Arms Warrior DPS Mythic+ Tips in Battle for Azeroth (BfA) 8.0.1

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. Class Overview
  • 2. Battle for Azeroth 8.0.1 Changes for Arms Warrior
    • 2.1. Core Mechanical Changes
    • 2.2. Baseline Abilities Changes
  • 3. Arms Warrior's Strengths
  • 4. Arms Warrior's Weaknesses
  • 5. Viability of Arms Warrior in the Current Patch
  • 6. Contents
  • 7. ChangeLog
• +Easy Mode
  • 1. Foreword
  • 2. The Basics of Arms Warrior
  • 3. Talent Choices for Arms Warriors
  • 4. Stat Choices for Arms Warriors
  • 5. Basic Rotation for Arms Warriors
  • 6. ChangeLog
• +Spell Summary
  • 1. Spell Summary of Arms Warrior
  • 2. Arms Warrior's Main Resource
  • 3. Basic Abilities of an Arms Warrior
  • 4. Important Procs for an Arms Warrior
  • 5. Offensive Cooldowns of an Arms Warrior
• +Builds and Talents
  • 1. Talent Choices for Arms Warrior
  • 2. Talent Cheat Sheet for Arms Warrior
    • 2.1. Open World, Levelling and Questing
    • 2.2. Dungeons and Mythic Plus
    • 2.3. Single Target Raid Encounters
  • 3. Tier 1 (Level 15) Talents for Arms Warrior
  • 4. Tier 2 (Level 30) Talents for Arms Warrior
  • 5. Tier 3 (Level 45) Talents for Arms Warrior
  • 6. Tier 4 (Level 60) Talents for Arms Warrior
  • 7. Tier 5 (Level 75) Talents for Arms Warrior
  • 8. Tier 6 (Level 90) Talents for Arms Warrior
  • 9. Tier 7 (Level 100) Talents for Arms Warrior
  • 10. PvP Talents (War Mode)
    • 10.1. Arms Warrior War Mode Talents
      • 10.1.1. General PvP Talents
      • 10.1.2. Arms Warrior PvP Talents
  • 11. ChangeLog
• +Azerite Traits and Armor
  • 1. Best Azerite Traits for Arms Warrior
    • 1.1. Outer Ring Single-Target
    • 1.2. Outer Ring Multi-Target (Mythic+, etc)
    • 1.3. Middle Ring Single-Target
    • 1.4. Middle Ring Multi-Target (Mythic+, etc)
  • 2. Azerite Traits for Arms Warrior
    • 2.1. Outer Ring Traits
    • 2.2. Middle Ring Traits for Arms Warrior
    • 2.3. Inner Ring Traits for Arms Warrior
  • 3. Find Azerite Armor By Trait/Power
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities
  • 1. Single-Target Rotation for Arms Warrior
    • 1.1. Execute Usage
    • 1.2. Opening Rotation for Arms Warrior
  • 2. Multiple-Target Rotation for Arms Warrior
    • 2.1. 2-3 Targets
    • 2.2. 4+ Targets
  • 3. Mastering your Arms Warrior
    • 3.1. Aligning Cooldowns
      • 3.1.1. Managing Deep Wounds
      • 3.1.2. When to use Skullsplitter
  • 4. Azerite Traits
    • 4.1. Tier 1 Talents Rage Generation
    • 4.2. Rage Management
    • 4.3. Heroic Charge
    • 4.4. Movement and Mobility
    • 4.5. Defensive Abilities
    • 4.6. Group Buffs
  • 5. ChangeLog
• ×Mythic+ Tips
  • 1. Disclaimer
    • 1.1. Arms Warrior in Mythic+
    • 1.2. Arms Warrior Utility
  • 2. Mythic+ Talents for Arms Warrior
  • 3. Mythic+ Affixes
    • 3.1. Tier One Affixes
    • 3.2. Tier Two Affixes
    • 3.3. Tier Three Affixes
    • 3.4. Seasonal Affix
  • 4. Mythic+ Azerite Traits
  • 5. ChangeLog
• +Common and Worst Mistakes
  • 1. Downtime
  • 2. Overcapping Rage
  • 3. Not Knowing How To Sim Yourself
  • 4. Analyzing Your Own Mistakes
• +Frequently Asked Questions
  • 1. Battle for Azeroth Frequently Asked Questions
