An Arms Warrior leveling build is absolutely the best leveling build for Cataclysm due to the mass draw abilities, crowd control, rage efficiency, and self-healing ability. However, there is a right way to do Arms and there is a wrong way. If you don’t specify the specs, glyph, or equipment correctly, you can easily add days to your leveling time. Read on to find out how and why to level up as an Arms Warrior.
Why choose an Arms Warrior leveling build?
Arms is a high DPS, self-healing, and massive burning powerhouse. With talents like Blitz and abilities like Sweeping Strikes and later, Bladestorm, Arms Warrior can tear through small groups with ease and large groups with proper management. If you’re wondering why you shouldn’t take Fury, there are a couple of reasons. First, Fury operates outside of Dual Wield. He has a much higher chance of missing his target, which can drastically hinder his DPS. Also, Dual Wield means that he must constantly maintain and upgrade two weapons instead of one. This can be costly both in time, if you’re buffing dungeons, or DPS if one of your weapons is lagging, and you just can’t find that upgrade. And don’t even think about buying one from the Auction House. It’s a waste of gold. These two concepts alone are enough to make Arms outperform Fury.
Glyphs for a weapon warrior leveling build
The glyphs make as much difference as the talent points for your Arms Warrior. Choosing the right ones can make all the difference to hours or even days off your game time. The main glyphs you want to use are Mortal Strike, Overpower, and Bladestorm. These are the bread and butter of their rotations. The increased damage and decreased cooldown make them an excellent buff for your leveling build. Primary glyphs include Victory Rush, Sweeping Strikes, and Rapid Charge. The former provides excellent survivability, while the others provide a huge buff to two of your main cooldown abilities. Minor glyphs include Enduring Victory, Demoralizing Cry, and Battle. The first two add some survivability, while the last one is a nice utility glyph. Refreshing buffs suck, and you don’t have to worry as much about them dropping while in combat.
Preparing for an Arms Warrior leveling build
As a warrior, you are extremely dependent on equipment. You take a lot of hits, so Plate Armor is a must. Also, the damage you deal is directly related to the weapon you use. You want a slow two-handed weapon with high level damage. Don’t worry so much about DPS. That comes from your skills, not the speed of your weapon. Once you’ve found a good weapon, you’ll want to start building up Strength and Stamina. Strength increases the damage you deal, while Stamina keeps you alive. When it comes to secondary stats, Critical Strike is your friend. Crit is the base of several Arms skills that will increase your damage by several levels. Hit is fine, but I wouldn’t worry about stacking it too high. You only miss 1 out of 20 strikes. Worry about limiting it at the end of the game. Agility also grants a decent crit. At lower levels, before you start seeing a lot of crits on your team, this will be very helpful.
