In this article, we explain what the best statistics are for Protection Warriors (WoW MoP 5.3), how the class benefits from each of them, and what your reforging strategy should be. We also detail what the various caps are and why they should be attained. The statistics priority is important as it influences reforging strategies as well as itemisation choices (gear, enchants, and gems).

Make sure to check our Gear Optimisation Guide, which serves as a support guide for this article.

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

This guide has been reviewed and approved by Sco, Guild Master of Method and one of the best Protection Warriors in the world. You can watch his stream on Twitch. For frequent updates on his streaming schedule, make sure to check out his Facebook page.

1. Basics↑top

1. Hit Rating (until 7.5%) and Expertise Rating (until 15%);
2. Mastery Rating;
3. Parry Rating and Dodge Rating (there is an important distinction here, see below).

This will provide you with a steady flow of rage, allowing for more precise use of active mitigation, and an overall smoother damage intake.

These statistics have been obtained by combining common sense, in-game testing, and simulations using Simulation Craft.

If you are unsure what the optimal reforging strategy is for the above priority, you can Ask Mr. Robot for a personalised optimisation of your character's gear, by filling the form below.

2. Getting a Better Understanding↑top

Hit Rating and Expertise Rating, until their caps of 7.5% and 15% respectively, will provide you with the best increase in survivability and threat output. Reaching these caps ensures that all of your Shield Slams will land. In addition to the massive damage that Shield Slam does, it also provides you with rage, which is crucial in using your active mitigation abilities often.

Mastery Rating is an important statistic for a Protection Warrior. You will want to get as much of it as possible, on all of your pieces of gear. Through Mastery: Critical Block, It provides you with increased chance to block and increased chance to critically block.

Parry Rating and Dodge Rating give you avoidance. However, your chance to parry will be about two times higher than your chance to dodge because Strength also increases your chance to parry. Dodge and Parry have different diminishing returns curves to compensate for this (something that was not the case in Cataclysm). To make the most efficient use of your Dodge and Parry ratings, it is best to have equal amounts of rating, which will roughly balance the diminishing returns. However, this is only relevant if you are following an avoidance gearing strategy; if you are focusing on Mastery, it is not worth worrying about the balance between your Dodge and Parry ratings.

Most encounters have abilities that cannot be mitigated or avoided. Also, you need to have a decent amount of health, in order to give yourself the chance to be healed before a subsequent attack kills you. In addition to this minimum amount of Stamina, we feel that Stamina remains quite valuable for Protection Warriors. In addition to the amount of Stamina found innately on your gear, we advise you to obtain some additional Stamina, particularly through gemming.

2.1. What About Avoidance?

We do not advise prioritising avoidance statistics over Hit and Expertise caps, or even above Mastery. The reason for this is that, simply put, gearing for avoidance will get you killed a lot more often than gearing for Hit/Expertise and Mastery will. Avoidance is risky because you are never guaranteed to actually avoid an attack or a string of attacks, and if you fail to avoid certain attacks, the burst damage may be too high for you and your healers to adequately handle.

You will see claims that avoidance will reduce more damage than Mastery over the course a fight, and while this may be true, the overall damage reduction is irrelevant. What is relevant is when the damage reduction occurs, and with avoidance, you have no control over this matter.

For these reasons, we advise gearing for Hit and Expertise, followed by Mastery, and not for avoidance.

2.2. Hit Cap

At level 90, most races require 2,550 Hit Rating to reach the melee hit cap. Draenei, thanks to Heroic Presence, only need 2,210 Hit Rating.

2.3. Expertise Cap

At level 90, most races require 5,100 Expertise Rating to reach the expertise cap. Some races, in some cases, only need 4,760 Expertise Rating, thanks to passive racial skills:

• Dwarves when using a Mace ( Mace Specialization);
• Gnomes when using a Sword ( Shortblade Specialization);
• Humans when using a Mace/Sword ( Mace Specialization and Sword Specialization);
• Orcs when using an Axe ( Axe Specialization).

3. Changelog↑top

• 20 May 2013: Patch 5.3 update: nothing to change.
• 25 Apr. 2013: Expanded the Hit/Expertise paragraph to explain how they benefit your survivability. Also added a section explaining why we do not advise gearing for avoidance.
• 24 Apr. 2013: Removed the avoidance-heavy statistic priority, and placed capping Hit and Expertise in its rightful place.