Cataclysm Classic Arms Warrior Talent Builds

Arms Warrior has a fairly restrictive build with only a few talent points that can be placed depending on your preference. Below you'll find our recommended talent build for all PvE content as a Arms Warrior.

You have a couple of choices you are able to make with some of your talents. The 1 point in Throwdown can be placed into either Blitz for 5 more Rage when you use Charge, or Drums of War to reduce the cost of Pummel.

You also have the option of removing 2 points from Incite and putting them into Blood and Thunder, allowing you to spread your Rend to all nearby targets with Thunder Clap. This is great for AoEing, especially on trash, but is worse DPS on single target enemies such as bosses in particular.

In this section we will go over some of the key talents you will use when you are playing an Arms Warrior. Be sure to understand your most important talents as they are vital to play the build to its fullest strength.

• Taste for Blood — This is the main talent for a Arms Warrior, allowing you to use Overpower every 6 seconds regardless if the target dodged your attack or not. This is the key talent for the spec, so be sure to keep Rend applied to a enemy at all times when you are in combat.

• Sweeping Strikes — Duplicates all damage you deal to a second nearby enemy for 10 seconds. With Glyph of Sweeping Strikes, Sweeping Strikes will cost 0 Rage. Use this whenever you are hitting more than 1 enemy.

• Deadly Calm — Removes the Rage cost from all abilities for 10 seconds. Stack whis with all of your other cooldowns, ideally together with Recklessness. Can not be used at the same time as Inner Rage.

• Blood Frenzy — Your bleeds cause targets to take 4% Physical damage, and 30% bleed damage. Great personal and raid damage boost.

• Improved Slam — Reduces the cast time of Slam from 1.5 seconds down to 0.5 seconds. This allows you to use Slam as a filler spell in your rotation.

• Juggernaut — Allows you to Charge in combat, reduces its cooldown by 2 seconds, and allows you to use it in any stance. In addition, after using Charge, your next Mortal Strike will have 25% increased crit chance.

• Lambs to the Slaughter — Causes your Mortal Strike to refresh your Rend on the target, meaning you only need to cast Rend once at the start of the fight. Also gives you a stacking buff, Slaughter, stacking up to 3 times.

• Sudden Death — Gives your melee hits a 6% chance to reset the cooldown of Colossus Smash. This gives your rotation some randomness as you will want to use Colossus Smash almost always when it is off cooldown. Also prevents you from dropping below 10 Rage when using Execute, allowing you to use Execute every global when your target is below 20% health.

• Bladestorm — The powerful talent point at the bottom of the Arms tree; this is a great cooldown for AoEing, absolutely melting all nearby enemies.

• Battle Trance — Gives your Mortal Strike a 15% chance to make your next ability that costs Rage to instead be free. You will want to ideally use these procs on Heroic Strike for the highest DPS possible.

Prime glyphs are new to Cataclysm, giving you a third "row" of glyphs you can use on your character. You don't really have many options when it comes to prime glyphs as there are very limited options, usually only 3 avaiable for each specialization.

• Glyph of Mortal Strike — Mortal Strike is your main ability, making this a mandatory glyph.
• Glyph of Overpower — Overpower is one of your main abilities, making this a mandatory glyph.
• Glyph of Slam — Slam is one of your main abilities, making this a mandatory glyph.

Major glyphs usually offer utility over damage increases compared to prime glyphs. Here you have a few options depending on whether you are in an AoE or single target situation.

• Glyph of Sweeping Strikes — Removes the Rage cost of Sweeping Strikes, allowing you to AoE more easily on bosses with multiple targets or trash.
• Glyph of Cleaving — Makes Cleave hit 3 targets; use this for trash and bosses with multiple targets.
• Glyph of Colossus Smash — Causes Colossus Smash to apply a stack of Sunder Armor. If you are not responsible for keeping up the armor reduce debuff, this glyph should be replaced.
• Glyph of Heroic Throw — Applies a stack of Sunder Armor to the target. This is great on the pull and if the target is out of range if you are responsible for keeping up Sunder Armor.
• Glyph of Thunder Clap — Increase the radius of Thunder Clap by 2 yards. Great for AoEing trash.

Minor glyphs typically provide very minor benefits. Your choices will vary depending on what buffs and debuffs you are responsible for keeping up. In 10-man raids for example, you will likely need to use either Glyph of Battle or Glyph of Command with Glyph of Furious Sundering and Glyph of Berserker Rage.

• Glyph of Berserker Rage — Makes Berserker Rage generate 5 Rage when used. Useful during downtime or trash.
• Glyph of Command — Use this if you are responsible for upkeeping Commanding Shout.
• Glyph of Battle — Use this if you are responsible for upkeeping Battle Shout.
• Glyph of Furious Sundering — Use this if you are responsible for upkeeping Sunder Armor.