FFXIV Warrior Guide 7.25 – Rotation, BiS Gear & Tank Tips

TL;DR

  • Maintain Surging Tempest constantly and never let Beast Gauge cap at 100
  • Use Inner Release every 120 seconds for maximum burst damage
  • Prioritize Critical Hit > Direct Hit > Determination in your materia builds
  • Alternate defensive cooldowns and save Bloodwhetting for consistent healing
  • Practice opener timing on dummies before attempting in real content

FFXIV Warrior Guide 7.25: Rotation, BiS Gear, Tanking Tips

Ever watched a Warrior shrug off lethal blows and thought, “How do they stay alive while their axe keeps spinning?” Stick with me. I main this job, raid every tier, and spend too much time theory-crafting on dummies. Read on and you’ll learn the rhythm of Warrior tanking, the rotations that crank out damage, and the gear that pushes your stats into the sweet spot. When you finish, you’ll feel ready to jump into Savage, tackle an Ultimate, or just lead roulettes without sweating.

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Warrior in One Glance – Why Pick the Axe?

Warrior in One Glance – Why Pick the Axe?

Warrior combines massive self-sustain with straightforward execution. The job excels at turning incoming damage into healing opportunities while maintaining impressive damage output. Its toolkit feels like having a personal healer built into your rotation, making it incredibly forgiving for newcomers while offering depth for veterans seeking optimal performance.

Quick Facts Details
Role Tank (Fending armor, Vitality mains)
Resource Beast Gauge (0–100)
Core Combo Heavy Swing → Maim →
Storm’s Path (gauge + heal) or Storm’s Eye (20% dmg buff)
Signature Skills Inner Release, Bloodwhetting, Holmgang
Playstyle Heavy burst every 120s, endless sustain, simple upkeep
Party Value Strong raid shield (Shake It Off) and fast gap closer

What makes Warrior truly special is its accessibility ceiling. New players can survive most content with basic rotation knowledge, while hardcore raiders can squeeze out every ounce of DPS through precise timing and resource management. The job’s self-healing capabilities reduce healer burden significantly, allowing more aggressive playstyles in both dungeons and raids.

Common beginner mistakes include letting the Beast Gauge overcap, forgetting to use Bloodwhetting on cooldown, and mismanaging Inner Release timing. Master these fundamentals, and you’ll already outperform 80% of Warriors in casual content.

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Core Rotations – Slice, Swing, Smash

Warrior’s combat flow revolves around three core principles: maintaining buffs, managing the Beast Gauge, and executing burst windows. The rotation feels natural once you understand that Storm’s Eye is your priority buff, Storm’s Path builds gauge and provides healing, and Fell Cleave/Inner Chaos spend that gauge for massive damage.

Single-Target Priority

Step Action Why It Matters
1 Keep Surging Tempest active (use Storm’s Eye) 20% personal damage buff, lasts 30s
2 Fill Beast Gauge (Storm’s Path finisher) Adds 20 gauge and small self-heal
3 Spend gauge Fell Cleave (50) or Inner Chaos (Infuriate)
4 Pop Inner Release every 120s Three free Cleaves + Primal Rend
5 Weave Upheaval (30s CD) Free potency; use on cooldown
6 Spend Onslaught charges Mobility or burst filler – never cap

Never let your Beast Gauge sit at 100 – every point wasted is potential damage lost. A common mistake is using Storm’s Path when Surging Tempest is about to expire. Always prioritize refreshing your buff over gauge generation, even if it means delaying a Fell Cleave by one GCD.

