Translated automatically from Italian: talent and ability names stay in English, as in the game. Original text (Italian) →
A Warrior with a one-hander and shield who reaches 60 solo, elite quests included, and tanks dungeons without changing a single point. In Forever the Protection tree runs on Rage: blocks, dodges and parries refill it, and Reckless Swings at 59 closes the path.
How to play it
This build turns your shield into a Rage generator. Every hit you block, dodge or parry gives you resources back, so the more enemies are on you, the more attacks you can afford: it is the fastest way to level a Warrior in Forever and, since you already have what it takes to hold threat, you can join dungeons as the tank without changing talents. Only the start is slow: from Revenge at 14, the pace changes.
Talent milestones
10-14: Shield Specialization, all 5 points. More blocks and a guaranteed 5 Rage on every block, so Shield Block pays for itself. Until 14 use a two-hander, then a one-hander and shield for good.
15-17: Improved Revenge, because Revenge is the attack everything revolves around.
18-22: Improved Thunder Clap and Master of Defense, which gives you 5 Rage on every dodge or parry with a shield.
23: Last Stand. 25: Vanguard, and Charge works in Defensive Stance too: no more stance swaps and no Rage thrown away between one enemy and the next.
24, 26-29 and 34: Improved Sunder Armor and Defiance.
30-32: Focused Rage, which lowers the Rage cost of every attack. 33: Concussion Blow.
35-39: Bastion (+10% damage with a shield), then Shield Slam at 40, from then on your hardest hitter, growing with Block Value.
41-58: Improved Rend, then Cruelty, Unbridled Wrath and Enrage in the Fury tree.
59: Reckless Swings. 60: the last point in Deflection.
How a fight goes
Keep Battle Shout up and use Bloodrage as soon as it is ready, ideally between enemies so the Rage does not fade. Go in with Charge from Defensive Stance and stay there. Then: Shield Slam (from 40) if you have the Rage, otherwise Revenge, every time it lights up. Against melee enemies use Shield Block often, as it triggers Revenge and the block Rage; against casters it is useless. Victory Rush as soon as it shows up. Rend and Sunder Armor only on enemies that will last, Thunder Clap and Demoralizing Shout on packs and on hard hitters. Heroic Strike and Cleave only with spare Rage, because the auto-attack they replace generates no Rage. Reckless Swings when you are short on Rage and can spend health: your next 4 swings give 5 extra Rage each. Facing a pack: Thunder Clap (up to 4 targets), Shield Slam and Revenge spread around, Rend on several enemies and Cleave with whatever is left over.
For gear, look at the weapon first: DPS matters, not speed, because Revenge and Shield Slam do not depend on how slow it is. Then Hit and Expertise, Strength (Attack Power and Block Value), Agility and crit, since a critical auto-attack gives double Rage, and finally Armor and Stamina. Defense and block only matter when you tank a dungeon.
Strengths
Hits hard even with a shield on your arm.
Holds several melee enemies at the same time.
Same build for solo elite quests and for tanking dungeons.
You almost never worry about Rage: the best Rage economy of the three Warrior specs.
Weaknesses
Until Revenge at 14, progress is slow.
Struggles against casters and elementals, whose hits the shield cannot stop.
No instant ranged attack to pull enemies.
It is built for leveling: not a raid tank build.
Notes
Do the class quests right away: the level 10 one gives you Defensive Stance, Taunt and Sunder Armor, the level 30 one Berserker Stance, with Intercept and Berserker Rage.
Carry your Rage into the next enemy: finish off the nearly dead ones with auto-attacks. In Forever auto-attack Rage is normalized, so a bigger weapon does not give more, but a crit is worth double; armor and absorbs do not reduce the Rage from the hits you take.
Victory Rush arrives at 20: it heals you after a kill, costs no Rage and has a 30-second cooldown.
In macros, drag the new Charge from the spellbook: /cast Charge calls up the old one.
The 3 points in Defiance are only for dungeon threat: if you always play solo, they are the ones you need least.
Keep food, bandages and potions handy, level a gathering profession while questing, log out in rested areas and save the contacts of the healers you meet in dungeons.
Race: Orc for the Horde (Blood Fury, Hardiness); for the Alliance, Human or Dwarf work well.
