Protection Warrior Tank Spell Summary (Legion 7.3)

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. Class Overview
  • 2. Patch 7.3 Changes
  • 3. Patch 7.2.5 Changes
  • 4. Patch 7.2 Changes
  • 5. Contents
  • 6. ChangeLog
• +Easy Mode
  • 1. The Basics
  • 2. Talent Choice
  • 3. Stat Choice
  • 4. Basic Rotation
  • 5. Active Mitigation Abilities
  • 6. Cooldown Usage
  • 7. ChangeLog
• ×Spell Summary
  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. Main Resource
  • 3. Basic Abilities
    • 3.1. Movement
  • 4. Important Procs
  • 5. Active Mitigation
  • 6. Defensive Cooldowns
  • 7. Offensive Cooldown
  • 8. ChangeLog
• +Builds and Talents
  • 1. Talent Choices
  • 2. Tier 1 (Level 15) Talents
  • 3. Tier 2 (Level 30) Talents
  • 4. Tier 3 (Level 45) Talents
  • 5. Tier 4 (Level 60) Talents
  • 6. Tier 5 (Level 75) Talents
  • 7. Tier 6 (Level 90) Talents
  • 8. Tier 7 (Level 100) Talents
  • 9. ChangeLog
• +Artifact Traits and Relics
  • 1. Artifact Progression
  • 2. Relic Choice
  • 3. ChangeLog
• +Netherlight Crucible Relic Paths
  • 1. General Optimization Advice
  • 2. Tier 2 Upgrade Priority
  • 3. Tier 3 Upgrade Priority
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities
  • 1. Single Target Rotation
  • 2. Multiple Target Rotation
  • 3. Active Mitigation Abilities
  • 4. Cooldown Usage
  • 5. Taunting
  • 6. Mastering Your Protection Warrior
    • 6.1. Rage Generation
    • 6.2. Mastery: Critical Block
    • 6.3. Procs
    • 6.4. Active Mitigation
      • 6.4.1. Shield Block
      • 6.4.2. Ignore Pain
      • 6.4.3. Shield Block or Ignore Pain?
    • 6.5. Other Notable Abilities
      • 6.5.1. Intercept
      • 6.5.2. Heroic Leap
    • 6.6. Detailed Cooldown Usage
      • 6.6.1. Battle Cry
      • 6.6.2. Last Stand
      • 6.6.3. Shield Wall
      • 6.6.4. Demoralizing Shout
      • 6.6.5. Spell Reflection
      • 6.6.6. Berserker Rage
      • 6.6.7. Artifact Ability
      • 6.6.8. Tier 1 Talents
      • 6.6.9. Tier 3 Talents
      • 6.6.10. Tier 5 Talents
      • 6.6.11. Tier 6 Talents
      • 6.6.12. Tier 7 Talents
  • 7. ChangeLog
• +Stat Priority
  • 1. Basics
  • 2. Getting a Better Understanding
  • 3. ChangeLog
• +Gems, Enchants, and Consumables
  • 1. Gems
  • 2. Enchants
  • 3. Consumables
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Macros and Addons
  • 1. Macros
    • 1.1. Generic Macros for Warriors
      • 1.1.1. Mouseouver Interrupt Macro
    • 1.2. Specific Macros for Protection Warriors
      • 1.2.1. Mouseover Heroic Throw Macro
      • 1.2.2. Mouseover Taunt Macro
      • 1.2.3. Intercept Macros
  • 2. Addons
    • 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!
    • 2.2. Specific Addons for Protection Warriors
      • 2.2.1. Omen Threat Meter
  • 3. ChangeLog
• +Gear, Legendaries, and Best in Slot
  • 1. Best in Slot List
  • 2. Trinkets
    • 2.1. Non-Raid Trinkets
    • 2.2. Raid Trinkets
  • 3. Tier 20 Set Bonuses
  • 4. Legendary Items
  • 5. Loot Competition
  • 6. ChangeLog

General Information

On this page, we list the spells that you will often use as a Protection Warrior.

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

About Our Reviewer

This guide has been reviewed and approved by Treckie, one of the best tanks in the world, who raids in Prime. You can watch his stream on Twitch and you can follow him on Twitter.

1. Introduction

If you are new to Protection, this is a great place to start to get an understanding of how the spec works. On this page we will discuss what abilities you have, what they are used for within the specialisation, how they interact with each other and also with important cooldowns. If you already have experience with Protection and are comfortable with it in Legion, it is recommended you skip this section and move on to the rest of the guide.