Two-Minute Burst Opener

Timeline GCD / oGCD Notes
-03s Infuriate Pre-pull for 50 gauge
0s Heavy Swing Pull; weave potion + Inner Release
2s Maim + Upheaval Keep buffs rolling
4s Storm’s Eye (Tempest) Gauge at ~100
6s Fell Cleave (free) + Infuriate First crit
8s Fell Cleave (free) + Onslaught Second crit
10s Inner Chaos Massive hit
12s Primal Rend End of burst
14s Resume Path/Eye loop Build for next window

Timing is everything in this opener. Missing the weave window for Inner Release or Upheaval can cost you significant DPS. Practice this sequence on a striking dummy until it becomes muscle memory. Remember that latency can affect your timing – if you’re playing with high ping, consider slightly adjusting your weave windows.

AoE Flow for Big Pulls

Condition Action Comment
3+ mobs Overpower → Mythril Tempest loop Tempest applies buff to you
Gauge at 50+ Decimate Hits everything around you
Infuriate up Chaotic Cyclone Stronger Decimate
30s CD Orogeny AoE version of Upheaval
Movement Use Onslaught (line AoE) Saves sprint

For maximum efficiency in dungeons, pull multiple packs together when possible. Bloodwhetting’s healing scales with the number of enemies hit, making it incredibly potent during large pulls. Don’t be afraid to use Holmgang aggressively in dungeons – the shorter cooldown compared to raid content allows for more liberal usage.

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Tanking Fundamentals – Hold Hate, Stay Upright

Enmity Basics

Enmity management is crucial but straightforward for Warriors. With Defiance active, your threat generation is naturally high, but proper opener execution ensures you never lose aggro. The key is understanding that Tomahawk generates initial threat, while your combo finishers maintain it through consistent damage.

Stance Impact
Defiance: ON +Enmity; use in dungeons and while main-tanking
Defiance: OFF Normal enmity; swap when not tanking to avoid yo-inking boss

When pulling multiple enemies, lead with Tomahawk on the furthest target, then immediately use Overpower to establish area threat. If a DPS pulls aggro on a stray mob, use Provoke followed by a single-target combo to secure it permanently. Never underestimate the importance of positioning – keeping enemies grouped allows your Overpower to hit everything and makes AoE healing more effective.

Cooldown Toolbox

Skill CD Effect Use It When…
Rampart 90s -20% damage (20s) Auto-attack phases, trash pulls
Vengeance 120s -30% (15s) + thorns Tank buster or big pull
Thrill of Battle 90s +20% HP + self-heal Pre-buster HP pad
Equilibrium 60s Instant heal + HoT Post-buster top-up
Bloodwhetting 25s 8s self-heal + shield Use on cooldown when tanking
Nascent Flash 25s Ally heal + 10% DR Support co-tank
Shake It Off 90s Party shield + regen Raid-wide AoE
Reprisal 60s -10% enemy damage (10s) Boss casts or big pack
Holmgang 240s Cannot drop below 1 HP (10s) Lethal mechanics
Arm’s Length 120s Slow attackers Large trash pulls

Advanced cooldown management involves planning several steps ahead. Study fight patterns to know when busters are coming, and don’t be afraid to use your 60-second cooldowns more frequently in dungeons. A common mistake is saving cooldowns for too long – it’s better to use them slightly early and have them available again sooner than to let them sit unused.

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Stat Priority and Materia – Tune the Numbers

Stat Priority Why
Critical Hit ★★★★★ Biggest DPS and self-heal gain
Direct Hit ★★★★☆ Great with auto-crits under Inner Release
Determination ★★★☆☆ Flat DPS/HP boost; filler meld
Tenacity ★★☆☆☆ Tiny DPS, small DR; niche
Skill Speed ★☆☆☆☆ Only chase if you want faster GCD (2.40)

Understanding stat breakpoints is crucial for optimal gearing. Critical Hit has diminishing returns after approximately 2800, but remains valuable due to its synergy with Inner Release’s guaranteed crits. Direct Hit becomes more valuable as your Crit increases, creating a snowball effect that significantly boosts your overall damage output.

When melding, always prioritize your weapon first – it provides the largest stat gains per materia slot. For accessories, consider whether you need the extra Vitality from pentamelded tanks accessories or can safely use fending accessories with more offensive stats. In most raid scenarios, the offensive approach yields better results provided your healers are competent.

