Skip to content
Wowcalc

Protection Warrior Guide — Class Guides · WoW Forever

The tanking tree: more armour, block and threat from Shield Slam, plus abilities that hold several enemies.

A plate-wearing melee fighter who builds Rage by dealing and taking damage and spends it on attacks, shouts and stances. Warriors tank with a shield in Defensive Stance or deal melee damage with two-handed or dual-wielded weapons. More about the warrior

Class
Warrior
Roles
Tank
Used for
Raids and dungeons
Top talent
Shield Slam
Popular builds
1
Version
WoW Forever

How to play

Protection in WoW Forever is a shield tank that never runs dry: Master of Defense gives Rage whenever you dodge or parry with a shield, Focused Rage makes your offensive abilities cheaper, Bastion raises all your damage while a shield is equipped, and Vanguard lets you Charge in Defensive Stance.

Hold threat with Shield Slam, Revenge and Sunder Armor, and keep Shield Block up against heavy hitters. Thunder Clap and Demoralizing Shout weaken packs and bosses.

Last Stand, Shield Wall and Concussion Blow remain, so Protection is the tank for the hardest-hitting bosses.

At a glance

Single-target threat
Holding several enemies
Survivability
Utility for the group
Solo play and leveling
Ease of play

Rated 1 to 5 against the other specs in WoW Forever.

Rotation and priorities

  1. 1Charge in, even in Defensive Stance with Vanguard; Bloodrage for opening Rage.
  2. 2Shield Slam whenever it is ready.
  3. 3Revenge whenever it can be used.
  4. 4Sunder Armor as filler threat.
  5. 5Shield Block against heavy hitters.
  6. 6Shield Wall and Last Stand for emergencies.

Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths

  • Steady Rage from Master of Defense.
  • Bastion makes a shield tank hit harder.
  • Charge into packs without leaving Defensive Stance.

Weaknesses

  • Holding many enemies at once still takes work.
  • Slower solo play than Arms.
  • Large repair bills.

Stats and gear

Stat priority

Most valuable first. Bars compare each stat with the best one; a cap in the note means the stat drops off once you reach it.

  1. 1

    Defenseenough that bosses can't crit you

  2. 2

    Stamina

  3. 3

    Dodge, parry and blockdodge and parry give Rage

  4. 4

    Armour

  5. 5

    Hit

  6. 6

    Strength

What to look for

  • A one-handed weapon and the best shield you can find: Bastion only works with a shield.
  • Defense first, then Stamina and avoidance.
  • Some hit and Strength for threat once you're comfortable.

Builds

Each bar splits the build's talent points by tree.

  • Arms
  • Fury
  • Protection

  • Bastion Shieldwall

    TankPvE
    15/0/36

    A shield tank that never runs dry: Master of Defense and Focused Rage keep Rage flowing, Bastion raises damage with a shield, and Shield Slam holds threat.

    • Anger Management 1/1
    • Concussion Blow 1/1
    • Focused Rage 3/3
    • Bastion 5/5
    • Shield Slam 1/1

    Open in the talent calculatorTheorycrafting

Key talents

  • Shield Slam · top talent, up to 1

    Slam the target with your shield, causing 421 to 439 damage, increased by your Block Value, and has a 50% chance of dispelling 1 magic effect on the target. Causes a very high amount of threat.

  • Anticipation · tier 2, up to 5

    Increases your Defense Skill by 20.

  • Improved Revenge · tier 2, up to 3

    Increases damage dealt by your Revenge ability by 60%.

  • Last Stand · tier 3, up to 1

    When activated, this ability temporarily grants you 30% of your maximum health for 20 sec. After the effect expires, the health is lost.

  • Master of Defense · tier 3, up to 2

    Grants you a 100% chance to generate 5 Rage when you Dodge or Parry while a shield is equipped.

  • Defiance · tier 3, up to 3

    Increases all threat generated in Defensive stance by an additional 15% while a shield is equipped.

  • Improved Sunder Armor · tier 4, up to 3

    Reduces the Rage cost of your Sunder Armor ability by 3.

  • Concussion Blow · tier 5, up to 1

    Stuns the target for 5 sec.

  • Focused Rage · tier 5, up to 3

    Reduces the Rage cost of your offensive abilities by 3.

  • Bastion · tier 6, up to 5

    Increases all damage you deal by 10% while a shield is equipped.

Protection abilities by level

When each ability arrives: trained abilities at the level a trainer first teaches them, talent abilities (gold frame) at the first level the talent can be taken.

What WoW Forever changed

New talents in this tree

  • Master of DefenseGrants you a 100% chance to generate 5 Rage when you Dodge or Parry while a shield is equipped.
  • VanguardYour Charge ability is now usable while in Defensive Stance.
  • Focused RageReduces the Rage cost of your offensive abilities by 3.
  • BastionIncreases all damage you deal by 10% while a shield is equipped.

Classic Era talents the class no longer has

  • Toughness
  • Improved Shield Block
  • Improved Taunt
  • One-Handed Weapon Specialization

Spells

Changed: Defensive Stance, Taunt, Revenge, Shield Block, Last Stand, Shield Wall, Concussion Blow, Shield Slam.

Related

Other warrior specs: Arms, Fury