Protection Warrior Tank Gear and Best in Slot — The War Within (11.0.5)

The best gear you can find will come from the Weekly Mythic+ chest, now known as the Great Vault, and from Mythic Raiding. In addition to these, you can also place crafting orders once you have the necessary pieces.

While a definitive BiS list is hard to create, there are cases where specific gear can be best in slot. For example, some trinkets have extremely powerful special effects, and you will want to seek them out regardless of the item level. Sometimes, some rings have special effects that outweigh item level increases or the benefit of specific secondary stats.

As a general rule of thumb, any increase in item level is an upgrade. For Protection Warriors, the value of all the secondary stats is close enough together that you should only look at what secondary stats a piece has if you are comparing across the same item level. Not only that, but Stamina and Strength increases are significant as well.

All in all, if you come across gear that is an item-level upgrade (or has a socket and your current piece does not), equip it. If two pieces of equipment are the same item level, equip the best piece according to the stat priority. Finally, be aware of gear where the item level does not matter as much, which is the case for specific trinkets, rings, and gear with special effects, etc.

Simulation tools are used to simulate which piece of gear would provide the most damage output. While this might seem irrelevant as a tank, it is the opposite. A good tank will be tanky while contributing to the best of their abilities to the group's overall damage output.

Simulations as a tank should be mainly used to figure out which piece of gear of similar item level you should equip. Always follow the item level rule of higher item level = better first when choosing gear.

3.

BiS Gear for Protection Warrior

Overall BiS List Mythic+ Gear BiS List Raid Gear BiS List

4.

Overall BiS List for Protection Warrior

This list contains the Best in Slot Gear for Season 1 of The War Within. BiS lists are created in a vacuum, so for the best result, always sim yourself.

Slot	Item	Source/Note
Helm	Warsculptor's Barbute (639)	Silken Court in Nerub-ar Palace
Neck	Sureki Zealot's Insignia (639)	Sikran in Nerub-ar Palace
Shoulder	Vile Butcher's Pauldrons (639)	Surgeon Stitchflesh, in The Necrotic Wake
Cloak	Wings of Shattered Sorrow (639)	Rasha'nan in Nerub-ar Palace
Chest	Warsculptor's Furred Plastron (639)	Broodtwister Ovi'nax/Matrix Catalyst/Great Vault
Bracers	Everforged Vambraces (636)	Crafted — Blacksmithing
Gloves	Warsculptor's Crushers (639)	Nexus Princess Ky'veza in Nerub-ar Palace
Belt	Everforged Greatbelt (636)	Crafted — Blacksmithing
Legs	Warsculptor's Cuisses (639)	Nexus Princess Ky'veza/Matrix Catalyst/Great Vault
Boots	Warsculptor's Carved Boots (639)	The Bloodbound Horror in Nerub-ar Palace
Ring #1	Band of the Ancient Dredger (639)	Speaker Shadowcrown in The Dawnbreaker
Ring #2	Seal of the Poisoned Pact (639)	Queen Ansurek in Nerub-ar Palace
Trinket #1	Ara-Kara Sacbrood (639)	Ara-Kara, City of Echoes (626), or Great Vault
Trinket #2	Mad Queen's Mandate (639)	Queen Ansurek in Nerub-ar Palace
Weapon	Duelist's Dancing Steel (639)	Sikran in Nerub-ar Palace
Shield	Crest of the Caustic Despot (639)	Queen Ansurek in Nerub-ar Palace

4.

Mythic+ BiS List for Protection Warrior

The below list consists of gear, which is only found in Mythic+ dungeons. This does not mean that these items are the best for Mythic+, but that they just drop from dungeons instead of anywhere else. BiS lists are created in a vacuum, so for the best result, always sim yourself.

