1. Intro :

    Hello to all my blood lovers (gosh this sounds so wrong). My name is Kiryuu and I created this guide for all the persons that wanted to play as a blood tank but never had the chance to do so because of outdated guides.

    Many players asked me about advices, tips, etc. so I thought that I should make a guide to make things simpler. I won't go into complicated calculations and I will keep things as simple as they can be. This was created originally for the players of the guild < Severance > (Deathwing,Horde) and now is updated for the guild <Solace>(Deathwing, Alliance). This sums up my tanking experience from the past year. During this time I tanked mostly ICC 25hc as OT and RS25hc as the inferno tank in both Severance and Solace.

    All my thanks goes to Gastlyy, Sheksy and Heraxion which taught me all the advanced things of the blood tank, to Daellon and Zababoon which taught me the very basics of tanking and to all my tank friends, Paperz, Diemtee, Lagbert and to the guild Severance which formed me and to the guild Solace which defined me.
    Also, this is not the "best" or "ultimate" blood tank guide since I'm not the best and I don't know everything. This is simply based on my playstyle and on my experience. Feel free to look for other guide if you don't agree with my playstyle.

    Contents :

    *Intro
    *Abreviations
    *Starting and motivation
    *Basics
    *Rotation
    *Defensives
    *Glyphs
    *Talents
    *Stats
    *Gems
    *End-game Gear
    *Professions
    *Addons
    *Videos
    *F.A.Q.
    *Final word

    Abreviations :

    IT - Icy touch
    PS - Plague strike
    RS - rune strike
    DS - death strike
    HS - heart strike
    VB - vampiric blood
    RT - rune tap
    BT - blood tap
    IBF - Icebound fortitude
    AMS - anti magic shell
    SFF - sindragosa's flawless fang( basically it gives you another defensive)
    AOD - army of the dead
    CD - cooldown
    DMR - diminishing return
    STM - stamina
    DND - death and decay
    BB - blood boil

    Starting and motivation:

    So, why Blood tank ? Because it's a survival spec which can solo so many things which makes the healers job easier. But let's see the ups and downs.

    Ups : - best class for tanking magical(spell) bosses
    - has more avoidance than any other class due to Forceful deflection
    - self healing which can make you the best self healer which is crucial in fights like halion 25hc or sindragosa 25hc.
    - raid support; with buffs like Abomination's might, Hysteria or Improved Icy Talons



    Downs: - worst multiple target threat( you just can't tank more than 5 adds without the help of hunters)
    - Not as needed as paladins. You won't see an ICC raid 25hc without paladin tanks. So, we have to fight with druids and even other paladins to get a spot as 2nd tank in raids. WeÔÇÖre almost everytime OTs because paladins take less damage than us.

    Basics :

    *This is meant for the players which never tanked at all. Some things may sound obvious to you but to other people maybe it isn't that way.

    1.You should wear full plate and 2h swords/axes/maces.
    2.Always and forever use the Frost Presence. You may need to switch to Unholly presence sometimes but don't do it if you don't have frost runes up.
    3.Don't ever rush in to clear mobs or to start the encounter if you have no support ( heal/dps). If you die while doing that it is your own fault.
    4.Don't face the mobs/boss to the raid and don't turn your back to the mobs. You can't parry or dodge attacks from behind.
    5.Use hysteria on the top physical dps but use it on yourself if you have big problems in threat.
    6.Heal yourself as much as you can so you won't depend on healers.
    7.DonÔÇÖt panic if you see your HP going down. Use your defensives in a clever way.
    8.Don't ever spam the keyboard. Use the rotation I designed or come up with your own rotation.
    9.Always remember that the mistakes of the tanks can wipe the raids in an instant. You are in no position to afk or to slack.
    10.Make sure you have more threat than the rest of the players.

    Rotation :

    Tanks normally don't have a rotation(they have a "priority list") but I will give you what I usually use. Please note that there are 2 types: healing rotation and threat rotation.

