PvE Arms Warrior DPS Guide

PVE Arms Warrior DPS Guide WotLK 3.3.5a
  • Author: Nevermore
  • Date: August 21, 2022
  • Updated: August 21, 2022
  • Expansion: WotLK Classic

Welcome to the Arms Warrior DPS PvE guide for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King! Arms Warriors are disciplined combatants that devoted their lives to the mastery of many forms of combat and a huge variety of weapons that can be used in most war zones. You will often see those plate-wearing individuals charging headfirst into battle, quickly disposing of any foes that dare question their skill. They are often seen rushing from one enemy to another seamlessly, moving in such a way that can only be attained from the harsh and rigorous training that they have endured.

Arms Warriors are characterized by having the ability to alter their talents depending on the type of weapon they choose to use, focusing on strong abilities that gouge their enemies dealing huge Bleed damage. Their most powerful display of skill comes in the form of Bladestorm, an ability so deadly that they can tear apart multiple foes at the same time.

This Guide will teach you how to properly play and optimize an Arms Warrior in PvE encounters, whether those might be difficult dungeons or terrifying raids. We will be covering everything from simple enchantments and consumables up to talents, rotations, macros, and addons. By the time you finish reading this guide, you will have the proper knowledge in order to complete any challenge laid before your path!

Arms Warrior Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths

  • Powerful single target damage
    Arms Warrior is somewhat stigmatized by the community for having poor DPS, however, do not be deceived by such tales — with proper knowledge and proper equipment, Arms Warrior can find itself in the top positions of the DPS charter for Single-Target fights!
  • High Mobility
    Arms Warriors benefit from ample mobility, allowing them to move swiftly across any battlefield. First of all, you can use Charge during combat thanks to the Juggernaut talent. Secondly, you can use both Intercept and Intervene to gain more ground during a fight!
  • Decent AoE capabilities
    Arms Warrior has decent AoE capabilities with the help of Bladestorm, Sweeping Strikes, Cleave, and Whirlwind, however, they can not compare to Fury Warriors, being weaker overall in terms of dealing damage to multiple enemies.
  • Empowers other classes that use Bleeds
    Arms Warriors benefit from a unique talent called Trauma, it allows you to empower all types of Bleed effects caused on a target! This can be extremely powerful when combined with a Feral Druid in the same raid!

Weaknesses

  • Highly gear reliant
    Arms Warriors require hefty amounts of equipment before being able to produce consistent damage. Therefore, they will be at a disadvantage during the first phases of the expansion, due to how dependent they are on Armor Penetration.
  • Seen as a weak/niche specialization
    Arms Warriors are seen as somewhat of a niche specialization for PvE, being labeled by the community mainly as a PvP spec with no viability in PvE. However, do not be discouraged by such views! With proper knowledge and technique, you will be able to secure a good spot in the DPS charts.

