Talent analysis for warroir tank in Wotlk
November 19, 2008 – 4:38 amPosted by: htx831008
Now we got 4 tank classes in wotlk: Warrior, Druid, Paladin and Death Knight. Warrior is the oldest among the 4 and it’s been modified most greatly in talent trees, so I’d like to discuss something about the talent for a warrior tank.
Warrior used to be the only proper tank in the original WOW, the most balanced tank in TBC with the distinct weak point of AOE tanking. Yes, we used to lack effective threat-generating moves against multi-mobs….but not anymore. With the new talents, warriors have been granted the ability to keep aggro of mass mobs (like what pallys did in hyjal) AND the greatest mobility while performing tank tasks, thanks to the new tank-designing philosophy of BLZ.
OK, let’s get to the point. As a warrior tank, your points should be mainly used in the protection tree but the other 2 trees also provide great assistance to your survival and aggro.
Protection:
Improved Bloodrage: Pointless, one of the few talents in protection tree that you should not take under any circumstances. You won’t lack the extra rage it provides and your talent points are limited.
Shield Specialization: Something a warrior tank cannot miss from the beginning of WOW. Not to mention the combination with the new shield block skill/improved defensive stance(mentioned later on) and the high base block rating in wotlk. Max it without a second thought.
Improved Thunder Clap: Another mandatory talent. Helpful to both your survival and mass aggro. Been admiring pally in hyjal for the past year? Then max it.
Incite: As stated above, Thunder Clap is one of your few regular mass aggro skills, and I cannot find any excuse to pass this talent…extra 15% crits! Not to mention the importance of heroic strike in boss tanking. Cleave? Icing on the cake.
Anticipation: Extra dodge always helps. But for me, I might not have enough points for this(well, it’s up to your own opinion)
Last Stand: Do I need to say anything more? Especially with the CD lowered, it’s a must-have skill for a tank.
Improved Revenge: No-brainer. Revenge, the 2nd important tank skill (Shield slam as the 1st ) are now dealing excellent base dmg, extra 20% dmg means extra 20% threat from revenge. And 50% chance of stun, for only 2 points! What are you waiting for?
Shield Mastery: In wotlk, shield is the best friend of a warrior and block value is the most important thing(overall, for both survival and aggro). Besides, it reduce the CD of shield block by 1/3 (now the shield block skill is much tougher and it got a longer CD of 1min) so you got to max it.
Toughness: A talent that ANY tank cannot afford to miss, which gets tougher as your gears improve. And it co-functions well with Armored to the Teeth.
Improved Spell Reflection: A talent that I like very much. But it’s for arena and a PVE tank CAN abandon it.
Improved Disarm: Same as Improved Spell Reflection. Cos most bosses in wotlk cannot be disarmed.
Puncture: Yes, devastate is now playing a smaller role in wotlk, but still, I’d like it to cost 9 rage instead of 12.
Improved Disciplines: Another PVP talent. And it’s not worth it as a PVE tank.
Concussion Blow: There’s not much to say about this one, or is there? It now does decent dmg and causes more threat. Does anyone suggest to pass?
Gag Order: We need our interrupting skills combined with silencing effect—melee and ranged, both of them! Don’t we? And, 10% extra dmg of shield slam! Just this 10% alone makes these 2 points super worthy. And the silence… now it’s so easy to drag a spell caster without moving our feet.
One-Handed Weapon Specialization: Do we really need to repeat how nice it works? In tanking, PVP, even DPS with protection talents!
Improved Defensive Stance: What does this “Enraged” mean? 10% constant dmg AND threat while tanking!(well, it’s not constant literally. But surely you’ll have at least a block/parry/dodge every 10 secs while tanking, right?) Besides, the enraged stats can be consumed for HP recovery. And 6% extra spell dmg reduction….yes it must be maxed.
