World of Warcraft: Forever · class guide

Warrior guide

Class changes are from builds 70170, 70291 and 70425 (raid-wide Battle Shout, Slam no longer pushed back, Overpower on lower-level enemies), plus Blizzard's second Warrior pass; levels above 30 are untested theorycraft.

Client build 1.60.1.70425 · updated 2026-10-16

At a glance

The Warrior is Forever's rage class: a plate tank and two melee damage specs with no mana, no reagents and little self-healing beyond Victory Rush (Fury's Blood Craze and Gore Drinker talents).

How this works

Blizzard changed it more at the core than any other class. Rage from your swings now depends on weapon speed, not damage, crits give 100% more rage, and rage from damage taken ignores absorbs and is rebalanced on 20-40% armour. Shield Wall, Retaliation and Recklessness no longer share a cooldown, Thunder Clap works in Defensive Stance, and Fury was rebuilt for levelling. It looks like the least-played class in the beta (one unverified count), so a Warrior tank is always wanted, but the first 20 levels are still the hardest of any class.

Melee damage

Arms

The levelling spec: a slow two-hander, Rend and Overpower procs, Victory Rush after every kill, and Mortal Strike at 40.

Arms guide · Rotation · Leveling · Abilities · Talents

Melee damage

Fury

Dual-wield raid damage, rebuilt: Whirlwind always hits with both weapons, Bloodthirst at 45% of attack power, Flurry behind Death Wish.

Fury guide · Rotation · Leveling · Abilities · Talents

Tank

Protection

The expected main tank at 60: Shield Slam, Revenge, Sunder Armor and Thunder Clap in Defensive Stance, with a 4-minute Shield Wall.

Protection guide · Rotation · Leveling · Abilities · Talents

What Forever changed

Rage is normalized: your hits give rage by weapon speed, not damage dealt. Crits with a basic attack give 100% more rage. Rage from damage taken no longer counts absorbs such as Power Word: Shield and is balanced on 20-40% armour by level, not a tank's 50%.
Victory Rush is a new trained attack at 20: free, instant, and it heals 10% of your health, usable for 20 seconds after you kill an enemy that isn't trivial.
Tactical Mastery is baseline at 14 and keeps 10 rage when you change stance. The Arms talent Improved Tactical Mastery takes it back to 25.
Shield Wall is 60% less damage for 12 seconds on a 15-minute cooldown (4 minutes with Improved Shield Wall). Retaliation is 15 minutes; Recklessness stays at 30. None of them share a cooldown any more.
Thunder Clap works in Battle or Defensive Stance, slows attack speed by 20% and hits up to 4 enemies, on a 6-second cooldown.
Shield Block blocks 2 attacks over 7 seconds; Taunt has an 8-second cooldown. The old Improved Shield Block and Improved Taunt are baked in.
Battle Shout was cut to 139 attack power (Classic 232) because both factions have Paladin and Shaman buffs; it buffs the whole raid, not just your party. Demoralizing Shout is stronger and lasts 45 seconds.
Slam is trained at 20 with an 18-second cooldown, so it is no longer spammed between swings (it still delays your swing until you take Improved Slam). Damage no longer pushes back its cast. Berserker Rage comes at 30.
Rend and Sunder Armor tag a mob to you instantly, and Sunder can go on over a Rogue's Expose Armor.
Fury was rebuilt: Whirlwind always hits with both weapons, Bloodthirst scales at 45% of attack power, Flurry sits behind Death Wish, and three new talents arrived. Protection's early rows were reshuffled and Toughness removed.
Every tree has a one-point milestone talent at 11, 16, 21 and 31 points. The 16-point ones are new: Spearing Strike, Raging Blows and Vanguard (Charge in Defensive Stance).

Every abilitie, new and changed ones marked, by spec: Arms, Fury, Protection.

