Protection Warrior Tank Nerub-ar Palace Raid Guide — The War Within (Season 1)

Last updated on Sep 17, 2024 at 18:00 by Mwahi 49 comments
General Information

On this page, you will find tips, tricks, and strategies tailored to your Protection Warrior for each boss of the following raid: Nerub-ar Palace. All our content is updated for World of Warcraft — The War Within (Season 1).

1.

Introduction

Below, you can find class and spec-specific advice for every fight in Nerub-ar Palace. If you are looking for a general overview of the Raid that is not spec-specific, check out our dedicated Nerub-ar Palace guides.

This page assumes that you already understand most of the mechanics of each encounter. These can be found on the full raid guide, so what is contained here are details specifically tailored toward Protection Warrior and how you can deal with each fight as best as possible.

All recommendations are progression-based tips and will not necessarily be the best for an overall DPS ranking.

2.

Nerub'ar Palace Boss Guides for Protection Warrior

To make importing talents easier, I have aggregated the builds into the list below into three main builds. Taking these as a baseline, you can handle all raid encounters in this tier.

3.

Nerub'ar Palace Raid for Protection Warrior

Ulgrax the Devourer The Bloodbound Horror Sikran Rasha'nan Broodtwister Ovi'nax Nexus-Princess Ky'veza The Silken Court Queen Ansurek
4.

Tips for for Ulgrax the Devourer for Protection Warrior

4.1.

Defensive Tips

  • Be sure to keep Shield Block Icon Shield Block up for Brutal Crush Icon Brutal Crush;
  • The initial hit from Ravenous Spawn Disembowel Icon Disembowel is blockable with Shield Block Icon Shield Block;
4.2.

Cooldown Usage

  • Use offensive cooldowns on cooldown.
4.3.

Mechanical Tips

  • Taunt swap with your co-tank after one cast of Brutal Crush Icon Brutal Crush;
  • Heroic Leap Icon Heroic Leap and Intervene Icon Intervene are great ways to move around quickly and pick up any Chunky Viscera Icon Chunky Viscera, while Charge Icon Charge will help you get back to the boss fast.
  • Below Mythic you can remove Stalker's Netting Icon Stalker's Netting with Avatar Icon Avatar. On Mythic, it will stun you, not root you.
4.4.

Best Talents

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

5.

Tips for for Bloodbound Horror for Protection Warrior

5.1.

Defensive Tips

  • Gruesome Disgorge Icon Gruesome Disgorge is blockable with Spell Block Icon Spell Block;
  • Healers should be able to deal with this themselves, but if they are falling behind, use Impending Victory Icon Impending Victory and Last Stand Icon Last Stand to help get rid of the healing absorb from Crimson Rain Icon Crimson Rain.
5.2.

Cooldown Usage

  • Use offensive cooldowns on cooldown.
5.3.

Mechanical Tips

  • Use Thunder Clap Icon Thunder Clap to help slow the Blood Horror adds in The Shadow Realm;
  • Gruesome Disgorge Icon Gruesome Disgorge acts as a tank swap mechanic, getting hit by 2 of them within the debuff window will likely kill you;
5.4.

Best Talents

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

6.

Tips for Sikran for Protection Warrior

6.1.

Defensive Tips

  • Expose Icon Expose is not blockable, so use Defensive Stance Icon Defensive Stance, Demoralizing Shout Icon Demoralizing Shout, Shield Wall Icon Shield Wall and Ignore Pain Icon Ignore Pain to help reduce the damage. Remember that the second Expose Icon Expose does more damage, so keep bigger defensive cooldowns for that one.
  • Phase Lunge Icon Phase Lunge deals mixed damage; the magical part is blockable with Spell Block Icon Spell Block. For the physical part, use your defensive cooldowns as necessary.
6.2.

Cooldown Usage

  • Use offensive cooldowns on cooldown.
6.3.

Mechanical Tips

  • Boss does a 3 cast combo consisting of 2x Expose Icon Expose and 1x Phase Lunge Icon Phase Lunge. One tank can't take all 3 hits, so this acts as a tank swap mechanic. The logic is as follows:
    • Tank 1 takes both Expose Icon Exposes;
    • Tank 2 takes Phase Lunge Icon Phase Lunge.
6.4.

