For the recording of the album, Numan retained drummer Cedric Sharpley, keyboardist Chris Payne, and guitarist Russell Bell, all of whom had played on his albums and tours since 1979. Pino Palladino, the bassist on Numan's previous album "I, Assassin" (1982), was unable to return for "Warriors". At Palladino's suggestion, Numan recruited Joe Hubbard as a replacement. Bill Nelson played guitars during the recording of "Warriors", giving them more prominence than they had been allowed on "I, Assassin". Numan asked Dick Morrissey to be the saxophone player on the album, as he admired his work on the "Blade Runner" film score. Numan later described Morrissey as "brilliant, a musical genius. First take, perfect, not a single note wrong." Ultimately, Morrissey would contribute to five Numan albums, from 1983 to 1991. Female backing vocals were also introduced to the Numan sound on "Warriors", provided by Tracy Ackerman.