Arms Warrior DPS Spec, Builds, and Talents — Midnight Pre-Patch (12.0)

Last updated on Jan 19, 2026 at 18:00 by Archimtiros 64 comments
General Information

On this page, you will find out the best talents for each tier for your Arms Warrior in World of Warcraft — Midnight Pre-Patch (12.0). We also have default talent lists for various types of content, such as raiding or Mythic+. If you play with Warmode on, we have your PvP talents covered as well.

If you were looking for Mists of Pandaria Classic content, please refer to our Mists of Pandaria Classic Arms Warrior talents.

1.

Best Arms Warrior Talents for The War Within

2.

Best Talents for Arms Warrior

Slayer Single Target Raid Talents Colossus Multi-target Raid Talents Colossus Delve Talents Colossus Mythic+ Talents Slayer Mythic+ Talents
2.1.

Slayer Single Target Raid Talents for Arms Warrior

The single-target Slayer raid build also provides a surprising amount of multi-target capability through Sweeping Strikes Icon Sweeping Strikes and Bladestorm Icon Bladestorm, allowing it to cover most raid encounters.

2.2.

Flexible Talents

Pre-Patch talent builds are currently very limited, due to lacking the extra talent points available at Level 90, therefore there are not many meaningful talent swaps. Leveling up in the expansion will open up significantly more room for customization.

  • If facing two targets with any degree of frequency, consider taking Powerful Momentum Icon Powerful Momentum instead of Martial Prowess Icon Martial Prowess.
  • If more uptime is needed, swap Just Warming Up Icon Just Warming Up to Broad Strokes Icon Broad Strokes.

Be sure to make use of the 'Export Talents' button to import the best build directly into your game!

2.3.

Colossus Multi-target Raid Talents for Arms Warrior

The multi-target Colossus raid build should only be used when facing an unusually high number of long-lived extra targets. In most cases, this is unnecessary, as raid adds tend not to live long enough to deal a significant amount of damage, so evaluate this on a case-by-case basis.

2.4.

Flexible Talents

Pre-Patch talent builds are currently very limited, due to lacking the extra talent points available at Level 90, therefore there are not many meaningful talent swaps. Leveling up in the expansion will open up significantly more room for customization.

Be sure to make use of the 'Export Talents' button to import the best build directly into your game!

2.5.

Colossus Delve Talents for Arms Warrior

Delves are very similar to dungeons in that they present a healthy mix of single-target bosses and multitarget add damage, resulting in near identical talent builds most of the time. The amount of stuns and survivability talents may vary depending on your level of gear, but there is little harm in taking them either way.

The multi-target Colossus build focuses on Cleave Icon Cleave and Mortal Strike Icon Mortal Strike to greatly reduce the cooldown on Demolish Icon Demolish. Because of this, Execute Icon Execute is rarely used.

2.6.

Flexible Talents

Pre-Patch talent builds are currently very limited, due to lacking the extra talent points available at Level 90, therefore there are not many meaningful talent swaps. Leveling up in the expansion will open up significantly more room for customization.

Be sure to make use of the 'Export Talents' button to import the best build directly into your game!

2.7.

Colossus Mythic+ Talents for Arms Warrior

The multi-target Colossus build focuses on Cleave Icon Cleave and Mortal Strike Icon Mortal Strike to greatly reduce the cooldown on Demolish Icon Demolish. Because of this, Execute Icon Execute is rarely used.

2.8.

Flexible Talents

Pre-Patch talent builds are currently very limited, due to lacking the extra talent points available at Level 90, therefore there are not many meaningful talent swaps. Leveling up in the expansion will open up significantly more room for customization.

Be sure to make use of the 'Export Talents' button to import the best build directly into your game!

Mythic+ can require a mix of AoE and Single-Target talents, depending on affixes and other variables. You should check out our page below if you want advice specific to Mythic+.

2.9.

Slayer Mythic+ Talents for Arms Warrior

This Slayer build is fully focused on maximizing multitarget damage from Overpower Icon Overpower and Dreadnaught Icon Dreadnaught, with Execute Icon Execute only used to consume Sudden Death Icon Sudden Death. Note that several Beta changes, such as Sudden Death triggering Reap the Storm, are also not currently available on live servers.

