World of Warcraft™

So nothing changed in terms of gearing and stats as of yet (I need more info on haste vs mastery with the 2pc T13 before making changes), which means that as of now this guide is up-to-date for 4.3 minus the gear-sets (again, need more info on the Deathwing sword and such). If anything changes, I'll make the appropriate edits.

Introduction:
This here's your basic Fury guide for Cataclysm, broken up into spec, rotation, gearing, and some helpful general tips I've picked up over my time on the beta and on live servers. I'll try to cover as much as I can, but if I forget anything feel free to ask any questions or add any comments. This guide also focuses more on Titan's Grip. If you're looking for something more focused towards Single-Minded Fury, I recommend you check out Collision's SMF guide (http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic//2190890474) for those answers. I may try to answer a bit about SMF, but I won't spend too much time on it.

This is also more a basic guide; don't expect a lot of math or anything. If you'd like that, Elitist Jerks likely has that covered, or ask folks like Jathine or Rallik for it.

Anyways, on to the actual show!

NOTE: This guide is in the process of being updated for 4.1. The gear section probably will be awhile since I just now have time to work on it, but most of the guide should be updated (the only thing that really needed updating was the stat section). Ignore some blank stuff.

So how do I spec?
The basic spec for Cataclysm Fury should be this: http://wowtal.com/#k=BeB4St51.a7t.warrior.RDlNCh

For Fury, it's fairly self explanatory up until tier 5, where you've got one extra point needed to reach Bloodsurge and Skirmisher. I'd personally max out Rude Interruption, but if you want a more general spec, picking up Piercing Howl will give you some good utility and will allow you to PvP fairly well with your PvE spec. I picked up Booming Voice because it really helps to have that in Cata for shouts. You won't use shouts on CD, but you will use them a lot, and 30 second shouts that give 30 rage are very good. Skirmisher + Heroic Fury are amazing, especially with the addition of Heroic Leap. Fury is an incredibly mobile class in Cata, much more so than in Wrath or BC. I wouldn't advise picking up Blood Craze unless you are going to PvP, since it's not a very effective self-heal and you can't really find a good way to pick it up without sacrificing some much more beneficial talents.

For Arms, it's also pretty self explanatory. Your last two points should go into 2/3 Incite in Prot. Even though HS has been nerfed, Incite is the best place to spend those two points as it helps with Flurry and Deep Wound uptimes.

For glyphs, prime should be pretty simple as we only have three choices (Raging Blow, Bloodthirst, and Slam). For majors, I picked Death Wish, Colossus Smash, and Cleaving. Death Wish is going to be a useful glyph because there are a few instances I've found where the extra damage you take ends up killing you. Colossus Smash is great if you're going to be the Sunderbot, and Cleaving is always a solid choice. If you aren't the Sunderbot, Victory Rush isn't a terrible choice as it gives you a little more grinding oomph. I wouldn't recommend Glyph of Heroic Throw as it's just not really that useful. You may use it once or so per fight, and if you're the Sunderbot the CS glyph is way more useful. For minors, Berserker Rage and Bloody Healing should be your only necessary one. The last slot can be used for either shout glyphs, switching as necessary.

Alright, I'm specced and glyphed properly. How do I hit things so that they die in a timely fashion?
The basic rotation can be boiled down to this: CS -> BT -> RB -> BT -> Free GCD

The lynchpin of Fury's rotation is Bloodthirst, which has a 3 second CD, costs 20 rage, and deals 80% of your AP as damage. You'll likely be using this every other GCD unless something pops up, and that's fine since it deals good damage and procs Bloodsurge. In most fights, you'll see this as doing the most of your damage (it seems to be 23-27%).

The second big part of Fury's rotation is Raging Blow, which has a 6 second CD, costs 20 rage, and deals 120% weapon damage with both weapons. It also requires an enrage effect, which includes Death With, Berserker Rage, Enrage, Enraged Regeneration, and Unholy Frenzy (20% haste for 30 seconds) from an Unholy DK. This is your second priority in Fury, and when this is up you'll want to hit it since it kind of deals crazy damage since our mastery affects it. If BT is up, you'll likely want to hit that first since keeping that on CD is our main priority, but otherwise you'll hit RB. The enrage requirement may be a bit cumbersome at first but here's some math to assuage you:

Math thanks to Jathine:

The way I did it the first time was just straight multiplicative stacking: 20% * 50% * 40% for BR * 5% for Reck = 77.8% or something like that. However, that was treating Reck, BR and DW as RNG elements as well. However that is also wrong. You need to sum the controllable parts since you can normally assume you won't be overlapping them too terribly much with the exception of DW+Reck for high burst times.

So let's just say DW, BR and Enrage are what we concern ourselves You need to add DW and BR, provided you aren't overlapping them, or at least you shouldn't. You then need to take that number and multiply that by the uptime of Enrage. This will get you the downtime for the RB usage window. Now for numbers:

[(20% + 40) + (20% + 40%) * Enrage uptime]
[60% + 60% * 50%]
60% + 30%
90% uptime on RB usage window.

