1. FROST Death Knight PvE DPS Guide [3.3.5a]

    Frost Death Knight

    Disclaimer:
    Guide is simply a guide, a tool you use to get started with the class and spec.
    It contains basic info on both how things work, and what should you focus on in the future.
    Look at it as a solid foundation of a house, but, if you dont put in the work to actually build it, you wont get anywhere.
    This also does not mean you should just blindly follow everything I said below...
    So, my first advice to you would be to test everything I said here in the actual game and try to build on it.
    There are definitely some minor details I missed that can make your performance even better at the end, so try to find them.

    About me:
    I have 10+ years of experience when it comes to Death Knights, 2+ years on WotLK retail from back in the days, and playing on Warmane every since 2012.
    When it comes to all 3 DK specs, I tried everything there is to try in game.
    When it comes to every fight in 3.3.5a, every achievement, did it also...
    Dont get me wrong, this is not me trying to talk big or anything, I am simply telling you I wasted a lot of time and money on this game, A LOT of time and money, so you can take my word on the topic, or you can spend bunch of coins, hours, to try and reinvent the wheel.
    I would advise you to just read the guide and start from there, but if you somehow do reinvent the wheel, please comment down below so I can update the guide and help others improve as well. :)

    Basic DK info about the 3 specs:
    When it comes to the END GAME...
    If u want great constant Single target DPS with instant AoE Burst when your procs align, u want to be a FROST DK.
    If u want great AoE constant DMG with nice Single Target DPS, u want to be a UNHOLY DK.
    If u want to Tank, u want to be a BLOOD DK.
    Minor things change from Naxxramas to Icecrown Citadel, mainly for tanking, but the difference wont be that huge.
    Dont get me wrong, you can clear 3.3.5a content as a whole (from Heroic Dungeons to Ruby Sanctum and Light of Dawn) with any spec you want (just as long as you are maxing that spec when it comes to performance), I wont tell you to go Frost if you find Unholy to be more fun, hell you can even play Blood DK DPS, just dont be a dead weight on the raid.

    Other guides on top of this one:
    You have bunch of DK dummy rotation videos here: https://www.youtube.com/user/UrosDasic (go to videos and scroll down).
    This is my old and first "guide": "<<<Crit is Life>>>"
    U can find different itemisation choices and some of mistakes I have made on my way here (that "guide" is really outdated tho).
    Overall this guide you are reading right now is everything I know at this moment about the class and spec.
    I will also post links of my other 2 guides ("<<<Unholy>>>" and "<<<Tank>>>") in the 1st Comment, so u can read them as well if u are interested.
    They need some editing but they can give you a good base to build on.

    Alternative Talent links can be found in my 1st comment, below the guide, in case any of the ones inside the guide are not working properly.
    It is easier to fix them than to go trough the whole guide text every time one of the websites that provide talent previews are broken.
    Please do tell in the comments in case u cant see any of the links I provided in the 1st comment so I can update them.

    When it comes to the guide itself, if I were you, I would focus on the ROTATION part mainly.
    Nothing else matters if you mash your buttons randomly.
    If you learn what, how and when to press, you will do max amount of dps possible, regardless of your current gear, so focus on perfecting that part first, gear will come and go.


    Lets get started with some actual Frost DK DPS only talk.

    Race:

    Spoiler: Show
    When it comes to PvE, racials have a big impact on your performance.

    Horde:
    Orc :
    5 expertise while using Axes, passive.
    5% Pet damage increase, passive.
    Duration of Stun effects reduced by 15%, passive.
    Blood Fury : 322 attack power for 15sec, 2min CD, active.
    This is the best "pure DPS" race for PvE.

    Troll :
    Da Voodoo Shuffle, 15% reduction of all movement impairing effects, passive.
    Beast Slaying, 5% damage increase versus Beasts, passive (sadly not so many Beast bosses).
    Berserking : 20% haste for 10sec, 3min CD, active.
    Some say this is the BIS race for end game PvE content duo to "mini Bloodlust", but I still prefer Orcs, mainly because Frost doesnt have a big CD like Gargoyle for example that can be buffed a lot by Berserking.

    Tauren :
    Base Health increased by 5%, passive.
    Stomp : 8 yards AoE stun for 2sec with a 2min CD, active.
    Its great for tanking due to increase in EHP.

