Delicious warrior change.

OH. MY. GOD.

Patch 4.1 has been around for a week, and patch notes for 4.2 are already creeping around the net like so many rogues at the stables.
There were some pretty major changes.
A raid
some quests n' shit
a legendary for DPS casters
CC no longer causing the pull to start

and
the Big 3 for warriors, Recklessness, Retaliation, and Shield Wall, will no longer have stance requirements.

Here, let me list them and their stances, as those who don't play warriors may not be the most familiar with them.

Retaliation.
Requirement: Battle Stance
5 minute Cooldown.
Instant.
Instantly counterattack any enemy that strikes you in melee for 12 sec. Melee attacks made from behind cannot be counterattacked. A maximum of 20 attacks will cause retaliation.
Thank you Wowhead.

This was a strange ability. Battle stance is most commonly used by Arms warriors, since it's the only stance that allows use of Overpower, one of Arms' main damage abilities. But as an Arms warrior, there are few circumstances outside of PvP to use retaliation. Sure you might once or twice while leveling, but in a group setting, if you're getting beat on, you're better off going into defensive stance and using Shield wall. I'm not going to talk about pvp here because...I don't want to.

What this means is a warrior tank can charge and use retaliation in defensive stance, so as to not gimp her threat and her rage, and still get the insane burst threat of countering every mob bashing on her. Sure it was possible before, but this is so much more streamlined. So lovely.

Recklessness
Requirement: Berserker Stance.
5 minute Cooldown.
Instant.

Grants your special attacks an additional 50% chance to critically hit, but increases all damage taken by 20%. Lasts 12 sec.

This one hearkens back to the days when Berserker stance increased the damage you took. It's a flavor thing that may or may not piss me off, but that's some serious burst damage right there.
It's requirement of berserker stance annoys arms warriors the hell out, as changing stances gets rid of a good chunk of your rage, and so when you pop it you may have trouble having the rage to use anything serious after. Oh well. 50% crit is pretty funny. Previously this ability was 100% crit on your next 3 abilities. This current incarnation feels heavier. Moar smashy.

Shield Wall
Requirement: Defensive Stance
5 minute Cooldown
Instant

Reduces all damage taken by 40% for 12 seconds.

Bland as sh*t, but that's ALL damage
Physical, shadow, holy, arcane, frost, fire, nature

Shield mastery, a talent in the Protection tree, reduces its cooldown by 3 minutes.
Glyph of Shield wall INCREASES its cooldown by 2 minutes.
To sum it up, this can have a 60% reduction for 12 secs once per 4 minutes.

There are arguments about this, I'm sure. But my thoughts are thus:
Shield wall is not a "use on cooldown" button. this is a button that they gave us for things like tanking Illidan Stormrage in Black Temple during TBC. you used it for Shear so you wouldn't die.
(Shear was Illidan hitting for 50k with a 2 second cast time. it would kill the tank or anyone else except for a warrior with shield wall)
So reducing the cooldown isn't a big priority here. But increasing the protection it gives you? Pshah! yes please! 60% of ALL damage reduced...regardless of if that's before armor and blocking and other nonsense or after, it's Hefty.

So. That's why I'm excited.