You should also look into getting Power Auras to help track when you're enraged or not. It's a great addon for Battle Trance as well, seeing as there's not a built-in one for that.

The third ability in Fury's arsenal is Slam through Bloodsurge procs. This deals fairly hefty damage and costs nothing to boot, which is kind of nice. The only time you'll want to prioritize it is if you're low on rage and can't hit BT or RB (provided they're up). Also, never hit Slam when Bloodsurge is not procced. You'll be stuck with a 1.5 second cast (unless you have a /stopcasting macro) and will delay your next white hits by that 1.5 seconds. This kind of sucks.

Our next instant is Colossus Smash, something we get at 81. This has a 20 second CD, costs 20 rage, and deals 150% weapon damage plus 120. That's nice and all, but the real bonus here is that after using CS, your attacks for the next 6 seconds will ignore all armor on the target. This lets you set up some pretty crazy burst on a target and dish out the hurt. During this time, you'll want to dump as much rage as possible, so if you can get CS -> BT -> RB -> BT and 1 or 2 Heroic Strikes in there, you're in a good spot. You should keep this on CD, only delaying if you can't set up BT->RB->BT initially.

Finally, we have Heroic Strike, which costs 30 rage and deals 60% AP, but is off of the GCD. This is now simply a rage dump that you'll only want to use during Battle Trance or when you have high amounts of rage (60-75+). You can also try to use this when you have a Bloodsurge proc and 45-50 rage as Bloodsurge costs no rage. However, that's a bit risky and you might end up not being able to hit BT or RB on the next GCD.

Don't we also get Inner Rage?
Inner Rage is something you'll likely find a use for during burn phases when Bloodlust/Hero/TW are used. Otherwise, you won't find much use for it.

Alright, I think I have the rotation down. How do I gear/gem/enchant as Fury?
Quick version: Str > 8% hit (inc Precision) and 26 expertise > Crit > Hit to 27% >= Mastery > Haste

Before 4.0 and Cataclysm, the special hit cap and expertise cap would be top priority over strength, and we'd gem and enchant accordingly. Now that we have reforging, strength will always be our top priority even if we're under the caps slightly. This is because we can reforge haste and, if necessary, crit and mastery to reach those caps and still be able to gem and enchant properly. That being said, your first goals should always be getting the special hit cap and capping expertise.

Afterwards, your highest priority should be critical strike. Much of Fury's damage and playstyle revolves around crits, including Deep Wounds, Incite, and most importantly Flurry. If a piece has crit on it, you probably want it.

That leaves haste, hit (to 27%), and mastery. Before 4.1, mastery was ahead of hit and haste was behind everything else. With buffing Precision, the value of hit and haste has increased. Because of this, hit is now roughly equal to mastery, and haste still lags behind. Hit is likely going to give slightly better returns than mastery will at lower gear levels, as it allows for a little more wiggle room with rage. Once you get better gear and your skill improves, you can slowly drop more hit for mastery until you reach a spot where you feel comfortable with rage. Haste should always be your last priority, though. That hasn't changed.

TL;DR: find a balance with hit that allows you to feel comfortable with rage and then prioritize mastery after crit.

BUT WAIT. I have the 2pc T13. What changes now?
Short version: Str > Exp/Hit Caps (26 exp/8% hit) > Hit to 19% >= Crit > Haste > Mastery
The 2pc T13 bonus (Inner Rage reduces HS's rage cost by 10) changes Fury's stat priority fairly significantly. Now, hit becomes your best secondary stat up to about 19% hit, at which point crit once again becomes a better stat. Before that point and nearing it, the gap between the two isn't very big; maybe about .05ish SEP. It's still a gap and makes hit more valuable.

Haste also overtakes mastery as a secondary stat, which is a fairly significant jump. This doesn't change too much, as you'll still want to focus more on crit and hit, with hit taking the lead until about 19% (mostly in regards to reforging).

So how do we handle reforging then?
Reforging hasn't changed much from 4.0.6 (unless you have the T13 2pc of course). If you're under hit/exp caps, reforging to hit those first should be your top priority. Try not to reforge crit off for hit/exp if you can.

After that, crit. If a piece has no crit on it, reforge to that. Reforge off excess expertise, then haste, then mastery, and then finally hit.

If a piece has crit on it, reforge excess expertise, then haste, and then mastery to hit. You shouldn't be reforging to any other stat for any reason.

With the 2pc T13, you want to reforge more into hit rather than crit. If a piece doesn't have hit, reforge something into hit. Reforge any excess expertise first, then mastery, and finally haste. Try not to reforge crit off if you can.

