recommendation
What the tier lists say
Different 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 |
Ratings of the whole class are on the overview.
Talent build
Hover a talent for its text. Click or tap to pin it, with each source's numbers.Tap a talent for its text and each source's numbers.
Deep Protection on the new layout: Improved Bloodrage and Shield Specialization (row 1), Anticipation/Improved Revenge/Improved Thunder Clap (row 2), Last Stand, Master of Defense, Defiance, Improved Sunder Armor, Vanguard, Improved Shield Wall, Concussion Blow, Focused Rage (row 5), Bastion 5/5 (row 6) → Shield Slam. Fury: Cruelty 5, Unbridled Wrath 5, Piercing Howl.
40 / 11 / 0 of 51 points
Open in the calculatorProtection PvE build at level 60 for a Warrior: Protection 40, Fury 11, Arms 0.
Protection
40 pointsFury
11 pointsRotation at level 60
TheorySingle target
Open with Charge (Vanguard), Bloodrage, Shield Slam.
- Shield Slam on cooldown
- Revenge on cooldown
- Shield Block
- Sunder Armor
- Heroic Strike above ~40 Rage
Groups
- Thunder Clap
- Revenge
- Cleave
- Demoralizing Shout
- Challenging Shout for emergencies
Tips
Focused Rage makes offensive abilities cheaper — Heroic Strike more often.
Bastion 5/5 boosts shield-linked threat; keep the shield on.
Stat priority
- Defense (until crit-immune)
- Stamina
- Armor
- Hit / Expertise (threat)
- Block value
- Strength
- Agility
No explicit priority; guide stresses weapon scaling and targeting specific dungeon/quest drops over stats.
Recommendation
Level 20: best and second best per slot
| Slot | Best | Second best |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Veteran's Silvered Chain Helm Crafted: Blacksmithing | — |
| Back | Sporid Cape Wailing Caverns dungeon drop | — |
| Chest | Mutant Scale Breastplate Wailing Caverns dungeon drop | Fire Hardened Hauberk Warrior class quest reward (Furen's Armor) |
| Wrist | Bandsaw Wristbands The Deadmines dungeon drop | — |
| Hands | Veteran's Gloves Crafted: Blacksmithing | — |
| Waist | Veteran's Chain Belt Crafted: Blacksmithing | — |
| Feet | Veteran's Boots Crafted: Blacksmithing | — |
| Ring | Slain Baron's Signet Quest: Unending Torment / Abominable Creatures | Seal of Sylvanas Quest: Arugal Must Die (Silverpine Forest) |
| Trinket | Crest of Darkshire Quest: Bride of the Embalmer (Duskwood) | — |
| Main Hand | Cruel Barb The Deadmines - Mr. Smite | — |
| Off Hand / Shield | Arctic Buckler Quest: Blackfathom Villainy | — |
Sourced: Guide · 26 Sep
Level 60: where gear will come from
- Pre-raid: the level 50–60 dungeons — Blackmaw Hold, the Drowned City, Krol'dok Stronghold, Alcaz Prison, Shaper's Terrace — plus the Mount Hyjal endgame zone quests.
- Crafted: Blacksmithing specialized plate sets (Forever gives every crafting profession spec-flavoured sets — the L20 'Veteran's / Crusader's' lines are the first tier); Mining +5% Stamina.
- Enchanting: ring enchants (Health) are new; Alchemy's Philosopher's Stone trinket scales with skill.
- Raids open 9 December (Barrow Deeps 10, Hyjal Summit 20, Onyxia's Lair 40) — no loot tables are public, so no level-60 BiS exists yet.
Theory