    Blood Elf :
    2% miss chance on all spells, passive.
    Arcane Torrent : 8 yard AoE silence for 2sec with a 2min CD, active.
    If you want to "PvP only", this race can be good, but I would suggest going Human if you don't care about factions.

    Undead :
    Underwater Breathing, lasts 233% longer than normal.
    Cannibalize : eats a corpse to regen 7% hp every 2 sec for 10 sec, 2min CD, active.
    Will of the Forsaken : removes a fear or charm effect, has a 2min CD or a 45sec CD with similar effects, active.
    You can go for this one if you are into looks over performance and overall racials are good for some world PvP.

    Alliance:
    Draenei :
    1% hit chance increase, passive (for you and your 5 man group).
    This is the "go to" race on Alliance side if you want to PvE only.

    Human :
    3 expertise while using Swords or Maces, passive.
    Every man for Himself : Removes any CC from your character, 2min CD, active.
    The Best PvP race out there in WotLK.
    It is also great for PvE early game since most weapons are Swords and Maces, but it falls off latter because best weapons in the game for DPS are Axes.
    When it comes to tanking it can be awesome if you decide to go for Glorenzelg as a weapon.


    Dwarf :
    5 expertise while using Maces, passive.
    Stone Form : 10% armor increase, 3min CD, active.
    Best Alliance race for Tanking, if you decide to go for a Mace as BIS weapon.

    Night Elf :
    Gives you 2% miss chance, passive, aka more avoidance when it comes to tanking.
    Shadowmeld : Gets you out of combat for a second, can eat (absorb) a spell if used correctly, 2min CD, active.
    Not so bad for tanking but overall its a "looks good" Alliance race.

    Gnome :
    Escape Artist : escapes the effect of any immobilization or movement reduction effect, 1.75min CD, active.
    I personally consider this race to be best for Duels and world PvP due to small size and Escape Artist.


    Stats:

    Spoiler: Show
    Hit :
    -1% Melee hit chance = 32.789 Hit rating
    -1% Spell hit chance = 26.24 Hit rating

    -8% chance (263 hit rating) is melee hit cap for special abilities.
    (164 hit rating from gear + 3% from Nerves of Cold Steel talent) if you are dual wielding.
    -27% chance (885 hit rating) is melee hit cap for white swings (or 787 rating with Nerves of Cold Steel, which doesn't matter since you never want this much hit).

    -17% chance (446 hit rating) is spell hit cap which you can get with:
    -368 hit rating (14%) + 3% from Virulence.
    -289 hit rating (11%) + 3% from Virulence + 3% hit chance debuff on the target from the debuff provided by Spriest or Boomie.

    -U should try and go for 164-289hit rating from gear (preferably around 237, as BIS).

    -When it comes to White Melee Swings, the cap is 8% when using a Two Handed Weapon, or 27% for Dual Wielding (2x 1 Handed Weapons).
    If u notice your melee swings missing when dual wielding, that's a normal thing, don't worry about it.
    27% -(minus) X =(equals) Y
    27% is : Melee Hit Cap
    X is : Hit % u have from Gear + Talents + Buffs/Food
    Y is : How much of Melee White Hits u will Miss in %

    So, for example, if u have 9% hit from gear and 3% hit from talents and 1% hit from a Draenei in your group (13% total), u will miss around 14% of your total white melee swings (27 - 13 = 14).

    -Glancing will always be around 24%. These are partial hits.
    There is no item, no gem, no stat that will help u get less than 24%...
    U can't do anything about this, its in Blizzards scripts for the game, they simply have to happen.
    Something like partial resist on spells, aka magic damage dealing abilities (6% less on average when attacking a level 83 target)...

    -These caps and % work for ALL melee classes, in case you ever make an alt or play something other than a DK (same goes for Expertise).

    Expertise :
    -1 expertise = 8.1975 expertise rating
    -26 expertise Caps DODGE.
    -56 expertise Caps PARRY (This is for tanks only on few bosses in WotLK).
    Target you are attacking can PARRY only if you are attacking from the FRONT SIDE (never do this).
    As long as you stand BEHIND your target, or at the SIDES (left/right), you wont ever get parried, only dodged if not capped.

