ULTIMATE DEATH KNIGHT CLASS GUIDE for WotLK Classic (Talent Progression, BiS, Glyphs, Rotation)

[@Toyhouze]

Why do you like playing Death Knight in WotLK?

[@msguy601]

its versatility and survival skills make it fun for me as a tank or dps.

[@1Xareius]

DW Unholy is gonna pump, surprised you did not mention that. I mean it is to be taken with a grain of salt, but it should do better than 2h Unholy.

[@Toyhouze]

@@1Xareius For sure. If you go to the unholy dps BiS list it's got 2 1H weapons. It's gonna be BiS for Unholy P1 for sure.

[@bornholmergamer]

death grip EZ

[@Rambo007-_-]

First time playing wow so excited to see what's the hype around the class

[@Aurleis]

I really enjoy your videos - very thorough straight-forward explanation. Thank you!

[@Toyhouze]

Thanks! I appreciate that!

[@DannyCport]

Please ignore the floating troll to the left @ 7:45

[@Toyhouze]

He's just going for a casual swim.

[@jakehouchin8965]

Just started playing about 3 weeks ago. Your guides are amazing for a newbie like myself.

[@Toyhouze]

Thank you!

[@AnimeFan4815]

Just my dualspec and realizing how many different builds there are depending on gear, situation and maybe group comp

[@brandonkruse6412]

on the unholy section, i’d recommend dropping glyph of disease for glyph of ghoul and minor blood tap for horn of winter 🙂

[@Lapulacuvoi]

yep

[@soapybawlz9160]

for the love of god do not take horn of winter glyph, this will stop other DKs from using the ability and gaining the runic power

[@bernard3303]

@@soapybawlz9160 I think they can still use it. It's rather about whether or not they want to use it

[@DaveTheGamer-detailedguides]

what a great in depth guide great job i think im going to try deathknight

[@Toyhouze]

Thanks Dave! Long time no see my friend :)

[@DaveTheGamer-detailedguides]

@@Toyhouze right I see you grew the channel very nicely. Your hard work and consistency has paid off and love your content

[@msguy601]

ive seen over 5 dk guides now and their all diff...i cant wait to get in and see for myself!

[@agentsmithmememe]

Unholy ftw mate

[@Brumfield85]

Just the guide I’ve been looking for!

[@PULAG]

Can you explain why you don't get Bloodcaked Blade for Dual wield frost?

[@simoncodrington]

Great in-depth video mate. Thanks for all your hard work and effort!

[@Toyhouze]

Thank you!

[@chriscrowe87]

This reminds me of what I believe was you in a early dk video claiming blood was the lvling spec. The unholy build you gave is the t7 bis build. While lvling and preraid, you definitely want blood subspec. Not frost subspec

[@brandoncastellano1858]

2 hour video makes for a good work day!

[@mikkelmv3991]

If duel spec is in from the start, my plan is an unholy DPS, and a blood tanking spec. If they add it later , i problay do stuff like your blood DK leveling

[@NebsterSK]

That ghoul leap sound made my day lol.

[@Rameus]

What are the stat weights for each spec to aim towards? Like strength, haste, mastery

[@brandoncastellano1858]

Mastery won’t exist until cataclysm.

[@JustS0meK1dd]

@@brandoncastellano1858 I would be extremely surprised if we ever got Cataclysm Classic. Cata was the start of modern Wow, and it was the first expansion where player numbers completely dropped off. We are much more likely to get more things like Season of Mastery, and additional content within WOTLK imo.

[@brandoncastellano1858]

@@JustS0meK1dd a life without transmog and Dark Simulcrum. How unfortunate.

[@JustS0meK1dd]

@@brandoncastellano1858 Yeah well, if I was playing Cata again, I'd rather just be playing retail in all honesty. I think most people see "classic" as referring to the old version of Azeroth, before the entire world and most models were updated with new textures. I just can't see them trying to capitalise on an expansion that wasn't widely liked, even by the people like myself that played all the way through in a progress guild. I do kind of wish they would introduce transmog in wotlk classic though because it gets boring only ever seeing recent tier sets.

