Images courtesy of Peter Dorsi

Capable of absorbing brutal punishment while dishing out tons of damage in return, the Warrior is the premiere melee class in the game. With great ferocity, the Warrior can go berserk and bring down his enemies while protecting his allies from harm. The best tanking unit in the World of Warcraft, the Warrior is akin to the Rogue in one respect; while the Rogue depends on his energy pool to perform certain abilities and skills, the Warrior relies heavily on his rage to defeat those that stand against him.

The Warrior has an array of skills that can cripple enemies, wipe them out, and enhance the battle skills of his allies with his war cries. Given the ability to tank and take a beating, the Warrior can engage multiple opponents and still come out as the victor, with every strike from the enemy increasing his rage.

Depending on his gear, the Warrior can either be the ultimate tanker, a powerhouse damage dealer, or a mix of both. A versatile melee expert, the Warrior can take three stances when engaged; the Battle Stance, the Defensive Stance, and the Berserker Stance.

Overview
So long as there are wars to fight, the Warrior will always be on the ready. A pure combatant who prefers coming up close rather than striking from the distance, the Warrior excels in physical strength, melee fighting skills, and close-quarter tactics, making him a fearsome foe when fighting up close. As a versatile melee class, the Warrior can spur his party to victories with his war shouts. He can plunge headlong into the heart of a battle and still survive to tell the tale.

The Warrior is a welcome member for any party and is a considerable threat to enemies. Present in every race, the Warrior class is more common among the Dwarves, Orcs, Undead, and Humans. For the latter, becoming a Knight is the highest achievement a warrior can receive, as he becomes an elite warrior in his society.

The Warrior’s main attribute is strength. Every strength point gained increases the Warrior’s attack power. In addition, strength also increases the amount of damaged block by his shield. In the endgame, it is common to see a Warrior equipped with equipment that grants him additional attack power.

Notable Warriors in the World of Warcraft
Varian Wrynn – son of the late King Llane and the rightful heir to the throne of Stormwind. Varian escaped the sacking of Stormwind during the First War and was raised like a son by King Terenas of Lordaeron. During his stay in Lordaeron, he befriended Arthas, who would eventually become the Lich King.

Anduin Lothar – the champion of Stormwind and the Steward of Prince Varian. Lothar was the supreme commander of the Alliance during the Second War. He died shortly before Stormwind was retaken.

Danath Trollbane – a mercenary during the early phase of the Second War, Danath Trollbane became famous for his leadership in the battle for Khaz Modan.

Other great warriors:

• Muradin Bronzebeard
• Magni Bronzebeard
• Kurdran Wildhammer
• Grom Hellscream
• Garrosh Hellscream
• Orgrim Doomhammer
• Kargath Bladefist
• High Tinker Mekkatorque

The Races
The Warrior class is available to all races. However, every race grants their Warrior a set of unique skills and expertise. Here are some of the benefits that come with the race.

• Human Warriors have a higher level of expertise with swords and maces, two most popular weapons for the Warrior class.
• Dwarves are less vulnerable to poison and bleed damage. Their armor level can be increased by 10%, which is very useful in PvP situations.
• Gnome Warriors can use the Escape Artist skill when they feel overwhelmed. Gnomes also have high resistance against arcane magic.
• While strength is the main quality of the Warrior class, the Night Elf warrior adds quickness to the mix.
• Taurens can use their Warstomp ability, which is great for crowd control.
• Draenei Warriors are effective even when going solo with the Gift of the Naaru. Their high resistance to shadow attacks is also valuable.
• Orc Warriors have Axe Specialization, making them more deadly when using one- or two-handed axes. Their Hardiness is also vital, as it reduces stun duration.
• Troll Warriors get the benefit of Berserking. When activated, the Troll Warrior’s attacks have increased damage output.
• The Undead Warriors enjoy the advantage of the Will of The Forsaken, as they are made immune to any Charm, Fear, or Sleep effects.

The Stances

The warrior has three varying stances designed for different situations — which stance to use depends on the Warrior’s talents.

Battle Stance is the standard stance of the Warrior, which is a well rounded array of offensive and defensive skills
(-20% Threat Generated).

Defensive Stance increases the rate and efficiency of the Warrior’s defensive abilities. This is mainly used when tanking (-10% Damage Received, -10% Damage Inflicted, +45% Threat Generated).

Berserker Stance means the Warrior has all offensive skills on the overdrive Best used when someone else is tanking (+3% Crit, +10% Damage Received, -20% threat Generated).

Some Warrior abilities are not available when using a specific stance. Carefully picking a stance before engaging is crucial.

The Talent Trees
There are three trees to consider when defining a Warrior’s role in the game.

• Arms Tree

Increases the Warrior’s bleeding skills and attacks with arms, as well as enhances rage gain and skills. This tree basically turns the Warrior into a hack-and-slash juggernaut. Several key talents in this tree include:

• Overpower – enables the Warrior to overpower an enemy that has dodged the Warrior’s strike. An instant counterattack, overpower is best paired with a two-handed weapon with high damage.
• Deep Wounds – causes any of the warrior’s Critical Hits to apply damage over time bleed effect.
• Mortal Strike – a powerful attack that inflicts significant amount of burst damage and adding a debuff that reduces the efficiency of the enemy’s healing abilities by half for 10 seconds.
• Fury Tree

The Fury Tree leans towards increasing the Warrior’s sustained damage rate. This tree bolsters greatly the Warrior’s dual wield capability, enabling the Warrior to inflict the highest damage possible. Some of the important talents in this area are:

Bloodthirst – allows the Warrior to slightly heal himself after dealing a powerful blow.
Flurry – increases the Warrior’s attack speed for the next three swings after he lands a critical strike.
Slam – a weapon-dependent ability that inflicts damage plus X; consumes 15 rage and generates no extra threat.

• Protection Tree

This particular tree gives the Warrior’s stunning, crippling, and harassing abilities a boost. While Protection-centered Warriors do not have high damage output compared to Warriors specializing in Fury and Arms, Protection Warriors can still crush those foolish enough to go near them. Here are some of this tree’s skills:

Thunder Clap – a point blank Area of Effect ability that inflicts physical damage and slows enemies’ attacks.

Damage Shield – a protection warrior talent that causes normal and blocked melee hits taken to reflect damage equal to 10/20% of the warrior’s block value.