Know Your Enemy: Warrior

How to be Good in Arena

In order to be successful in PVP, you must recognize each class's character animations and icons. Be on the lookout for spells relevant to your class and learn how to counter them. This guide is updated for 5.3 Mists of Pandaria.

Know Your Enemy Class Guides
 Death Knight
 Druid
 Hunter for class pvp guide click here.
 Mage
 Monk
 Paladin
 Priest
 Rogue
 Shaman
 Warlock
 Warrior (For class PVP guide, click here.)

Avatar

You transform into a colossus for 24 sec, breaking all roots and snares and increasing your damage dealt by 20%. (3 min cooldown)

Warriors will sometimes spread out their offensive cooldowns if they are CC'ed during their one-shot macro. If that's the case, don't use all defensive abilities at once and counter each offensive cooldown with your own defensive cooldowns.







Recklessness

Grants your special attacks an additional 30% chance to critically hit. Lasts 12 sec. (3 minute cooldown)

This spell is the most feared warrior cooldown and but always be countered with peels and defensive abilities.









Skull Banner

Throw down a war banner at your feet that increases the critical damage of party or raid members within 40 yards of the banner by 20%. Lasts 10 sec. (3 minute cooldown)

This spell will almost always be used in unison with Recklessness. As stated above, this spell must always be countered with your own defensive abilities.








Badge of Victory

Increases Strength by 2880 for 20 sec. (1 Min Cooldown)

This on-use PVP trinket is usually macro'ed to another offensive ability, but the cooldown is shorter and can be used three times before other cooldowns are available.









Die by the Sword

Increases your parry chance by 100% and reduces damage taken by 20% for 8 sec. (2 minute cooldown)

Warriors can use this spell offensively in order to prevent physical peels like disarms and stuns.









Shield Wall

Reduces all damage taken by 40% for 12 sec. (3 minute cooldown)

Warriors are bad kill targets if they are in Defensive Stance (granting 25% damage reduction) and Shield Wall (granting 40% extra.) Disarming a warrior can be game-breaking enough to land a kill since players cannot parry while disarmed and it will prevent Shield Wall and Die By the Sword from being cast.






Spell Reflection & Mass Spell Reflection

Spell Reflection
Raise your shield, reflecting the next spell cast on you. Lasts 5 sec. (20 sec cooldown)

Mass Spell Reflection
Reflects the next spell cast on you and all party and raid members within 20 yards for 5 sec. (1 min cooldown)






Defensive Stance

Decreases damage taken by 25%.

You don't want to be on a warrior if he is on Defensive Stance, unless the warrior is out of position (LOSing his healer). Defensive Stance makes the warrior very hard to kill.









Battle Stance

Generates high rage from normal melee attacks.

Most warrior's will sit in Defensive Stance but occasionally swap to Battle Stance if they are not targeted. A warrior in Battle Stance is an easy kill target and can cause a good swap if you recognize this animation.









Berserker Rage

You become Enraged, generating 10 Rage and increasing physical damage done by 10% for 6 sec. Also removes and grants immunity to Fear, Sap and Incapacitate effects for the duration of Berserker Rage. (30 second cooldown)





Warriors are not immune to your crowd control. Force them to use Berserker Rage early. Wait 6 seconds until it fades, and then cast your CC on them again.

If you are a rogue, Sap him, then 6 seconds after it breaks, you have a 24-second window to land a Gouge that he cannot break.

Disarm


Disarm the enemy's weapons and shield for 8 sec. (1 minute cooldown)







A warriors disarm can be easily dodged or parried, in order to guarantee that it lands the warrior will sometimes charge before disarming since player's cannot dodge or parry while stunned. When going for the kill a paladin can use hand of protection to remove most disarms.

Shockwave

Sends a wave of force in a frontal cone before you, stunning all enemy targets within 10 yards for 4 sec. Causing damage to 3 or more targets lowers the cooldown of the next Shockwave by 20 sec.

Getting caught in a warrior's Shockwave can be devastating for your team if more than one person is caught in it.

For the most part, it is a 40-second cooldown but stunning 3 targets (including pets) will lower the cooldown to 20 seconds.

Second Wind

Whenever you are below 35% health, you regenerate 3% health per second.







If you have wondered why warriors never seem to die, it's because they are passively recuperating health at 35% health. Always try to save at least 1 offensive cooldown to land a kill.

Intimidating Shout

Causes the targeted enemy to cower in fear, and up to 5 additional enemies within 8 yards to flee. Lasts 8 sec.






A warrior's fear is considered a physical ability. Therefore, it cannot be dispelled by conventional means.

Paladins can use Hand of Protection to remove this spell.