So i’ve been running Prot warrior for a little while now, mostly using Mountain Thane (I just prefer it) with the Raid Punish build (Mountain Thane)
I mostly understand the rotation (This is it from my understanding).
- Priority is Shield slam (or when you get the Flashing reset proc)
- Basically use Avatar off CD (In a fight)
- Cast Thunder Clap on CD
Where I get confused:
- Where does the “Thunder Blast proces” end up in priority list
- What about execute procs (Where you can use it for free >35% health)
- Where does revenge fit in here too?
When it comes defensive cooldowns here where I get lost:
- Ideally Keep Shield Block up at all times (This I know, I have the 2 charge talent too)
- Use Ignore Pain if I’m going to go over 60-80 rage? I get confused here because the cooldown tracker shows a bar that goes up to “100” ignore pain. What does that even mean? Like the max percentage it can go up before it ‘caps out’
- What about Shield wall? Should this be my go to “OH crap tank buster/big attack cooldown”
- Demoralizing Shout I assume I use every CD in fights?
- Rallying Cry/Last Stand: I never know when it’s appropriate to use these? Or if I should use these over Shield Wall for big Defensive cooldowns
- I still don’t know when to use Shield Reflect or Spell Block
I mean having all these defensive cooldowns is great but i’m having a hard time juggling them! Thanks!
For rotational advice have a look at the following. It’s the icy-veins guide as opposed to Wowhead, but it’s wording seems to be a better way to digest the information than the wall of text that is the Wowhead one. Click ST/AoE etc to see each of the caveats and situations where certain abilities are altered in their priority.
https://www.icy-veins.com/wow/protection-warrior-pve-tank-rotation-cooldowns-abilities?area=area_7
Yes always.
Ignore pain’s “Stack count” got adjusted to be a % of the total max shield going into 11.1. So just think of that as how much of your ignore pain you’ve built up out of 100%.
As for usage, you use it as you need to. To generate your ignore pain barrier or to spend excess rage.
You’ll want to plan the use of this out over the course of an encounter. Fights are pretty static in WoW so you’ll mostly just use this on cooldown in larger M+ pack pulls or you’ll use it for specific tankbusters in your CD rotation where you ensure each tankbuster is mitigated somewhat in addition to the usual block/ignore pain shenanigans.
It’s an offensive CD with defensive benefits, so unless you need it for specific timings to live certain overlaps, hammer it on CD.
Last stand - Used in conjunction with ignore pain etc to live high damage moments, Rallying cry can be a lower version of Last Stand, but you can also use it to give your party a buffer of health during high group damage moments.
See the following.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQQCkBEkOadsvO4sTphB1RwzC6Z_3kq00IFaBrCk5Eagz2Jeoox7D7Rk3XwXMINbh4lUg9Vr-3RgoB2/pubhtml#
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So I’m assuming “100%” on the bar is at high it can go? Like if i’m at 95% it’s a waste to use another IP i assume?
For thane, not so much since you have so many GCDs pre filled out with Shield Slam and Thunderclap you don’t really have the option to spend via revenge in some situations so you just dump via ignore pain regardless for more anger management CDR. Call it ignore brain if you will for thane. (this was my nickname for it during DF when it was in the arms rotation lmao).
For Colossus yes, you’d be better off hitting revenge instead to dump unless said ignore pain was about to expire timer wise.
Sorry I guess my last reply came off as confusing. What I am trying to figure out on the WoW cooldown manager what the Ignore Pain bar “represents”. It goes to 100. I assume this is the “max” shield you can get from IP? Since using it once doesn’t fully fill the bar.
Yes, that little number on the ability is the % of how much of the shield you can stack.
So if it’s at 95(%) you still follow that advise based on the hero talent / gcd priority for the spec you’re playing.
Better to just hammer ignore pain as thane than to overcap, at least then you get some CDR out of it.
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Hey now I take offence to this. It takes thought to macro IP to everything as thane 
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I made a WA with an image for ignore pain. 1-33 stacks is colored red, 34-66 is yellow, 67-100 is green.
So if it’s in the green, i only need to press ignore pain to refresh it’s duration or burn off extra rage if Im going to cap. Yellow means I could press it if im expecting heavy damage, or can still use rage for Revenge. Red means press ignore pain immediately or risk taking the full hits. I usually manage about 80-90% uptime on shield block anyways so magic damage is probably my only concern if i let ignore pain drop off.
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You seem on point for the most part. As a tank, your most important job is to live and keep agro. Shield slam helps you do both with Punish and Thunderclap does the same for AoE with Feet on the Ground. I also macro Demo Shout to Ignore Pain, which gains a lot of value from Booming Voice and Thunderlord. As for the big CDs, I like Aegis to keep two charges of Shield Wall that I use on almost all tank swap shots and Last stand is my last OH NO button. I normally keep Rallying Cry, but don’t use it to often (I use on Sprocketmonger knockback or One Arm Bandits big AoE shotgun for example).
P.S. Do your best to get good shockwave. I normally open with a charge/thunderclap, run past the mobs, turn 180 and shockwave. When the stun falls off I hit my Shield/Shout.
Press Revenge more than you’d think you need to, even if other things are lit up, because it’s doing more cleave threat than anything else next to the Thane Tclap.
So it would be like Revenge, Thunderclap, Revenge, Revenge, Tclap proc, Shield slam proc.
I will press Tclap outside of it proccing also, I won’t wait for it, one because I want the aggro, but two it slows them down, three it applies Rend to everything and 4 it procs Lightning Strikes, Shield Slam doesn’t proc Lightning Strikes so this is not something you press until you have good threat on everything.
Ive read these comments and some of you hurt my damn brain.
Ok, look. Ill make it simple because some people are gonna spread sheet you into insanity. Once youre able to keep Shield Block and Ignore Pain up 100% the rest of your cooldowns are situational. Mountain Thane allows you to keep a really good pool of Rage for almost any situation. Let me put this out there so that you dont get overloaded. Being at the Rage Cap every once in a while is perfectly OK. As long as you arent staying at the Rage Cap for a grossly long time, you are fine. Min/Maxing every moment will drive you bonkers and will start driving you away from the class.
My advice is this. Put your most used abilities in a place where Muscle Memory will take over. Fiddle with different positions for situational abilities until theyre in a spot where you like them. Best place to practice this, is in Delves.
Last tip to put out there. Read your abilities and talents. Alot of people say “Use this here” and “Use this there.” If you dont know why, whats the use of doing it right?
Comfort and Muscle Memory are your biggest asset, most likely, than any other tank spec. Why? Because almost 85% to 90% of all damage is Physical. Physical Damage Mitigation is the Prot Warrior’s cup of tea. Get comfortable and get used to what you can do. Have fun with it.