The Warrior preview was really disappointing to me. For years, Blizzard has seemed to have issues distinguishing the two DPS specs, both in abilities and fantasy. With all of the talk about accentuated class and spec fantasy this expansion, I had hope that Blizzard would finally try to draw a more solid line between Arms and Fury. Alas, the class preview has been released, and the distinction between Arms and Fury seems to mostly just be that they were given different abilities (and not even that for Execute). Even the descriptions seem shorter than the other classes and are very noncommittal when it comes to fantasy. Arms just says there's more room for flavor, without saying what it is, and Fury just say its a grandiose take on the archetype, again without explaining what that means. Both of them are given abilities that are essentially synonyms of each other, with smashes, slams, and blows, before they ultimately execute their foe. The Arms talent showcased even uses the Titan theme famous in Fury's Titan's Grip (and the Arms artifact once belonged to a barbarian, the presumed inspiration for the Fury spec).

So I have tried to put together what I would have liked to have seen for the Warrior preview, that gives each spec a much more defined fantasy, from each other as well as from other classes.

Arms
The Arms Warrior is one who has become a master of their weapon. Training tirelessly, they can do more with a single two-handed weapon than others can do with multiple weapons or a shield. Dedicated completely to the study of war, they have turned the theory of combat into a true art.

Gameplay
There is currently a lot of overlap between Arms and Fury, and it prevents either from being able to truly fulfill a particular fantasy. The idea is to provide a distinct fantasy, based around ideas like the Blademaster, Jedi, and other disciplined fighters. They are not driven by anger or bloodlust, but by an apparently supernatural skill with their weapon.

The new Arms is almost completely reinvented, starting with the removal of Rage. Instead, Arms will be based around cooldowns and reducing those cooldowns, similar to Illidan in Heroes of the Storm. Hopefully this will make a much more clearly defined spec that still draws inspiration from popular ideas.

Most of the cooldowns are just drawn from abilities I copied, so they're in no way balanced with the new idea.

To give you an idea of the Arms Warrior in action, here’s a basic look at their core combat abilities:

Mortal Strike
  • Melee Range, Instant, 6 sec cooldown
  • A vicious strike that deals strong Physical damage and reduces the effectiveness of healing on the target for 10 sec.
  • (This might fit better on my Fury Warrior, but I didn't want to change absolutely everything, and felt this still fit as someone skilled enough with a weapon to easily deliver debilitating blows)

Sweeping Strikes
  • Instant, 10 sec cooldown
  • Your melee attacks strike an additional nearby opponent for 50% damage. Lasts 10 sec.

Execute
  • Melee Range, Instant
  • Attempt to finish off a foe, causing strong Physical damage to the target. Only usable on enemies that have less than 20% health.

Wind Walk
  • 10 yd range, Instant, 20 sec cooldown
  • The Warrior becomes a blur as they quickly move between all enemies within 10 yds, delivering a powerful strike that deals strong Physical damage to each one.
  • (I'm not sure about giving them true stealth like the original ability, so offered an alternative I felt got across the same idea)

Blade Block
  • Instant, 20 sec cooldown
  • The Warrior enters a defensive stance for 5 sec, during which they block all projectiles and spells.
  • (Think a jedi deflecting lasers. They're so good with their weapon, they don't need a shield)

Tactician
  • Passive
  • Basic attacks reduce the cooldowns of your abilities by a small percentage.

Mastery: Blade Discipline
  • Increases your chance to crit by 10% (with Mastery from typical gear) and critical hits deal an extra 50% damage (with Mastery from typical gear).
  • (This was another reference to the Blademaster, which was an inspiration for the overhaul I gave this spec)

Additionally, to provide a glimpse at how some talents may build upon this, here’s one example of an Arms-specific talent:

Mirage
  • Passive
  • Wind Walk now leaves behind a ghostly copy of the Warrior at each target. Ghostly copies slow and deal minor damage to their target.
  • (This was my take on Mirror Image, which is a mage ability by name now, but originated from the Blademaster)

Fury
Archetypal berserkers, fury warriors are driven by their rage and conviction. In place of dedication, they have an endless supply of will, which they draw from when they charge blindly against hopeless odds, and still manage to make it out alive. They wield a weapon in each hand to maximize the carnage they can deliver during battle, and don't mind if they end up covered in as much of their own blood as that of their enemies.

Gameplay
Fury has always been a berserker, but has had to share a lot of that theme with Arms since the entire class has been based around bleeds, the Rage resource, and the Enrage mechanic. Additionally, Fury has historically had to manage taking extra damage, when the classic berserker is better at ignoring it. Finally, some of the most well-known berserkers, including the Barbarian of the Diablo franchise, are best known for wearing as little armor as possible.

To that end, while Fury will mostly be a summary of the existing Warrior, most of those things will no longer be accessible by the other specs, and a couple of key changes will help accentuate the fantasy of the traditional berserker.

To give you an idea of the Fury Warrior in action, here’s a basic look at their core combat abilities:

Bloodthirst
  • Melee Range, Instant, 4.5 sec cooldown
  • Attack the target in a bloodthirsty craze, dealing moderate Physical damage, generating 10 Rage, and restoring 5% of your health.

Enrage
  • Passive
  • Bloodthirst critical strikes or activating Berserker Rage will Enrage you, increasing attack speed by 100% for 6 sec.