    • 1.1. Should I Worry About Rage?
    • 1.2. Should I Only Use Mortal Strike During Execute?
    • 1.3. What Piece of Gear is Better?
    • 1.4. How Much of Each Stat Should I Have?
  • 2. ChangeLog
• +Boss by Boss Strategies
  • 1. Arms Warrior in Uldir
    • 1.1. Talent Cheatsheet
  • 2. Taloc
    • 2.1. Suggested Talents for Arms Warrior on Taloc
    • 2.2. Arms Warrior Playstyle on Taloc
  • 3. M.O.T.H.E.R.
    • 3.1. Suggested Talents for Arms Warrior on M.O.T.H.E.R.
    • 3.2. Arms Warrior Playstyle on M.O.T.H.E.R.
  • 4. Fetid Devourer
    • 4.1. Suggested Talents for Arms Warrior on Fetid Devourer
    • 4.2. Arms Warrior Playstyle on Fetid Devourer
  • 5. Zek'voz, Herald of N'Zoth
    • 5.1. Suggested Talents for Arms Warrior on Zek'voz, Herald of N'Zoth
    • 5.2. Arms Warrior Playstyle on Zek'voz, Herald of N'Zoth
  • 6. Vectis
    • 6.1. Suggested Talents for Arms Warrior on Vectis
    • 6.2. Arms Warrior Playstyle on Vectis
  • 7. Zul, Reborn
    • 7.1. Suggested Talents for Arms Warrior on Zul, Reborn
    • 7.2. Arms Warrior Playstyle on Zul, Reborn
  • 8. Mythrax the Unraveler
    • 8.1. Suggested Talents for Arms Warrior on Mythrax the Unraveler
    • 8.2. Arms Warrior Playstyle on Mythrax the Unraveler
  • 9. G'huun
    • 9.1. Suggested Talents for Arms Warrior on G'huun
    • 9.2. Arms Warrior Playstyle on G'huun
  • 10. ChangeLog
• +Stat Priority
  • 1. The Basics of Stats for Arms Warrior
    • 1.1. Getting a Better Understanding
    • 1.2. Statistics
    • 1.3. Breakpoints
  • 2. Racial Bonuses for Arms Warrior
  • 3. ChangeLog
• +Gems, Enchants, and Consumables
  • 1. Gems for Arms Warrior
  • 2. Enchants for Arms Warrior
  • 3. Consumables for Arms Warrior
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Macros and Addons
  • 1. Macros for Arms Warriors
    • 1.1. Generic Macros for Warriors
      • 1.1.1. Fervor/Slam Switch
      • 1.1.2. Avatar/Deadly Calm Switch
      • 1.1.3. Cancel Bladestorm Macro
      • 1.1.4. Pummel Macro
      • 1.1.5. Automatic Heroic Leap
      • 1.1.6. Heroic Leap Spam
    • 1.2. Specific Macros for Arms Warriors
      • 1.2.1. Charge Macro
      • 1.2.2. Offensive Cooldown Macro
  • 2. Addons recommended for Arms Warriors
    • 2.1. Generic Addons for Warriors
      • 2.1.1. ElvUI
      • 2.1.2. Boss Mods: Deadly Boss Mods or Bigwigs
      • 2.1.3. GTFO
      • 2.1.4. Parrot or Mik's Scrolling Battle Text
      • 2.1.5. Weak Auras
      • 2.1.6. TellMeWhen
      • 2.1.7. Raeli's Spell Announcer
      • 2.1.8. Recount / Skada / Details!
      • 2.1.9. Omen Threat Meter
    • 2.2. Specific Addons for Arms Warriors
• +Gear and Best in Slot
  • 1. Raid Best in Slot List for Arms Warrior
  • 2. Azerite Gear for Arms Warrior
  • 3. Trinkets
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Simulations
  • 1. Disclaimer Page
  • 2. Arms Warrior Talent Comparisons
  • 3. Arms Warrior Racial Bonus Simulations
  • 4. Arms Warrior Stat Weights
  • 5. Arms Warrior Azerite Simulations
    • 5.1. Outer Ring Single-Target
    • 5.2. Outer Ring Multi-Target (Mythic+, etc)
    • 5.3. Middle Ring Single-Target
    • 5.4. Middle Ring Multi-Target (Mythic+, etc)
  • 6. ChangeLog

