Arms Warrior DPS Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities — Dragonflight 10.2.5

Last updated on Feb 15, 2024 at 16:20 by Archimtiros 59 comments
General Information

On this page, you will learn how to optimize the rotation of your Arms Warrior in both single-target and multiple-target situations. We also have advanced sections about cooldowns, procs, etc. in order to minmax your DPS. All our content is updated for World of Warcraft — Dragonflight 10.2.5.

If you were looking for WotLK Classic content, please refer to our WotLK Classic Arms Warrior rotation.

1.

Arms Warrior Rotation

Welcome to our Rotation page for Arms Warriors. On this page, you will find everything you need to know about actually playing the spec in Raiding and Mythic+ scenarios.

1.1.

Easy Mode

If the rotations below seem overwhelming to you, you might benefit from visiting our Easy Mode page, which outlines a close-to-optimal rotation in simpler terms.

1.2.

PvP

The content on this page is purely PvE-related. If you are looking for PvP Rotation Tips, please visit our PvP page below.

2.

Arms Warrior Single-Target Rotation

The Arms rotation is a conditional priority list, which can change depending on talent choice. Use the checkboxes below to make the appropriate customizations and make sure that Battle Stance Icon Battle Stance is always toggled on!

Recommended Other Talents
Avatar Icon Avatar
Thunderous Roar Icon Thunderous Roar Champion's Spear Icon Champion's Spear
Blood and Thunder Icon Blood and Thunder Skullsplitter Icon Skullsplitter
Storm of Swords Icon Storm of Swords Warbreaker Icon Warbreaker
T31 Tier Set Bladestorm Icon Bladestorm

This rotation focuses on the period above 35% health before Execute takes over the rotation, as noted in the following section.

  1. Cast Execute Icon Execute to consume Sudden Death procs.
  2. Cast Mortal Strike Icon Mortal Strike on cooldown.
  3. Cast Thunder Clap Icon Thunder Clap to apply Rend or if less than 3 seconds remain on the debuff.
  4. Cast Rend Icon Rend to apply Rend or if less than 3 seconds remain on the debuff.
  5. Cast Avatar Icon Avatar simultaneously with Colossus Smash or Warbreaker.
  6. Cast Colossus Smash Icon Colossus Smash.
  7. Cast Champion's Spear Icon Champion's Spear during Colossus Smash.
  8. Cast Skullsplitter Icon Skullsplitter near the start of Colossus Smash while both Rend and Deep Wounds are active.
  9. Cast Thunderous Roar Icon Thunderous Roar during Colossus Smash or Test of Might.
  10. Cast Whirlwind Icon Whirlwind as a large rage dump.
  11. Cast Execute Icon Execute during Sudden Death procs.
  12. Cast Overpower Icon Overpower as able.
  13. Cast Slam Icon Slam to spend rage.

In simple terms, the Arms Warrior rotation revolves around keeping Mortal Strike Icon Mortal Strike and Overpower Icon Overpower on cooldown while spending Rage with either Execute Icon Execute or Storm of Swords Icon Storm of Swords and Slam Icon Slam.

When using the legendary axe, Fyr'alath the Dream Render Icon Fyr'alath the Dream Render does not benefit from class buffs such as Avatar Icon Avatar or Colossus Smash Icon Colossus Smash, so it is best not to use it during major cooldowns. Using it either immediately on the pull or after cooldowns have worn off is acceptable, but more important is using it when the three-second channel will not put you in danger of enemy mechanics.
2.1.

Execute Phase

Execute Icon Execute deals very high damage and a portion of the Rage spent if the target does not die, helping maintain the high Rage cost. It will become the primary Rage spender once the target drops below 20% health, or 35%, with Massacre Icon Massacre talented, taking the place of other spenders.