    *Threat rotation(single target) : BT -> 3 x IT -> PS -> 2 x HS -> refresh dots with pestilence -> repeat. You do all this while spamming the RS button. I don't suggest to macro rune strike because macro's are buggy.

    *Healing : BT -> IT -> PS-> spam DS -> refresh dots with pestilence -> again

    *Aoe threat : BT -> DND -> 2 x BB -> pray a hunter puts MD on you and does Aoe attacks(really, because from this point on you can't do nothing at all)

    **Please note that I didn't include the use of defensives in a rotation because they should not be used like that.


    Defensives :

    You have to manage your defensives in a wise way because you will surely need one when you least expect it. So, be sure to use them accordingly to the encounter but be clever and keep one or two for unexpected things(e.g. : healer dies => you have to survive a few seconds on your own).
    I will explain each and every defensive and I will suggest you the cases when a particular defensive is needed. I grouped the defensives in 3 groups so it can be easier to keep track of them.

    * Healing defs :
    VB- gives you extra health and increases the healing through spells and effects. This def should be used when you're dipping very low and you need lots of heals to stay alive.
    Raise ghoul + death pact - personally I don't use this very much because it uses a lot of runic power and because of the big CD. But it can save your life when you're out of defensives.
    Mark of blood ÔÇô gives you 20 dots of 4% of your HP which means 80% of HP. But this isnÔÇÖt so good because it takes time to apply. I keep it only for the VDW encounter.

    * Magical defs :
    AMS - this is the best magical defensive. This is heavily used in Halion encounter, Sindragosa encounter and Lady Death Whisper encounter. You can also use it when you are in fire( at LM or at Halion).
    SFF - actually this is a trinket but it's a must have which gives a great defensive. It's basically your 2nd magical defensive which can save you when AMS is on CD.

    * Damage defs :
    BT - It's the t10 4 pieces bonus. This should be used the most because of it's small CD.
    IBF - The best defensive you have but with the biggest CD. This should be used in extreme situations. I use it as a last resort.
    AOD - This is the very last resort. It has a 10min CD which makes it unrealiable but it can save you in really desperate situations where you have no defensive left.

    **Healing Spell : RT - heals you for 10% of your health pool. I usually keep it for near-death situations because I can heal myself with DS's instead of using this defensive.



    Glyphs :

    *** You can use whatever you want here but this is what I recommend you to use.

    *Major : - Disease + Dark Command + Vampiric Blood
    *Minor : - Horn + blood tap/death's embrace + pestilence

    Talents :

    *What you use it's up to you. You should experiment with talents and see what's best for you. At this very moment I use survival talents because I'm 5.5kgs after reset and I can't afford to go raid support. In this spec there's only one raid buff and you might have issues with threat, but this is the very best spec for survival that I can think off.



    Stats :
    In end-game BiS gear your stats should look like this.
    Defense - The cap is 540. Once you got that it is enough for any raid. But, in end-game gear you will have around 580-600 defense which can only help you since AOTD and IBF will be stronger because of that. But don't forget, never gem for more defense unless you donÔÇÖt meet the cap.

    Hit - You need %3 spell hit rating so you won't miss with the spells but I recommend you to play with around 6% for better threat.

    Expertise - The soft cap is 20-22 and the hard cap is 26. But keep in mind that parry haste is kinda bugged on Molten so you don't need it as much. But, I recommend you to play with at least 13 expertise for proper threat.

    Parry and Dodge - Not our main stats since the DMR fix so you don't have to worry about it that much.

    Armor - This is our most valuable stat after the DMR fix which makes parry stackers a distant memory. You should have around 38k-39k unbuffed. The hard cap is 75%.

    Stamina - This is the stat we're looking for besides the armor. In almost BiS gear you will have around 4500 stamina.



    Gems :
    Basically we stack +30 stamina (solid majestic zircon) in all our sockets. We use just 1 red gem ( take exp + stamina or whatever) because we need to activate our meta.
    Our Meta Gem is Austere Earthsiege Diamond.

