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WotLK 3.3.5a · Talent build

Protection Warrior Talent Build & Glyphs

The 15/5/51 Protection Warrior build for WotLK 3.3.5a, point by point. It is already loaded in the calculator below, so you can change a talent, try another build or copy a link to share it.

  • 15/5/51 main build
  • 2 builds
  • Glyphs included
  • Free · no login
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Class Armory

WRATH OF THE LICH KING
3.3.5a · LEVEL 80
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Locked pathPrerequisite metLearned pathOutlined talents differ from the selected preset when comparison is on.

Click to add · Right-click or Shift-click to remove. On touch screens, select a talent and use + / −.

Major Glyphs

    Minor Glyphs

      01 / Overview

      About the Protection Warrior build

      Protection Warrior takes fifty-one points in the Protection tree, fifteen in Arms and five in Fury. The Protection tree gives you Devastate, Sword and Board, Shockwave, Vigilance, Critical Block, Vitality and Improved Defensive Stance, which is the standard raid tank toolkit. There are two builds: the Raid Tank (15/5/51) for progression bosses, and an Unrelenting Assault / Revenge build (37/2/32) that goes deeper into Arms for heroics, trash and fights with many adds.

      • 15/5/51main build
      • 2builds to compare
      • 6glyphs
      • 71points at level 80
      02 / Builds

      Protection Warrior builds compared

      The calculator above has 2 builds for this spec. Pick one from the Build menu to load it. Every build totals 71 points, and the last column shows what it changes compared with the main build.

      BuildSplitUse it whenWhat changes
      Raid Tank main build15/5/51The standard raid tank build and the one to load first. It is the safe choice for any boss.the reference
      Unrelenting Assault / Revenge37/2/32A hybrid for heroics, trash and add-heavy fights. It gives up the deepest Protection talents for Revenge-based threat and Unrelenting Assault.Poleaxe Specialization 0 → 5
      Critical Block 3 → 0
      Improved Thunder Clap 3 → 0
      Iron Will 0 → 3
      Sword and Board 3 → 0
      Vitality 3 → 0
      and 17 smaller changes
      Glyph: Glyph of Revenge
      03 / Talents

      Every talent in the main Protection Warrior build

      This is the 15/5/51 build, talent by talent, with what each one does at the rank the build takes. Talents are listed from the top of each tree to the bottom.

