Prot Warrior Spec Thread

[Locklear]

Alright, I need some advice here ~ I have been raiding TBC since April 2007, raided Pre-TBC for 6 months but when I join a new raiding guild, I keep being told Oh this spec is better than your current one - by frigin shadow priests who sit on the sidelines DPS'ing (especially after I finish MT'ing SSC/TK/Hyjal bosses and keeping aggro just fine).. So, tell me what you think of my current spec.

Current Spec -> WorldofWarcraft.com -> Info -> Classes -> Warrior -> Talent Calculator
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Spec Suggested EveryTime -> WorldofWarcraft.com -> Info -> Classes -> Warrior -> Talent Calculator
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Spec Used By Most Tanks in Guilds -> WorldofWarcraft.com -> Info -> Classes -> Warrior -> Talent Calculator

Alright, now Here's what I think of these.

My Spec: It holds aggro just fine, im able to stay above everyone else in Aggro ('cept 1 certain warlock who nukes like hell on every damn enemy we find)

Suggested Spec: Ive tried this, personally I think it sucks :banned:

Spec Used by most Tanks in guild: WTF!! 3/3 in Imp Sunder? Use Devastate to get more dps/threat and Devastate puts a sunder on the enemy each use. No Imp. Shield Wall? No Imp. Revenge? That is actually a thing I always remember to put points into, because I find it saves me a lot of times on certain Pat's and such in TK and SSC. 6):

Looking for some feedback - Thanks

[psychosnow]

I like your build, personally I prefer Iron will and Imp. Shield bash, also how is your defense skill sitting? if you are currently at 510+ then you can drop anticipation.

Suggested spec is odd to me, missing several things I take a lot (imp sunder I will get to that in a sec), and missing imp shield wall.

On imp sunder: Imp sunder reduces the cost of Sunder AND devastate. Add focused rage to that and devastate is only 9 rage.

On imp revenge: I personally do not take this because the stun only works on trash, trash is far to easy to hold aggro on, and does not require additional effort. If you are PvPing then of course it would have additional uses.

I would like to post my build, but I am unable to post links until I have been on this forum longer (kinda sucks, but I understand the reasoning).

More then anything tho is creating a build you enjoy playing. everyone has different play styles to achieve the same effects. As long as you get the job done, and have fun at the same time, then what does it matter. If your guild wants you to respec challenge them and say you will if you loose he ability to hold aggro. Another option is to say you want to keep some of the abilities to be able to farm when preparing for raids, make the offer that if they want you in a different spec they should be prepared to do all your farming for you.

[Locklear]

I am far over 510 Defense..

Never realized Imp. Sunder worked for Devastate though

And I do keep the Imp Revenge around for Trash like I said, but it still is useful for Dailies as well as PvP when I do that (almost never =P)

[psychosnow]

490 Defense. This is a must, before stepping into any dungeon. It prevents you, under normal circumstances*, from being critically hit. Crits from monsters are Double damage. They can rapidly take a tank at moderate health down to dangerous levels. When followed by other critical hits, crushing blows, or special abilities, it can result in a dead tank before even the best healers can react. More then 490 defense is generally a waste.

*if a monster mind control’s a druid with Leader of the Pack, or receives some other type of buff that increases their critical hit chance above the base 5%, you can still be crit, (example from Musluk) You can also be Crit if you press a button hotkeyed to /sit, either “X” or “C”, so remove that keybinding
Malicious Instructor in Shadow Labyrinth is also known to crit warrior's with 525 Def, as noted by Satrina of evil empire

Yakra's Theories on Tanking as posted on wowhead.

[Locklear]

Heh thanks for posting it, but I am aware of this =)

[psychosnow]

just trying to be helpful

regardless of what you end up doing, post your new build (or let us know if you keep your old one), I am always wanting to see what other tanks are doing

[Amedis]

No offence, but all of those builds are .. Not good .. Although, out of the 3, yours is the best .. The other 2 are just .. Idiotic =\

I MT'ed everything before I quit PvE, and went all PvP, and my build never faultered or changed at all.

Main Prot Tank Spec: This is hands down, the best Warrior Protection Spec.

Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

Iv been playing a warrior since release, and have tried every build imaginable. This is the best one for tanking.

Let me know what you think.

[Locklear]

Thats a nice spec.. I might try it out

[The Doctor]

Main Prot Tank Spec: This is hands down, the best Warrior Protection Spec.

No. Just no.

All those builds are terrible, but, Lock, yours is the worst of the three because you don't pick up Cruelty, Amedis, the spec that you suggested is, not to sound like an ass or anything, but it's for lack of a better word, terrible.