    -From my point of view, you should try and go for 26 expertise (especially if you are new to the class).
    (173 exp rating from gear + 5 expertise from Tundra Stalker talent)
    (148 exp rating from gear + 5 expertise from Tundra Stalker talent + 3 expertise from Human Racial)
    (132 exp rating from gear + 5 expertise from Tundra Stalker talent + 5 expertise from Orc / Dwarf Racial)

    -Capping this stat is easy and will provide you with a Healthy Rotation.
    If you don't care about that, you can always skip it and hope not a single Dodge occurs.
    If the Obliterate that uses 2 Death Runes gets dodged, there is a chance that you wont make it in time to refresh diseases with Pestilence which is why I prefer to cap this stat.

    -The reason some players say you shouldn't cap expertise is if you don't get dodged with 17-22 Expertise, you will in fact do more DPS since you were lucky, on top of long Sims showing that on average that gamble is worth taking.
    So, the build that has LESS Expertise ALWAYS has a higher potential to do more damage if you dont get too many dodges.
    But if you get dodged, especially in some bad times, you will definitely do less dps (again that is the gamble I would not suggest for "fresh", or newbie DKs that are learning how to play, once you get confident enough that you can go back to the "rotation" no matter what happens, you can try less Expertise for sure).

    Note: AGAIN, Parry chance (14%) is added to the Boss defense table if you are standing IN FRONT of the target you are hitting, so you want to attack your target from SIDES or from BEHIND.
    This is especially important for Sindragosa and Halion.
    If those two bosses Parry any of your attacks because your positioning was bad, they can two shot a tank due to Parry Haste Mechanic they have (almost instantly attacking again after they Parry attack).

    Armor Penetration :
    -1% Armor Penetration = 13.996 Armor Penetration Rating

    -This stat is best for end game FDK DPS.
    -U need 1386-1400 as BIS.
    -Once you get to a point where you have:
    2/5 T10 pieces, Sigil of Awareness, and you are able to reach 1100+ Armor Penetration with Gear, Red Gems and Food, u should fill all those RED sockets with 20 armor pen gems.
    Even tho you are not capped, you should do more DPS on single target compared to Strength gems at this point.
    -Anything before that should be gemmed with Strength (especially early game).

    Note: If you get some 264+ items you know you will use for a long time, you can gem them with Armor Penetration regardless of other gear, so you dont waste gold on regemming them again.

    Strength :
    -1 Strength = 2 Attack Power

    -This stat is best for early game FDK DPS.
    -Get it as much as u can when gearing up.
    -When talking about BIS gear its your Best stat to go for when it comes to Gems after u cap Armor Pen (1386+).

    Haste :
    -1% Spell Haste = 32.789 Haste Rating
    -1% Melee Haste = 25.189 Haste Rating

    -Great stat for maximising DPS when talking about end game itemisation.
    -Will give u the most overall DMG (as secondary stat) out of Melee hits after u cap Hit (237), Expertise (26) and Armor Pen (1386+).
    -Also it reduces spell global cooldown (by a small amount) which can be helpful to squeeze in some extra free Howling Blast from Rime talent in between Obliterates...

    Crit :
    1 crit rating = 0.021739% crit
    1% crit = 62.5 agility

    -Duo to some talents and spells, our abilities deal 200-250% of normal DMG when they Crit.
    That makes this stat highly valuable from my pov.
    -We get a lot of it from talents as well, for our 2 main Abilities (Obliterate and Frost Strike) so u don’t need that much from gear alone…
    -You need around 42-46% crit raid buffed at BIS. Don't push for more, try not to go for less...
    -You usually need only 1-3 Agy items (gloves, wrist and/or ring) to reach that when Best in Slot (BIS).

    So, I would say that stat prio at any time would be:
    Hit (9-11% spell hit chance) > Expertise (16-26) > Strength / Armor Penetration once u can get 72%+ from both gear and gems > after that its on you to decide if you want to go extra Crit or Haste, depending on what state of the gear you have, where I feel like Crit is more important at lower stage of gearing, where once u get to a point where your items give u a lot of crit anyway, you can transition slowly to Haste in gem slots (10str10haste).
    This is all according to long single target Sims.
    On short fights this might not be the case especially if your up time on the target is not long enough for that Haste to end up giving you an extra attack or two.
    Last couple of gems will mainly make you chose between 1 or 2 orange gems, which wont make any big difference when it comes to your DPS so it wont matter if you decide on Haste or Crit.

    Overall, just as long as you maxed out your performance skills, last couple of item/gem choices wont matter that much.


    Spec:

    Spoiler: Show
    Link for a end game PvE spec: <<<Frost DK DPS PVE Spec (Unholy SubSpec)>>>

    This talents could be used with any itemisation u have.