    BiS list( + enchants) :
    Thanks to Severance and Solace IÔÇÖve reached full bis and I can assure you that this list is accurate. I will mention extra items which would be good to have in your inventory if you want to experiment on things.

    Head - T10 HC + Arcanum of the Stalwart Protector
    Neck ÔÇô Noose of malachite HC
    Shoulders - T10 HC + 30 stm/15 resilience
    Back - Royal crymson cloak HC +225 armor
    Chest - T10 HC + 225 HP
    Wrist - Bracers of dark reckoning HC + 40 STM
    Weapon - Glorenzelg HC + stoneskin gargoyle
    Sigil - Sigil of bone gryphon or Sigil of insolence
    Hands - T10 HC +885 armor(from engineering) or +2% threat
    Waist - Belt of broken bones HC + eternal belt buckle
    Pants ÔÇô Legguards of lost hope + 55 stamina
    Boots - Treads of impending resurrection HC + 15 STM/ minor speed increase
    Ring 1 ÔÇô Juggernaut band HC
    Ring 2 - Devium's eternally cold ring HC
    Trinket 1 - Petrified Twilight Scale HC
    Trinket 2 - Sindragosa's flawless fang HC
    Extra items :
    Neck - Bile-encrusted medallion HC ÔÇô armor alternative
    Back - Sentinel winter's cloak ÔÇô armor alternative
    Wrist - Gargoyle spit bracers HC ÔÇô armor alternative
    Weapon - Cryptmaker HC + stoneskin gargoyle ÔÇô hit alternative
    Waist - Verdigris chain belt ÔÇô armor alternative
    Pants - Pillars of might + 55 STM/22 agility ÔÇôarmor alterntive or Sanctified Scourgelord Legguards ÔÇôexpertise alternative
    Trinket - Juggernaut's vitality HC ÔÇô HP alternative




    Professions :

    You can have whatever profession you desire but I will suggest you the best 2 choices:

    1.Mining = gives you 60 stamina + Engineering = gives you 885 armor(hand enchant)

    2.Blacksmith = gives you 2 extra socket slots + jewelcrafting = gives you 63 stamina


    Addons :
    * You can use whatever you like. But here are some suggestions:

    CLC DK - this addon shows the runes in a better way and it suggests you the next spell/skill you should use.
    DBM or BigWigs - Each and every one of us should use it.
    Omen Threat meter
    Bartender or Dominos - allows you modify your UI
    Grid - shows your raid in a tiny box which allows you to select any player easily
    *As an example here is my current UI.

    Videos :
    RS 25hc OT(Inferno tank) POV : http://youtu.be/EwUpz2GRtr4

    F.A.Q. :

    Q : You didn't mention mind freeze/strangulate/etc. at all. It's that because you don't use them at all ?
    A : Mind freeze and strangulate are used to stop attacks/casts. Keep in mind that those don't work on bosses. But, you have to use them a lot in VDW encounter to silence adds.

    Q : What about Death Coil ?
    A : Death coil uses too much runic power and I use it only to collect Dark Nucleus in BPC encounter. But, you can use it whenever you have 100 runic power and the runes are on CD.

    Q : What race should I choose ?
    A : Blood elf is the best choice because of the magical resistence(2% chance to resist spells) for horde and for alliance I would choose Night Elf because of 2% reduced chance to be hit + shadowmeld.

    Q : But the Tauren has increased HP. So, why isn't that the best ?
    A : They have 500 more HP. Not so much if you compare it with the magical resistance(of the blood elf). Also, it is too big.

    Q : In the "bis list" you included 2 weapons. Why is that ?
    A : Because the DK blood tank(and every tank in general) has to change different parts of gear based on the encounter. If you think we are using only one gear then you should stop tanking and you should go DPS.

    Q : Also, you included 2 sigils. So, what should we choose ?
    A : It's based on playstyle to be honest. You can go with either one.