Alright, so those are the priorities. What about gemming and enchanting?
Your meta of choice should be the Reverberating Shadowspirit Diamond, and all you need to activate this is three red gems, which is stupid simple because we love strength. For most sockets, you'll be using Bold Inferno Ruby. This includes red sockets, prismatic sockets, and any blue or yellow socket that doesn't have a good socket bonus (Earthen Legplates for example). If, say, you have an item with a red socket and a blue or yellow socket, like Earthen Battleplate, you'll use either a Etched Demonseye or Inscribed Ember Topaz, depending on if the other socket is a blue or yellow socket. If the item has just a blue socket, yellow socket, or a blue and yellow socket and a good socket bonus (read: strength socket bonus), use the matching color to activate the socket. Otherwise, Bold.

For enchanting, you'll want to use these enchants for each slot:

Helm: Arcanum of the Wildhammer/Arcanum of the Dragonmaw depending on Alliance/Horde
Shoulders: Greater Inscription of Jagged Stone
Cloak: Enchant Cloak - Greater Critical Strike, Enchant Cloak - Critical Strike if you're cheap
Chest: Enchant Chest - Peerless Stats, Enchant Chest - Mighty Stats if you're cheap
Bracers: Enchant Bracer - Major Strength, Enchant Bracer - Critical Strike if you're cheap
Gloves: Enchant Gloves - Mighty Strength, Enchant Gloves - Exceptional Strength if you're cheap
Legs: Dragonscale Leg Armor
Boots: Enchant Boots - Lavawalker, Enchant Boots - Earthen Vitality if you're cheap

For weapons, your goal should be to use dual Enchant Weapon - Landslide. However, maelstrom crystals at the moment are pretty damned expensive, so if you can't afford them or get them from your guild, you should use dual Enchant Weapon - Hurricane.

Alright, so I'm geared like I should be. What now?
Go be beardy.

A helpful tip for Slam and Bloodsurge is to make a /stopcasting macro for Slam. Since we can cast Slam on the move, you can't jump to cancel Slam anymore. This macro should do the trick:

#showtooltip Slam
/stopcasting
/cast Slam
/stopcasting

What do we do for AoE packs?
Before 4.1, Fury's AoE was... kinda bad. Whirlwind was on a 10 second CD and did fairly meh damage, and our only other way to stack Meat Cleaver was a 30 rage three-target Cleave. It's now better since anytime you use Whirlwind and it hits more than 3 targets, its cooldown is reduced to 4 seconds. This means, rage willing, you're able to put out more AoE damage assuming you go easier on your single-target abilities.

A note of warning: CC is used much more in Cataclysm, so be wary of where CCed mobs will be.

But wait, don't we get Single-Minded Fury as well? How does that play out compared to ye olde Titan's Grip?
They should be roughly even, and both should play roughly the same, have roughly the same gearing (aside from the obvious difference in weapon choices), and should have roughly the same priorities.

Like I said earlier, check out Collision's guide if you're more into SMF.

Dear Sam, is Execute worth using anymore?
Yes, albeit with a catch. While a 30 rage Execute might hit pretty hard, it's damage per rage is absolutely atrocious, especially with the buffs to BT, RB, and even Slam. Because of this, you'll only want to use Execute to get a 5 stack of Executioner up and then only as filler to keep the stacks up. Weave it in where you can, but make sure you're still hitting BT on every other GCD and keeping CSmash on CD as best you can. You'll probably want to lay back on the Heroic Strikes a bit, as using two 30 rage abilities, one off of the GCD, will eat up your rage bar insanely fast. Use sparingly.

However, if you can keep up 30 rage Executes on every GCD, go ahead and do that. Like I said, at 30 rage it's a monster truck of an ability.

Cooldowns. How do I use them?
In most cases, you want to stack your cooldowns as best you can. On a standstill fight, you should use a Golemblood Potion 2-3 seconds before the tank pulls and give the tank a 3-5 sec headstart before using any CDs. It also helps to wait for any trinkets to proc, like Heart of Rage. You'll want to use both Recklessness and Death Wish here in most cases, as using them together gets you the most benefit. This is doubly so if you can get Hero/BL/TW up there as well. There aren't too many fights where this happens in Dragon Soul (was possibly more common in Firelands, but a good number of fights had times where it was better to use Hero at a certain point), so you want to time your CDs so you can get both of them plus a Golemblood when Hero is used. On Zon'ozz, this is usually during a Black Blood phase since he's taking more damage. Morchok can be at the end of the fight to hurry it up as he'll do more damage, and so on.

A note about Apparatus of Khaz'goroth. If you have this trinket, make sure to not use it and Recklessness together as this will likely put you over the crit cap as Fury. Try to spread them so you use Reck first and then AoK after Reck falls.

Oh, what consumables should I use?
Flask of Titanic Strength, Beer-Basted Crocolisk, and Golemblood Potion. If you have a guild member dropping flask cauldrons and fish feasts, the first two are taken care of, but make sure to have enough Golemblood to use before and during a fight. Prepotting is a rather large deal and helps you squeeze in that extra DPS that might help down the boss.

Alright, so I understand Fury I think. Any chance of you throwing together a sample gear set or something?

wip for 4.3, check back in a week or two