    As long as Blood Caked Blade is doing 1%+ of your total damage per talent point in it, its the best talent u can get for those last 3 points. The reason is simply because it does not depend on rotation. No matter what u do, as long as u auto attack your target, its going to happen.
    In case its doing less than 1% of your total damage per talent (on overall damage done after a dungeon, or a heavy sticky single target DPS fight, like DBS or Festergut), I would suggest maxing out Subversion 3/3, it will increase your Burst potential (which can be useful when switching targets a lot).
    If you have aggro issues, go for 2/3 Subversion and 2/3 BCB.
    If that still doesn't help, get better tanks or go for 3/3 Subversion and 1/3 BCB.
    Its better to have 0.5% less DPS overall than to die and have 0 DPS.

    Another spec people use early game: <<<Frost DK DPS PVE Spec (Blood SubSpec)>>>

    As said in the stats section, Crit is a lot more useful early on, so getting the 5% from Blood tree is great.
    Also, there are many fights in both Naxx and Ulduar where you need to swap targets a lot, and Blood SubSpec is definitely better suited for that.

    Get both, try out both, see which one works for you better early on.
    All I can say is that when you get to Icecrown Citadel gearing point with at least 2/5 piece bonus T10, Unholy SubSpec is definitely better.

    Another link to the Unholy SubSpec: https://wotlkdb.com/?talent#jzZG0fxA...ofM0hxc:pkamMV
    Another link to the Blood SubSpec: https://wotlkdb.com/?talent#jfV0VZG0...f0cuzAo:pkamMV

    >>> Screenshots of Recounts <<<
    This one is from TOC 10m normal (26th May, 2017)
    Its there so u can see the % damage of Blood Caked Blade.
    U can calculate the Frost/Shadow damage I did and see how much 3 points from BCB in Black Ice will do...
    3 extra points in Black Ice (on Anub Fight) would increase total (217767) Frost/Shadow damage done by 13066.
    3 points in Blood Caked Blade (on Anub Fight) did 38511 damage. and that was without Hero or any kind of Pot/Pre Pot.
    This is here in case any of you want to try and go for Black Ice over BCB/Subversion.


    Glyphs:

    Spoiler: Show
    -Mayor:
    Glyph of Obliterate
    Glyph of Frost Strike
    Glyph of Disease

    -Minor:
    Glyph of Horn of Winter
    Glyph of Pestilence
    Glyph of Raise Dead/Glyph of Blood Tap

    No. There are no better glyphs.
    Use these... End of discussion.


    Presence Usage:

    Spoiler: Show
    -Blood Presence – Our Raids presence.
    It will increase your damage the most, out of all 3 presences, and will reduce "Down Time" (more about it latter) by 99% on top of that. There are couple of Bosses, where using Unholy Presence could actually be better, duo to higher movement requirement and targets being dead faster than you can apply/spread diseases and do couple of Obliterates and Frost Strikes.

    -Unholy Presence – Our Leveling, World farming, Dungeon clearing presence.
    Use it when u need high burst damage and on top of that extra movement speed.
    Its useful on bosses such as:
    Lady Deathwisper, phase1, when u need to switch from the Boss to the Adds, and DPS them asap,
    Profesor Putricide, where u need to constantly move and switch from Boss to Oozes,
    Blood Prince Council, on Heroic version, where you can use AMS to lose shadow stacks and gain a lot of runic power in return,
    Valithria Dreamwalker, adds all around the boss,
    Any other boss where higher movement speed and burst potential will help a lot,
    like Yogg Saron in Ulduar for example...
    Only downside of Unholy Presence is "Down Time".

    Since u have limited amount of resources, after u use them all, u will have to wait for Rune Cooldown to end before u can do stuff again.
    The time while u just auto attack and wait for those Cooldowns on runes to end is called "Down Time", or simply when you have nothing else to do...

    So basically, if u have to switch a lot of targets, burst them down fast, move a lot, all of this constantly (these are the things you do in dungeons for example), Unholy > Blood Presence.
    If your target Dies before u spread your diseases and cast Obliterate/Scourge Strike, or Howling Blast/Death and Decay, that means u should’ve used Unholy Presence and not Blood Presence…
    This is not the case if it happens on an add or two in a boss fight where the other 90%+ of the time you are on the actual Boss (on those bosses it might be better never to switch, especially if other classes better suited for instant AoE damage like Fury Warrior, Ret Paladin, Boomie are there to clear everything without you).

