Leveling a Warrior Tank

[brindar]

I would like to play a warrior tank, leveling through questing and doing dungeons. By reading the forums I have gathered that it is not viable to level as protection and I should instead go for 2H fury spec.

I did not succeed in searching for the build, so could some kind spirit tell me, what kind of a build would be suitable for leveling and doing dungeons as a tank? If there are other tank leveling tips you have, I'd be grateful for them.

Are mining/blacksmithing the suggested professions?

[DanielGames]

For the majority of classes, gear is more important than worrying about builds when doing dungeons. For dungeons pre 50 you should be fine as long as you got some stamina and wear mail/plate. So long as you understand how threat works and can keep aggro, you'll do fine even with 0/0/0 spec.

So don't base your leveling build with tanking talents in mind. That being said, I found sweeping strikes in arms really helpful and fun for aoe tanking.

But here's a 2h fury leveling build for ya:
pvp server - http://db.vanillagaming.org/?talent#LMhxbIbZEzzhMxRfo
pve server - http://db.vanillagaming.org/?talent#LMhxbIbZVVzIMxoVo

[RedBanner]

People who say you can't level prot are mistaking their opinion for fact. I have never played a warrior that wasn't prot, ever, and I quite enjoy leveling them. You get rock star access to 5-mans, which means you'll always have some good gear without paying for it. The loot? You should have no trouble affording your mount.

Is it "harder" to level prot? Maybe. But is not impossible, and it's a completely viable option. You might not set any records, but I'm here to enjoy the game, not rush through it, so I don't mind what I see as a negligible difference (seriously, my friends and guildmates aren't outleveling me, so I have no idea WTF these people are talking about).

[DanielGames]

Well ya you can level how you want but when you're questing you're going to kill things slower. You're kind of buttering it up a bit. I don't see how you'd have more gear selection if you're prot and no one is really going to notice that you're prot unless you use last stand, the stuns, and shield slam. A group is going to bring a warrior to tank regardless of spec because they're just glad they finally found a tank and can start the dungeon. Dungeons at 60 will bring up situations where the extra threat, less damage taken, and last stand will really shine, but low level dungeons are so easy they're not required at all.

[RedBanner]

It's slower killing as Prot, sure (though I can't say how much compared to other specs, only other classes), but I really don't see how it's slower leveling. As long as you know which quests to do and which ones to skip, leveling any class/spec is easy and fast. If you go to one zone, pick up and do every quest, then move to a new zone and repeat, good luck. I pick only quests where the rewards are great, the tasks are easy, or they lead to a dungeon (and any combo of those is excellent). I group with people where completing the quest is greater than getting the kills, and I rarely find a priest who isn't happy to have a meat shield. When I am ready to do a dungeon, I'm going now, not half an hour from now, or tomorrow when more people are on.

My /played time is pretty consistent across all classes/specs. It's not going to take you another 10 days to level Prot. It's a difference of hours maybe. I happened to level my warrior faster than my mage, and I would attribute that to the fact that I love my warrior a lot more than the mage, so there are fewer hum-drum moments where I get distracted by other crap. Whenever I see this argument brought up in-game, it always seems to be someone playing a high-DPS class saying you can't level Prot. Maybe they don't have the patience for it. Maybe they can't level Prot. I can level Prot, and so can anyone else who wants to.

Maybe nobody gives a shit about spec, and maybe it doesn't matter. If I show up to tank, I'm in tank spec with full tank gear. I find healers that seek me out in the future, and at least in my mind, I like to think it's because I take the role seriously. It's also quite possible that ethics are what drives this in me. I do not need instant gratification, and I have never been of the mindset that "if you can get away with it, do it". I believe that if you're going to do it, you do it the best you can, something I rarely see in groups (or people in general), but just because everyone else engages in fuckery doesn't mean that I need to.

Anyway, that's my opinion. Just as it is an opinion that you can't level Prot (or Holy, which I also do quite well).

[Jcvd]

stay away from prot while leveling, no reason to gimp yourself.
do you drive your car always in reverse because it has the reverse option?

am leveling as arms and it's easy to tank/grind/quest/pvp ...

[Brion]

It's slower killing as Prot, sure (though I can't say how much compared to other specs, only other classes), but I really don't see how it's slower leveling.

It is slower leveling. You kill things slower, your damage is significantly lower, and that affects how fast you level. If two people are doing the same quests in the same order with one as prot and the other as fury (assuming gear stays relatively on par with each other), prot will lose the race.

My /played time is pretty consistent across all classes/specs. It's not going to take you another 10 days to level Prot. It's a difference of hours maybe. I happened to level my warrior faster than my mage, and I would attribute that to the fact that I love my warrior a lot more than the mage, so there are fewer hum-drum moments where I get distracted by other crap. Whenever I see this argument brought up in-game, it always seems to be someone playing a high-DPS class saying you can't level Prot. Maybe they don't have the patience for it. Maybe they can't level Prot. I can level Prot, and so can anyone else who wants to.

This is it exactly. You enjoy leveling as prot but most people find it tedious and unsatisfying, which is how you find your mage. I am all about letting people play however they want, but you have to understand you are in the minority in a big way. The difference in /played will likely be a day or two at most vs. fury, but if the player is grinding his teeth the whole time, then why do it?

It's also quite possible that ethics are what drives this in me. I do not need instant gratification, and I have never been of the mindset that "if you can get away with it, do it". I believe that if you're going to do it, you do it the best you can, something I rarely see in groups (or people in general), but just because everyone else engages in fuckery doesn't mean that I need to.

You're right in your attitude toward things in general, but it doesn't necessarily have causation between optimized leveling vs. douchebaggery. Internet subculture and online anonymity tells people to act as immature and recklessly as possible (though it does feel like it's mostly people under 21). I see myself a lot like you in actually trying and caring, which often feels like a losing battle with the amount of people trying to one-up each other in who can be the biggest jerk.

[brindar]

Thank you all for the advice! I think I am going to try Arms leveling and give Protection a shot as well at some point.