Raging Blow
  • 10 Rage, Melee Range, Instant
  • A mighty blow with both weapons that deals a total of strong Physical damage.
  • Only usable while Enraged.

Rampage
  • 50 Rage, Melee Range, Instant
  • Unleash a series of 5 brutal strikes over 2 sec for a total of massive Physical damage.
  • Rampage always deals damage as if you were Enraged.

Will of the Berserker
  • Passive
  • Your armor value can never drop below a threshold equal to the average amount of armor provided by a full set of the highest item level armor you have equipped.
  • (I'd love to make it where Fury uses leather or even somehow no true armor at all, but I'm not sure the best way to handle that. Personal loot makes it easier, but not simple)

Ignore Pain
  • Passive
  • While Enraged, 20% of damage done to you happens instantly, while the rest is divided over the next 6 sec.
  • (The Stagger mechanic is utterly perfect for the archetypal berserker. The numbers would probably have to be tweaked, but I thought I could buff this because Enrage isn't up all the time. Otherwise, this is the most iconic ability of berserkers in fantasy, and surprised that it's continually ignored for increased damage)

Mastery: Unshackled Fury
  • Increases damage done while Enraged by 28% (with Mastery from typical gear).

Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Fury-specific talents:

Deathless
  • Passive
  • Ignore Pain now applies 80% of the damage instantly, but is active at all times. If you take lethal damage while Enraged, you become Deathless, allowing you to fight on for 6 sec before succumbing to your wounds (you cannot be healed during this time).
  • (Like Ignore Pain, the numbers here are likely way off. Keep in mind though, this would be mutually exclusive with other things you can make competitive with it, and death is still inevitable. At worst, maybe it would need some anti-PvP cooldown)

Gladiator
Like their counterparts, gladiator warriors are virtually bred for physical dominance, having been raised in the art of close-quarters combat—but their measured approach to battle is what distinguishes them from their comrades-in-arms. They demonstrate an uncanny knack for blade and shield, nullifying an opponent’s advances and creating opportunities for counterattacks. For the gladiator warrior, being the toughest soldier on the front means nothing if allies are left vulnerable to the enemy’s attack. Stalwart defenders are integral to the success of any military campaign—the gladiator warrior seeks to be an unbreakable wall.

Gameplay
I'm entirely behind a sword-and-shield DPS spec, but am not up to creating that myself. This isn't meant to replace that, but instead accentuate the fantasy of the current specs.

To help distinguish the protection warrior from the protection paladin, not only will the gladiator name be used, but the theme will be tweaked. No longer a vague example of a protective knight, which paladin fills better, the gladiator will very much be a martial character hardened by battle.

Rage will be kept as the protection warrior has been balanced around it for a long time, and it helps accentuate how this isn't simply a noble defender with a shield, but a hardened warrior who saves their life and those of their allies by the blood of their enemies.

Offensive
Devastate
  • Melee Range, Instant
  • A direct strike, dealing moderate Physical damage.
  • Devastate has a 30% chance to reset the cooldown of Shield Slam.

Revenge
  • Melee Range, Instant, 9 sec cooldown
  • Swing in a wide arc, dealing strong damage to all enemies in front of you.
  • Generates 4 Rage.
  • Your successful dodges and parries reset the cooldown of Revenge (cannot occur more than once every 3 sec).

Thunder Clap
  • Instant, 6 sec cooldown
  • Blasts all enemies within 8 yards for moderate damage and reduces their movement speed by 50% for 10 sec.

Shield Slam
  • Melee Range, Instant, 9 sec cooldown
  • Slam the target with your shield, causing strong Physical damage.
  • Generates 6 Rage.

Heroic Strike
  • 30 Rage, Melee Range, Instant
  • Instantly deals moderate Physical damage.
  • This ability is not on the global cooldown.
  • (I thought about renaming this one, but realized that it's equally appropriate for a celebrity gladiator if you use a different connotation of hero)

Defensive
Shield Block
  • 10 Rage, Instant, 12 sec recharge, 2 charges
  • Raise your shield, blocking every melee attack against you for 6 sec. These blocks can be critical blocks.
  • Shield Slam deals 30% additional damage while Shield Block is active.

Bastion
  • 40 Rage, Instant
  • Steel yourself, ignoring 90% of the next massive amount (based on maximum health) of damage you take.
  • (Ignore Pain is exactly what I would call a feature of berserkers and thus fury, so I renamed this)

Mirror Shield
  • Instant, 25 sec cooldown
  • Raise your shield, reflecting spells cast on you and reducing magical damage taken by 30%. Lasts 5 sec or until a spell is reflected.
  • (I'm not committed to this rename, but I wanted to use a more thematic one, referencing Perseus' defeat of Medusa, rather than the current literal description)

Mastery: Critical Block
  • Increases your chance to block by 10% (with Mastery from typical gear) and your chance to critically block by 30% (with Mastery from typical gear).
  • Also increases your attack power by 20% (with Mastery from typical gear).

Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Gladiator-specific talents:

Shield Discipline
  • Passive
  • Shield Slam extends the duration of Shield Block by 2 sec.
  • Shield Block increases the damage of Shield Slam by an additional 30%.
  • (I thought about showcasing a DPS trade-off talent to imitate the current Gladiator stance, but I don't really know enough about the current one and its issues to offer something good enough to convince Blizzard)