Arms Warrior Utility

  • Shattering Throw
    Completely unique utility that only Warriors have. Reducing the target’s armor by 20% is a modest damage increase for yourself and the raid, which stacks with 100% armor penetration despite what some people think. The 10-second duration is somewhat limited, however, and the 5-minute cooldown means you only get to use it once per fight, typically during Heroism / Bloodlust.
  • Reduced attack power (does not stack)Demoralizing Shout
    This debuff is a must-have, reducing boss damage by a good amount. Similar to previous expansions, Feral Druids can bring it with Demoralizing Roar & Warlocks bring it with Curse of Weakness. The Improved Demoralizing Shout talent happens to be in the Fury tree, so if your Feral Druid did not pick up the improved version, you may have to keep it up yourself.
  • Increased attack power (does not stack)Battle Shout
    This long-time Warrior staple ability is back and now affects your entire raid, making it a must-have. However, it has also been “nerfed” somewhat — it no longer stacks with a Paladin’s Greater Blessing of Might. Thus, if your raid has 3 Paladins (so you get all of their important buffs), you no longer have a reason to use this ability, and should use Commanding Shout instead.
  • Increased health (does not stack)Commanding Shout
    This is a must-have for your raid. Unfortunately, it also suffers a minor nerf in Wrath, as it no longer stacks with the Warlock’s Blood Pact that they gain when using an Imp pet. However, only Destruction Warlocks — which is the weaker Warlock specialization in Wrath — typically use Imps, meaning it will commonly fall on you to keep this buff up. just Make sure your raid is already getting the attack power buff of your Battle Shout, as you can only apply 1 of your shout buffs at a time.
  • 50% movement speed slow Hamstring
    All Warriors can afflict a target with Hamstring, severely impacting its movement speed. When used against threatening monsters, this ability is strong enough to buy time for your healers or caster to reposition themselves. Be sure to use it as much as possible when dealing with fights packed with adds!
  • 20% attack speed slow (does not stack)Thunder Clap
    This debuff is a must-have, reducing boss damage significantly. However, multiple other classes can offer it, and Arms Warriors typically do not have the luxury of being able to pick up the Improved Thunder Clap talent, meaning you likely won’t be the one to use this debuff.
  • 20% armor reduction (does not stack)Sunder Armor
    An absolute must-have, increasing your raid’s DPS by a significant amount. It no longer stacks with a Rogue’s Expose Armor, but that’s not a huge issue as Warriors have a significantly easier time keeping it up. Coupled with the fact that most raids won’t have a Protection Warrior applying this debuff, there’s a good chance that it’s your responsibility to keep this crucial debuff up on the target.

Conclusion

We hope this guide has been able to help you decide if PvE Arms Warrior is the class/spec for you. Make sure to check out our other sections, such as talents, gear, gems etc., to get more information on how to improve your performance as an Arms Warrior in WotLK!

 

About the Author

Nevermore

Hey there folks, I am Nevermore and have been deeply passionate about WoW for more than a decade. Whether we talk about the hidden mysteries of Azeroth or the otherworldly Outland, my journey brought me here to share the things that I have experienced with you all.
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antth3g0d
antth3g0d(@antth3g0d)
2 years ago

Amazing guide!

That One Guy
That One Guy
2 years ago

I’m interested in making an arms warrior on the server I play on. Just one question: do arms warriors stance dance at all in WotLK? Just wondering, thanks 🙂

Koldwen
Koldwen
Reply to  That One Guy
2 years ago

Short answer: No.
Long answer: There’s not a really good reason to stance dance in PVE, as you’ll lose pretty much all of your rage (and therefore drop your dps). “Recklessness” may be worth using, but you can do that right at the start (5 min cd, so you wont use it twice in most fights).

That One Guy
That One Guy
Reply to  Koldwen
2 years ago

Ok cool just wanted to confirm. I know they aren’t that great in dps in Wrath PvE but man they are fun to play imo lol

wenerna
wenerna
Reply to  That One Guy
2 years ago

i dont think you’ve seen any good arms warriors. up until around icc they are top tier

Aurkanthis
Aurkanthis
2 years ago

I think the blue gem section has an error. What should be instead of the ruby?

kriek
kriek
Reply to  Aurkanthis
1 year ago

it is correct, you do not use a blue or purple gem, you use the 10+ stats thing to trigger your meta requirements and then gem full red

Tyrvana
Tyrvana
Reply to  Aurkanthis
1 year ago

If u don’t want to waste 1k gold you could pickup
Sovereign Twilight Opal (str)
Guardian’s Twilight Opal (Expertise)
Puissant Twilight Opal (Arm Pen)
Vivid Forest Emerald (Hit)

Exotical
Exotical
2 years ago

is possible replace Wrecking Crew for Enrage? and use Death Wish instead Bladestorm?

Blightbane
Blightbane
Reply to  Exotical
1 year ago

Those 3 buffs doesnt stack, and why would you drop bs its a great aoe tool

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