2.10.

Flexible Talents

Pre-Patch talent builds are currently very limited, due to lacking the extra talent points available at Level 90, therefore there are not many meaningful talent swaps. Leveling up in the expansion will open up significantly more room for customization.

Be sure to make use of the 'Export Talents' button to import the best build directly into your game!

Mythic+ can require a mix of AoE and Single-Target talents, depending on affixes and other variables. You should check out our page below if you want advice specific to Mythic+.

3.

PvP Talents for Arms Warrior in The War Within

Since Battle for Azeroth, players have the option to go into "War Mode," allowing them to participate in PvP combat with other players. Enabling War Mode provides the following benefits:

  • PvP talents enabled in the outdoor world;
  • 10% increase in World Quest rewards at maximum level;
  • 10% more experience gained while leveling;
  • Earn Conquest Points, which can reward gear every week.

With the benefits of enabling War Mode for leveling and PvE content, it is recommended to enable the feature to maximize your leveling and rewards at maximum level. However, you will make yourself available for open-world PvP, and the possibility of being "ganked" while leveling or doing World Quests exists.

4.

Arms Warrior Hero Talents

Arms Warriors have a choice between Slayer and Colossus, each with their own strengths and focus, though generally very similar builds and gameplay.
  • Slayer is focused on Execute and Bladestorm, with the main gameplay difference being increased Sudden Death Icon Sudden Death procs and a stronger Execute phase. It tends to be the better choice for raiding and single target encounters, as Execute is more limited in Mythic+ settings.
  • Colossus is focused on Mortal Strike, Bleeds, and Demolish, represented through increased Mortal Strike usage and a unique form of cooldown reduction for its signature ability. It tends to be better against multiple targets than single, and is used more frequently in Mythic+ instead of raid encounters.
5.

Arms Warrior PvP Talents

  1. Sharpen Blade Icon Sharpen Blade adds a separate off-global cooldown buff, which increases the overall damage of Mortal Strike Icon Mortal Strike.
  2. Rebound Icon Rebound boosts the value of Spell Reflection Icon Spell Reflection, providing both more offensive and defensive value in exchange for a slightly longer cooldown.
  3. Dragon Charge Icon Dragon Charge grants extra mobility, which is always useful while leveling.
6.

Changelog

  • 19 Jan. 2026: Updated for Midnight Pre-Patch.
  • 30 Nov. 2025: Reviewed for Patch 11.2.7.
  • 05 Oct. 2025: Reviewed for Patch 11.2.5.
  • 04 Aug. 2025: Updated for Patch 11.2.
  • 15 Jun. 2025: Reviewed for Patch 11.1.7.
  • 21 Apr. 2025: Reviewed for Patch 11.1.5.
  • 24 Feb. 2025: Updated for Patch 11.1.0.
  • 15 Dec. 2024: Tagged recommended talent builds and updated for Patch 11.0.7.
  • 21 Oct. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
  • 09 Sep. 2024: Updated for The War Within Season 1 launch.
  • 26 Aug. 2024: Added Delve build, minor talent updates.
  • 21 Aug. 2024: Updated for The War Within Pre-Season Launch.
  • 26 Jul. 2024: Minor build updates.
  • 23 Jul. 2024: Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch
  • 07 May 2024: Reviewed for 10.2.7.
  • 22 Apr. 2024: Updated with new builds for Season 4.
  • 19 Mar. 2024: Expanded recommended talent updates and reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
  • 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: Minor updates clarifying recommended talents in selection tool.
  • 06 Nov. 2023: Updated talent builds for Patch 10.2 and Season 3 tier sets.
  • 04 Sep. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 12 Jul. 2023: Minor formatting updates.
  • 10 Jul. 2023: Minor updates for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 01 May 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1
  • 02 Feb. 2023: Updated talent builds.
  • 24 Jan. 2023: Updated builds for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 11 Dec. 2022: Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 28 Nov. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 18 Nov. 2022: Update Fervor of Battle use and description.
  • 25 Oct. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
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