Warrior is one of the only classes I’ve never leveled in WoW in the last 15 years. I’m finally starting one up and was digging through guides just to gather up general info and I’m noticing a dramatic shortage of swords mentioned anywhere.
It seems like all we get is axes, yet on alliance every guide says to go with humans because of the sword spec racial… but then the build recommendations all seem to have axe spec O_o
Am I missing something?
When leveling you just take what you can get.
For that reason, I never put any points in a weapon spec talent while leveling. I just put in two hand spec. Then at 60 when I get a good weapon I respec to that.
For leveling, Axe Spec is nice to have because that 5% crit is really useful, and enough axes drop through leveling to make it worthwhile to spec into (although, always go for highest dps weps of course). At endgame, the sword racial and the Sword Spec talent become much more important. At which point, when you get your first good endgame sword, drop Axe Spec.
It’s because you need to maintain a high threshold on your crit % while leveling and gearing at 60. You go axes until you can reach ~25%+ unbuffed with swords. At that point, swords are a great option.
While leveling there are a lot of great axes you can get. The progression I follow is: Corpsemaker > WW Axe > Ravager > Executioner’s Cleaver > Dreadforge Retaliator > Arcanite Reaper
While leveling there’s a lot more axe options (whirlwind axe, ravager, etc), but at max level almost all the best raid weapons are swords, especially earlier on in classic’s patch cycle, and the human racial takes advantage of that. You basically go human for BRE, which is an absolutely insanely good weapon.
With that being said though, if you don’t care about the 1% dps increase, want to play ally and want to pvp, I would go gnome just because of how strong escape artist is for warriors. If you want to go horde orc all the way
So it sounds like I’m overthinking it mostly.
My GF is leveling a paladin with me while I level my warrior, we’re planning on going arms / ret respectively but looking for groups as a tank/healer duo. I know arms warriors can 2h tank pretty much all the lower level content and just switch in a shield for nasty group pulls or heavy hitter bosses. I’m less informed about paladin ret healing. She’s gonna gear like a healer but use a big weapon and ret spec for when we’re questing, etc.
Sword spec basically means I need less hit on my end game gear to get cap right? Is it worth it to still go after edgemasters if I’m going swords or are there diminishing returns to the point that I should just get the hit normally?
Yeah, there are so many axes everywhere that you can count on using one all the way till 60. Axe spec is not a gamble.
Yes. Go Gnome. In so far as the Alliance is concerned, Gnome master race.
I’m not even joking. If you don’t roll Gnome as an Alliance Warrior in Classic WoW you are going to regret it later.
There will be many, many instances of getting rooted and watching helplessly as the battle moves on around you, (whether that be your healer getting annihilated, or you’re personally getting your face melted) and you say: “damn, I wish I were a gnome right now.”
Literally no one has ever said in the heat of combat—“oh damn, I wish that attack had glanced for a 15% penalty, that would have been amazing”.
can’t do gnome. I’ll carry faps. 
May god have mercy on your soul, because your wallet will not.
I’m also running with a paladin pocket healer who is also leveling alchemy while we level up so… shouldn’t be an issue. 
All the guides have a ridiculous fascination for the WW axe. I took the mace because of the human racial and the fact I replaced it soon after. In a mature server where you can call in support to kill the elemental and buy the charms at 30, sure, whatever. You can also afford to respec lots of times in that scenario, and to keep buying axes or getting friends to run instances for you to have level appropriate axes.
On a less mature server you aren’t getting the WW axe until 35ish, and you won’t have it for long enough to make it worth speccing axes. I’d suggest skipping the weapon-type specific points til 60, and going human for all the swords and maces that are around.
Any mobs that can net or root you will happily do it again 15 seconds later when escape artist is on cooldown. It is very much not an issue in PvE. If anything, stoneform is more useful solo because it’s a way to get rid of things like rabies.
And it will be promptly purged lol. Faps are for 1v1s only. The pocket pally will do ya tho. Cleanse is a warriors best friend.
Gnome is overrated don’t worry about it. That is the race try hard duelers roll with your girl there to give you freedom and cleanses you will be fine. I got to rank 10 on a paladin in Vanilla running with a sword spec human warrior wielding Zin’Rokh. You guys will be just fine.