[@Parzival.007]

Dude, your videos are insanely in depth and SO good! Keep up the great work, your channel will take off even more than it already has!

[@dragonfaith9080]

What liked best is no matter what spec I ran I enjoyed one best classes and always felt like you where powerful

[@vida2559]

I want to make Unholy DK but in the AH nobody sell glyphs of raise dead. I cant find it in the trainer shop. Maybe im blind . (Someone can help ? where to find it)

[@Zedj]

Could you link what you used for the BIS list? Excellent guide by the way! Makes me hyped to play DK again.

[@Justin928]

Ayyyeee!!! Appreciate this video my guy!

[@DeLiCx91]

how does a blood dk add up against a prot pala within wotlk? hesitant which to pick.

[@frankthetank520]

Dk was my first tank class in retail. I didn't start playing until last patch of Cataclysm so I never got to experience the true of DK life. Thinking of going Blood but as an orc I might level in unholy for the pet and extra offense

[@enthozz5326]

I can appreciate the immense of work and time put into this guide but Frost DK's will almost certainly want to go blood subspec until far later into the game as opposed to UH subspec. Once a Frost DK does swap into UH subspec with end-game gear and tons of ArP, they'll want to put points into BCB which isn't done here.

[@sillywet4785]

wait yeah why would you go frost subspec early in this expac before Armor Pen

[@sillywet4785]

@@ArtemMalian no and im not reading what you wrote either

[@ubikii5926]

Excellent, thank you ! What else could I say after such a deep review ?

[@IceBloodedZero]

Mained in retail Wrath, will continue to do so in Classic. The amount of people that will be bad at this class will be astounding. Hope most of you all like going back to your TBC mains.

[@shortfeets]

Thanks for this very detailed and fastastic tuto . Also if possible could you do Pally wotlk version of it too

[@w8play]

Awesome video, thank you!

[@poziks]

if you are lvling, on a pale horse will make that process faster than pretty much all other talents combined lol

[@thadarkone5087]

so why didnt you got over the frost tanks rotations ? or bis ?

[@Henkums]

First of all, great guide Toyhouze, one question though, what about the frost tank rotation, same of blood?

[@Leronos]

If you are engeneer why would I want Frag belt? It puts Saronite Bomb on CD

[@Doudou8321]

Is darkmoon greatness worthwhile for dk? I have a hunter and a dk, but can only afford one card

[@1ShadowRaider1]

engineering is the bis profession for dk over blacksmithing Jewelcrafting = +42 strength Blacksmithing = +40 strength Engineering = 10% haste proc, Mobility, aoe bombs

[@DocWonk]

As I’m looking to tank dungeons from 60-70 as blood you skipped a levelling talent guide and started at 80, what should I prioritise for talents?

[@joseventura4707]

I like Sylvanas lore so cool

[@maggaming7306]

Mag Gamingwhat up wanna play blood dk BUT i wanna have fun leveling up not just starting at level 55 and i love playing dk in dragonflight so what do i need to do

[@PaleMist]

Thanks but what about the Frost tank?

[@hosakuwanderer2399]

what is the hit cap for frost dk with duel wielding if that affects things. Also what is spell hit cap for? just icy touch?

[@Kaonnnnn]

fantastic guide, thank you!

[@Toyhouze]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Leronos]

You want 689 Defense Rating wich translates to 540 Def Skill not 540 Def raiting

[@SecretShadowz1]

Do you follow the standard blood tanking rotation for frost tanking?

[@nordhazengamzz6017]

I just watched you original HTP DK guide, very nice timing

[@creativesoul96_33]

I don’t understand the impurity talent.can someone explain?

[@confusedlama]

Really cannot choose between the frost or Unholy specs. Lifes hard

[@foee]

so for unholy the pre-raid bis are 2x 1handers? does it pull more dps than a 2h?

[@Nyt250]

How can a paladin fear you during Lichborne if you're also immune to fear? :P

[@johntitorii6676]

Yer my fav wow KZbinr

[@AlexandruT1987]

Dude, this is enough to run a dk.

