Arms Warrior DPS Mythic+ Tips — The War Within (11.0.5)
In this guide, you will find tips and advice to tackle Mythic+ dungeons with your Arms Warrior in World of Warcraft — The War Within (11.0.5).
Arms Warrior Mythic+ Guide for The War Within Season 1
In this guide, we will talk about getting the most out of your Warrior in Mythic+ dungeons, including the best way to set up your character, how your rotation may change, and tips and tricks for using your abilities in the most optimal way.
If you are unfamiliar with Mythic+ and its associated general mechanics, you can read more about it on our dedicated Mythic+ page below.
To learn more about the Mythic+ Meta, check out our Mythic+ Tier List below.
Arms Warrior in The War Within Mythic+
Using a combination of Colossus Smash, Sweeping Strikes, Cleave, and Bladestorm, Arms Warrior specializes in single and two-target priority damage, as well as sustained multitarget damage, though its burst AoE is relatively weak. The Juggernaut variant build focuses even further on heavy priority damage for challenging bosses.
Best Mythic+ Talents for Arms Warrior in The War Within
For a more general overview of Talents for Arms Warrior, please visit our dedicated Talents page.
Best Mythic+ Talent Builds for Arms Warrior
Best Mythic+ Talents for Arms Warrior in The War Within
This build is recommended for any level of Mythic+, focusing on sustained multitarget while still bringing a strong amount of priority damage.
The reason for going Slayer over Colossus is because it has a smoother damage profile, focusing entirely on Cleave and Bladestorm to deal regular multitarget damage while still contributing on bosses.
Flexible Talents
While it is recommended that you run the build as listed, there are a few changes that can be made to suit personal personal preference:
- Overwhelming Rage is not necessary, as Arms very rarely Rage starves or caps resources, making it an easy point to drop for more customization.
- Intimidating Shout is the main pick for many players, offering more Crowd Control, though it is rarely needed thanks to the low cooldown on Shockwave via Rumbling Earth.
- Honed Reflexes allows several utility abilities to be used slightly more often, though the amount is so small, it is often difficult to ascertain whether it will have any value at all.
- Fast Footwork and Intervene are common picks for increased mobility.
- Endurance Training is very nice but also very expensive to take in terms of lost damage due to competing against powerful Tier 3 talents.
Be sure to make use of the 'Export Talents' button to import the best build directly into your game!
Best Mythic+ Talents for Arms Warrior in The War Within
This build is recommended for any level of Mythic+, with strong damage spikes but lower periods of sustained damage.
The reason for going Colossus over Slayer is focusing on two-target cleave with Sweeping Strikes to maximize Demolish cooldown reduction.
Flexible Talents
While it is recommended that you run the build as listed, there are a few changes that can be made to suit personal personal preference:
- Overwhelming Rage is not necessary, as Arms very rarely Rage starves or caps resources, making it an easy point to drop for more customization.
- Intimidating Shout is the main pick for many players, offering more Crowd Control, though it is rarely needed thanks to the low cooldown on Shockwave via Rumbling Earth.
- Honed Reflexes allows several utility abilities to be used slightly more often, though the amount is so small, it is often difficult to ascertain whether it will have any value at all.
- Fast Footwork and Intervene are common picks for increased mobility.
- Uproar is an almost even trade with Armored to the Teeth in multitarget, though reducing priority damage without any real upside.
- Endurance Training is very nice but also very expensive to take in terms of lost damage due to competing against powerful Tier 3 talents.
Be sure to make use of the 'Export Talents' button to import the best build directly into your game!
Best Mythic+ Talents for Arms Warrior in The War Within
This build is recommended for coordinated high-level Mythic+ key levels, focusing on further increased maintaining Juggernaut to increase priority damage against powerful single targets and bosses.
This Slayer variant exchanges a small amount of multitarget damage for more single-target capability, which is generally considered a good tradeoff in higher-level Mythic+, where boss damage checks become more important. However, it is important to note that this build focuses on maintaining Juggernaut, both on bosses and between pulls, so the build is best used by experienced players in coordinated groups to help avoid continually restacking the buff.
Flexible Talents
While it is recommended that you run the build as listed, there are a few changes that can be made to suit personal personal preference:
- Overwhelming Rage is not necessary, as Arms very rarely Rage starves or caps resources, making it an easy point to drop for more customization.
- Intimidating Shout is the main pick for many players, offering more Crowd Control, though it is rarely needed thanks to the low cooldown on Shockwave via Rumbling Earth.
- Honed Reflexes allows several utility abilities to be used slightly more often, though the amount is so small, it is often difficult to ascertain whether it will have any value at all.
- Fast Footwork and Intervene are common picks for increased mobility.
- Endurance Training is very nice but also very expensive to take in terms of lost damage due to competing against powerful Tier 3 talents.