Since we all seem to be brushing up on how much we know about the class, I'll tell you that I've been a warrior since beta, when we were the most overpowered class ever, and that I have played ever since then, and am now a Fury warrior in BT/Hyjal, although I have MTed everything in the game, I've MTed Illidan and OTed the flames in that encounter.

Now, there are a few must have tanking talents, and fact is that Cruelty is an amazing talent to have because of Rage gen. Another fact being that the deeper into content you delve the less and less you need taunt, rendering Imp Taunt nearly useless, the only place that it's really used at a TK or SSC level is on trash and on Lurker or Al'ar, which even then, aren't very useful because if you're getting agro pulls on Lurker it means that the melee are on your ass about threat and that you've got a problem with your TPS, while on Al'ar Imp Taunt is still not necessary and only used to pull off the tank with a debuff on him (and even then if it's resisted you've always got Challenging and Mocking Blow).

This is the spec I run with, although when I'm MTing I drop the points out of Imp Demo and take one out of Imp HS and point three into TC. The spec is the overall best when it comes to mitigating damage and dealing threat, and the reason being that Imp Demo only needs two points in it before a boss's added attack power drops to the minimum, regardless of how hard they hit (that is unless CoReck is on the boss, which makes Imp Demo more useful). I'd run with this, and even if you're MTing stick it out and see how it works, Anger Management is a waste of a talent point especially if it means dropping the best rage saving talent there is, Cruelty.

Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

If you have any questions as to why the spec is superior, then please do ask.

[shrumhead]

I like your spec for the most part Poker but any spec without improved bloodrage is just lacking. Here is the spec I main tank with.

Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft

Obviously you should get anticipation if your defense isn't maxed without it, but if it is then you must get imp bloodrage. There's only 2 points in imp sunder and HS to make them overall both 10 rage each which is plenty when getting wailed on by a boss or 25 man trash.

[Ferag]

You guys are all insane.
Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft is the only Main Tank spec there is. One on Stance Mastery makes for viability with Mocking Blow, Berserker Rage and Intercept. Imp HS is pointless, because if you are hitting that you should have more than enough rage that you don't need the -3. Especially with Focused Rage.
Any warrior spec without Cruelty is downright wrong. Everyone says it, on EU forums and US. BT tanks and Kara tanks. Imp TC is needed, and Imp Demo is not, there should be a Fury Warrior to pick that up for you 5/5 so that Curse of Recklessness can be used. Imp Defensive Stance is optional, same with Imp Shield Wall, but I take Imp Shield Wall because if I am using it, it's a tough situation so every second counts.
As for Imp Bloodrage, not needed unless you overgear the instance. And in that case you should be wearing DPS gear, not respeccing and gimping yourself. 5/5 Anticipation is absolutely necessary for every tank because of the avoidance and -hit/crit chance. Imp Sunder affects Devastate, and most raid mobs are stun immune so Imp Revenge is pointless. As for Imp Shield Bash, that is a PvP ability, because if your Raid cannot interrupt with ease and keep the mob from casting then your Rogues need to reroll as do your Mages and Fury Warriors.

Just remember... Curelty is a Warrior's God. Never go without it. Ever.

I am open to discussion on this topic, although I am stubborn.

[tripp6sic6]

I personally like this one Talent Calculator - World of Warcraft.
Improved Revenge has little use against bosses, as most are stun-immune. I spec for the boss fights, not the trash leading up to it.
Improved Sunder Armor affects Devastate as well, since 2.3.
I like Improved Heroic Strike, because it lets me use it more often for extra threat on my rage dump ability. Improved Bloodrage is equally good, though. I've never been in many situations where 2 more seconds of Shield Wall would have saved me/the attempt when main tanking. Maybe my experience is atypical, but that's my reasoning for only one point into Improved Shield Wall.
The situations where stance dancing is needed are few and far between, so I didn't take any points into Stance Mastery.
I took Improved Thunderclap because it helps decrease the likelihood of a crushing blow sneaking through between Shield Block charges.
Cruelty is such a big chunk of threat added that you can't ignore it either.

[deathmoose]

Before I rerolled a priest, I used:
WorldofWarcraft.com -> Info -> Classes -> Warrior -> Talent Calculator

Been tanking since release. I;ve

[criteria55]

I am far over 510 Defense..

Never realized Imp. Sunder worked for Devastate though

And I do keep the Imp Revenge around for Trash like I said, but it still is useful for Dailies as well as PvP when I do that (almost never =P)

Lol it wasnt til I got to gruul that I realised Devastate put a Sunder on the target, guess I wasted 3 points for a while xD

[Thiraas]

go on fury and make DAAMAAGE^^