Mists of Pandaria Classic Protection Warrior Talent Builds

Mists of Pandaria introduces a new talent system, where instead of filling out points on a tree, you are given several distinct sets of choices between abilities. Starting at level 15 and every 15 levels after, you will unlock a new row of talents, which will always be a choice between three abilities centered around a new theme each row. The Warrior talent choices are identical between every specialization, while most of the spec identity is included with the default passives and abilities you get from selecting the specialization and leveling up.

Recommended option: Juggernaut.

This tier of talents offers some form of crowd control, making all three choices fairly useless for PvE content.

• Juggernaut — Reduces the cooldown of your Charge by 8 seconds.
• Double Time — You can use Charge twice in a row; each use has a 20 second recharge time.
• Warbringer — Your Charge roots the target for 4 seconds and reduces their movement speed by 50% for 15 seconds.

Recommended option: Impending Victory.

This tier of talents brings defensive skills that aim to restore your missing health.

• Enraged Regeneration — Instantly heals you for 10% of your max health, and an additional 10% over 5 seconds; can be used while stunned, and heals for doubled if used while Enraged.
• Second Wind — Whenever you are below 35% health, you regenerate 3% health per second.
• Impending Victory — Upgrades Victory Rush, allowing you to use it any time, healing you for 20% of your maximum health.

Recommended option: Disrupting Shout.

This tier of talents offer you additional crowd-control options, giving you additional means of wrecking havoc on your enemies.

• Staggering Shout — Roots all nearby enemies for 5 seconds.
• Piercing Howl — Slows all nearby enemies by 50% for 15 seconds.
• Disrupting Shout — Interrupts all enemy spellcasting in 10-yards, and prevents any spell in that school from being cast for 4 seconds; shares a cooldown with Pummel. Great for interrupting multiple casters at once, or if your enemy is slightly out of range.

Recommended option: Dragon Roar.

This tier of talents gives you a new AoE daamge ability, offering you the choice between crowd control and damage. Dragon Roar is the ideal choice for single target, and Shockwave for AoE situations.

• Bladestorm — You become a whirling storm of destructive force, becoming immune to all slows and crowd control while you deal damage to all nearby enemies every 1 second for 6 seconds total; you are able to perform "shout" abilities while this is activated.
• Shockwave — Send a wave of force in a frontal cone, dealing damage and stunning all enemies hit for 4 seconds; causing damage to 3 or more targets reduces the cooldown by 20 seconds. This is solid on fights where you can consistently hit 3 or more targets with Shockwave.
• Dragon Roar — Roar fiercely, dealing damage to all nearby enemies, knocking them down for 0.5 seconds; this ability always crits and ignores all armor. With it ignoring armor, this becomes very strong for PvE raid bosses.

Recommended option: Vigilance.

This tier of talents will give you a new defensive ability that allows you to protect your allies.

• Mass Spell Reflection — Reflects the next spell cast on you, and on all party and raid members within 20-yards for 5 seconds.
• Safeguard — Replaced Intervene, causing the targeted ally to take 20% reduced damage for 6 seconds.
• Vigilance — Reduce an allies damage taken by 30% for 12 seconds. Great external defensive cooldown to save an ally.

Recommended option: Bloodbath.

This tier of talents will give you a new rotational ability, which can be used either defensively or offensively.

• Avatar — You transform into a colossus for 24 sec, breaking all roots and snares, and increasing your damage dealt by 20%.
• Bloodbath — For 12 seconds, melee special attacks cause an additional 30% damage as a bleed over 6 seconds; bleeding targets move 50% slower. Great for AoE bursting and generating a ton of extra threat.
• Storm Bolt — Hurl a bolt at an enemy, damaging them and stunning them for 4 seconds; 30-yard range.

Glyphs were changed in a major way during Mists of Pandaria. Primal Glyphs have been removed, whilst minor glyphs have been changed to be mostly cosmentic changes, offering no combat improvements.

• Glyph of Heavy Repercussions — While your Shield Block is active, your Shield Slam hits for an additional 50% damage. Remains the go-to choice for getting absolutely huge Shield Slam hits off.
• Glyph of Incite — Using Demoralizing Shout makes your next 3 Heroic Strike or Cleave abilities free. Allows you to be defensive by debuffing the enemy while still dishing out a ton of damage and threat.
• Glyph of Hold the Line — Improves the damage of your next Revenge by 50% following a successful parry. Parry is going to be your highest avoidance stat, making this a great pickup to boost your damage output.