Best Talents

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

7.

Tips for Rasha'nan for Protection Warrior

7.1.

Defensive Tips

  • Use Defensive Stance Icon Defensive Stance with Shield Block Icon Shield Block and strong defensives like Shield Wall Icon Shield Wall,Demoralizing Shout Icon Demoralizing Shout with a full Ignore Pain Icon Ignore Pain when tanking Savage Assault Icon Savage Assault. This ensures that Savage Wound Icon Savage Wound that is applied after the hit will deal as little damage as possible.
7.2.

Cooldown Usage

  • Use offensive cooldowns on cooldown.
7.3.

Mechanical Tips

  • Savage Assault Icon Savage Assault acts as a tank swap mechanic. Be sure to taunt after each cast.
  • Always ensure that the active tank is in melee range, otherwise, the boss will start casting Tacky Burst Icon Tacky Burst, dealing heavy raid-wide damage.
7.4.

Best Talents

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

8.

Tips for Broodtwister Ovi'nax for Protection Warrior

8.1.

Defensive Tips

  • Feel free to swap Best Served Cold Icon Best Served Cold for Fight Through the Flames Icon Fight Through the Flames for some additional magic damage reduction on this fight.
  • Use Defensive Stance Icon Defensive Stance paired with other defensives to help reduce the damage taken from Volatile Concoction Icon Volatile Concoction. This is a good time to use your Rage on Ignore Pain Icon Ignore Pain instead of Revenge Icon Revenge.
  • If you are low on health when Volatile Concoction Icon Volatile Concoction is about to drop off, use Impending Victory Icon Impending Victory to heal yourself back up and reduce the damage your raid takes.
  • Vicious Bite Icon Vicious Bite from Colossal Spiders deals nature damage. Be sure to use a small defensive like Spell Reflection Icon Spell Reflection, or just hop into Defensive Stance Icon Defensive Stance to help mitigate the damage.
8.2.

Cooldown Usage

  • Use offensive cooldowns on cooldown.
  • If the adds are not dying fast enough, then try to have your offensive cooldowns available for when the adds spawn.
8.3.

Mechanical Tips

  • Volatile Concoction Icon Volatile Concoction acts as a tank swap mechanic.
8.4.

Best Talents

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

9.

Tips for Nexus-Princess Ky'veza for Protection Warrior

9.1.

Defensive Tips

  • Feel free to swap Best Served Cold Icon Best Served Cold for Fight Through the Flames Icon Fight Through the Flames for some additional magic damage reduction on this fight.
  • Void Shredders Icon Void Shredders deals a mix of physical and shadow damage. Be sure to use defensives for this as needed.
  • Chasmal Gash Icon Chasmal Gash is the DoT that is left behind by Void Shredders Icon Void Shredders. When affected by this, be in Defensive Stance Icon Defensive Stance and use your Rage on Ignore Pain Icon Ignore Pain, paired with other defensives as required.
9.2.

Cooldown Usage

  • Use offensive cooldowns on cooldown.
9.3.

Mechanical Tips

  • Void Shredders Icon Void Shredders acts as a tank swap mechanic.
  • You can use Intervene Icon Intervene and Heroic Leap Icon Heroic Leap to help get you out of the Nether Rift Icon Nether Rift pull if you are mispositioned. You can also use Charge Icon Charge on the boss if you are not actively tanking it.
  • If you are in danger of falling below 10% health, be sure to use Last Stand Icon Last Stand and Impending Victory Icon Impending Victory to get yourself back up, otherwise the boss will execute you.
9.4.

Best Talents

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

10.

Tips for The Silken Court for Protection Warrior

10.1.

Defensive Tips

  • Piercing Strike Icon Piercing Strike is the tank hit. Keep Shield Block Icon Shield Block up and use extra defensives, including Defensive Stance Icon Defensive Stance, if your plan is to take more than 1 Piercing Strike Icon Piercing Strike, as the damage stacks.
  • Use defensives for Poison Bolt Icon Poison Bolt as needed. It deals nature damage, so Spell Block Icon Spell Block, Demoralizing Shout Icon Demoralizing Shout, Spell Reflection Icon Spell Reflection paired with Ignore Pain Icon Ignore Pain should work. Feel free to sit in Defensive Stance Icon Defensive Stance for this boss.
10.2.