    Final word :

    Please bear in mind that this guide is meant to help starters. When you'll reach my level of experience you will be above all guides and from that moment forward you will have to improve by yourself.
    I really hope that this guide will help those in need. Good luck and see you in game.

  2. I take it this guide isn't meant/updated for Lordaeron?

  3. I take it this guide isn't meant/updated for Lordaeron?
    Probably not. It is rather old. I bumped all the important threads in the section so we could proceed with our cleaning routine.

  4. And Specc is wrong aswell as some Items.

  5. Items are more or less correct, honestly. Tell me which item you are doubting and I'll explain you the reasoning for it. Personally, I prefer the EHP/Armor alternative to the "highest ilvl" list, but I guess I will switch to the latter later on when I get access to those items. The spec is weird, yes. Not having Morbidity basically means that you cannot OT on LK. Spell Deflection and Lichborne are near-useless talents and Subversion is just ****ing horrible.

    I've been promoting the same ol' build for years, after carefully researching EJ threads for hours and analyzing problematic areas. Every other Blood build that people have offered on these forums over the time has had one or more major flaws - this one doesn't. It is the highest threat build for Blood, offers the usual Blood survival, also offers Mark of Blood, and it includes Morbidity, allowing you to effectively tank adds on any encounter. I have honestly put hours into reading about BDK tanking and also based on my own experience, having played DK since the class's release, I just don't think there is a better build than this.
    Edited: April 8, 2016

  6. I've been promoting the same ol' build for years, after carefully researching EJ threads for hours and analyzing problematic areas. Every other Blood build that people have offered on these forums over the time has had one or more major flaws - this one doesn't. It is the highest threat build for Blood, offers the usual Blood survival, also offers Mark of Blood, and it includes Morbidity, allowing you to effectively tank adds on any encounter. I have honestly put hours into reading about BDK tanking and also based on my own experience, having played DK since the class's release, I just don't think there is a better build than this.


    Why do u need Blood Gorged as a Tank?
    Why do u need Heart Strike as a Tank?
    ANd why do u need 1/3 Sudden Doom?
    You have enough Aggro as a DK and if not, there are rogues and hunter who can help you

    For Single Target u can go like this: http://wotlk.openwow.com/?talent#j0E...obsZhxxx0MhZ0x
    3/3 Frigid Dreadplate
    Talents u can play with are Endless Winter 2/2 or going 2/5 Killing Machine.

    If u need Melee-Haste Support bc there is no Frost-DK in your raid, u can Specc like: http://wotlk.openwow.com/?talent#j0E...bsZhxxxMMhzZ0b
    2/5 Anticipation
    2/2 Endless Winter
    2/5 Killing Machine and
    1/1 Improved Icy Talons

  7. For threat. 10% ArP + 10% overall dmg when above 75%.
    For threat. Far superior to Blood Strike. Also hits 2 targets.
    And for threat. It's a choice between 1/3 Scent of Blood and 1/3 Sudden Doom, with the latter being better. Also, Heart Strike can proc it on both targets hit.
    No, they don't help. Trust me. They just don't. What if I don't have rogues and hunters? What if they don't use MD & TotT? Yes, it happens more often than you can imagine. I don't know why you people take aggro for granted. You shouldn't rely on others to do your job - that's rule #1 of being successful in anything in this life whatsoever. Your job is to survive and keep aggro. The 3/3 Frigid Dreadplate build does the first one well, but sucks hard at the second one. The deep-Blood build is perfectly balanced, powerful, standalone, and allows you to go full out on any boss encounter, be it single-target or multi-target, without any fear of losing aggro to a TTW mage or a Fury warr - something that has always happened to me with other builds. And what do you lose in comparison to the 3/3 Frigid Dreadplate build? Three per cent miss chance on melee attacks. Wow.

    Why do you need Black Ice? Your threat does not come from spell damage - it comes from Rune Strike, melee and Heart Strike. Icy Touch is simply a pick-up spell.
    Why do you need Endless Winter? 4% Str for a tank is nothing, and you don't need the free Mind Freeze.
    And why does your build not have Morbidity? How will you OT anything in the game with 30 sec CD on D&D, especially LK?