Be sure to make use of the 'Export Talents' button to import the best build directly into your game!
Mythic+ Utility for Arms Warrior in The War Within Season 1
This section talks mostly about the uses of different spells. For in-depth explanations of all Warrior Abilities and Talents, including these, check out our Spells page.
Utility of Arms Warrior in The War Within
Interrupts, Stuns, Stops, and Slows
Pummel is the Warrior version of kick, frequently used in Mythic+ to stop enemy casts for the benefit of the group and especially the tank. Because it is sometimes necessary to interrupt targets other than the one you are actively attacking, it is highly recommended to use a focus or mouseover macro.
Slayer has the unique ability to use Pummel during Bladestorm, which normally cannot be done.
- /cast [@focus,exists,nodead][@mouseover,exists,nodead] [] Interrupt
This macro will kick your focus target if you have one, mouseover if you have no Focus target, and your primary target if you have neither of those.
To quickly set a focus target in hectic scenarios, we also recommend a Focus Mouseover macro.
- /focus [@mouseover]
Make sure that your UI shows your Focus Target's casts clearly so that you are always able to kick it on cooldown or in coordination with the rest of your group.
Not technically an interrupt, Spell Reflection is an incredibly powerful personal tool, which can deflect or reflect the damage and negative effect of many enemy spells, but only when they are cast on the Warrior.
Stuns, "Stops" and Slows
Storm Bolt and Shockwave are single and multitarget stuns, often called "stops" due to their use in stopping enemy actions. Easier to talent into than the past; these are core talents in any Mythic+ build.
Intimidating Shout is another AoE stop, fearing targets instead of stunning them. This has several limitations, causing targets to run away and potentially call allies, as well as some targets being immune to the condition outright. It is also limited to five targets, so there are times when it may not necessarily stop all of the enemies you want it to. Because of this, the talent is not always taken in Mythic+ builds, but can be added as desired.
Piercing Howl and Crackling Thunder can both be used as AoE slows, though this is not something that is regularly needed in most content. Hamstring is the non-talented, single-target alternative, which is typically enough to cover any slowing needs.
Other Utility
Battle Shout increases the damage output of all melee classes and Hunters by 5% and should always be active.
Rallying Cry is a group-wide defensive cooldown, useful in helping yourself or allies survive incoming damage.
Berserker Rage and Berserker Shout removes fear and disorient effects, which are not very common in the modern game. The shout version applies to allies but suffers several limitations: requiring an extra talent point, having a very limited range that often misses casters, and only able to be used reactively after the fear effect has been applied rather than pre-emptively immuning it. As a result, it is rarely used.
Dungeon Tips and Tricks for Arms Warrior for The War Within Season 1
Unlike many classes, Warriors have very few specialized tricks to handle various mechanics, being mainly focused on personal damage and defense. Most of the tips and tricks in this section will therefore cover which spells may be negated or sent back toward the attacker using Spell Reflection.
Rather than trying to memorize all of these spells, it is highly recommended to simply use the Spell Reflect Essentials WeakAura to track them for you.
Mythic+ Tips for Arms Warrior in The War Within Season 1
Note that it is early days and that this section will be far more fleshed out as the Season progresses and cool tricks and tips are found.
Bosses
- Warriors can use Heroic Leap to avoid having to stand in Grasping Blood at all, though the timing is very tight. A much more reliable strategy is to leap into the blood and then use Storm Bolt or Shockwave on the newly formed mob to break themselves out once the pull has ended.
Trash
- Several targeted and ground effect spells can be reflected, including Poison Bolt and Web Bolt.
Note that it is early days and that this section will be far more fleshed out as the Season progresses and cool tricks and tips are found.
Bosses
- Splice can be reflected, while Umbral Weave will be deflected and prevent the root. It is typically better to reflect Splice, but because it is cast twice per cycle, the timing is very tight: try to pre-cast Spell Reflect just before the first Splice is cast in order for the cooldown to be available again before the second.
Trash
- Several targeted and ground effect spells can be reflected, including Grimweave Blast, Umbral Weave, Web Bolt, Void Rush, and Poison Bolt.
Note that it is early days and that this section will be far more fleshed out as the Season progresses and cool tricks and tips are found.
Bosses
- Shadow Bolt can be reflected back to the boss.
Trash
- Several targeted and ground effect spells can be reflected, including Animated Darkness, Tormenting Beam, Shadow Bolt, and Web Bolt.
Note that it is early days and that this section will be far more fleshed out as the Season progresses and cool tricks and tips are found.
Bosses
- The Depth's Grasp tentacle stuns can be immuned with Spell Reflect or Bladestorm, allowing a small amount of emergency clear.
Trash
- Several targeted and ground effect spells can be reflected, including Lava Fist, Shadowflame Bolt, and Shadowflame Slash.
