By Rugabasan

What are Warriors:
Warriors are the hardcore melee class in WoW. They can train in every weapon of the game (except for wands for obvious reasons), have the ability to use Plate armor giving them the highest Armor levels possible in the game, and can also do some serious damage.

Generally Warriors are known for their tanking abilities. With the ability to use Plate and using a shield their Armor rating is uncompared! Currently with my warrior I recieve a 50% damage reduction from enemies at my same level while using a shield without potions or the addition or Paladins Aura of Defense (I havne't seen yet but I'd assume it would be somewhere between 55-60% reduction with AoD on). Along with the armor, warriors have 3 unique stances. Battle stance (a balanced stance), Defensive stance (focused on taking damage and keeping an enemy's attack focused on him/her), and Berserker Stance (for getting high critical hit rates but increasing damage taken). Defensive Stance gives and addition 10% damage reduction (but decreases damage delt by 10%). It also increases the amount of threat generated by attacks making it easier to keep an enemy focused on him instead of the Priest wearing cloth armor healing him!

The 3 Stances:
Battle Stance: Used primarily for soloing. Doesn't give bonuses or reductions to Attack damage or Armor. This stances abilities are focused towards getting to the enemy and killing him but still being able to take on more than one enemy at a time if need be. This stance is good with either 1hand/Shield comboe, 2handed Weapon, or Dual Wielding.

Defensive Stance: Used for instances in groups/raids. The defensive stance is made for the warrior to be able to get aggro and hold it so the other classes can kill it without worring about taking damage themselves. It decreases damage taken by 10% and also decreases damage given by 10% (meaning you take less damage but you don't hit as hard). This stance is best used with a shield since most of its abilities are focused around its use.

Berserk Stance: Used in groups if you are not acting as main tank (more later). While in this stance you get a 3% increase to your critical hit rate (so if it was at 10% originally it would be at 13%) however it also increases the damage taken by 10%. This stance is focused on dishing out the damage fast. It has some of the more unique abilites such as pummel which allows you to interrupt a Magic user that casting a spell and prevents them from using a spell from that school of magic for 6 seconds without the use of a shield(This can also be done with the Shield Bash ability but it requires the use of a shield and can't be used in Berserker Stance but can be used in both of the other 2 stances). Best used with a 2handed weapon or Dual wielding.

Talent Trees:
Please note I don't have experience in all the talent trees and this includues information gained from asking other warriors, namely Galine.

Arms Tree: This talent tree if focused around the use of 2 handed weapons with heavy damage. The Deep Wounds ability activates whenever you score a critical hit and makes the enemy bleed your average Attack Damage over 15 secs. which benefits most from 2handed weapons. It also includes Two Handed Specialization which will increase the damage done by up to 5% with 2handed weapons. If you want to follow this path I would highly advice the use of either a Polearm or a 2handed Axe. Both have a Specialization talent which increase the critical hit rate by up to 5% while using the weapon. I would also highly reccomend putting 5 points in the Fury Tree on the Cruelty ability which increases your critical hit rate by 5% for all weapons.

Fury Tree: This talent tree if focused on Dual Wielding, gaining Rage quickly, and using abilities almost constantly. I'm don't have the experience but from what I can tell this would be a very good PvP build. Most of the abilities focus on improving certain abilities namely your Battle Shout and Demoralizing shout abilities which can each gain a 10% increase in effectivness and increase in range and they especially focus on gaining extra Rage points so you can use abilities more often. The biggest benefit comes from the Dual Wield Specialization which can increase the damage delt by your off-hand weapon by 50% meaning it would only take a 75% damage reduction instead of the standard 50%. The weapons you use are up to your discreation, however I would advice not using daggers and sticking with either swords, axes, or maces.

Protection Tree: This is the tree to take if you plan on running lots of instances and raids. It increases your armor(increase by up to 10%) and defense skill(increase by up to 10), increases your block rate and focuses around you sticking with a shield and holding aggro. An espcially helpfull ability is the one (can't remember name...) that increases the amount of threat you generate while in Defensive stance making it easier for you to hold aggro and keep it away from those silly mages that think they're invincible. Weapons to use: definitly a shield (you'll be caring one around from now on unless you want to gimp your warrior) and your main hand weapon is up to your discretion (but please, be serious, not a dagger!)

How to play a warrior:
While soloing or with just another person how you play is interelly up to you and what talent tree you've decided to go down. So I'm going to focuse on instances groups/raids.

The main purpose of a warrior is to tank. They are supposed to get the aggro of an enemy and keep it while the other classes beat on it while it beats on you. With the highest armor and the highest health warriors can take the beating that no other class can (especially with a good priest). While in an instance and you are main tank you should NEVER 1) leave defensive stance and 2) take of your shield. If you do either you are likely to loose aggro and the mob will attack the squishy mage behind you and/or you will die very quickly and then he'll attack that squishy or priest behind you. A warriors best aggro holding abilities (minus Mocking Blow) are in your defensive stance. When you get the aggro of a mob use your abilities to keep it their namely Herioc Strike and Sunder Armor which create high threat and will keep the mob focused on you. If for some reason you loose the aggro of a mob use your Taunt ability which will instantly get it back on you, put a rend on it and hit it with a few Sunder Armors to keep it on you. 1 thing a warrior should avoid is trying to pull mobs. Never body pull a mob in an instance, you'll more than likely bring a few other with you that you don't need causing your group to wipe. If a hunter is avaible have him/her pull (just without aimed shot), otherwise use your ranged weapon to pull (i.e. guns, bows, thrown weapons). Also be sure to use your Battle Shout and Demoralizing shout. As long as your group focuses on 1 mob if their are multiple a Demoralizing shout will keep most of the aggro on you. When 1 tries to break of use Taunt and hit him with a Herioc Strike or Sunder armor then focus back on the one your group is attacking. It can get pretty hectic but focus on keep the mobs on you and not so much killing the mobs, thats what the rest of the party is for, you're thier to take damage and love it.

Remember all of that was for if you are in an instance group/raid and attacking main or secondary tank. If you are not in that situation, go wild!

Hope this helps all you potential Warriors out there! Just remember to have fun!