Slot	Item	Source/Note
Helm	Warsculptor's Barbute (639)	Any helmet,Matrix Catalyst/Great Vault
Neck	'Emergency Stop' Keychain (639)	E.D.N.A in The Stonevault
Shoulder	Warsculptor's Horned Spaulders (639)	Any shoulders,Matrix Catalyst/Great Vault
Cloak	Anvilhide Cape (639)	Master Machinists in The Stonevault
Chest	Warsculptor's Furred Plastron (639)	Any chest,Matrix Catalyst/Great Vault
Bracers	Vociferous Subjugator's Bracers (639)	Orator Krix'vizk in City of Threads
Gloves	Machinist's Searing Handguards (639)	Master Machinists in The Stonevault
Belt	Girdle of Somber Ploys (639)	Speaker Shadowcrown in The Dawnbreaker
Legs	Warsculptor's Cuisses (639)	Any legs, Matrix Catalyst/Great Vault
Boots	Ichor-Stained Sollerets (639)	The Coaglamation in City of Threads
Ring #1	Devout Zealot's Ring (639)	Speaker Shadowcrown in The Dawnbreaker
Ring #2	Band of the Ancient Dredger (639)	Hadal Darkfathom in Siege of Boralus
Trinket #1	Ara-Kara Sacbrood (639)	Avanoxx in Ara-Kara, City of Echoes
Trinket #2	Mark of Khardros (639)	Erudax in Grim Batol
Weapon	Shipwrecker's Bludgeon (639)	Rasha'nan in The Dawnbreaker
Shield	Acidslough Bulwark (639)	Tred'ova in Mists of Tirna Scithe

4.

Raid BiS List for Protection Warrior

The below list consists of gear that is only found in the Nerub-ar Palace Raid. This does not mean that these items are the best for Raiding, but that they just drop from there instead of anywhere else. BiS lists are created in a vacuum, so for the best result, always sim yourself.

Slot	Item	Source/Note
Helm	Warsculptor's Barbute (639)	Silken Court in Nerub-ar Palace
Neck	Sureki Zealot's Insignia (639)	Sikran in Nerub-ar Palace
Shoulder	Warsculptor's Horned Spaulders (639)	Rasha'nan in Nerub-ar Palace
Cloak	Wings of Shattered Sorrow (639)	Rasha'nan in Nerub-ar Palace
Chest	Warsculptor's Furred Plastron (639)	Broodtwister Ovi'nax in Nerub-ar Palace
Bracers	Ravaged Lamplighter's Manacles (639)	Rasha'nan in Nerub-ar Palace
Gloves	Warsculptor's Crushers (639)	Nexus Princess Ky'veza in Nerub-ar Palace
Belt	Nether Bounty's Greatbelt (639)	Nexus Princess Ky'veza in Nerub-ar Palace
Legs	Warsculptor's Cuisses (639)	Nexus Princess Ky'veza in Nerub-ar Palace
Boots	Boots of the Black Bulwark (639)	The Bloodbound Horror in Nerub-ar Palace
Ring #1	Key to the Unseeming (639)	The Bloodbound Horror in Nerub-ar Palace
Ring #2	Seal of the Poisoned Pact (639)	Queen Ansurek in Nerub-ar Palace
Trinket #1	Mad Queen's Mandate (639)	Queen Ansurek in Nerub-ar Palace
Trinket #2	Skyterror's Corrosive Organ (639)	Rasha'nan in Nerub-ar Palace
Trinket #2 — Defensive option	Swarmlord's Authority (639)	Silken Court in Nerub-ar Palace
Weapon	Duelist's Dancing Steel (639)	Sikran in Nerub-ar Palace
Shield	Crest of the Caustic Despot (639)	Queen Ansurek in Nerub-ar Palace

4.

Other noteworthy Gear for Protection Warriors

In the following sections, you can find some additional noteworthy gear.

To better understand the secondary stat prioritization for gear, look at the guide below, where each of the stats is broken down into bite-sized pieces.

Protection Warrior Stat Priority

Trinkets Shields Weapons

5.

Trinkets for Protection Warriors

Trinkets are some of the more unique items in the game due to their various effects. They can either help bolster your defenses or assist in dishing out even more damage. Regardless of which you will choose, below you can find a list of other noteworthy trinkets for us.