    -Frost Presence – Use it when u have to tank/survive something. Save Icebound Fortitude for these situations as well. Don't forget to swap back to Blood/Unholy after that or u will most likely over aggro and die.

    I would suggest queing RDF as much as u can at start.
    Do 1 RDF fully with Blood Presence.
    Do 1 RDF fully with Unholy Presence.
    That is great practice and easy way to notice the difference in both of them.
    The more u know about your class and how it functions, the better.

    Note: For Lich King encounter, use Blood Presence. Even tho you switch targets and move constantly. Most of your time will be spent tunneling the Boss, and since all of the targets spawn right next to each other, its easy to spread Diseases with Pestilence and keep on nuking them down with Obliterates.
    Unholy Presence is better in fights where u have to constantly reapply your diseases manually, using IT and PS and not having time to Obliterate the target, thats the main difference here...


    Runes and Runic Power:

    Spoiler: Show
    This section will provide u with some Basic Knowledge when it comes to both Runes and Runic Power.
    This is our Mana, our Rage, our Energy.
    Although its a bit more complicated...

    We need certain runes in order to cast our Abilities.
    After u cast any Ability that uses Runes, that Rune will go on a 10sec CD, and u will generate Runic Power:

    Runic Power Generation:
    IT (Icy Touch) = 10 runic power (+ Chill of the Grave)
    PS (Plague Strike) = 10 runic power (+ Dirge)
    BS (Blood Strike) = 10 runic power
    Pesti (Pestilence) = 10 runic power
    Obli (Obliterate) = 15 runic power (+ Chill of the Grave)
    SS (Scourge Strike) = 15 runic power (+ Dirge)
    DS (Death Strike) = 15 runic power (+ Dirge)
    DnD (Death and Decay) = 15 runic power
    AotD (Army of the Dead) = 15 runic power

    Any ability that uses 1 Rune will generate 10 runic power.
    Any ability that uses 2+ Runes will generate 15 runic power.
    (there are talents that increase Runic Power generation)

    As you already noticed, our Runes have a 10sec CD after we use them... But! There is more to it...

    Rune Grace Period - RGP
    Our Runes have 10sec Cooldown while we are out of combat.
    The moment we enter combat "RGP" kicks in... (RGP = Rune Grace Period)
    RGP gives us extra 2.5sec CD countdown after our runes finish their cooldown before they are used again.
    This means if your Rune finished its cooldown, it will continue to count down 2.5sec as if u used that rune, even tho u didn't use it instantly (10... 9... 8... 7.5sec).

    When we are out of combat and our Rune finish its cooldown, the moment we use it (the same Rune) again it will be on the 10sec CD timer again. This is regardless of if you used the same Rune instantly, or u used it 2, 4, 7, 10+ sec after they finished their CD.
    When we are in combat, the moment Runes finish their cooldown is the time when they will start counting down those 2.5sec, regardless of if u use it instantly or not. Depending on when we use them (the same Rune) again, they will have 10 minus 2.5sec CD (7.5min - 10max sec CD).
    If u use that Rune instantly after it finished its cooldown, the new cooldown on that Rune will be 10sec.
    If u use that Rune 1sec after it finished its cooldown, the new cooldown on that Rune will be 9sec.
    If u use that Rune 1.2sec after it finished its cooldown, the new cooldown on that Rune will be 8.8sec.
    If u use that Rune 1.9sec after it finished its cooldown, the new cooldown on that Rune will be 8.1sec.
    If u use that Rune 2sec after it finished its cooldown, the new cooldown on that Rune will be 8sec.
    If u use that Rune 2.5sec after it finished its cooldown, the new cooldown on that Rune will be 7.5sec.
    If u use that Rune 5sec after it finished its cooldown (while u are still in same combat), the new cooldown on that Rune will be 7.5sec.
    If u use that Rune 15sec after it finished its cooldown(while u are still in same combat), the new cooldown on that Rune will be 7.5sec.
    The range of Rune CD reduction is from 0-2.5 sec, it will never go below 7.5sec CD mark (while being in same combat from the time u used the Rune first time).
    The moment you leave combat entirely RGP is reset and will activate again up on using the runes for the first time in that combat.
    I hope this helped u out to understand how this thing works.