Cooldown Usage

  • Use offensive cooldowns on cooldown.
10.3.

Mechanical Tips

  • Piercing Strike Icon Piercing Strike is the tank swap mechanic of this fight. See how many stacks you can take and taunt accordingly; generally, between 2-3 should be fine.
10.4.

Best Talents

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

11.

Tips for Queen Ansurek for Protection Warrior

11.1.

Defensive Tips

  • Liquefy Icon Liquefy, the tank swap mechanic, deals mixed damage. Physical damage part is blockable by Shield Block Icon Shield Block, and magical with Spell Block Icon Spell Block. If you do not have Spell Block Icon Spell Block, use other defensives like Spell Reflection Icon Spell Reflection, Demoralizing Shout Icon Demoralizing Shout and Defensive Stance Icon Defensive Stance as needed to cover for it. Taunt swap the boss after each cast.
  • Feast Icon Feast is not blockable, so be sure to use other defensives like Shield Wall Icon Shield Wall, Demoralizing Shout Icon Demoralizing Shout and be in Defensive Stance Icon Defensive Stance for it to help and reduce the healing absorb shield.
  • Infest Icon Infest and Gorge Icon Gorge, both, deal physical and magical damage. Be sure to keep Shield Block Icon Shield Block and Spell Block Icon Spell Block up, while using other defensives to cover any caps. Taunt swap the boss after each cast.
11.2.

Cooldown Usage

  • Use offensive cooldowns on cooldown.
11.3.

Mechanical Tips

  • Use Intervene Icon Intervene with Storm Shield Icon Storm Shield talented to help your healers out with a magic absorb.
  • Use Heroic Leap Icon Heroic Leap to help position yourself properly, or get out of mechanics like Wrest Icon Wrest.
  • Champion's Spear Icon Champion's Spear, if needed, can be used to tether the Gloom Hatchling adds, preventing them from reaching the boss.
  • Use Heroic Leap Icon Heroic Leap if you are in danger of being knocked off the platform by Oust Icon Oust.
11.4.

Best Talents

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

11.5.

General Defensive Usage Notes

As a tank, we have access to various defensive cooldowns. Using them properly, depending on the mechanic you are facing, is a crucial part of surviving in Raids. This holds especially true as Warrior Protection since a bulk of our mitigation comes from blocking abilities. Unfortunately, it is not always clear which abilities are blockable and which are not. There is also the case of abilities that are either not blockable or deal some other type of damage (nature, magic..). For such scenarios, we have to use other defensives, which are mentioned below.

  • Defensive Stance Icon Defensive Stance
    • While not technically a cooldown, it can be used as one;
    • Use it whenever you feel uncomfortable with the damage intake;
  • Shield Wall Icon Shield Wall
    • Use it on mechanics which are not blockable;
    • Reduces all damage taken;
  • Spell Block Icon Spell Block
    • Use it on magic damage, if it is blockable;
  • Demoralizing Shout Icon Demoralizing Shout
    • Usually used on cooldown offensively due to Booming Voice Icon Booming Voice, but should be used defensively if the situation warrants it;
  • Last Stand Icon Last Stand
    • Can be used as an extra defensive against big hits if you are not sure if you would survive otherwise;
    • Can use it if you drop low on HP to get yourself back up;
  • Impending Victory Icon Impending Victory
    • Used to heal yourself after dropping low;
    • Best paired with Last Stand Icon Last Stand since the heal is based on our maximum health;

In addition to the general rotation, you want to keep in mind that your goal is to use your offensive cooldowns as often as possible during an encounter. With that in mind, your secondary goal is to use them at the correct time.

I highly suggest using some Addon or WeakAura to track the estimated time to die of your target/boss target. Method Raid Tools has this as an option if you are already using this addon. By tracking time to die, if you know that you can only fit one more cycle of your cooldowns in before the boss dies, you can choose to hold these cooldowns to better line up with Bloodlust Icon Bloodlust, your Potion, or even your other cooldowns, trying to look for opportunities to stack all of them.

12.

Changelog

  • 17 Sep. 2024: Added information about Queen Ansurek.
  • 11 Sep. 2024: Added Seismic Reverberation as the default choice for some additional bosses.
  • 09 Sep. 2024: Guide added.
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