[@giovannia9346]

Hi,can DoT from diseases crit ? Thank you for your time.

[@Toyhouze]

Yes but only with the set bonus from toc

[@MadkingLeviticus]

52:00 thorough but bereft guide. very well written. one thing, why not just go rune tap for the last point. Best bag for your buck, I think. Or Mark of Blood for that matter. Good for bosses.

[@BigBadKnoedel]

@Toyhouze what do you think will be faster for leveling? frost or unholy?

[@4fAnro]

Go uh. Ghoul is op

[@iguanalover213]

I couldn’t find that macro google doc does anyone have it?

[@silentdarkn3ss405]

im curious to why you chose to do dual wielding unholy, which is significantly less dps than 2h unholy

[@reallordfluffybutt5636]

The further you progress through tiers, the better your auto-attacks deal damage because of the scaling with haste and armor pen. DW with Necrosis+BCB is complete bonkers when paired with Imp.Icy Talons. Then you have your insane dots from diseases and the Gargoyle snapshoting and your Ghoul. I've seen it. It's quite the sight.

[@silentdarkn3ss405]

@@reallordfluffybutt5636 when does this become viable though?

[@silentdarkn3ss405]

@@reallordfluffybutt5636 im intrigued

[@reallordfluffybutt5636]

@@silentdarkn3ss405 from the researches as made, it absolutely becomes viable in Tiers 7 BiS, so by the end of farming for Naxx gear, but really kicks off in Tier 8 BiS.

[@Sucksahs123]

@@silentdarkn3ss405 DW should be better than 2H until Shadowmourne, In Naxx its close between 2h and DW but DW still wins. After Naxx DW is way better until Smourne.

[@GuyverU01]

You forgot the Titansteel Destroyer when it comes to 2h maces. I used that thing for a LONG while.

[@Sistik123]

Loved DK's at the beginning of the Xpac. Turning into a ghoul on Death (IF you die) that ghoul being nearly as strong as the DK himself lol

[@turtceri4190]

Why would you recommend the rune strike glyph when you didn't include it in the rotation?

[@alteckstv5395]

I’m gonna be as nice as possible with this critique. It’s obvious you put a lot of work into this, which should be applauded. However, there are multiple issues with several parts of your guide. 1. Frost DKs are playing the Blood Subspec for the majority of the game, until they have gathered enough ArP in late ToGC / early ICC. 2. You did not include Indestructible Potions for Frost DK. This is your best potion until you make the switch to Unholy Subspec, as the added armor is close to 100 AP due to the Bladed Armor talent. 3. Your suggested Unholy Subspec for Frost DK is wrong. The biggest reason why you dip into Unholy is for Blood-Caked Blade. You ALWAYS want to max this. 4. There are no reliable sources that suggests DW Unholy will outperform 2H. Info regarding DW is based on private server knowledge, which is unreliable at best. No one can feasibly conclude which is better, until we have a working Sim Tool.

[@Justin928]

Do you have weapon progression for duel wield frost?

[@MikeRunescapePlays]

Is there a link to the pre raid bis for dk tank?

[@mikeoxlong3676]

Blood is just fine at aoe if your group lets you set up. If they don't (they won't) then you're effed.

[@dmysavage5087]

Why do we not spec into death chill?

[@auslee2431]

man people need to watch this video again.. my 3700gs tank keeps getting blame for not tanking enough when im out dpsing a 4k or higher dks.. hahaha!! ( and yes i purposely play with 3700 GS tank in heroic+ just to expose these type of players that can't dps or heal to expose them.) hahaha!!

[@Rimkriger1]

Just out of pure curiousness, why didnt you mention Titansteel destroyer when talking about 2h crafted maces ?

[@brandonkruse6412]

If you’re playing either two DPS specs, dual-wield is better until the end of the expansion.

[@Rimkriger1]

@@brandonkruse6412 Well when you hit 80, this weapon is gonna be pre bis for all the unholy and blood DK's. Even tanks will have this one into icc.

[@brandonkruse6412]

@@Rimkriger1 If you’re playing 2H Unholy yes, but dual-wield unholy sims much higher than 2H until heroic ICC, where it starts to equal out. This is because Scourge Strike, or any physical based strike with a slow 2H weapon is poor until high crit and armor penetration. Same reason why Fury sims low in Naxx and Ulduar. That being said, the 1h strength options are limited to tank weapons in Naxx, but you can also go for fast a go for fast agility swords because your primary damage will be autos procing blood caked blade and DnD on a 50% lower CD since you’re not using Scourge Strike. As for Blood tanking, this mace will be BiS until Ulduar where there are options with higher stamina, expertise (needed for parry/haste cap later and getting dodge capped so your Death Strike heals don’t get dodged) and you’ll start to find 2H weapons with 1-2 sockets for stacking stamina or fixing your hit/expertise. For a Blood tank, always take the highest item level pieces as they’ll have more stamina, unless the upgrade puts you under hit/expertise cap, which can simply be fixed by hybrid stamina gems and armor enchants.

[@brandonkruse6412]

@@Rimkriger1 tldr; use this for tanking until Ulduar but aim for a sword for human or axe for orc unless you’re at or over expertise cap with armor/talent and dual-wield for UH up to ICC until you down Lich King and obtain Glorenzelg, which will be the point where you want to stack armor penetration, taking the Dirge talent that gives you an extra Scourge Strike every rotation.

[@TiaanHugovanderMerwe]

Viva WoW 3.3.5a long live this expansion. haha

[@d3monmedia219]

what u think unholy vs frost?

[@nochth]

Can you answer, what site did u use for gear guide?

[@Toyhouze]

wowtbc.gg/wotlk/bis-list/

[@nochth]

@@Toyhouze Oh, thanks

[@MacDaniboi]

The more I look at DK the less I want to play it. There might be something wrong with me, but I don't find it engaging or rewarding at all. The untainted blessed, pure paladin though is looking more and more attractive the more I look at it, primarily protection, but holy also draws my attention.

[@tonyvandenhoek2048]

Same, actually. Also debating on Rogue

[@brandonkruse6412]

DK is about the most engaging class you can play. Can’t say the same about Paladin, especially Holy or Ret.

[@benc8167]

Lol Palidan 😂

[@Golemagg]

Bro 2H Unholy Dps isn't the best DPS spec, It's at least in private servers Dual Wield Unholy Spec, it's a DPS increase for sure and also can beat frost dps

[@potworzgo]

How does unholy dw even work? The guy from the video clearly doesnt know and just took a bunch of guides from google you got my attantion

[@Golemagg]

@@potworzgo yeah, dual wield unholy is not a meme anymore and it's actually the top dk DPS until ToC ( the 3rd patch of wotlk, like phase 3) type Whitewolf Unholy Dk in KZbin, he has the guide, and there are 1 Dk's discord where u will find so many ppl who will be glad to answer your questions about it

[@benc8167]

Is 2h at all viable or is dual wield the way to go?

[@Golemagg]

@@benc8167 2H is 100% viable, dual wield is just better dps, especially in naxx patch.

[@irthrones9021]

Hi please send me best dps talent for DK

[@brianoconnor4381]

what about gnomes for pve/pvp?:) is it much dmg loss over a human?

[@electrifiedwalrus]

yes

[@abduljabars]

Play what you want, but gnome racials brings nothing to pve and Escape Artist is now a extremely gimp'd version of the Humans new racial.

[@samdash3216]

What's a hurtstone?

[@dimitarchakalov157]

No on a pale horde and corpse explode for lvling ?sureeee bro

[@Dang_Near_Fed_Up]

Looking forward to playing a DK again, just hope we don't get the endless stream of NERFs as we got back in the day.

[@ondras8928]

You start fully nerfed

[@Bloodywanka]

So many problems with this guide. It seems like its all just your opinion and didn't do a ton of research.

[@Toyhouze]

Name one? Seems like you just threw your opinion in the comment section and didn't watch the video.

[@DogoodPOG]

Need one on pally

[@Rameus]

The unholy bis weapons are one handers? So dual wield uh is bis?

[@Toyhouze]

Yeah dual wield is bis

[@Asghaad]

@@Toyhouze which makes it all the more baffling that throughout this vid you completely ignore dualwield weapon options and talents ... especially considering you can mail your fresh DK pair of onehanders basically the moment you create it ... which is exactly why i have sets of two of Assasination blade, Sword of Zeal and Fist of Reckoning sitting in my bank ready to go the moment prepatch hits.

[@sarunas8638]

i knew dk was not for me when i finished the starting zone and in my p server we had level skip from 60 to 80 its cata and i went to mount hyjall and in first quest i got absolutely destroyed by mobs, my abilities warent doing decent damage at all and i died quick, dont understand why dk is so praised when its terrible

[@kniazrurik]

maybe you're just bad

[@wikimon]

FROM THERE?

[@Blookt]

2 hours for DK ? i think u only need 2 minutes for a full guide

[@nixn6412]

Never played a DK….maybe nows the time?

[@irthrones9021]

Hi please send me best dps talent for DK

[@jutpvp6223]

why are the talents 50% different from min 52:00 and 1:20:30 when both are blood dk tank?

[@YamiPoyo]

2:10 wrong all 3 specs can use dual weapons

[@janitorizamped]

When did he say that the other specs couldnt use dual wield?

[@4fAnro]

Titansteeldestroyer craft 2h mace craft item

[@kernehkehk9924]

ima be honest every single time this guy made a funny spell reference i wanted to throw a punch at my screen

[@Frierenhc]

17:30

[@Genmurasaki]

If you think a 120 atk power flask is helpful Ill tell you a 20% faster mount is DEFINATELY going to help you

[@janitorizamped]

A flask doesn't use a talent point tho

[@jutpvp6223]

unholy tank bis i would guess same as blood tank right?

[@dollybaumer2]

Woooooo can’t wait for everyone to tell you how wrong you are and me have no idea who to listen to

[@Toyhouze]

Haha that's funny. But it's possible both could be right. Take for example On a Pale Horse. This is a talent I don't recommend if you are spamming dungeons to level. But if you're open world questing, especially in a zone like Borean Tundra with lots of travel, then it would be a good pick. Just depends on your playstyle.

[@o0Donuts0o]

Toyhouze is wrong. I don’t know what he’s wrong about but I like to make peoples wishes come true.

[@greyngreyer5]

DK does not need a guide. It's faceroll. How do I play against it? As a warrior or paladin or mage? Anything I can do? Specs? Baits? Thank you

[@smokyofstormwind420]

just started playing BDK on Warmane, can be hard with aoe aggro, especially when ur @ 3.2k GS in Heroics, and the DPS is 4k GS, and they don't give you the chance to build aggro, and get toxic and act like it's ur fault : /

[@mac1462]

Played dk in original wotlk, you literally just mash your face on the keyboard, one of your face bones is sure to hit one of your 17 cooldowns, stop complicating it

[@mikeoxlong3676]

Just waiting for prepatch... Stop groping employees and release this shit, Blizzard.

[@therecanbeonlyone76]

What about 1h axe for Orc DK?

[@fancen]

ok

[@Troopertroll]

I'm playing DK exclusively to finally be the one who Death Grips in wpvp. If you have more than one brain cell you can decide a full wpvp engagement by gripping the right enemy into a deathball.

[@brandoncastellano1858]

So, on that topic. I got Loyal Defender because of Death Grip. (Kill 50 people in Drek’thar/ Vanndar’s room )

[@udontneed2know801]

evil? they're not evil

[@MrLean19988]

Where is the rotation for frost tank DKs?

[@janitorizamped]

Frost isn't the tank spec, tanks go blood

[@johannespettersson2230]

fett lök

[@Ivaylo437]

26:45 on a pale horse is overrated. You get 15% speed when you need to travel just by switching to unholy presence, granted you get it at lvl 70 tho.. keep that in mind. You can also just spend the 2 points into improved unholy presence just to gain that 15% passive speed witch DOES NOT stack with on a pale horse. You will just loose 5% movement speed witch is negligible.