WoW Forever: Arms Warrior
About the Class
The Arms Warrior fights with a two-handed weapon and combines heavy hits with bleeds. Its signature mechanic in Forever is the interaction between 
Rend and 
Bloodthrill: main-hand attacks against a bleeding target can enable 
Overpower. Between procs, use 
Mortal Strike and 
Slam.
Your main resource is Rage. It comes from auto-attacks and damage taken, so a Warrior starts a normal fight with a limited supply. In Forever, a harder-hitting white swing does not grant more Rage on its own: weapon speed, successful hits, and critical auto-attacks are what matter. Don't spend Rage on a secondary ability if it means missing your main attack.
Where does Arms Warrior rank? See the WoW Forever tier list
Strengths
- Strong attacks against two enemies standing close together thanks to
Sweeping Strikes. - A comfortable spec for leveling with a two-handed weapon.
- Mortal Strike reduces healing received by the target and is useful in PvP.
- Has interrupts, armor reduction, and defensive abilities to help the group.
Weaponmaster combines the bonuses of different weapon types: you don't need to swap the matching talents for a new two-handed weapon.
Weaknesses
- Rage shortages keep you from using every ability as soon as it comes off cooldown.
- Damage depends heavily on your weapon and on time spent next to the target.
- Some abilities require a stance swap; swapping at the wrong time wastes the Rage you've built up.
- When playing solo, you have to watch your Health and recover between tough fights.
Stat Priority
- 1Critical auto-attacks generate twice as much Rage as normal ones. Strength increases Attack Power: 1 Strength
- 22 Attack Power before modifiers. When choosing a weapon, compare its damage per second, per-swing damage, and stats together. While leveling, a good weapon usually matters more than trying to hit raid Hit caps early.
Against a level 63 boss, a two-handed weapon needs 8% Hit to eliminate misses on auto-attacks and special attacks. This does not remove dodges: when attacking from behind, the Expertise target is a 6.5% reduction in dodge chance. Attack from behind so the enemy can't parry or block your hits.
Talents
Rotation (Ability Priority)
The opener is a set sequence of abilities you use as you engage an enemy. Memorising it helps initiate your rotation in the most optimal way possible.
- 1
Charge - 2Rend
- 3
Thunder Clap - 4
Sunder Armor
- Charge — open the fight from range and gain starting Rage
Bloodrage — use it when you're short on Rage, keeping the Health cost in mind
Battle Shout — keep the Attack Power buff up- Rend — apply it to a target that will live long enough for the bleed to tick
- Overpower — use it after the enemy dodges, while the proc is available
- Slam — use it right after an auto-attack; without the matching upgrade, its cast delays your next swing
- Thunder Clap — keep the enemy attack speed reduction up if you need it to survive
- Sunder Armor — reduce the armor of a durable target when you have spare Rage
Heroic Strike — queue it only when you have excess Rage: the auto-attack it replaces won't give its usual Rage gain
After a qualifying kill, use 
Victory Rush: it helps restore Health and carry on into the next fight.
Important Abilities
Ability | When It's Useful |
|---|---|
| Mortal Strike | Main heavy hit; reduces healing received by the target |
| Overpower | Cheap attack after a dodge or a matching talent proc |
| Sweeping Strikes | Carries your next five attacks over to a second nearby target |
 Pummel | Interrupt in Berserker Stance with no need to equip a shield |
 Shield Bash | Interrupt with a shield in Battle or Defensive Stance |
 Shield Wall | Reduces incoming damage; requires a shield and Defensive Stance |
 Berserker Rage | Protection against applicable fear and incapacitate effects |
| Victory Rush | Restores Health after killing a qualifying enemy |
Keep a one-handed weapon and a shield in your bags for emergency defense. Shield Wall and 
Retaliation don't share a cooldown with each other or with 
Recklessness. The latter increases damage taken, so use it during a safe window.
Best in Slot (BiS)
Best in Slot (BiS)Enchants, Gems, Consumables
Enchants and Enhancements
ConsumablesBest Race
Elune's Light temporarily increases critical strike chance. This boosts your attacks and helps you generate more Rage from critical auto-attacks.
Blood Fury grants 10% Attack Power for 15 seconds. Line the buff up with moments when you can attack nonstop, including with Sweeping Strikes against two targets. Other races work too: consider how convenient their abilities are and how you play.
Best Professions
Mining supplies ore, and 
Blacksmithing lets you craft weapons and armor. It's a practical pair for keeping your character self-sufficient if you're willing to gather materials and level the craft.
Engineering gives you extra gadgets and explosives, and Mining covers some of the materials. This pair is appealing for extra combat tools and PvP. Among secondary professions, 
First Aid is useful for bandages and 
Cooking for food.
FAQ
Is Arms a good choice for a first Warrior?
Yes, especially if you want to play with a two-handed weapon. But good results depend on your weapon and Rage management: start with single enemies and don't expect to use every ability the moment it comes off cooldown.
Do I need to change talents when switching weapon types?
Weaponmaster combines the bonuses of the old weapon specializations. You still need to learn the skill for the new weapon type from a weapon master and level it up in combat.
Why doesn't a stronger weapon fix Rage shortages?
In Forever, Rage generation from normal auto-attacks is normalized: their damage doesn't directly determine how much Rage you gain. Hit, Expertise, attack speed, and critical auto-attacks help you generate Rage more reliably.
Where should I look for pre-raid gear?
In dungeons, their quests, set upgrade quest chains, and professions. Use the table as a guideline and recheck your Hit after a few swaps.
Why can't I use my next-swing strike all the time?
Heroic Strike costs Rage and replaces a swing that would normally generate new Rage. If you queue it while low on Rage, you'll delay Mortal Strike and your other core attacks.
Author
Fouren
Fouren has been playing World of Warcraft for over 15 years. He is an active player with 12 Cutting Edge achievements under his belt, and has reached the top 1% and 0.1% multiple times on various classes. His main classes are healers, particularly Holy Paladin.
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