WotLK Classic Protection Warrior Gear and Best in Slot

The items in the list below are considered to be best in slot for Protection Warriors in Phase 4 / Tier 10. Many of the items in this list will drop from rather difficult bosses of Icecrown Citadel 25-man. The power gap between these items and their alternatives is rather big, which is why they are extremely sought-after by others in your raid. This combination of rather difficult encounters and the popularity of these items, will make it unlikely for you to obtain the Best in Slot gear before the end of Phase 4. When gearing, make sure to utilize the T9 set bonuses before breaking them for a single item.

Before you can purchase the 277 item level gear-set, you must first purchase the 251 version first with Emblem of Frost. Below is the recommended order of purchase for items with your limited-available emblems. Be mindful that you may want to change which piece you purchase first depending on your current gear setup.

1. Corroded Skeleton Key — 60 x Emblem of Frost
2. Ymirjar Lord's Handguards — 60 x Emblem of Frost
3. Ymirjar Lord's Breastplate — 95 x Emblem of Frost
4. Ymirjar Lord's Legguards — 95 x Emblem of Frost
5. Ymirjar Lord's Pauldrons — 60 x Emblem of Frost

The items in the list below are considered to be best in slot for Protection Warriors in Phase 3 / Tier 9. This list is still preliminary and subject to change. Most of the items in this list will drop from Heroic difficulty in Trial of the Crusader 25-man and some from Ulduar 10/25-man Hardmodes (HM).

The power gap between these items and their alternatives is rather big, making them extremely sought-after by other caster classes in your raid; this goes especially for the Heroic gear (item level 258). In addition to that, per lockout there can only be a maximum of 4 hardmode tokens, which are again randomly rolled between classes. The T9-set will have a 232, a 245 and a 258 item level version, it is recommended to stick with the 245 item level version of it until you get the tokens for 258 item level. For more information, check out our Tier 9 Sets and Hardmode.

The items in the list below are considered to be best in slot for Protection Warriors in Phase 3 / Tier 9. This list is still preliminary and subject to change. Most of the items in this list will drop from Heroic difficulty in Trial of the Crusader 25-man and some from Ulduar 10/25-man Hardmodes (HM).

The power gap between these items and their alternatives is rather big, making them extremely sought-after by other caster classes in your raid; this goes especially for the Heroic gear (item level 258). In addition to that, per lockout there can only be a maximum of 4 hardmode tokens, which are again randomly rolled between classes. The T9-set will have a 232, a 245 and a 258 item level version, it is recommended to stick with the 245 item level version of it until you get the tokens for 258 item level. For more information, check out our Tier 9 Sets and Hardmode.

The items in the list below are considered to be best in slot for Protection Warriors in Phase 2 / Tier 8. Many of the items in this list will drop from rather difficult Hardmodes of Ulduar 25-man. The power gap between these items and their alternatives is rather big, which is why they are extremely sought-after by other caster classes in your raid. This combination of rather difficult Hardmodes and the popularity of these items, will make it unlikely for you to obtain the Best in Slot gear before the end of Phase 2. When gearing, make sure to utilize the T7 set bonuses before breaking them for a single item.

The items on the following list for Tier 8 come from WotLK Ulduar. The Tier 8 armor is sold by Paldesse in Dalaran for tokens from Ulduar. The abbreviation HM refers to the Hardmode of an encounter. For full information on how to gem and enchant your gear, check out our Protection Warrior PvE Enchants page.

The items on the following list for Tier 7 come from WotLK Raids and Emblem of Valor-Vendors Arcanist Adurin (Alliance), and Magister Brasael (Horde) in Dalaran. For full information on how to gem and enchant your gear, check out our Protection Warrior PvE Enchants page.