Item	Source	Note
Ara-Kara Sacbrood	Avanoxx, in Ara-Kara, City of Echoes	While it has no main stat by default, it does provide us with a lot of Haste instead. In addition, the effect it has will grant you the missing main stat with an additional damage part attached to it. One of the best trinkets we can get.
Mad Queen's Mandate	Queen Ansurek in Nerub-ar Palace	This trinket deals a lot of damage, and has the potential to deal even more if the cooldown can be reduced to one minute constantly.
Ovi'nax's Mercurial Egg	Broodtwister Ovi'nax, in Nerub-ar Palace	Grants you either stacking Strength when standing still or your highest secondary stat while moving. The on-use can be really good if used properly to incubate your stats for 20 seconds.
Oppressive Orator's Larynx	Orator Krix'vizk, in City of Threads	The trinket itself has no secondary or main stat on it. The on-use effect is decent, and the passive effect that it can provide you with a stacking buff that increases your strength is just icing on the cake. The buff procs fairly often, so you can assume high up-time on it.
Spare Meat Hook	Surgeon Stitchflesh, in The Necrotic Wake	Has main stat and a solid on-use. Just be aware that the on-use effect moves you, so be careful of being pulled into frontals with it.
Skarmorak Shard	Skarmorak in The Stonevault	A good trinket which boosts our Mastery by a lot. This in turn provides us more Critical Block chance and increased Attack power.
Mark of Khardros	Erudax, the Duke of Below in Grim Batol	A solid on-use trinket, similar to Skarmorak Shard
Skyterror's Corrosive Organ	Rasha'nan, in Nerub-ar Palace	A solid main-stat trinket which also provides a fairly powerful effect with its on-use.
Sikran's Endless Arsenal	Sikran, in Nerub-ar Palace	Rotates between 3 different on-use effects. Each of them has 2 bonuses, but it boils down to dealing damage and getting a bonus of Parry, movement speed or extra damage to absorb shields.
Quickwick Candlestick	Bountiful Delves, Tier 8 for higher itemlevel	Main stat trinket with a solid on-use Haste bonus.
Swarmlord's Authority	Silken Court, in Nerub-ar Palace	Provides us with Haste and a decent passive defensive benefit. It also has an active part, which puts the absorb shield into overdrive for a short duration.
Silken Chain Weaver	Delves	This is a great defensive choice in AoE situations, like Mythic+. While the absorb is not fantastic, the Attack Speed slow it provides makes it a great defensive trinket.
Refracting Aggression Module	E.D.N.A, in The Stonevault	Provides you with an absorb shield when you use Taunt. Being tied to our taunt ability is not ideal, but if you need an extra defensive trinket to survive, then this will do.

5.

Shields for Protection Warriors

A good shield is the most important piece of gear. Shield upgrades provide a much larger defensive boost than upgrades to other slots.

You can acquire high item-level shields from dungeons, raids, and the Great Vault weekly chest. The following shields are available from current dungeons and raids.

Item	Source
Crest of the Caustic Despot	Queen Ansurek in Nerub-ar Palace
Husk of Swallowing Darkness	Ulgrax the Devourer in Nerub-ar Palace
Acidslough Bulwark	Tred'ova, in Mists of Tirna Scithe
Encrusted Canopic Lid	Surgeon Stitchflesh, in The Necrotic Wake
Old-Blood Hielaman	The Coaglamation, in City of Threads
Sanctified Priory Wall	Captain Dailcry, in Priory of the Sacred Flame
Galebreaker Bulwark	Stormguard Gorren, in The Rookery
Earthen Nullification Aegis	E.D.N.A, in The Stonevault

Use the highest item level shield you can, regardless of its secondary stats.

5.

Weapons for Protection Warriors

Just as shields are important, so are weapons. They increase our damage output, allowing us to provide more to the group's performance. Below, you can find a solid selection of weapons.