  1. Cast Avatar Icon Avatar simultaneously with Colossus Smash or Warbreaker.
  2. Cast Colossus Smash Icon Colossus Smash.
  3. Champion's Spear Icon Champion's Spear during Colossus Smash.
  4. Cast Execute Icon Execute to consume Sudden Death procs.
  5. Cast Skullsplitter Icon Skullsplitter near the start of Colossus Smash while both Rend and Deep Wounds are active.
  6. Cast Thunderous Roar Icon Thunderous Roar during Test of Might or In for the Kill buff windows.
  7. Cast Mortal Strike Icon Mortal Strike to maintain Deep Wounds and Rend, or at 2 stacks of Executioner's Precision.
  8. Cast Overpower Icon Overpower below 40 rage.
  9. Cast Execute Icon Execute as the primary Rage spender.

While Execute appears to have a low priority, it becomes the main rotational spender, while Whirlwind and Slam are dropped from the rotation entirely. Due to our talents, Mortal Strike is still used regularly, automatically maintaining Deep Wounds and Rend while dealing strong damage through Executioner's Precision. Overpower now becomes the fallback filler, when Execute cannot be cast.

2.2.

Opening Rotation for Arms Warrior

The Arms opener is functionally identical to the standard rotation, using Charge Icon Charge to initiate combat to start with more Rage, applying Rend, and then opening with buffing cooldowns and Colossus Smash, as outlined in the single target rotation above.

3.

Multiple-Target Rotation for Arms Warrior

There are two multitarget Arms rotations, a two-target setup similar to the single target rotation, and another using Cleave to focus on sustained damage against a high number of targets. Use the checkboxes below to make the appropriate customizations.
Talents Talents
Bladestorm Icon Bladestorm Skullsplitter Icon Skullsplitter
Thunderous Roar Icon Thunderous Roar Champion's Spear Icon Champion's Spear
Storm of Swords Icon Storm of Swords Fervor of Battle Icon Fervor of Battle
Warbreaker Icon Warbreaker Cleave Icon Cleave
Blood and Thunder Icon Blood and Thunder
T31 Tier Set
3.1.

2-3 Targets

The two-target rotation is identical to single target, with the addition of using Sweeping Strikes Icon Sweeping Strikes on cooldown to cleave attacks onto a secondary target. Because it also applies Colossus Smash to a second target, Warbreaker is not needed unless there are more targets.

3.2.

3+ Targets

With the T30 tier set bonus, the rotation again favors Sweeping Strikes Icon Sweeping Strikes with Mortal Strike and the general single target rotation rather than standard AoE attacks. With this setup, Warbreaker Icon Warbreaker, Bladestorm Icon Bladestorm, and Blademaster's Torment Icon Blademaster's Torment can be used to facilitate increased burst AoE damage, although a Skullsplitter Icon Skullsplitter and Tide of Blood Icon Tide of Blood variant build offers better priority damage in some Mythic+ dungeon content. In either case, Cleave Icon Cleave is optional to help maintain Deep Wounds, but no longer a necessary component of the build.

  1. Cast Execute Icon Execute to consume Sudden Death procs.
  2. Cast Sweeping Strikes Icon Sweeping Strikes when Bladestorm is not about to be cast, in order to not waste duration.
  3. Cast Colossus Smash Icon Colossus Smash.
  4. Cast Champion's Spear Icon Champion's Spear during the Colossus Smash debuff.
  5. Cast Avatar Icon Avatar during the Colossus Smash debuff.
  6. Cast Thunderous Roar Icon Thunderous Roar during Test of Might or In for the Kill.
  7. Cast Bladestorm Icon Bladestorm during the Colossus Smash debuff.
  8. Cast Skullsplitter Icon Skullsplitter during Sweeping Strikes and while both Deep Wounds and Rend are active.
  9. Cast Cleave Icon Cleave as needed to reapply Deep Wounds to multiple targets.
  10. Cast Whirlwind Icon Whirlwind as the main rotational ability.
  11. Cast Mortal Strike Icon Mortal Strike on with two stacks of Executioner's Precision or to reapply Deep Wounds.
  12. Cast Overpower Icon Overpower as a multitarget filler.
  13. Cast Execute Icon Execute to spend excess Rage.
  14. Cast Thunder Clap Icon Thunder Clap as a filler.

