Mists of Pandaria Classic Arms Warrior Stat Priority

The stat priority for Arms Warrior is as follows:

1. Hit Rating (7.5%);
2. Expertise Rating (7.5%);
3. Strength;
4. Critical Strike Rating;
5. Mastery Rating;
6. Haste Rating.

As it has been for the majority of Word of Wacraft, capping out your Hit Rating is the most important thing to do first. Mists of Pandaria reduces the amount of hit chance need down from 8% to 7.5%, making it even easier to reach the cap.

After capping out your Hit chance you will want to max out your Expertise. Expertise reduces the chance for your attacks to be Dodged or Parried, but as bosses can only Parry from the front, you will not need to reach the 15% threshold. Instead, melee DPS only need to reach 7.5% expertise for their attacks to no longer be dodged, as long as they attack the boss from behind.

With the two largest damage improvements maxed out already in Hit and Expertise, Strength comes in as the third most desirable stat. Strength is converted to attack power at a 2:1 ratio, which directly boosts your damage dealt. You will be stacking this stat up as much as you can.

A close runner-up to Strength is Critical Strike; attacks that crits deal double damage. Critical strikes are also commonly required to activate certain spells, items, or abilities. Warrior will gain Enrage when they crit, further enhancing their damage output.

Every specialization in the game has a Mastery passive spell that grants unique buffs depending on the spec. Arms has Mastery: Strikes of Opportunity, which grants your melee attacks a chance to trigger an extra attack dealing 55% normal damage. Extra attacks synergize well with Arms, as this means you will get more Sudden Death procs, further boosting your damage.

Haste rating remains the worst stat for Arms as it only increases your attack speed, generating more auto attacks and more Rage. While this may seem nice, auto attacks are a lower portion of your overall damage, and this stat does not contribute as much as the other stats towards making your damage go up.