With the arrival of Cataclysm, the talent system received a massive overhaul, changing from the 71 talent points system to a more compact 41 points system. As such, many of the old talents were either completely removed or changed, resulting in fewer possible build variations. One key aspect of the new system is that you must use at least 31 points in your main specialization to use the remaining 10 points in a secondary specialization.
Arms Warrior has one standardized build with only a few possible variations that can be added to it. As such, we will use one main build for most Raid and Dungeon encounters, focusing on Single-Target damage output. The alternative is a similar build that aims to improve Arms Warrior’s AoE damage.
Talent Builds
Click a build to see talent distribution and explanations
The standard build offers several key strong talents that will be essential for high-end raiding, providing multiple damage-enhancing effects such as Deep Wounds, Taste for Blood, Improved Slam, Lambs to the Slaughter, and Wrecking Crew while also providing utility and mobility tools such as Drums of War, Tactical Mastery, and Juggernaut.
The build also provides strong offensive cooldowns such as Sweeping Strikes, Deadly Calm, and Bladestorm allowing you to generate a powerful damage output in both Single-Target and AoE/Cleave encounters. Additionally, the build spends emphasizes Single-Target proficiency through talents such as Cruelty, Battle Trance, and Executioner.
The build doesn’t have any survivability tools, however, it can be adapted to include talents such as Field Dressing or Toughness in case you experience issues during any encounter.
The AoE-oriented Build works exactly the same as the Single-Target oriented build, however, it trades off the Single-Target damage-enhancing effect of Executioner for the AoE-enhancing effect of Blood and Thunder. You may also exchange Incite for Executioner and either one of Booming Voice or Rude Interruption as a viable alternative for maintaining a high Single-Target damage output as well.
Glyphs
Prime Glyphs
- Glyph of Mortal Strike
- This glyph is a must-have for any Arms Warrior build! Since Mortal Strike is one of our most powerful abilities, we will always want to benefit from the 10% damage increase the glyph offers. This glyph is amazing for both solo content and Dungeon and Raid encounters!
- Glyph of Overpower
- This glyph is a must-have for any Arms Warrior! Since Overpower is one of our core abilities, we will want to empower it as much as possible with the 10% damage increase the glyph offers. This glyph is amazing for both solo content and Dungeon and Raid encounters!
- Glyph of Slam
- This glyph is better suited for Single-Target encounters as it will increase our overall Slam‘s Critical Strike Chance by 5%. While the glyph itself is not as impactful as the two main glyphs we will be using, it remains the best third choice for Single-Target encounters since Critical Strike Chance is one of the best stats for us. This glyph is especially important if you choose to prioritize Slam over Heroic Strike.
- Glyph of Bladestorm
- This glyph is better suited for AoE and Cleave encounters as it reduces the cooldown of Bladestorm by 15 seconds! This glyph is better suited for Dungeons than Raid encounters as you will be dealing with many Trash Mobs in-between Boss fights. While the glyph can be used in Single-Target encounters as well, it is underwhelming when compared to the Glyph of Slam.
Major Glyphs
- Glyph of Colossus Smash
- This glyph is mandatory for all Arms Warriors as it allows them to apply Sunder Armor with every Colossus Smash cast! This glyph can easily reduce the number of wasted GCDs you use on maintaining and applying Sunder Armor, especially if Sudden Death procs consistently.
- Glyph of Cleaving
- This glyph increases the number of targets affected by Cleave by 1 additional target. While it may not seem like much of a power spike, this glyph is very strong for any Cleave encounter, especially during dungeons.
- Glyph of Sweeping Strikes
- This glyph entirely removes the Rage cost for Sweeping Strikes making it a free ability! This glyph should be considered mandatory for any AoE and Cleave encounter as it can allow you to cast at least one or two free damage abilities. This glyph pairs very well with the Glyph of Cleaving for heavy AoE encounters.
- Glyph of Resonating Power
- This glyph reduces the Rage cost for Thunder Clap by 5 Rage! This glyph should only be used with the AoE Build as it can make it easier to spread Rend and focus on other abilities afterward. While this glyph is not mandatory for the AoE Build, it can also be used with the Standard Build if Thunder Clap is necessary for a raid encounter for its Attack Speed reduction effect.
Minor Glyphs
- Glyph of Battle
- This glyph increases the duration of Battle Shout by up to 2 minutes while also increasing the area of effect by 50%. This glyph can be useful if you choose not to implement Battle Shout in your rotation for Rage generation.
- Glyph of Intimidating Shout
- This glyph replaces the Fear effect of Intimidating Shout, turning it into a strong crowd control tool. This glyph may be very useful if you deal with trash packs that require heavy crowd control, especially in dungeons. This glyph may not be useful during raid encounters as the trash mobs have a very high health pool.
- Glyph of Command
- This glyph increases the duration of Commanding Shout by up to 2 minutes while also increasing the area of effect by 50%. The same situation applies as in the case of Battle Shout, with the glyph itself being very useful if you choose not to implement Commanding Shout in your rotation for Rage generation.
- Glyph of Demoralizing Shout
- This glyph increases the duration of Demoralizing Shout by up to 15 seconds while also increasing the area of effect by 50%. This glyph should be used in dungeon and raid encounters as it is very potent. While Demoralizing Shout consumes only 10 Rage, reapplying it at longer intervals saves up a GCD and Rage.
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