Combat

Learn the best weapon choices, talent builds, and combat rotation for your character in World of Warcraft. Dominate your foes with expert strategies.

Alright, let's talk about getting into the thick of it in World of Warcraft – combat! Choosing the right gear and knowing how to use it is key. You've got a few weapon types to play with: maces, swords, fists, and axes. At level 80, you can snag a couple of daggers from the Auction House, but finding a slow sword can be a real pain. Fists are usually pretty accessible from heroic dungeons, and as for epic axes, well, you're out of luck before Ulduar. Maces are generally easier to come by; the Titansteel Bonecrusher is a solid crafted option, and there are several fast maces available from bosses like Patchwork in 25-man Naxxramas or the final boss in the spider quarter of 10-man Naxxramas.

Here's the golden rule for your weapon setup: you'll want a slow weapon (around 2.4-2.8 seconds attack speed) in your main hand and a fast one for your off-hand. The core of your combat rotation involves spamming Sinister Strike and then using Slice and Dice, Rupture, and Eviscerate, making sure to burn your cooldowns at the right moments.

Talent builds can be a bit flexible, especially with those extra talents that aren't strictly for damage, which you might tweak depending on whether you're still leveling or focusing on specific content. However, a 15/51/5 build is a great starting point:

• Assassination: Focus on Malice, Blood Spatter, Lethality, and Ruthlessness.
• Combat: You'll want to pick up Gouge, Deflection, Kick, Sprint, Nerves, Throwing, and Unfair. Endurance gets one point. Remember, you can use fists, swords/axes, or maces (two of each type), and you can just swap those same 5 talents between their respective specializations.
• Subtlety: Grab Relentless Strikes. If that doesn't quite fit your style, feel free to take the talent that increases poison damage from the Assassination tree instead.

Important Note: Seriously, don't try to run daggers with a Combat build. Even the Titansteel Bonecrusher, when specced for swords, will give you better damage. That said, a dagger in your off-hand is perfectly fine for any spec to get you by in a pinch.