With the standard Bladestorm build, Sweeping Strikes should be held until after Bladestorm has been used, in order to not waste its duration, after which the rotation is very similar to the single target one. Cleave may also be used to help maintain uptime on Deep Wounds when chain pulling, though it will not be the main focus of the build.

With the Fervor of Battle build, Whirlwind is preferred over single target attacks when there are 3 or more targets, while still building Collateral Damage stacks to the automatically cast Slam hitting a second target. Sudden Death procs are an exception, though, prioritized above even Whirlwind when using the T31 set bonus.

4.

Mastering your Arms Warrior

4.1.

Aligning Cooldowns

Arms cooldowns align fairly naturally, thanks to Anger Management Icon Anger Management. Still, it is important to ensure that Colossus Smash and Deep Wounds are active on as many targets as possible before going into the cooldown cycle.

4.1.1.

Avatar

Avatar Icon Avatar is a potent cooldown in its own right but becomes extraordinarily more powerful in combination with the follow-on Tormented talents. These function similarly to Signet of Tormented Kings Icon Signet of Tormented Kings, but with a guaranteed effect rather than a random one, allowing you to choose what cooldown is triggered. Warlord's Torment Icon Warlord's Torment is extremely powerful in single and some multitarget situations, as it allows fairly high uptime on Recklessness, despite not normally having access to the ability. Blademaster's Torment Icon Blademaster's Torment is more tailored for extended multitarget, allowing an extra use of Bladestorm, alongside all of its talented benefits, though care should be taken to ensure that Avatar is used after damage-enhancing cooldowns such as Colossus Smash and Champion's Spear have been applied in order to maximize its benefit.

4.1.2.

Bladestorm

Bladestorm Icon Bladestorm is Arms main multitarget cooldown, which should always be used alongside Warbreaker and Avatar whenever possible. Although it is not the strongest AoE ability by itself, it can trigger several powerful buffs, such as Hurricane Icon Hurricane and Merciless Bonegrinder Icon Merciless Bonegrinder, both of which combine nicely with Storm of Swords Icon Storm of Swords to create an extremely high burst of damage. With Blademaster's Torment Icon Blademaster's Torment, this can be done twice quickly, leading to very high burst potential.

4.1.3.

Tide of Blood

Tide of Blood Icon Tide of Blood is an interesting ability that causes Rend and Deep Wounds to instantly tick out on the target, dealing several instances of damage in rapid succession. This high burst of damage can be extraordinarily powerful when combined with Colossus Smash, Warlord's Torment, and several bleed enhancing talents, though it does have an awkward effect on the rotation, requiring Rend and Deep Wounds (via Mortal Strike) to be reapplied after each use.

4.1.4.

Managing Deep Wounds

Maintained by Mortal Strike Icon Mortal Strike, Colossus Smash Icon Colossus Smash, Bladestorm Icon Bladestorm, and Cleave Icon Cleave, keeping Deep Wounds Icon Deep Wounds on the target or targets is paramount to maximizing damage, as it can significantly increase the damage taken from your abilities. Because the debuff lasts a minimum of 12 seconds, this should happen naturally throughout the rotation, but when facing multiple targets, take care to keep the debuff on as many targets as possible for maximum benefit.

With the T30 tier set bonus, maintaining Deep Wounds in multitarget situations is both more important and more difficult due to the absence of Cleave. Care should be taken to ensure Warbreaker is available for each new pack of enemy targets, while Mortal Strike is used to maintain Deep Wounds on any remaining targets after the initial bleed duration has expired and before the cooldown becomes available again.

4.2.

