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Beta, level cap 30 · data read 13 Oct

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Protection Warrior guide

Tank · our guide of 13 Oct 2026 Recommendation

Talent trees, every tier list's rating and the sim: the Protection tab.

In short

  • A tank with a one-handed weapon and a shield, and Shield Bash for an interrupt of your own.
  • Number 3 of 3 tanks in our newest sim run, at 479 DPS. The sim measures a tank's damage, not its threat or how long it survives. Sourced: Sim · 11 Oct run
  • Rage from blocks and dodges: at full ranks, Shield Specialization gives 5 Rage on each block, and Master of Defense gives 5 Rage on each dodge or parry with a shield on. Sourced: Talent database
  • Weak spot while leveling: Shield Slam sits at the bottom of the tree, behind Concussion Blow, so it's out of reach until well past level 30.

How it plays

Up to level 30. Charge in, Bloodrage, then Shield Block, and Revenge after every block, dodge or parry. Thunder Clap on packs, Sunder Armor on bosses, and Heroic Strike with spare Rage. Until you have Vanguard, which lets you Charge in Defensive Stance, a macro to Battle Stance is how you Charge. Since 8 Oct you get more Rage when you're hit, and Demoralizing Shout puts threat on each target it hits. Our level-60 build starts with Improved Bloodrage and Shield Specialization, then Anticipation, Improved Revenge and Improved Thunder Clap.

Sourced: Guide · 2 Oct, Dev notes · 8 Oct, Talent database

At level 60. Theory Shield Slam on cooldown: it hits for your block value on top of its damage, has a 50% chance to remove a magic effect, and causes very high threat. Then Revenge, Shield Block and Sunder Armor, and Heroic Strike when Rage runs high. Focused Rage makes offensive abilities cost 3 less Rage, Defiance adds 15% threat in Defensive Stance with a shield on, and Bastion makes all your damage 10% higher with a shield on. Concussion Blow stuns for 5 sec, and Last Stand gives you bonus health equal to 30% of your maximum health for 20 sec.

Sourced: Talent database

Talents at a glance

Our level-20 and level-30 builds for Protection are still to come; for now, here is the level-60 build.

  • Level 60: Improved Bloodrage 2, Shield Specialization 5, Anticipation 5, Improved Revenge 3, Improved Thunder Clap 3, Last Stand 1, Master of Defense 2, Defiance 3, Improved Sunder Armor 3, Vanguard 1, Improved Shield Wall 2, Concussion Blow 1, Focused Rage 3, Bastion 5, Shield Slam 1, Cruelty 5, Unbridled Wrath 5, Piercing Howl 1

    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), then Shield Slam. Fury: Cruelty 5, Unbridled Wrath 5, Piercing Howl.

    Theory · See the trees · Open in the calculator

Rotation at level 30

Recommendation

Single target

Open with Charge in Defensive Stance (Vanguard), Bloodrage, Thunder Clap.

  1. Shield Block
  2. Revenge
  3. Concussion Blow (row 5 talent) on the main target
  4. Thunder Clap
  5. Sunder Armor
  6. Heroic Strike as dump

Groups

  • Thunder Clap
  • Revenge
  • Demoralizing Shout
  • Cleave

Tips

Shield Bash interrupts — you're the only tank with one built in.

Shield Wall (28) and Last Stand as cooldowns.

Stats

Each guide's stat order as it gives it, the sim's stat weights, then ours. Guides dated before the last big tuning are shown but not counted.

Guides agreeSame order on 2 guides.

WhereStat order
Guide · 2 Oct PvE, level 30 · read 12 OctWeapon damage › Hit › Strength › Agility › Armor › Stamina › Crit
Guide · 1 Oct PvE, level 20 · read 12 OctWeapon damage › Hit › Strength › Agility › Armor › Stamina › Crit
Sim · stat weights level 60 · run 12 Oct, 5,000 iterations

Per 1%: Expertise 3.76 › Crit 3.13 › Attack speed 2.28

Per point: Main-hand weapon DPS 0.999 › Strength 0.174 tied with Agility 0.172 › Block value 0.145 › Attack power 0.0757 › Armour penetration 0.0426

No DPS change in this run: Stamina, Hit, Defense skill, Block, Dodge, Parry, Armour, Bonus armour.

The DPS each stat adds, for a level-60 character on the engine's preset gear in a 2-minute fight on a beta engine, for damage only: a direction, not a verdict. = marks a tie: stats within each other's margin. Not counted toward "Guides agree".

Where they differ: ours puts Block value before Strength, which the sim weighs higher per point; ours puts Block value before Agility, which the sim weighs higher per point; the sim measured no DPS change from Stamina and Armor.

Ours RecommendationDefense (until crit-immune) › Stamina › Armor › Hit or expertise › Block value › Strength › Agility

Ours adds Defense (until crit-immune) and Block value, which neither guide lists.

Where ours differs: ours puts Stamina before Armor, Hit or expertise, Strength and Agility, which both guides rank higher; ours puts Armor before Hit or expertise, Strength and Agility, which both guides rank higher.

Race

Each guide's race picks for Protection, then our pick for the Warrior.

Alliance

Guides differNight Elf on one guide, Gnome on another.

  • Guide · 2 Oct PvE, level 30 · read 12 OctNight Elf
  • Guide · 1 Oct PvE, level 20 · read 12 OctGnome
  • Ours, for the Warrior RecommendationDwarf S

Horde

Guides agreeOrc on 2 guides.

Professions

Guides agreeThe same professions on 2 guides.

  • Guide · 2 Oct PvE, level 30 · read 12 OctMining, Blacksmithing, Engineering
  • Guide · 1 Oct PvE, level 20 · read 12 OctMining, Blacksmithing, Engineering
  • Ours, for the Warrior RecommendationMining + Blacksmithing; or Mining + Engineering

What changed for Protection

  • 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

  • 1 Oct: crits generate 75% extra Rage, raised to 100% (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 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

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