WoW ForeverTier List

Best Shoulders for Protection Warriors in WoW Forever

Premier Marshal's Plate Shoulderguards / Premier General's Mortarplate Shoulders, Theramore Spaulders / Darkspear Spaulders and Highlander's Plate Spaulders / Defiler's Plate Spaulders are the S tier shoulder pieces for a tanking Warrior in WoW Forever. We graded 13 shoulder pieces S to D for Protection from their stats. BetaMany shoulder pieces were not revealed when we graded this list, so it grades only the shoulder pieces that were.

13gradedOct 16, 2026updated1.60.1.70755build
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STop3 shoulder piecesBest in slot for this role right nowClick any shoulder piece for its gradeTap a card for its grade
Premier Marshal's Plate Shoulderguards / Premier General's Mortarplate ShouldersEpic, item level 65Premier Marshal's Plate Shoulderguards / Premier General's Mortarplate Shoulders
Theramore Spaulders / Darkspear SpauldersEpic, item level 65Theramore Spaulders / Darkspear Spaulders
Highlander's Plate Spaulders / Defiler's Plate SpauldersEpic, item level 65Highlander's Plate Spaulders / Defiler's Plate Spaulders
Click any shoulder piece for its gradeTap a card for its grade
AStrong4 shoulder piecesClose behind the top pick
Highlander's Lamellar Spaulders / Defiler's Lamellar SpauldersEpic, item level 65Highlander's Lamellar Spaulders / Defiler's Lamellar Spaulders
Theramore Mantle / Darkspear MantleEpic, item level 65Theramore Mantle / Darkspear Mantle
Spaulders of ValorRare, item level 60Spaulders of Valor
Spaulders of HeroismRare, item level 65Spaulders of Heroism
BSolid2 shoulder piecesGood shoulder pieces to use until a better one turns up
Premier Plate Pauldrons / Premier Mortarplate ShouldersRare, item level 60Premier Plate Pauldrons / Premier Mortarplate Shoulders
Lightforge SpauldersRare, item level 60Lightforge Spaulders
CSituational1 shoulder pieceWorth it for a specific need
Soulforge SpauldersRare, item level 65Soulforge Spaulders
DBottom3 shoulder piecesPlaceholders until something better turns up
Pauldrons of GloryEpic, item level 61Pauldrons of Glory
Shoulders of GloryEpic, item level 61Shoulders of Glory
Dawnbringer ShouldersRare, item level 58Dawnbringer Shoulders

What each tier means

  • STop Best in slot for this role right now
  • AStrong Close behind the top pick
  • BSolid Good shoulder pieces to use until a better one turns up
  • CSituational Worth it for a specific need
  • DBottom Placeholders until something better turns up
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Item icons by Blizzard Entertainment, from the World of Warcraft Forever game client.

Board breakdown

What is the BiS shoulder piece for a Protection Warrior in WoW Forever?

Premier Marshal's Plate Shoulderguards / Premier General's Mortarplate Shoulders and Theramore Spaulders / Darkspear Spaulders tie at 100 on our Protection Warrior list, with the next best shoulder piece at 97.

Score out of 100 on this list

Should a Protection Warrior wear the Fury and Arms BiS shoulder piece?

Not first. Premier Marshal's Plate Shoulderguards / Premier General's Mortarplate Shoulders (tied with Theramore Spaulders / Darkspear Spaulders) scores higher for Protection, though Highlander's Plate Spaulders / Defiler's Plate Spaulders, the Fury and Arms #1, is S tier here too.

Shoulder pieces left off the list

What does the Battlegear of Valor set bonus do for a Protection Warrior?

Battlegear of Valor has eight pieces and pays off for a Protection Warrior at 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 worn.

  • 2+8 All Resistances.
  • 3+15 Strength.
  • 4When struck in combat, has a 10% chance to remove a Disarm effect from yourself. Can only occur once every 60 sec.
  • 5Chance on melee attack to heal for 88 to 132 and generate 10 Rage
  • 6Restores 15 health per 5 sec.

Other pieces, Protection grade

Our Protection grade counts only the stats on each shoulder piece.

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