WoW Cataclysm Classic: Warrior class changes guide

Warriors are one of the most iconic classes in World of Warcraft, and Cataclysm Classic will do little to change that reputation. With some solid new build choices and impressive updates to existing staples, it’s going to be a good time to roll one.

The removal of weapon specializations in Cataclysm marks a significant shift for the Warrior class. This change brings the pick-up-and-play aspect of the game to the forefront, making the class more accessible and leveling up a relative breeze.

All three Warrior specs have remained competitive enough in Wrath of the Lich King, with Fury often proving to be an S-Tier spec across the board. Arms has lagged significantly behind at times, but that gap should close up over the coming weeks.

With all of that in mind, here is our guide to the major Warrior changes in Cataclysm Classic.

New Warrior spells and abilities

Blizzard Entertainment

Level 81: Inner Rage

At Level 81, Warriors now have access to Inner Rage. This is a passive ability that increases the rate at which Warriors consume Rage by 50%, while increasing all damage by 15%. This activates whenever the class manages to max out the Rage bar. A hugely useful proc in both PvE and PvP, it should add excellent DPS and burst potential.

Level 83: Gushing Wound

In good news for those who like to stack dots and bleeds, Gushing Wound is about to add to the toolkit significantly. If the target moves after being hit, it adds a further bleed stack and refreshes the duration, up to three total. Keeping the ability up as much as possible should do plenty to improve the Warrior’s DPS rotation as the dust settles following the launch of Cataclysm.

Level 85: Heroic Leap

In what has since become a staple for all Warrior players, Heroic Leap makes its debut in Cataclysm Classic. Allowing the class to literally jump two-footed into battle, it is also available to use in any stance. It’s likely that the developers will use the original Patch 4.1 version of Heroic Leap, rather than 4.0, as it doesn’t share the global cooldown.

In addition to those new abilities, some existing options are changed from their Wrath versions. The most notable example is Whirlwind, which will now hit unlimited targets, becoming a pure and effective AoE ability in the process. Though damage to single-targets will go down, it’s a very worthy trade-off for the add clear and gold farming potential it offers.

Talents, Masteries and Spec changes

Arms Warriors can now benefit from Blitz, a new talent that increases the damage done by Charge, as well as generating 10 additional Rage and stunning two targets. Up to this point, Charge doesn’t really hit for any damage, and the arrival of Blitz makes a lot of sense.

The other addition to that spec is Disarming Nature. This causes enemies to cower in fear after being successfully disarmed. This has the potential to make the class very effective in PvP, depending on how it procs and the utility in the class they are up against.

In terms of Masteries, Protection Warriors are looking at Damage Reduction (for obvious reasons) and Vengeance. The latter is rolling out across all Tank specs, granting an attack power buff that stacks. This makes their damage more competitive despite not being a primary focus. It should also help with threat.

For both Warrior DPS specs, Melee Damage is absolutely the priority. Beyond that, Armor Penetration, Melee Haste and Sword Specialization will likely be the sensible choices in top-tier and second-tier masteries.