Best in slot gear for Protection Warrior at level 30 (PvP)

The best item for each slot for a level 30 Protection Warrior in PvP, with the next two picks, where each comes from and how easy it is. Change the level (1 to 60) and switch PvE or PvP on the page; filters leave out dungeon drops, crafted items, world drops or PvP rewards, or keep only items players have seen in Forever.

Every slot

Head: Veteran's Chain Helm, score 28.8: +11 Stamina, 177 armor, +12 Strength. Crafted: Blacksmithing (Forever client). Learn it at skill 1. Easy: craft it or buy it from a crafter. Next best: Guard's Chain Helm, Frostreaver Crown.
Neck: Souvenir Sea Shell, score 13: +13 Stamina. Needs Honored with Booty Bay (Forever client: who sells it isn't known yet). Some effort: Honored with Booty Bay. Next best: River Pride Choker, Sentinel's Medallion.
Shoulder: Sparkleshell Mantle, score 22.1: +10 Stamina, 161 armor, +4 Agility. Inside Heavy Bronze Lockbox (Classic data). Some effort: open the container. Next best: Cloudy Skyforged Pauldrons, Azure Skyforged Pauldrons.
Back: Tigerstrike Mantle, score 13.3: +7 Stamina, +8 Agility, 25 armor. World drop (Classic data). Hard: random luck. Next best: Sergeant's Cape, Crocolisk Skin Gaiter.
Chest: Fire Hardened Hauberk (Horde: Brutal Hauberk), score 30.1: +14 Stamina, 218 armor, +5 Strength. Quest reward: Furen's Armor, level 28 · Alliance (Classic data). Easy: a quest reward. Next best: Guard's Silvered Chain Shirt, Veteran's Silvered Chain Shirt.
Wrist: Jimmied Handcuffs, score 15.3: +8 Stamina, 92 armor, +3 Strength. Drops from trash in Stormwind Stockade, 33.3% (Classic data). Easy: about 3 runs. Next best: Beetle Clasps, Yorgen Bracers.
Hands: Ogre Grips, score 20.6: +10 Stamina, 136 armor, +4 Strength. Drops from Stormwind Stockade (Clue, unconfirmed). Some effort: a dungeon drop, chance not known yet. Next best: Enduring Gauntlets, Fire Hardened Gauntlets.
Waist: Sentinel's Belt, score 25: +10 Stamina, 132 armor, +6 Strength. Crafted: Blacksmithing (Forever client). Learn it at skill 1. Easy: craft it or buy it from a crafter. Next best: Officer's Belt, Warden's Leather Belt.
Legs: Guard's Silvered Chain Leggings, score 30.7: 191 armor, +11 Stamina, +7 Strength. Crafted: Blacksmithing (Forever client). Learn it at skill 1. Easy: craft it or buy it from a crafter. Next best: Veteran's Silvered Chain Leggings, Quillord Mail Leggings.
Feet: Highlander's Plate Greaves (Horde: Defiler's Plate Greaves), score 22.6: 157 armor, +6 Stamina, +6 Strength. Sold by Samuel Hawke in Arathi Highlands (46, 45.2) for 1g 56s 88c (Classic data). Easy: buy it. Next best: Ravasaur Scale Boots, Highlander's Lamellar Greaves.
Finger: Wyvern Heart Band, score 12.5: +5 Stamina, +15 attack power, +5 Agility. Where it comes from isn't known yet: the Companion and Helper addons record it when players get one. Not known: where it comes from isn't known yet. Next best: Protector's Band, Theramore Signet.
Finger: Field Researcher's Loop, score 11.2: +7 Stamina, +7 Agility. Where it comes from isn't known yet: the Companion and Helper addons record it when players get one. Not known: where it comes from isn't known yet.
Trinket: Talisman of Arathor (Horde: Defiler's Talisman), score 6: +6 Stamina. Sold by Samuel Hawke in Arathi Highlands (46, 45.2) for 72s 30c (Classic data). Easy: buy it. Next best: Rune of Duty.
Trinket: Rune of Perfection, score 4: +4 Stamina. Sold by Illiyana Moonblaze in Ashenvale (61.5, 83.9) for 2g (Classic data). Easy: buy it.
Main hand: Swinetusk Shank, score 75: 23.0 weapon DPS, +6 Stamina. Drops from Agathelos the Raging in Razorfen Kraul, 40% (Classic data). Easy: about 2 runs. Next best: Guerrilla's Jagged Mace, Hornbeam Heft.
Off hand: Painwalker Buckler, score 50.3: 738 armor, +6 Stamina. Where it comes from isn't known yet: the Companion and Helper addons record it when players get one. Not known: where it comes from isn't known yet. Next best: Crest of Darkshire, Shield of Thorsen.
Ranged or relic: Booty Bay Bruiser's Buckshot, score 5.7: +3 Stamina, +9 attack power. Needs Honored with Booty Bay (Forever client: who sells it isn't known yet). Some effort: Honored with Booty Bay. Next best: Ironweaver, Outrunner's Bow.

A one-hander and an off-hand beat the best two-hander here.

Stat weights (PvP)

weapon DPS 3, Stamina 1, dodge 0.7, hit 0.7, expertise 0.64, Strength 0.6, Agility 0.6, parry 0.6, defense 0.5, block 0.5, crit 0.5, block value 0.4, attack power 0.3, Bonus Armor 0.1, armor 0.06. These are ForeverDB's own PvP weights, not Blizzard's. The Protection Warrior PvP guide uses the same weights and names the same gear.

How the PvP weights work

Blizzard publishes no PvP stat weights, so these are ForeverDB's own. One set per spec picks the gear on the best in slot pages and in the class PvP guides, so the two always agree.
Each spec's weights are set by hand in its PvP guide, next to the guide's stat priority and why: Feral Druids are weighted for Cat Form and Stamina rather than Defense, Protection Warriors and Paladins put Stamina first and Defense well down, healers weigh healing and Stamina alike with less mana regeneration.
They follow the same reasoning for every spec: Stamina near the main stat or above it, because players focus you and you have to live through their burst; Hit worth less than against dungeon bosses, because players are your own level, not three above; mana per 5 sec worth less, because PvP fights are short; armour counted for every spec that wears it.
Where a guide leaves a stat out (Haste and Expertise for Arms and Fury, armour for cloth casters), a rule fills it in: Stamina 90% of the main stat, Hit and Expertise 80% of their PvE value, mana per 5 sec 70%, armor at least 0.02 per point, everything else as in PvE. A spec without a PvP guide yet uses the rule for every stat.
An item with nothing on it but armour still counts in PvP and for tanks: at low levels, where a plain mail or leather helmet is the only one there is, it is still the pick.

Every item is scored with the spec's stat weights, for what the class can wear at that level (armour and weapon skills come from the Forever client, so Hunters and Shamans get mail at 40 and Warriors and Paladins plate at 40). Untouched Season of Discovery leftovers are left out.

Protection Warrior best in slot for PvE · Warrior guide · Gear planner