General Information

On this page, you will various tips and pieces of advice for clearing high Mythic+ content with your Arms Warrior.

The other pages of our Arms Warrior guide can be accessed from the table of contents on the right.

About Our Author

This guide has been written by Archimtiros, the Warrior class theorycrafter, and one of the best DPS Warriors in the world, who raids in Infinity. You can follow him on Twitter and you can watch his stream on Twitch.

1. Disclaimer

Mythic+ has only just released, so information on this page is subject to change as dungeon specific information is added and new strategies are developed.

1.1. Arms Warrior in Mythic+

Arms is a multi-target powerhouse in Battle for Azeroth, with a multitude of tools to handle various situations, including two target with Sweeping Strikes, three to five target with Cleave, and burst AoE using Warbreaker alongside Bladestorm.

Because the majority of Mythic+ revolves around dealing with multiple targets, Arms follows the basic multi-target priority laid out in the Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities page. The key difference is in predicting the layout of the dungeon, and knowing when to save cooldowns versus when to use them. Smartly saving your cooldowns when a target is about to die, and instead using it on a fresh pack which will survive the duration of your burst damage is far more efficient and will help your group finish on time.

1.2. Arms Warrior Utility

In addition to the group-wide buff Battle Shout, Arms Warriors can talent the short cooldown stun Storm Bolt, and have access to Rallying Cry to help with high damage spikes.

2. Mythic+ Talents for Arms Warrior

Below are the suggested talents for Mythic+. These talents are recommended for all groups and keys at the current time.

Level	Choices
15	? War Machine	✘ Sudden Death	✔ Skullsplitter
30	✔ Double Time	✘ Impending Victory	? Storm Bolt
45	✔ Massacre	✔ Fervor of Battle	✘ Rend
60	✘ Second Wind	✘ Bounding Stride	✔ Defensive Stance
75	✘ Collateral Damage	✔ Warbreaker	✘ Cleave
90	✔ In For The Kill	✔ Avatar	✘ Deadly Calm
100	✔ Anger Management	✘ Dreadnaught	✘ Ravager

Arms Warriors have a lot of talent choice when it comes to Mythic+, with the flexibility to bring extra defensives, utility, and tailor their damage to the expected situation.

• Level 15: War Machine has the highest potential Rage generation if you pull quick enough, but Skullsplitter gives Rage when you actually need it, helping fill gaps in your rotation.
• Level 30: Double Time is a staple for both mobility and rage generation leading to more damage, although Storm Bolt can be taken when stuns are needed to lock down difficult targets.
• Level 45: Fervor of Battle is better for raw multi-target, although Massacre offers better single-target and boss damage.
• Level 60: Defensive Stance is an amazing on-demand defensive, especially when pushing into higher keystone levels.
• Level 75: Warbreaker syncs perfectly with Bladestorm for the highest potential burst AoE damage, although Cleave has a higher raw output when consistently facing 3+ targets.
• Level 90: Avatar offers the highest burst potential, but requires more management and is not active as often as In For The Kill.
• Level 100: Anger Management reduces your AoE cooldowns, making Arms that much more effective at clearing trash within dungeons.

3. Mythic+ Affixes

The way Mythic+ affixes are tiered in Battle for Azeroth has changed quite a bit since their launch in Legion.