      Arms15 points
      TalentRankWhat it does at this rank
      Improved Heroic Strike2/3Reduces the cost of your Heroic Strike ability by 2 rage points.
      Deflection5/5Increases your Parry chance by 5%.
      Tactical Mastery3/3You retain up to an additional 15 of your rage points when you change stances. Also greatly increases the threat generated by your Bloodthirst and Mortal Strike abilities when you are in Defensive Stance. (More effective than Rank 2).
      Impale2/2Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your abilities by 20%.
      Deep Wounds3/3Your critical strikes cause the opponent to bleed, dealing 48% of your melee weapon's average damage over 6 sec.
      Fury5 points
      TalentRankWhat it does at this rank
      Armored to the Teeth3/3Increases your attack power by 3 for every 108 armor value you have.
      Cruelty2/5Increases your chance to get a critical strike with melee weapons by 2%.
      Protection51 points
      TalentRankWhat it does at this rank
      Shield Specialization5/5Increases your chance to block attacks with a shield by 5% and has a 100% chance to generate 5 rage when a block, dodge, or parry occurs.
      Improved Thunder Clap3/3Reduces the cost of your Thunder Clap ability by 4 rage point and increases the damage by 30% and the slowing effect by an additional 10%.
      Incite3/3Increases the critical strike chance of your Heroic Strike, Thunder Clap and Cleave abilities by 15%.
      Anticipation5/5Increases your Dodge chance by 5%.
      Last Stand1/1Instant · 3 min cooldownWhen activated, this ability temporarily grants you 30% of your maximum health for 20 sec. After the effect expires, the health is lost.
      Improved Revenge2/2Increases damage of your Revenge ability by 60% and causes Revenge to strike an additional target.
      Shield Mastery2/2Increases your block value by 30% and reduces the cooldown of your Shield Block ability by 20 sec.
      Toughness5/5Increases your armor value from items by 10% and reduces the duration of all movement slowing effects by 30%.
      Concussion Blow1/115 Rage · Melee Range · Instant · 30 sec cooldown · Requires Melee WeaponStuns the opponent for 5 sec and deals 4 damage (based on attack power).
      Gag Order2/2Gives your Shield Bash and Heroic Throw abilities a 100% chance to silence the target for 3 sec and increases the damage of your Shield Slam ability by 10%.
      One-Handed Weapon Specialization5/5Increases physical damage you deal when a one-handed melee weapon is equipped by 10%.
      Improved Defensive Stance2/2While in Defensive Stance all spell damage is reduced by 6% and when you Block, Parry or Dodge an attack you have a 100% chance to become Enraged, increasing melee damage caused by 10% for 12 sec.
      Vigilance1/130 yd range · InstantFocus your protective gaze on a group or raid target, reducing their damage taken by 3% and transfers 10% of the threat they cause to you. In addition, each time they are hit by an attack your Taunt cooldown is refreshed. Lasts 30 min. This effect can only be on one target at a time.
      Vitality3/3Increases your total Strength by 6%, Stamina by 9% and your Expertise by 6.
      Warbringer1/1Your Charge, Intercept and Intervene abilities are now usable while in combat and in any stance. In addition, your Intervene ability will remove all movement impairing effects.
      Devastate1/115 Rage · Melee Range · Instant · Requires One-Handed Melee WeaponSunder the target's armor causing the Sunder Armor effect. In addition, causes 120% of weapon damage plus 58 for each application of Sunder Armor on the target. The Sunder Armor effect can stack up to 5 times.
      Critical Block3/3Your successful blocks have a 60% chance to block double the normal amount and increases your chance to criticially hit with your Shield Slam ability by an additional 15%.
      Sword and Board3/3Increases the critical strike chance of your Devastate ability by 15% and when your Devastate or Revenge ability deals damage it has a 30% chance of refreshing the cooldown of your Shield Slam ability and reducing its cost by 100% for 5 sec.
      Damage Shield2/2Whenever you take damage from or block a melee attack you cause damage equal to 20% of your block value.
      Shockwave1/115 Rage · Melee Range · Instant · 20 sec cooldownSends a wave of force in front of the warrior, causing 8 damage (based on attack power) and stunning all enemy targets within 10 yards in a frontal cone for 4 sec.
      04 / Glyphs

      Protection Warrior glyphs

      Major glyphs

      • Glyph of Taunt

        Increases the chance for your Taunt ability to succeed by 8%.

      • Glyph of Shield Wall

        Reduces the cooldown on Shield Wall by 2 min, but Shield Wall now only reduces damage taken by 40%.

      • Glyph of Last Stand

        Reduces the cooldown of your Last Stand ability by 1 min.

      Minor glyphs

      • Glyph of Bloodrage

        Reduces the health cost of your Bloodrage ability by 100%.

      • Glyph of Command

        Increases the duration of your Commanding Shout ability by 2 min.

      • Glyph of Thunder Clap

        Increases the radius of your Thunder Clap ability by 2 yards.

      05 / Questions

      Protection Warrior talents FAQ

      QWhat is the best Protection Warrior talent build in WotLK 3.3.5a?

      Our main build is 15/5/51: 15 points in Arms, 5 in Fury and 51 in Protection. The deepest talents it takes are Shockwave, Sword and Board, Damage Shield and Warbringer. The calculator on this page loads it, and you can change any point to see what it costs.

      QWhich glyphs should a Protection Warrior use?

      The main build uses Glyph of Taunt, Glyph of Shield Wall and Glyph of Last Stand as major glyphs and Glyph of Bloodrage, Glyph of Command and Glyph of Thunder Clap as minor glyphs.

      QHow should a Protection Warrior split talent points?

      Level 80 gives 71 talent points. The main build spends them as 15/5/51 across Arms, Fury and Protection. The other 1 build (Unrelenting Assault / Revenge 37/2/32) move some of the points, and the table above shows which ones.

      QWhich Protection Warrior build should I pick?

      Raid Tank (15/5/51): The standard raid tank build and the one to load first. It is the safe choice for any boss. Unrelenting Assault / Revenge (37/2/32): A hybrid for heroics, trash and add-heavy fights. It gives up the deepest Protection talents for Revenge-based threat and Unrelenting Assault.

      Want the full picture? Read the Protection Warrior guide, check the Protection Warrior BiS gear list, or open the talent calculator for any other spec.

      06 / Keep going

      More Warrior talent builds