Rage Management

Arms generates Rage purely from auto-attack swings and Charge Icon Charge casts, and nearly all abilities cost Rage to use. Ensuring you always have enough Rage to use Mortal Strike Icon Mortal Strike on cooldown is paramount, both for damage and to keep Deep Wounds Icon Deep Wounds on the target. Choosing not to spend Rage on a filler ability and letting a global cooldown go unfilled is better than letting the debuff drop off.

This is far less of a concern in Dragonflight than it has been in the past, however, as both high gear and new talents have significantly inflated Arms' Rage economy. In many cases, this can result in it being difficult to spend Rage faster than it is generated, and so it is often worth prioritizing spending Rage on Execute or Slam over using Overpower as a free filler.

4.3.

Heroic Charge

A small optimization can be made by moving out of range of the target and using Charge Icon Charge to generate extra Rage during your rotation. Care should be taken to do this between autoattack swings, when Colossus Smash Icon Colossus Smash is not active. Heroic Leap Icon Heroic Leap can be also be used to create enough room to Charge for bosses with large hitboxes.

4.4.

Movement and Mobility

Warriors have several active tools through Charge Icon Charge and Heroic Leap Icon Heroic Leap that allow for instant movement across large distances. Finding ways to maximize your uptime on a target through the intelligent use of these is crucial, as downtime is extremely detrimental to the flow of the rotation. The talents Double Time Icon Double Time and Bounding Stride Icon Bounding Stride are particularly useful in any encounter which demands heavy movement.

4.5.

Defensive Abilities

Arms' primary survivability tool is Die by the Sword Icon Die by the Sword, which is exceptionally useful for immuning direct physical damage and can even be used to tank raid bosses for a short time. The talent Defensive Stance Icon Defensive Stance can be used for more mitigation when expecting more frequent spike damage. As Ignore Pain Icon Ignore Pain no longer contributes offensively; the ability has fallen out of favor, though it can still be used to mitigate predictable bursts of damage.

Warriors also have access to Rallying Cry Icon Rallying Cry, one of the few defensive group cooldowns in the game. It is typically used to help the group survive key encounter mechanics rather than as a personal cooldown. Keep in mind that it is on the global cooldown, so be ready to use it when needed.

4.6.

Group Buffs

Arms also brings Battle Shout Icon Battle Shout, increasing all party and raid members Attack Power by 5%, which should be applied before combat begins. 5% Attack Power translates to roughly 5% damage for melee classes and Hunters. However, the actual impact is slightly reduced due to the prevalence of non-scaling sources of damage, such as trinkets and potions.

5.

Mythic+ Rotation

For information about Mythic+ as an Arms Warrior and the rotation you need to use in this game mode, please refer to our Mythic+ page.

6.

WeakAuras for Arms Warriors

WeakAuras can tremendously affect your performance, helping you track important buffs, debuffs, and cooldowns. Since this is a broad topic, we dedicated a page to it.

7.

Changelog

  • 15 Feb. 2024: Fixed broken spell link with the Champion's Spear formerly of Bastion.
  • 15 Jan. 2024: Updated for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 14 Jan. 2023: Added section emphasizing proper use of Fyr'alath.
  • 08 Nov. 2023: Correct error hiding low priority filler in Execute rotation.
  • 06 Nov. 2023: Updated for T31 builds and rotations in preparation for Season 3.
  • 04 Sep. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 10 Jul. 2023: Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 01 May 2023: Updated for Patch 10.0.7 with better default checkboxes.
  • 27 Feb. 2023: Fixed misnaming of Bladestorm.
  • 02 Feb. 2023: Updated rotation tool.
  • 24 Jan. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 11 Dec. 2022: Fix talent selector formatting.
  • 28 Nov. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 18 Nov. 2022: Update Fervor of Battle use and description.
  • 09 Nov. 2022: Corrected Overpower's position in the rotation.
  • 25 Oct. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
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