WoW Cataclysm Classic: How to play Arms Warrior

From the Fight Club discord.

-The most important part of your ability priority is: using every GCD as effectively as possible.
-It is important to treat GCDs and Rage as two different resources. This means, if you over-use Heroic Strike (off-GCD ability, costs 30 rage), you will not use your next GCD(s) effectively, and will lose dps!
-Stance-dancing: is a significant dps increase (~<5%), - I advise you to macro 'Berserker Stance' or 'Battle Stance' into every damaging ability! (Battle Stance for Rend, Overpower, and Thunder Clap - Berserker Stance for the rest).
-Raid buffs & Raid CDs: Commanding Shout is no longer unique to Warriors, but we do bring a new Raid CD: Rallying Cry. Rallying Cry grants raid members +20% current & maximum health for 10s.

Basic GCD Prio Order (outside of Execute Phase):

1. Rend
2. Mortal Strike
3. Colossus Smash - if Colossus Smash debuff is already up on the target, skip down the list
4. Overpower
5. Slam - GCD filler

off-GCD Abilities & when to use them:
-Heroic Leap - use on cooldown, when Colossus Smash debuff is active on the target
-Heroic Strike - use when you're over a certain Rage Threshold (typically 60-70 Rage), or use to consume a Battle Trance proc

Execute Phase GCD Prio Order:

1. Rend
2. Mortal Strike - only if Slaughter buff is about to fall off, or if Enrage buff is not up
3. Colossus Smash - if CS is already up, skip it
4. Overpower
5. Execute
   note: Based on current sims, continuing to press Overpower in Execute phase is a dps gain, but it is very close. This is subject to change!
   In fact, all of the above is subject to change, as the sim is developed further.

full Advanced Ability Prio Order for Single Target:

1. Rend
   -) Recklessness - Reck, DC, and Inner Rage put each other on cd in various ways. Reck > DC >> Inner Rage.
   -) Deadly Calm - If fight is 3min~4min, save 2nd DC for Execute Phase!
   -) Inner Rage - either save for guaranteed high-rage scenarios (i.e. periods of prolonged high incoming damage), or just use it on cooldown..
   -) Heroic Leap - off GCD, if CS debuff is up
   -) Heroic Strike - off GCD, if above ~60-70 rage, or if Deadly Calm is active, or to consume a Battle Trance proc
2. Overpower - only if you will lose a proc if you don't press it now, as TfB is about to re-proc
3. Mortal Strike - outside of Execute phase
   -) Mortal Strike (Execute phase) - ONLY if either: Slaughter buff has <1.5s remaining, or if Enrage buff is not active
4. Colossus Smash - if CS debuff is not present on the target
5. Overpower
6. Execute
7. Slam

Cata Arms AoE Abilities:

-note: very little testing has gone into developing an AoE rotation so far, so take this with a pinch of salt

1. Bladestorm - now hits all nearby targets - but is relatively weaker than main abilities in single target, compared to WotLK
2. Sweeping Strikes - advised to use alongside your harder-hitting single-target abilities, like MS, OP, etc; not advised to use with Bladestorm - unless this is your only chance to use it, and those adds are going to die during Bladestorm..
3. Thunder Clap with the Blood and Thunder Protection talent - with Blood and Thunder, Thunder Clap now spreads Rend - which ticks instantly on spreading. For sustained multi-target fights, this talent is very high value
4. Cleave - use it like you would use Heroic Strike, as an excess-rage-dump. Do not sacrifice any GCD abilities for it. It also no longer benefits from Incite in Cata
5. Whirlwind - is distinctly unimpressive for Arms in Cata. Not done extensive testing, but on face value I wouldn't touch it unless everything else is on CD, and it will definitely hit 4/5+ targets?