Arms Warrior leveling build (level 40)
“Mortal Strike grinder” — Leveling and solo play.
A slow two-handed Arms leveling Warrior built around Mortal Strike, Sweeping Strikes, axe crits, and enough stamina/armor to chain-pull safely.
Solid. A few specific changes below would lift it further.
Talents
31 Arms / 0 Fury / 0 Protection · 31 points at level 40
Arms · 31
Deflection2/5
Improved Rend3/3
Improved Charge2/2
Tactical Mastery5/5
Improved Overpower2/2
Anger Management1/1
Deep Wounds3/3
Two-Handed Weapon Specialization5/5
Impale2/2
Axe Specialization4/5
Sweeping Strikes1/1
Mortal Strike1/1
Fury · 0
No points.
Protection · 0
No points.
Gear
| Slot | Item | Stats | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head | 213 armor · +8 Stamina · +13 Strength · +1% Critical strike chance | Scarlet Monastery: Armory · Herod | |
| Neck | +11 Agility · +7 Stamina | PvP · Scout's | |
| Shoulders | 95 armor · +5 Strength · +15 Stamina · +6 Agility | Razorfen Downs · Glutton | |
| Back | 32 armor · +6 Intellect · +6 Stamina · +6 Spirit · +6 Strength · +6 Agility | PvP · Rank 9 | |
| Chest | 373 armor · +15 Stamina · +10 Strength · +8 Agility | Razorfen Downs · Tuten'kash | |
| Wrists | 229 armor · +14 Strength · +6 Agility · +8 Stamina | — | |
| Hands | 300 armor · +10 Strength · +10 Agility · +10 Stamina | — | |
| Waist | 149 armor · +6 Stamina · +1% Critical strike chance · +8 Attack Power | PvP · Arathi Basin | |
| Legs | 233 armor · +20 Strength · +10 Stamina | Scarlet Monastery: Armory · Herod · Chain of the Scarlet Crusade | |
| Feet | 289 armor · +8 Strength · +8 Stamina · +8 Agility | PvP · Arathi Basin | |
| Ring 1 | +8 Strength · +8 Agility · +5 Stamina | PvP · Legionnaire's | |
| Ring 2 | +7 Stamina · +5 Spirit · +20 Attack Power | — | |
| Trinket 1 | +7 Stamina · +6 Health per 5 sec | — | |
| Trinket 2 | PvP · Arathi Basin | ||
| Main Hand | 105–159 · 3.4s · 38.9 dps · +20 Strength · +10 Stamina | — | |
| Ranged / Relic | 41–77 · 2.7s · 21.9 dps · +6 Strength · +3 Agility | Uldaman · Trash |
- Chain of the Scarlet Crusade (1/6)
Rotation
- 1
Battle Shoutbuff not active on you - 2
Chargeopener only - 3
Victory Rushyou are low on health - 4
Executetarget below 20% health - 5
Overpowerwhen ready - 6
Sweeping Strikes3+ enemies - 7
Mortal Strikewhen ready - 8
Whirlwindresource pooled (high rage/energy/mana) - 9
Renddebuff missing on target - 10
Cleave3+ enemies - 11
Heroic Strikeresource pooled (high rage/energy/mana) - 12
Intimidating Shoutyou are low on health
Read top to bottom: use the first ability that is ready and whose condition holds.
Why it works
This is a classic level-40 Arms grinder: 31 points reach Mortal Strike, with Sweeping Strikes for multi-mob pulls, Two-Handed Weapon Specialization for always-on damage, Impale/Deep Wounds/Improved Overpower to make crits matter, and Tactical Mastery + Anger Management so stance swaps for Overpower, Whirlwind, or utility do not waste your rage. Four points in Axe Specialization match Bonebiter, giving extra crit while using a slow, hard-hitting 3.4 speed weapon with +20 Strength and +10 Stamina.
The gear leans toward solo efficiency rather than glass-cannon damage. Raging Berserker's Helm, Defiler's Chain Girdle, and the PvP/crit pieces push crit for Deep Wounds and burst. Carapace of Tuten'kash, Berserker Bracers, Plated Fist of Hakoo, Scarlet Leggings, and Defiler's Plate Greaves keep strong Strength/Stamina while preserving armor. The greaves' run speed is especially valuable while leveling. Rune of Duty gives passive stamina and health regeneration, while Defiler's Talisman is an emergency physical absorb for bad pulls.
Keep Battle Shout up, Charge to start, and spend rage first on Mortal Strike. Use Execute to finish, Overpower whenever it lights up, and Whirlwind only when rage is comfortable. Against several mobs, pop Sweeping Strikes then use cleave-style attacks. Use Rend only when the target will live long enough, and save Intimidating Shout for low-health emergencies or overpulls.
More Warrior builds
- Raid DPS · 60Level 60 Fury Warrior raid DPS buildTwo-Handed Fury
- PvP · 19Level 19 Arms Warrior twink buildSmite Hammer twink
- PvP · 29Level 29 Arms Warrior twink buildCorpsemaker Flag Bully
- PvP · 39Level 39 Arms Warrior twink buildBonebiter Rootburst
- PvP · 49Level 49 Arms Warrior twink buildMortal Polearm twink
- PvP · 60Level 60 Arms Warrior PvP buildMenethil Mace PvP
- Tank · 60Level 60 Protection Warrior tank buildDeep Prot Bulwark
Generated by the optimizer from Classic Era client build 1.15.9.69722 and checked against the builder's rules (row gates, prerequisites, what the class can wear). The rating above is recomputed from today's data. Race not set — pick yours in the builder for racial bonuses.