Item	Source
Duelist's Dancing Steel	Sikran in Nerub-ar Palace
Ansurek's Final Judgment	Queen Ansurek in Nerub-ar Palace
Engorged Worm Smasher	Blightbone, in The Necrotic Wake
Saber of Dread Pirate Lockwood	Dread Captain Lockwood, in Siege of Boralus
Mace of Transformed Bone	Erudax, the Duke of Below, in Grim Batol
Rail Rider's Bisector	Ol'Waxbeard, in Darkflame Cleft
Shipwrecker's Bludgeon	Rasha'nan, in The Dawnbreaker
Profit Divider	Goldie Baronbottom, in Cinderbrew Meadery
Behemoth Kneebender	Voidstone Monstrosity, in The Rookery
Cutting-Edge Sermon	Void Speaker Eirich, in The Stonevault

As with shields, use the highest item level weapon you have, regardless of the secondary stats.

Embellishments are various additional effects on craftable items. These can be either baseline effects on certain items like Shield of the Hearth or other effects that can be added by optional reagents when crafting an item.

While there are multiple embellishment options, you can have only two active at any time. For Protection Warriors, we recommend the following:

• 2x Dawnthread Lining / Duskthread Lining — they provide either Critical Strike or Versatility as long as you are above the health threshold. They lose to Elemental Focusing Lens in pure single-target scenarios but make up for it as soon as a second target is introduced. Only equip them if you can keep yourself above the health threshold regularly. Which of them to pick depends on your current stats; we advise you to sim yourself.

If you are unsure if you can keep yourself above the health threshold for Dawnthread Lining / Duskthread Lining, or would like a more forgiving embellishment, then you can always add the Elemental Focusing Lens, as shown below:

• 2x Elemental Focusing Lens — provides a passive damage source that procs off just using your abilities. It also contributes to more single-target damage than Dawnthread Lining, but falls behind as soon as an additional target is involved.

The Mythic Raids and the Great Vault generally drop higher item-level pieces, once fully upgraded, compared to crafted ones. As such, we suggest crafting your embellishments on the lower-stat budget pieces, as shown below.

• Everforged Greatbelt
• Everforged Vambraces
• Consecrated Cloak
• Everforged Sabatons

Tier Sets are pieces of gear which are uniquely class-themed with its own two- and four-piece bonuses for every specialization. For Protection Warrior, these set bonuses are:

• Warrior Protection Season 1 2pc — When Shield Slam is reset through Strategist, you gain a buff, increasing the damage of Shield Slam by 5%, and reducing damage taken by 3% for 6 seconds.
  • Considering how often Strategist resets Shield Slam, You can expect fairly high uptime for both of these bonuses. Neither of them are significant, but they still provide a tiny bit of extra damage and defensiveness on a 70%+ up-time. A totally passive bonus that is kept up by focusing on the highest priority rotational ability, Shield Slam.
• Warrior Protection Season 1 4pc — Shield Slam critical strikes increase the damage dealt by Thunder Clap and Revenge by 10%.
  • The up-time of this is heavily reliant on your Critical Strike stat. Luckily, Critical Strike is a solid second stat option to stack for Protection Warriors, after Haste. As it was with the 2 piece, you do not need to actively pay attention to this damage increase. Playing the rotation properly, you will be pressing Thunder Clap or Revenge after most Shield Slam casts, taking benefit from the increased damage.

It is a totally passive tier set, which just works off of our core rotational abilities. The 2pc can be expected to have 80%+ up-time, but the 4pc will be significantly lower until we get to higher crit values. Even if these seem to be bland, passive bonuses, they are still valuable to get.

To upgrade your gear, you will use Crests, like WoWGildedHarbingerCrest, obtainable from various forms of content in the game. They can be used to upgrade gear depending on which track they drop in.

For more information on the Gear Upgrades system, check out our dedicated page for it below.

Below you can find a list of rough priority on which items to upgrade first. For the best upgrade option for your character, be sure to sim yourself.

• Weapon / Shield
• Chest / Legs / Shoulders / Helm
• Trinkets
• Feet / Hands / Waist / Wrist
• Back / Neck / Rings

The cost to upgrade scales differs per slot but now also increases quickly as item levels go up.

Whenever you get a new piece of gear, enchant it if possible. The best enchants for us can be found on the page linked below.