Note that it is early days and that this section will be far more fleshed out as the Season progresses and cool tricks and tips are found.
Bosses
- Fetid Gas pools, Frostbolt Volley, Noxious Fog, Enfeeble, Frozen Binds, and Razorshard Ice puddles can all be reflected or deflected to ignore their effects.
Trash
- Several targeted and ground effect spells can be reflected, including Frostbolt, Drain Fluids, Necrotic Bolt, Spew Disease, Disease Cloud, Clinging Darkness, and Shadow Well.
Note that it is early days and that this section will be far more fleshed out as the Season progresses and cool tricks and tips are found.
Bosses
- Anima Puddle, Acid Expulsion void zones, and Decomposing Acid puddles can all be reflected or deflected.
Trash
- Several targeted and ground effect spells can be reflected, including Bramble Burst, Spirit Bolt, Soul Split, Anima Slash, Anima Injection, Volatile Acid, Debilitating Poison, and Overgrowth.
Note that it is early days and that this section will be far more fleshed out as the Season progresses and cool tricks and tips are found.
Bosses
- No boss spells may be reflected or deflected, so use it as a general damage reduction cooldown instead.
Trash
- Several targeted and ground effect spells can be reflected, including Water Bolt, Cursed Slash, and Brackish Bolt.
Note that it is early days and that this section will be far more fleshed out as the Season progresses and cool tricks and tips are found.
Bosses
- Molten Metal can be reflected back to the boss.
Trash
- Several targeted and ground effect spells can be reflected, including Shield Stampede, Stone Bolt, Arcing Void, Alloy Bolt, Censoring Gear, and Shadow Claw.
Affix Tips, Tricks and Management for Arms Warrior in The War Within Season 1
Unlike many classes, Warriors have very few specialized tricks to handle various mechanics, being mainly focused on personal damage and defense, so they do not have any unique capability when it comes to handling various affixes of Mythic+. For general guides covering each of Dungeon or Mythic+ content in general, check out our dedicated page below.
Affix Guide for Arms Warrior in The War Within
Ascendant Affix Management for Arms Warrior
Shockwave with Rumbling Earth should be available frequently enough to handle this mechanic, with backup Pummel or Storm Bolt as needed. Intimidating Shout can be taken as well, but should not be necessary and may not reliably affect the correct targets in larger pulls.
Devour Affix Management for Arms Warrior
Bitter Immunity will remove the debuff, though it is not a great strategy as the affix happens much more frequently than the cooldown allows, which means healers will still need a plan to cover the other sets. This often results in holding the cooldown for emergencies that rarely ever come, effectively wasting the talent point. Instead, simply using Impending Victory will help reduce the healing burden enough to quickly remove the debuff.
Oblivion Affix Management for Arms Warrior
Smart use of Charge and Heroic Leap can help reach Shattered Essence crystals more quickly, but proper positioning should be all that is needed.
Voidbound Affix Management for Arms Warrior
There's no particular trick here; simply kill the mob as quickly as possible to gain its buff!
How To Sim Mythic+ for Arms Warrior
MDT Sim
MDT Sim is the best way to sim Mythic+ for Arms Warrior. It allows you to sim an entire dungeon, pull-by-pull, with appropriate HP amounts and so on. In this way, you get a full picture within a single sim, of various target counts and durations. I have created a route that I feel is a good "average" of all dungeons that you can use. Drop the contents of the Pastebin into your Raidbots > SimC Expert Mode at the bottom > 'Footer'. Detailed instructions and more info on MDT Sim can be found on the MDT Sim Wago page.
On our Gear Page below, we have compiled BiS items for Arms Warrior that also apply to Mythic+.
Changelog
- 21 Oct. 2024: Updated dungeon affix recommendations.
- 09 Sep. 2024: Updated for The War Within Season 1 launch.
- 07 May 2024: Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 22 Apr. 2024: Minor update to introduction.
- 22 Apr. 2024: Updated rotation for Season 4.
- 19 Mar. 2024: Minor update to recommended talents and reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 15 Jan. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
- 06 Nov. 2023: Updated for Patch 10.2 and season 3.
- 04 Sep. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7.
- 12 Jul. 2023: Minor formatting updates.
- 10 Jul. 2023: Updated for Patch 10.1.5, including alternate Skullsplitter build.
- 01 May 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1
- 02 Feb. 2023: Updated Bladestorm talent build.
- 24 Jan. 2023: Updated build for Patch 10.0.5.
- 11 Dec. 2022: Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 28 Nov. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 25 Oct. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
More Warrior Guides
Guides from Other Classes
This guide has been written by Archimtiros, Warrior class theorycrafter and SimulationCraft developer who has been writing class guides for more than a decade. You can follow him on Twitter or see more of his day to day work in Skyhold, the Warrior Discord.
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