2. Main Resource

Rage is your primary resource, generated by Shield Slam and Thunder Clap. It is used to fuel your active mitigation abilities ( Ignore Pain and Shield Block), and managing it is crucial for maximising your survivability.

3. Basic Abilities

These are your core skills that are available regardless of talents, and form the core gameplay of the specialization.

Shield Slam deals high Physical damage to a single target, on a 9-second cooldown. It generates 20 Rage, and its cooldown has a chance of being reset by Devastate, Thunder Clap, and Revenge.

Revenge deals high Physical damage to all enemies in front of you, on a 3-second cooldown. It costs 30 Rage to use, but it becomes free to cast when you successfully dodge or parry an attack. This also adds the Deep Wounds bleed to the target.

Devastate deals moderate Physical damage to a single target. It has no cooldown and generates no Rage, but it has a chance to reset the cooldown of Shield Slam. This also adds the Deep Wounds bleed to the target.

Thunder Clap deals damage to all enemies in an 8-yard radius around you, reduces their movement speed by 50% for 10 seconds, and generates 5 Rage. This ability is used to deal damage and generate threat on multiple targets, but also to generate Rage and reset the cooldown of Shield Slam.

3.1. Movement

Intercept is your primary movement tool, on a 20-second cooldown, that instantly rushes you to your target, generating 15 Rage. When used on an enemy, it roots them for 1 second and then reduces their movement speed by 50% for 6 seconds (these effects do not occur when used on raid bosses). When used on an ally, it causes you to intercept the next melee or ranged attack (or 3 attacks, if you have the Wall of Steel artifact trait) made against them within 10 seconds, provided that they remain within 10 yards of you.

Heroic Leap makes you leap through the air towards a target location. When you land, you deal damage to all enemies in an 8-yard radius. This ability has a 45-second cooldown, and it greatly helps your mobility throughout the fight.

4. Important Procs

Devastate, Revenge, and Thunder Clap have a 30% chance to reset the remaining cooldown of Shield Slam.

Dodging and parrying attacks causes the next Revenge to become free of Rage cost.

5. Active Mitigation

Ignore Pain places a damage absorption shield on you, which absorbs 90% of all incoming damage up to a fixed amount (based on your attack power, Versatility, and Rage spent on Ignore Pain). Ignore Pain has a 1-second cooldown, and it costs 20 Rage. However, if you have more than 20 Rage, then Ignore Pain will consume up to a total of 60 Rage. Additional Rage past 20 will increase the amount of damage absorption that it provides.

Shield Block grants you a 6-second buff that causes you to block all incoming attacks. It has a maximum of 2 charges and a 13-second recharge time (reduced by Haste).

These two spells are to be used throughout the fight, whenever survival is of concern.

6. Defensive Cooldowns

Last Stand increases your current and maximum health by 30% for 15 seconds, on a 3-minute cooldown. It is a core survival cooldown, typically to be used reactively in order to avoid dying.

Shield Wall reduces all damage you take by 40% for 8 seconds, on a 4-minute cooldown. This should normally be used pre-emptively, in order to take reduced damage from abilities and attacks you know are going to hit you.

Demoralizing Shout debuffs enemies in a 10-yard radius around you to deal 20% reduced damage to you for 8 seconds (with their attacks). It has a 90-second cooldown. Its usage is similar to that of Shield Wall.

Spell Reflection reflects the first spell cast against you within 5 seconds back to the caster. While Spell Reflection is active, you take 30% less damage from all sources (50% with the Gleaming Scales Artifact trait). It has a 25-second recharge time.

7. Offensive Cooldown

Battle Cry increases your critical strike chance by 100% for 5 seconds, on a 1-minute cooldown. It does not increase your survivability in any way, so it should be used to boost damage as often as possible.

8. ChangeLog

+ show all entries - show only 10 entries

• 19 Aug. 2017: Updated the text for Spell Reflection, Revenge, and Intercept.
• 13 Jun. 2017: Updated Spell Reflection description to account for Patch 7.2.5 change.
• 19 Feb. 2017: Updated Intercept description to more accurately describe how the spell works.
• 10 Jan. 2017: Updated the spell descriptions to account for Patch 7.1.5 changes.
• 16 Oct. 2016: Updated the amount of Rage generated by Shield Slam.
• 24 Sep. 2016: Updated the amount of Rage generated by Shield Slam and Intercept to account for a recent hotfix.
• 20 Sep. 2016: Added mention that Revenge and Devastate apply Deep Wounds.