Vigilance: Well….it’s the only “31point” talent that makes me feel troubled. The only decent use of this talent that I can come up with is, that when a boss needs to tanks to hold, they can use it on each other for 3% dmg reduction and keep the taunt always ready….i believe that the original design of this skill is to use it on the top DPSer in your raid party so we can better control the OT problem. But I believe that we can do it good enough even without the help of this talent…
Safeguard: I think it’s a PVP talent because the 30% dmg reduction makes different in arena, not in raid. 1st, when you intervene a friendly target that being atked in arena, the enemy won’t stop atking him in normal circumstances and the effect is not dispellable. So we can say that this talent functions properly in PVP. And in raids, this talent might be useful only when some ranged DPSer/healer gets the aggro. And the enemy will likely turn to you the next second u intervene(by ur taunts etc, or threat reduction skills of the target u intervened). If not, the targets will take some blows from the enemy mob, and 30% dmg reduction doesn’t really matter. The friendly target will live with healing anyway if the mob is not a boss. 30% reduction just saves some mana for other healer. And if it is a boss, he would be crushed with a single blow or 2. The 30% dmg reduction is far from enough to save his life.
Focused Rage: Haven’t been changed from what it was like in TBC. Therefore, it still needs to be maxed by all means.
Vitality: Many believe that it’s another no-brainer talents for a tank but my opinion differs. 6% sta and str is good, but not critical. And we can get quite some expertise from our gears. So I say that it’s optional.
Warbringer: THE MOST EXCELLENT talent in the new protection tree. It grants you unbelievable mobility, BOTH in PVE and PVP. FAREWELL, SNARE and ROOT!
Devastate: It’s no longer the most important skills for a tank, but still, it’s not imaginable if a tank doesn’t have it.
Critical Block: As stated above, 5% buff to shield slam per point alone makes it worth it. And the 30% chance of double block….wow I like it.
Sword and Board: Well… when I tank the old bosses in the past years, I didn’t need to be focused. Just use the skills as a solid order and chat with chicks in another window…then a few mins later, I could loot the boss. But things are different now. Tanking becomes much more exciting just because of this talent. You’ll understand what I mean after you actually used it.
Damage Shield: OK, another pally-like skill we got. Tell u what: your block value is now much higher than ever before. So 20% of block value is a decent dmg&threat that u will be satisfied with.
Shockwave: This new ultimate protection talent grants us the ability of REAL mass control. Dmg, threat, stun, AREA EFFECT! But note that it should not be used in the beginning of a battle. You need the first few blows to gain rage.
Ok, that was pretty much about the protection tree. Now let’s check out the arms and fury trees.
Arms:
Improved Heroic Strike: Heroic strike is always important for us no matter what new skills we get cos it’s not a part of the GCD system. And Heroic strikes for 9 rage is something that a protection warrior (no matter in raids, arena or even as a DPSer) must have. Don’t forget that now we have an extra 15% crits for HS.
Deflection: 5% extra parry. Must be maxed. Nothing more needs to be said.
Improved Rend: Useless as it always is.
Improved charge: Excellent effect combined with warbringer, but not critical. So let’s say…optional.
Iron Will: PVP talent. Also useful in raids, but not worth it.
Tactical Mastery: Optional. Keeping more rage while switch stances is good, but u don’t need to do it often as a tank, so…
Improved overpower: PVP talent.
Anger management: Good talent, but optional.
Impale: This is why u wish to put more than 10 points in arms tree. As mentioned above, most your important tank skills have an extra 15% crits buff, so 20% more crit dmg helps much.
Deep wounds: You don’t need it cause your weapon dmg is not high enough.
Fury:
Cruelty: I think it’s talent that any warrior won’t abandon. But since our points are limited, it’s not that hurt if you don’t max it and use some elsewhere. Up to u.
Armored to the Teeth: Optional. It would be a must-have talent should it increase str instead of AP. But since it’s AP….
Booming Voice/Improved Cleave: Useless to a tank.
Improved Demoralizing Shout/Piercing Howl: Well I guess they are not your job lol
Unbridled Wrath: More rage never hurts, optional.
Blood Craze: ……would u get a crit hit from mobs/bosses?
Commanding Presence: Optional.
http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=LAMc0bZ0LZVIzrxczidIzsGo
This is my own build. From this build we can tell that I prefer dmg/threat generating over hardness of myself cos I have great faith in my healers and I intend to let the DPSers do their best kicking monsters’ asses XD
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