Updating the Guide (Warrior)

[Ciderhelm]

0.4 Avoidance & Shield Block
Avoidance can occur while mounted or while using a Ranged weapon. Avoidance is one of the most helpful attributes of a tank and accounts for a significant reduction in necessary healing.

0.4.1 Dodge
Dodge represents 100% avoidance of a frontal attack. Players can Dodge most physical attacks, including many Cleaves and Whirlwinds. A player cannot Dodge a Critical Strike or Crushing Blow under normal circumstances.

Creatures are capable of Dodging attacks from any direction.

Dodge is the most effective itemization in terms of reducing Crushing Blows. This is because Dodge can stack relatively high with Itemization points. When using the Shield Block ability, an attack that would not otherwise be a Crushing Blow can be Dodged, allowing the charges of Shield Block to stay active on creatures that would may have attacked too quickly and used the Shield Block charges before the cooldown was available again..


0.4.2 Parry
Parry represents 100% avoidance of a frontal attack. Players can Parry most physical attacks; a player cannot Parry a Critical Strike or Crushing Blow under normal circumstances.

Parry represents an offensive avoidance and costs considerably more in terms of itemization. When a player Parries, their next normal melee swing becomes a counter-attack sped up by as much as 50%.

Parry is most beneficial when using slower weapon.


0.4.3 Chance to be Missed
Being Missed represents 100% avoidance of an omni-directional attack. Being missed can occur by any Physical attack. Reducing a creature or player's Chance to Hit will increase the chance of being Missed.

Chance to be Missed only comes from Defense. This attribute is not shown on your character pane.


0.4.4 Shield Block
Shield Block represents a reduction in damage from a frontal attack. Shield Blocks are effective against all Physical attacks, including Ranged.

Shield Blocks cannot occur while mounted. Shield Blocks cannot occur while drinking a potion.

The use of the Shield Block ability can boost Avoidance and Shield Block well above 100% on the combat table. When this occurs, Shield Block takes priority over Crushing Blows and Critical Strikes. As a result, an attack blocked with the Shield Block ability can never be a Crushing Blow.

Players can Block a Critical Strike from special abilities. This means that special attacks from Players can be Blocked. Creatures are incapable of landing a Critical Strike with a special ability, however, and Defense effectively removes Critical Strikes from environmental content.

[Ciderhelm]

0.6 Talent & Skill Information
The following includes information, math and correlations between talents.

0.6.1 Skills
Spell Reflect will reflect or negate most single-target spells. It will reflect the single target aspect of some spell volleys, such as Shadowbolt Volley. It will not reflect pure AOE skills, such as Frost Nova.

Commanding Shout and Battle Shout cannot be stacked by a single Warrior. Having two Warriors in a group will maximize that group's efficiency in a raid setting.

0.6.1 Arms
Improved Heroic Strike represents a 20% increase in Rage efficiency. This stacks with Focused Rage for a 40% increase in Rage efficiency.

Iron Will is additive to the Orc Racial and will allow 40% Stun Resist.

Improved Thunderclap represents a 20% decrease in Attack Speed. This equates to a 20% reduction in normal attack damage, but does not affect special abilities.

Weapon Mastery represents Disarm Immunity against most mobs. It increases your overall chance to resist Disarm by 100%; this is to clarify the talent for some who believe this doubles the base chance.

0.6.2 Fury
Booming Voice does not increase threat values for the affected Shouts.

Cruelty does not represent a 5% increase in overall threat. However, it can net a larger bonus than 5% damage for Warriors who spec into Impale or Flurry.

Dual-Wield Specialization does not increase Shield Slam damage.

Improved Slam is useful for PVP, where a 0.5 second cast is usually enough to hit a mobile target. However, Slam is still on a 1.5 sec Global Cooldown and this talent will have little effect on stationary PVE targets.

Improved Intercept greatly increases the chance that you will wind up somewhere you didn't mean to go.

Improved Berserker Rage instantly creates as much rage as Anger Management over the course of 30 seconds.


0.6.2 Protection
Improved Bloodrage will generate enough rage on pulling to land a Shield Slam immediately.

Tactical Mastery will allow you to Intercept and Pummel when changing stances. Since Intercept stun works on most creatures, this is only effective on interruptible raid mobs.

Anticipation represents a 0.8% increase Block, Dodge, Parry, Chance to be Missed and a 0.8% reduction in Critical Hits. This is a cumulative 4%.

Toughness will allow you to live 10% longer while tanking. Percentage increases in Armor have a curved relation to Damage Reduction; they have a linear relation to life expectancy.

Improved Shield Block allows your Shield Block ability to last through the duration of the cooldown. It also is critical in reducing the number of Crushing Blows while raid tanking.

Defiance is not multiplicative with the normal Defensive Stance threat modifier; it is additive. Defiance and Defensive Stance will produce a 45% increase in threat.

Improved Sunder Armor represents a 20% increase in Rage efficiency. This stacks with Focused Rage for a 40% increase in Rage efficiency.

Shield Mastery increases Shield Block Value, which increases Shield Slam damage.

One-Handed Specialization increases Shield Slam damage by 10%.

Shield Slam can dispel magic shields on some classes. If the shield is dispelled, the Shield Slam deals full damage to the target, as if the shield had been inactive when the player was struck.

Focused Rage has a major impact on most abilities. With Focused Rage and Improved Heroic and Improved Sunder, Revenge will cost 2 Rage, Heroic Strike and Sunder Armor will cost 9 Rage.

Devastate is more threat than Sunder Armor when dealing 201 damage. It is more Rage efficient than Sunder Armor when dealing 274 damage. The innate threat of Devastate does not increase. Devastate is Normalized, meaning it faster weapons are not heavily penalized; however, Daggers provide the poorest performance.

[Ciderhelm]

0.7 Shield Slam -- How it Scales
Shield Slam provides the largest scaling available to the Protection Warrior. It is affected by all increases in damage, including One-Handed Specialization, Enrage, Deathwish, and Impale.

The basic equation is:
(BD * (SBV *1.3)) * 1.1

Where BD is Base Damage and SBV is Shield Block Value.
1.3 Represents Shield Mastery 30% Damage Increase
1.1 Represents One-Handed Specialization 10% Damage Increase


The following represents math to maximize Shield Slam damage to it's potential with talents:

(BD * (SBV * 1.3)) * 1.1 * 1.2 * 1.25 * 2 = Enrage/Deathwish Critical Strike Value
(BD * (SBV *1.3)) * 1.1 * 2.2 = Impale Critical Strike Value
(BD * (SBV *1.3)) * 1.1 * 2 = Normal Critical Strike

1.2 Represents Deathwish 20% Damage Increase
1.25 Represents Enrage 25% Damage Increase
2 Represents Normal Critical Strike Multiplier
2.2 Represents Critical Strike Multiplier modified by Impale

For example, an average Rank 6 Shield Slam will deal 430 Base Damage. Let's assume 750 Shield Block Value. With enrage, this would look something like:
(430 + (750 * 1.3) * 1.1 * 1.2 * 1.25 * 2
(430 + 975) * 1.1 * 1.2 * 1.25 * 2

1405 * 1.1 * 1.2 * 1.25 * 2 = 4636 Shield Slam Crit (Enrage/Deathwish)
1405 * 1.1 * 2.2 = 3400 Shield Slam Crit (Impale)
1405 * 1.1 * 2 = 3091 Normal Shield Slam Crit