    Believe me when I say I have messed around with Blood DK builds for days. You're basically sacrificing extremely strong threat talents in deep Blood and Morbidity from Unholy in order to reach a meh 3% miss talent, being forced to take sub-par threat talents in the process. OTing LK without Morbidity is a ****ing pain in the *** and I have forced BDKs in my group to go MT or even replacing them after them failing to OT because of not having this talent, thinking that it's an unnecessary talent.
    Edited: April 8, 2016

  8. I don't know why you people take aggro for granted.
    This. If only people saw this point when it comes to other classes... jk.

  9. Where is the "good rogues/hunter and good tank" line? Does DK really need more threat?

  10. DK doesn't need any of these "agro" talents. You should reconsider your rotation if you have agro problems on single target. It's better to focus on all the possible talents for mitigating damage including Frigid Dreadplate.

  11. DK doesn't need any of these "agro" talents. You should reconsider your rotation if you have agro problems on single target. It's better to focus on all the possible talents for mitigating damage including Frigid Dreadplate.
    thank you for this.

    our LK HC Maintank with 25% hp Buff on another realm ran the melee-haste-support-specc. if u are raiding with your guild, your rogues and hunter should be able to TotT and MD you if u need it.

    And why do u need Morbidity? U are either tanking Lichking, or the raging spirits. The vile spirits get soaked.
    I dont see the multi-target tanking in this fight. sorry.

    i can give u a link to our firstkill if u dont trust me :)

    Why do you need Black Ice? Your threat does not come from spell damage - it comes from Rune Strike, melee and Heart Strike. Icy Touch is simply a pick-up spell.
    Why do you need Endless Winter? 4% Str for a tank is nothing, and you don't need the free Mind Freeze.
    And why does your build not have Morbidity? How will you OT anything in the game with 30 sec CD on D&D, especially LK?
    Well u need simply endless winter or killing machine to get to Frigid Dreadplate talent

  12. Well u need simply endless winter or killing machine to get to Frigid Dreadplate talent
    That's my point. You're picking way too many trash talents in order to reach a mediocre 3% miss talent. Do you really think it's worth it? I've had tanks losing aggro from TTW mages, Fury warrs and non-Subversion DKs even though my TotT was being kept on cooldown all the time.

    There is no different single-target rotation for BDKs, honestly. It's either the non-DRM non-HS DS rotation, or with DRM and only 1 DS per rune cycle, in which your second rune cycle is 4x HS. The second one is the one with higher threat. The second one is the one which I've been using (of course, I use DS in the second cycle too if I need the healing). The first one is the one which gets me in trouble as a DPSer. Or are you maybe resorting to IT-spamming? If that's the case, then that's pretty sad to claim that "DKs have no aggro issues" while being forced to go out of your way and break your rotation just to keep aggro.

    About Morbidity, you just pretty much said you can't OT LK. Thanks.

    Let's just agree to disagree. To me going out of your way and weakening yourself in order to reach a 3% miss talent is bad. To you it's not because you think you don't need any of those deep Blood talents.

  13. Why do you need Black Ice? Your threat does not come from spell damage - it comes from Rune Strike, melee and Heart Strike. Icy Touch is simply a pick-up spell.
    IT has a 14.5x multiplier to threat. You don't have a single ability granting you more threat than IT. Seeing IT as a pick up/filler and not using it might be a problem for you considering threat an issue.

  14. i think there are better offtanks for LK. Palatank for example. And if needed, he is a very good AoE-tank. As i already mentioned my speccs are only for MT and Singletarget. Thats the point i dont recommend heartstrike in this specc.

    For OT or AoE-Tank your Build is fairly okay.

  15. IT is a pick-up. The spell was not designed to be a primary threat generator. You're breaking your entire rotation by spamming only IT, hampering your DS heals in the process. IT-spamming should be a last resort in case everything else fails and your Omen is screaming at you.

123 ... Last

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •