[Guide] 3.3.5 Blood DK PvP
1 - Introduction to 3.3.5 Blood DKs
Our beloved blood DKs in 3.3.5 are capable of dealing high damage bursts and big healing healing bursts just fine. We can either deal more healing than damage for a few seconds and stay alive against a burst, or burst them and quickly kill a healer. I'd say Blood is the strongest and most fun spec to play in PvP, but that's just an opinion.
Since blood has sustained healing on it's own, we'll be focusing on maximizing our damage in this guide.
2 - Presences
You will be choosing between Blood or Unholy presence. There's a talent tree for each presence, so make sure to take a look at it!
Unholy presence is very good for bursts and good against RDPS that kite you well, you cast things so fast you need to wait a few seconds until your runes recharge.
Blood presence gives more damage and more healings for yourself, but when doing ERW damage bursts you can't spend your runic power and you'll be losing a bit of DPS.
Blood Presence -- +15% damage and self heals per hit. This is the one I use.
Frost Presence -- +8% stamina +60% armor from equipment +8% damage reduction. You can use this against MDPS. Change before the fight to save the frost rune. If you change during the fight, then use a Blood Tap.
Note: You can still fight a MDPS at blood/UH presence, frost presence isn't a requirement.
Unholy Presence -- +15% movement speed +15% attack speed and reduces global cooldown by 0,5s. Great for ERW damage bursts, as you can spend even your runic power. May help a lot too against kiting classes.
3 - Talent Tree
(51/0/20) This is the one I use. You may take the path to Lichborne aswell but you'll be losing valuable DPS for that. This talent tree is for Blood Presence DKs.
http://i.imgur.com/AAdacTb.png
(51/17/3) This is a good talent tree for UH presence users, using the Lichborne path.
http://imgur.com/2e9LUfH
Keep in mind you can do your own talent tree, they aren't a rule! You can take the Lichborne path with a blood presence tree, and so on!
These are just my favorite talent trees.
4 - Stats Priority
ARP > STR > Hit/Expertise cap > Critical Strike > Resilience > Stamina > Avoidance > Haste
5 - Glyphs
5.1 - Major Glyphs
Glyph of Disease -- This is a requirement, you will need to refresh your diseases.
Glyph of Dancing Rune Weapon -- +5 seconds for the duration of DRW. This is another requirement, for your damage bursts.
Glyph of Death Strike -- Increases your Death Strike damage by 1% for each runic power you have, up to a 25% increasement. If you want to increase your DPS, this is a good option.
Glyph of Heart Strike -- After hitting your targets with Heart Strike, their movement will be reduced by 50% for 10 seconds. Take this if you have problems in keeping your enemies close.
You will be taking Disease and DRW. You will choose between Death Strike and Heart strike for your third glyph, both of them are good improvements.
To blood presence users I suggest Death Strike.
5.2 - Minor Glyphs
Glyph of Horn of Winter -- Increases the duration of Horn of Winter by 1 minute.
Glyph of Pestilience -- Increases the radius of pestilience by 5yd. Very good in massive BGs, you may spread diseases to everyone around you!
Glyph of Blood Tap -- Blood Tap will no longer damage you.
Note: If you went for the Lichborne path, you will replace either HoW or blood tap with Death's embrace.
6 - Enchanting
Remember there are professions that have enchant to your items. Read "7 - Professions" and "4 - Stats Priority" before you choose.
Head -- Arcanum of Torment - +50 AP +20 crit
Cloak -- Scroll of Enchant Cloak - Greater Speed +23 haste
Chest -- Scroll of Enchant Chest - Powerful Stats + 10 all stats
Boots -- Scroll of Enchant Boots - Greater Assault + 32 attack power
Gloves -- Scroll of Enchant Gloves - Crusher + 44 attack power
Legs -- Icescale Leg Armor +75 attack power and + 22 critical strike
Shoulder -- Greater Inscription of the Axe +40 attack power + 15 crit rating
Bracer -- Scroll of Enchant Bracers - Greater Assault +50 attack power
Waist -- Eternal Belt Buckle + 1 socket
Weapon -- Rune of the Fallen Crusader
7 - Gems
Red slot -- +20 amor penetration
Blue slot -- +10 ARP and + 15 stamina
Yellow slot -- +10 STR and + 10 critical strike
Meta slot -- +21 critical strike and +3% damage on critical strikes
8 - Professions
Blacksmithing -- + 40ARP or +40STR or +60 stamina
Tailoring -- Cloak enchant to sometimes give 400 attack power for 15 seconds
Enchanting -- +80 AP or +60 stamina
Skinning -- +48 critical strike
Jewelcrafting -- +42ARP or +42STR or +61 stamina
Leatherworking -- +80 AP or +62 stamina
Mining -- +60stamina
Jewelcrafting -- +61 stamina
Engineering -- So many good stuff on it.
I have Tailoring and Engineering. Tailoring because my other option for cloak is +haste, and engineering because I wanted the movement boost.
9 - Race
Human is the best, for the free DPS trinket. Orcs are the horde option.
10 - Gear
Full PvP gear. You may spend coins on improving every single gear piece, but without resilience your self healings won't sustain you.
But, as for the weapon and trinket...
Weapon -- Shadowmourne (orly?)
Cast DRW = win, a floating shadowmourne chasing your enemies!
Rings -- Might of Blight. And the ICC rep ring.
Trinket -- Sharpened Twilight Scale. Best DPS trinket for blood DKs. If you're human and want another DPS trinket, then take DBW.
11 - Macros
In case you went for the Lichborne path, this macro is a need:
Quote:
#showtooltip Death Coil
/cast Lichborne
/cast [target=player] Death Coil
It heals you at the cost of runic power.