World of Warcraft: Forever · class guide
Arms Warrior: PvP
How Arms Warrior fights other players in the open world: where it ranks on the PvP tier lists, and why.
Forecast. Rated from the client data and our research, before anyone has played it at this level on this build. Where the data stops, the write-up says what it assumed. Rated as of , build 1.60.1.70450.
Battlegrounds are not rated yet; builds, matchups and battleground roles are being written for this spec. Honor, ranks, gear and the battlegrounds themselves are on PvP in World of Warcraft: Forever.
Verdict
- At 60
- Ranked 14 of 28 on Open-World PvP
A slow two-hander with
Mortal Strike, 
Charge and 
Hamstring, easy to start a fight with and hard to leave. - While leveling
- Ranked 15 of 28 on Open-World PvP Leveling
Charge at 4 and Hamstring at 8 start fights, but Mortal Strike waits until 40 and nothing heals until
Victory Rush at 20. - Battlegrounds
- Not rated yet.
Profile
The rubric the lists score on, 1 to 5 on each line, with the weight each line carries. The class’s other specs are shown at 60 for comparison.
| Criterion | Weight | At 60 | While leveling | Fury | Protection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burst and kill pressure | 25 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Survival and escapes | 20 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Control | 15 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Fighting outnumbered | 15 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Choosing the fight | 10 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Sustain between fights | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Group fights | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Weighted score | 3.20 | 2.70 | 3.20 | 2.50 |
Strengths and weaknesses
At 60
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Mortal Strike damage and healing cut | No defensive cooldown without a shield |
Charge,  Intercept and Hamstring to start fights | Victory Rush is its only heal |
 Pummel and  Disarm | Cannot leave a fight |
 Intimidating Shout fears five | No ranged attack |
| Plate armor | Pummel needs  Berserker Stance |
Why it ranks where it does on Open-World PvP
Arms hits with Mortal Strike, 
Overpower, 
Execute, 
Slam, a two-hander swing and 
Recklessness, and 
Impale raises crit damage. Blizzard says crits in PvP no longer have reduced efficacy. Mortal Strike also cuts the target's healing. Control is Charge's stun, Hamstring (with Improved Hamstring a 15% chance of a 5 s root), Intimidating Shout, Disarm, Pummel from Berserker Stance, 
Thunder Clap and 
Spearing Strike, which dismounts.
Survival is thin: 
Retaliation and Victory Rush (a 10% heal for 20 s after a kill), with no shield and so no 
Shield Wall. 
Sweeping Strikes and 
Cleave hit two targets, and Intimidating Shout fears up to five, so it can fight two for a while. Charge, Intercept and Hamstring make it easy to start a fight, but it has no stealth and no way to run. Victory Rush is its only sustain, and in a group it can Intercept in, clear a point with a Shout and Pummel casters.
It is not B because survival and sustain are both 2, with no shield for Shield Wall and no heal but Victory Rush. 3.20 is 0.05 short of B.
While leveling
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Charge at 4 and Hamstring at 8 | Little defense |
| Overpower, Slam and Execute as they arrive | Victory Rush only from 20 |
| Intimidating Shout at 22 | Single opener until Intercept at 30 |
| Thunder Clap for crowds | No stun before Charge's 1 s |
| Mortal Strike at 40 |
Why it ranks where it does on Open-World PvP Leveling
Charge arrives at 4 with a 1 s stun, Thunder Clap at 6 and Hamstring at 8, then Overpower at 12 and Disarm at 18. Slam and Cleave come at 20, Intimidating Shout at 22, Execute at 24, Intercept at 30, and Mortal Strike at 40 as the 31st talent point. There is no real stun before Charge's 1 s and Intercept at 30.
Defensive Stance at 10, and Victory Rush and Retaliation at 20, are all the defense it has, since Shield Wall at 28 needs a shield. Cleave at 20, Intimidating Shout and Sweeping Strikes at 30 let it fight two. Charge is a single opener until Intercept at 30, and Victory Rush is its only heal. Thunder Clap and Intimidating Shout handle crowds.
It is not C because survival and sustain are both 2, and its burst and control are only 3 until Mortal Strike at 40. 2.70 is 0.05 short of C.
Leveling timeline
The level each of Arms’s PvP tools arrives. A talent shows at the earliest level a point can reach it; the Talented Legacy perk brings talents 5 levels sooner.
- Level 4 Charge
- Level 8 Hamstring
- Level 12
Shield Bash - Level 18 Disarm
- Level 20 Retaliation
- Level 22 Intimidating Shout
- Level 25 Spearing Strike (talent)
- Level 28 Shield Wall
- Level 30 Intercept,
Berserker Rage - Level 38 Pummel
- Level 40 Mortal Strike (talent)
- Level 50 Recklessness
Races
The Warrior’s races as Races PvP ranks them, best first.
Alliance
Human: 
Will to Survive is the only full stun break in the game, and 
Ruthless and 
Perception add steady crit and stealth detection.
Dwarf: 
Stoneform is the strongest defensive racial of any race, and the widest class choice helps, but burst and mobility are the weakest.
Night Elf: 
Shadowmeld, extra stealth and speed give the joint best mobility of any race, and 
Elune's Light is a crit burst, but it breaks nothing.
Gnome: 
Escape Artist breaks roots and slows and its burst racial adds +10% damage, but Gnome lacks defense, mobility and class choice.
Skyborne (High Order): 
Wind Blessed gives steady haste, but High Order has no control break, no defensive and only a glide for mobility.
Horde
Undead: 
Will of the Forsaken breaks fear and charm and 
Touch of the Grave drains in combat, but it has the weakest burst and no mobility.
Orc: 
Blood Fury is the strongest burst cooldown of any race, and 
Hardiness and 
Shatter Curse give some breaks and defense, but no mobility.
Tauren: 
War Stomp and 
Plainsrunning give the best mobility and 
Endurance adds health, but it breaks nothing and has the weakest burst.- Skyborne (Windshaper): Wind Blessed gives steady haste and
Skysight a 30 second sprint, but it has no control break and no defensive. 
Troll: 
Berserking is a burst for seven classes, but Troll has no control break or mobility and 
Rapid Regeneration works out of combat.
What we don’t know yet
At 60
Rated on assumptions:
- Everything at level 60 is projected from client data and the spec's own talent tree; nobody has played past the beta cap of 30.
- Sweeping Strikes at 30 and Mortal Strike at 40, the 31st talent point, are projected from the own tree past the beta cap.
- Pummel at 38 and Intercept ranks are client data, not played.
- Diminishing returns on stuns, fears and silences are not documented for Forever.
What would move it: Level-60 play showing it surviving a gank in blues, or the hybrid tax of about 5% proving larger or smaller than assumed.
While leveling
Rated on assumptions:
- Levels past the beta cap of 30 are projected from client data and the spec's own talent tree; nobody has played past 30.
- Sweeping Strikes beyond 30 is projected from the own tree.
- Pummel at 38 is client data past the cap, not played.
What would move it: Play at 20 to 30 showing Intercept lifting the road, play at 40 showing Mortal Strike doing the same, or a heal arriving earlier than Victory Rush.