Strengths

The tank groups look for: a real taunt, an AoE taunt, two interrupts and a 4-minute Shield Wall with talents. Warriors are scarce in the beta (about 7% in one unverified count), so a Warrior tank finds groups fast.
Blizzard wants Warriors to be "the kings of cleave": Whirlwind, Cleave and Sweeping Strikes on every pack, which other melee lack.
No mana, no ammo, no reagents and no pet. Rage refills itself in every fight.
Pummel and Shield Bash interrupt, Hamstring and Piercing Howl slow, and Intimidating Shout and Concussion Blow stop trouble. Most of that is what a Paladin or Priest partner lacks.
Sunder Armor and Demoralizing Shout are raid-wide debuffs, and Shield Slam can purge a magic buff.

Gaps you plan around

The hardest start in the beta. Rage is short before 20, with no self-heal until Victory Rush. The rage-from-damage fixes should ease it; that is not measured yet.
Rage from damage taken is fixed in the beta (build 70291), but nobody has measured it. Three bugs went (player health used instead of a creature's, crits and crushing blows, absorbs). Blizzard says the typical Warrior should gain more.
Gear-dependent. Your weapon is everything, repairs are the highest of any class, and with Fury's Precision gone all main-hand hit has to come from gear.
No dispel, no battle resurrection and no heal for anyone else. Arms and Fury pay the ~5% hybrid tax because the class can tank.

Races

Race	Faction	What it brings a Warrior
Human	Alliance	Ruthless: +2% crit on every attack (it replaces Sword Specialization, which needed a sword). The usual Alliance damage pick. Will to Survive breaks stuns (mostly PvP).
Dwarf	Alliance	Stoneform: 10% less physical damage for 8 seconds, and it removes bleeds, poisons and diseases. A good tank pick (Stoneform is 10% less physical damage); Night Elf is the alternative Alliance tank race. Earth Fury: +2% critical damage and healing (it replaces Mace Specialization) and Big Game Hunter (+5% damage to beasts).
Night Elf	Alliance	Elune's Light: +10% crit for 15 seconds every 3 minutes, which also means more crit rage. Shadowmeld now works in combat as a threat drop for a damage Warrior. Quickness +1% dodge, and its movement speed now stacks with other speed increases.
Gnome	Alliance	Expansive Mind: +5% maximum rage. Escape Artist breaks roots and slows and gives 3 seconds of immunity. Eureka! is an 8-second buff with no charges, 10% cheaper and stronger, but it no longer helps Rend's bleed.
Skyborne (High Order)	Alliance	New race (Skyborne Heroic Pack). Wind Blessed: +1% haste. +5% damage to Elementals. Read Ley Line doubles health regeneration, for 15 minutes near a ley line. Starts on Zephras Isle (1–12).
Orc	Horde	Blood Fury: +10% attack power for 15 seconds every 3 minutes, with no healing penalty now. Savage: +1% crit (it replaces Axe Specialization). Hardiness shortens stuns by 20%. Shatter Curse now dispels Curses and Banes and cuts magic damage taken by 5%. The consensus Horde damage pick.
Undead	Horde	Will of the Forsaken breaks fears and charms. Cannibalize restores 35% health over 10 seconds between pulls. Touch of the Grave drains a little health on some hits. Touch of the Dead has a 20% chance to fire for Warriors, with a 25-second internal cooldown.
Tauren	Horde	Endurance: +5% health and 2% more critical damage and healing (so no race gives main-hand hit now). War Stomp stuns up to 5 enemies, now on a 90-second cooldown. A strong tank pick (War Stomp, +5% health).
Troll	Horde	Berserking: +10% attack speed for 10 seconds, off the global cooldown. Rapid Regeneration heals 50% of your health over 6 seconds if you stand still. Regeneration bonuses are 20%. Beast Slaying +5% to beasts.
Skyborne (Windshaper)	Horde	As High Order, but Skysight gives +10% movement and mount speed instead of Read Ley Line.