THE COBALT TAKE
The important question is whether the run can reliably turn damage into kills. Deep Wounds and Trauma reward keeping targets afflicted, while Sweeping Strikes adds coverage to Mortal Strike and Execute. Mortal Wounds makes successful finishes especially valuable; it does not promise continuous resets against a healthy isolated enemy.
Desktop 0.111.0 + 0.130.0 checked. Reviewed 30 October 2026. Original builds were cross-checked between 0.111.0 and 0.130.0; the new alternate builds were checked directly against 0.130.0 native talent records. All 102 class abilities were checked. Build priorities are our recommendations; exact ranks and offered amulet effects should be read in your client. Evidence & version scope →
The build in four decisions.
Learn it in the run, or check whether an unlocked talent starts you with it.
Better level-up rarity odds, when the current clear can afford the choice.
Look for the legendary remake of this spell in a jewelry offer.
Read its effect. A repeated offer of the worn amulet can empower it.
BEFORE YOU START THE RUN
Give the plan a starting point.
Read the opening before choosing early offers
Mortal Wounds explicitly grants the Mortal Strike opening. Without it, do not plan as though that spell has already replaced the available starter. A usable early attack is more valuable than collecting support for an absent centerpiece.
Distinguish bleed setup from immediate impact
Deep Wounds adds bleeding through critical strikes. Trauma rewards enemies already suffering your damage-over-time effects. The pair suggests a coherent setup, but neither description establishes that a fresh target is already bleeding before its first hit.
Leave the legendary slot conditional
A spell amulet requires its spell to be known. Read the actual Mortal Strike or Execute remake when offered rather than equipping a familiar item name. Early Luck concerns rarer level-up upgrades in the confirmed tooltip; it does not establish a necklace drop formula.
FOCUS THE CHOICES YOU ACTUALLY SEE
Mortal Strike Arms upgrade priorities
Read these in the context of your current clear. They are conditional priorities rather than a numeric stat weight or a fixed card sequence.
YOUR NEXT CHOICE
What should I take now?
An editorial helper for Mortal Strike Arms. Compare the actual cards in your client.
Learn your build’s core spell
Take the core ability when it is offered, or use a verified starting-spell talent you already have. The client describes knowing the spell as a condition for its legendary amulet offer.
Changes stay on this page. No game save, account or upload.
A working Mortal Strike core
Prioritize an active attack before multiplying a theoretical one. Improved Execute supports both Execute and Mortal Strike, making it a relevant damage choice once that package is present.
Bleeds that give Trauma something to reward
Critical strikes can establish Deep Wounds, while Rend is another explicitly named example. Judge the next offer by whether afflicted targets are actually being created, rather than counting every damage bonus as automatically active.
Sweeping coverage
Cleave, Mortal Strike and Execute each gain nearby secondary hits. That gives the build a reason to value packs near the struck target, while still keeping a safe path through the room.
Finishing pressure and ordinary recharge
Weapon Mastery supports enemies below its stated health threshold. Tactical Mastery remains relevant when killing blows are not arriving; do not evaluate the whole build only during a favorable chain of resets.
Enough durability to reach the next finish
A defensive offer can be worthwhile when reaching melee pressure costs too much health. It is better to preserve the run than to insist that a reset engine solves every incoming hit.
BUILD CONNECTIONS
Talents that support the idea.
Inspect the synergies, then compare them with the Armory’s Talents tab between runs. The recorded client describes milestones at 10, 20 and 30 points. Exact ranks and tunable values must be read in your client.
WHY IT MATTERS
Trauma
Increases damage against enemies suffering your damage-over-time effects.
Hover or focus a talent on desktop; tap on mobile. This is a synergy reference. Node order is a reading order, not a point allocation or an unlock tree.
FROM FIRST PICKS TO A FINISHED ENGINE
Your run plan.
Opening
Establish the actual attack and bleed source
Check the equipped milestone and capstone. Build around Mortal Strike if the opening grants it; otherwise strengthen what is available while considering the transition. Separate the need for a bleed source from the wish to improve damage against bleeding targets.
Developing run
Turn coverage into useful finishes
Once Sweeping Strikes is active, compare whether enemies are being weakened together or whether the run struggles to finish anything. The former can support the reset plan; the latter is a reason to consider direct damage, recharge or survival instead of another speculative interaction.
Elite or boss
Reassess when resets slow down
A durable enemy changes the value of kill-triggered effects. Keep the ordinary attack cadence, bleed support and defensive needs in view. Mortal Wounds has a once-per-second limit even when finishes are plentiful, so its wording is not permission to assume unlimited attacks.
Before taking a jewelry offer
Other Warrior spells recorded in this build
11 class spell IDs found in this desktop snapshot. This list establishes membership, not unlock order or the need to take every spell.
Keep the build focused.
Treating Trauma as unconditional damage against a fresh, unafflicted target.
Expecting kill resets to solve the opening of every boss encounter.
Borrowing a WoW rage rotation or weapon requirement that these records do not establish.
Sacrificing necessary survival while waiting for one specific legendary.
QUICK ANSWERS
Warrior build questions
Does this replace the Whirlwind Fury guide? +
It is a separate playstyle. Arms focuses on bleed-supported strikes and finishes; Fury has its own repeated Whirlwind interactions. We have not benchmarked a universal winner.
Can Mortal Wounds refresh attacks without a kill? +
The verified description requires a killing blow by Mortal Strike or Execute and states a trigger limit. Do not assume a hit on an enemy that survives provides the same refresh.
REVIEWED, THEN WRITTEN IN OUR OWN WORDS
Sources & version scope.
These recommendations are original analysis of Aethus’s desktop client. The published native talent records were checked against 0.130.0. We have not benchmarked these builds against one another. The recorded client’s tooltips establish the named mechanics; they do not establish a current-patch tier list, exact legendary odds or a complete numeric talent allocation.
Read-only review of class IDs, ability names and native talent/codex descriptions, cross-checked with the current 0.130.0 release. See the method, verified facts and limits.
Aethus · original project ↗Use the original launcher for current game access, Windows downloads and the developer’s community links.
Talent icons follow the recorded native icon IDs (art © Blizzard Entertainment; CDN references in the About credits). Class portrait: illustrative official Warcraft artwork © Blizzard Entertainment. Choice panels on this page are Cobalt’s own guide interface, not screenshots of the game’s upgrade menu.