There are now three weekly affixes and one seasonal affix. The first affix is activated at level two, while the second affix starts at level four, the third affix is enabled at level seven, and the seasonal affix occurs at level ten.

3.1. Tier One Affixes

• Fortified increases the Health pool of all non-boss enemies by 20% and damage dealt by 30%.
• Tyrannical increases the Health pool of boss enemies by 40% and their damage dealt by 15%.

Fortified and Tyrannical are the two affixes every player will see. These affixes shift the focus of dungeons from boss to trash depending on the week. Arms Warriors will generally excel during Fortified weeks due to their strong multi-target options, though many Tyrannical bosses can also be susceptible to extended Execute with Massacre.

3.2. Tier Two Affixes

• Raging increases the damage dealt by enemies below 30% HP by 100% until they die.
• Teeming adds additional trash mobs to certain packs throughout each dungeon.
• Bolstering buffs remaining enemies Health pools and damage dealt by 20% when an enemy dies nearby. To counter this affix, DPS all mobs down evenly and focus your casts into high Health mobs if there are any.
• Sanguine places a pool of blood on the ground when a mob is slain. This pool will heal remaining enemies who stay inside the zone and also damage players.
• Bursting forces enemy mobs to detonate when slain, afflicting the group with a stacking debuff that causes players to suffer 10% of their max Health in damage every four seconds. When handling the Bursting affix, ask how many stacks your healer can handle and try to not mindlessly DPS and exceed your healers stack limit.

3.3. Tier Three Affixes

• Volcanic spawns volcanic plumes underneath and around players when in combat with any enemy. When damaged by Volcanic, players suffer 50% of their maximum Health pool in damage. The more enemies you are in combat with, the more Volcanic plumes that will spawn.
• Grievous afflicts players with a stacking DoT when they fall below 90%. Defensive Stance can help mitigate the damage while your healer catches up.
• Quaking will periodically attempt to interrupt casters by creating a damaging zone around each player. About 3 seconds after the zone forms, it will deal 20% maximum Health in damage to each player caught in the zone, as well as interrupting any hard casts being finished during the shockwave.
• Explosive will occasionally spawn Explosive Orbs that need to be targeted and burned down within a short period of time or they will deal significant damage to the party. Explosive Orbs are not cleavable and the number of orbs that spawn scales with the number of enemies pulled.
• Necrotic debuffs the target of enemy melee swings with stacking healing reduction and a minor DoT.
• Skittish reduces the amount of threat generated by tanks throughout the dungeon. Be especially careful of this in melee, and especially wary of using burst AoE abilities, in order to manage your threat between multiple targets.

3.4. Seasonal Affix

Infested is the seasonal affix for the launch of Battle for Azeroth. Enemies afflicted with the Infested debuff will be scattered throughout each dungeon once you reach key level ten. These mobs will heal enemies around them and, when slain, will spawn two Spawn of G'huun that will attempt to infest remaining enemies.

There are several ways to handle Infested mobs depending on pack size, which mob is infested, and group composition. The first way to handle an Infested enemy is to burn down the infested target and the subsequently spawning Spawn of G'huun, while either crowd controlling or ignoring the other mobs in the pack. The second way is to crowd control the Infested mob and burn down all the other enemies. After you kill an infested mob and the Spawns of G'huun spawn, Arms Warriors can use Intimidating Shout or Storm Bolt to help keep it controlled.

4. Mythic+ Azerite Traits

Lord of War and Seismic Wave are the best Arms specific Mythic+ Azerite traits for multi-target damage. Test of Might is less effective on trash which rarely survives the full 22 second increased damage period, but extremely effective against bosses and other long-lived hard targets, making it a strong choice for Tyrannical weeks or whenever single-target damage is more important. You can find a full list of Azerite trait comparisons on the Simulations Page.

5. ChangeLog

• 04 Sep. 2018: Updated for Mythic+ release.
• 14 Aug. 2018: Page added.

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