Food matters more than many players realize. A well-chosen meal can push you over important stat thresholds, potentially adding an extra crit to your Inner Release window. Popular choices include Dhalmel Pie (Crit/Det) and Rabbit Pie (Crit/DH), depending on your current stat distribution.

Gear Path and Best-in-Slot (7.25)

From Fresh 100 to Raid-Ready

Stage Target Gear How to Get It
Day 1 100 Artifact Set Job quest chest
Step 2 HQ Crafted or Quetzalli Tomes Marketboard or hunts/dailies
Step 3 Augmented Historia Tomes Exchange + upgrade items
Step 4 Arcadion Savage pieces Clear Cruiserweight tier
Flex FRU Ultimate Axe Conquer Futures Rewritten

The gearing process requires strategic planning to optimize your weekly lockouts. Focus on acquiring weapon first, as it provides the largest stat jump. For tome gear, prioritize pieces with the best substat distribution – typically body and legs offer the highest secondary stat totals. Don’t neglect your accessories; a well-melded ring can provide more value than a poorly itemized armor piece.

Current BiS Example

Slot Piece ILvL Main Substats
Weapon Babyface Champion’s Greataxe 760 Crit / DH
Head Babyface Champion’s Helm 760 Crit / Det
Body Augmented Historia Cuirass 760 Crit / DH
Hands Babyface Champion’s Gauntlets 760 Crit / Det
Legs Babyface Champion’s Brais 760 Crit / DH
Feet Augmented Historia Sollerets 760 DH / Det
Ring 1 Babyface Champion’s Ring 760 Crit / DH
Ring 2 Augmented Historia Ring 760 Crit / Det

This BiS configuration prioritizes reaching the Crit cap while maintaining balanced DH and Det stats. The mixed Savage/tome approach allows you to hit optimal stat breakpoints without sacrificing too much item level. Remember that BiS is a moving target – future patches may introduce better alternatives, so stay flexible with your gearing strategy.

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Warrior Tips, Tricks, and FAQ

Question Fast Answer
Survive tough hits? Pre-plan CDs, pop Bloodwhetting often, keep gear up-to-date.
Lose aggro on pulls? Stance on, Overpower, then Decimates. Provoke strays.
Inner Release timing? Every 120s unless boss untargetable inside that window.
Need full BiS? Not for most duties. BiS only shines in Savage/Ultimate.
Dungeon vs. raid tanking? Dungeons: wall-to-wall + self-heal. Raids: time CDs on busters, share Shake It Off.
Practice path? Dummy rotation → 90-100 dungeons → older Extremes → current tier.

Advanced players should focus on optimizing their Infuriate usage to align with both Inner Release windows and fight mechanics. Learning to hold Infuriate for specific phases can dramatically increase your damage output. Additionally, mastering the art of weaving oGCDs without clipping your GCDs separates good Warriors from great ones.

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Conclusion

Mastering Warrior requires dedication but rewards players with one of the most satisfying tanking experiences in FFXIV. The job’s blend of self-sufficiency, damage output, and party utility makes it valuable in virtually all content types. Remember that improvement comes gradually – focus on one aspect at a time, whether it’s perfecting your opener, optimizing cooldown usage, or improving your positioning.

Pick up the greataxe, slam that first Fell Cleave, and lead the charge. The party will notice. The boss will feel it. And you’ll wonder why you ever played anything else.

Action Checklist

  • Practice basic rotation on striking dummy until Surging Tempest never drops
  • Master the 2-minute burst opener with proper oGCD weaving
  • Learn optimal cooldown timing for current raid tier’s busters
  • Optimize materia melds based on your current gear and stat breakpoints
  • Practice wall-to-wall dungeon pulls with proper cooldown usage
  • Join a practice party for current Savage tier to apply all concepts

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