    You can test this by downloading "DK monitor" addon and looking at the cooldown of the runes.
    Use Blood Boil out of combat using the First/Left Blood Rune, use it again once its ready again, use it 5sec after its ready for the third time. Every time you use it, the cooldown will be 10sec.
    Now go on a dummy and start auto attacking it...
    Use Blood Boil while in combat using the First/Left Blood Rune, use it again once its ready again, use it 5sec after its ready for the third time. First time you use it again the cooldown will probably be 10sec because you used it instantly, but the second time the cooldown will be 7.5sec cos you waited 5sec to use it. You can check this again by using Blood Boil for the forth time 1 or 2 sec after it finishes its cooldown and get a 9 or 8 sec cooldown on the First/Left Blood Rune.
    (this works with all runes, this is just an example of how to test it the best way).

    Death, Frost, Unholy, Blood Runes:
    When u look at your runes u can see u have 2 blood 2 frost 2 unholy runes.
    So, lets call your LEFT blood rune 1st and your RIGHT blood rune 2nd (same goes for both Frost and Unholy runes)

    As u already saw, our Abilities consume certain runes when we cast them.
    Those same abilities will ALWAYS prioritize using LEFT (1st) rune.
    Those same abilities will ALWAYS prioritize using NORMAL (Frost, Unholy, Blood) runes over Death Runes. This means that if your LEFT (1st) rune is Death and your RIGHT (2nd) rune is Blood, if you use Blood Strike, you will consume RIGHT (2nd) rune, even tho LEFT (1st) rune was ready.

    You can test it all yourself while doing this:
    <Left> <Right> <Left> <Right> <Left> <Right>
    Stand still, don't do anything.
    After u cast Blood Boil, your 1st (left) rune will be on Cooldown, not the 2nd (right) one, cos they were both Blood Runes. <Left> <Right>
    Now, use Blood Tap. U will have 1 Death and 1 Blood Rune. <Left> <Right>
    When u cast Blood Boil, u will see that your 2nd (right) BLOOD rune goes on Cooldown, even tho your 1st (left) Blood Rune was ready as Death Rune.
    This goes for both Frost and Unholy Runes as well.
    again...
    Your abilities will ALWAYS prioritize NORMAL runes over DEATH runes, and your abilities will ALWAYS prioritize using LEFT rune over RIGHT rune.

    Some may think knowing this is useless and that it wont help u but...
    Believe me, sooner or latter u will be in a tough spot, where your runes will be completely ****ed up, not synergised at all.
    Knowing this lets me make some wild decisions (like spamming bunch of Frost Strike until my Runes are aligned correctly, sometimes few, sometimes all of them) that will help me fix my runes and make more DPS on the long run.
    Always think about the long run...
    If the fight will last for 2 more min, and your runes are ****ed up, try to fix them.
    If the fight will last for 30 more sec, try to get the most out of those ****ed up runes and think about what can u improve not to make the same mistake in the next fight.

    Keybinds and Macros:

    Spoiler: Show
    Keybinds are important part of your game play.
    Whatever you do, DON'T BE A CLICKER (don't click on your abilities using mouse left click constantly).
    Bind as many abilities as u can and make your life easier (on top of that become a better player as well).

    Keybinds I use:
    Q, E, R, F, C, X, Z, V, T, G, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, mouse scroll down, mouse scroll up, middle mouse button, all other mouse side buttons
    Shift + Q, Shift + E, Shift + R, Ctrl + (all the letters and numbers from above)... Shift + mouse scroll down, Shift + mouse scroll up, Shift + middle mouse button, Shift + all other mouse side buttons
    Ctrl + Q, Ctrl + E, Ctrl + R, Ctrl + (all the letters and numbers from above)... Ctrl + mouse scroll down, Ctrl + mouse scroll up, Ctrl + middle mouse button, Ctrl + all other mouse side buttons
    U can also use Shift + Space and Ctrl + Space to set up Focus Target and Target in between them.
    Use Alt + X, Alt + C, and Alt + V, to toggle in between: All Name Plates, Enemy Name Plates only, Friendly Name Plates only.

    Use "A" and "D" to strafe Left or Right, or simply use them as Turn around buttons, but constantly use your Right Mouse Click and hold it to Strafe in the time of need.
    You can also use "A" to strafe left and "D" to turn right, or other way around, its all up to you...
    I mainly bind my main spells on 1 2 3 4 Q E R F C V since they are easiest for me to push.
    I put my Major Cooldowns on Shift + Q E R F C V and I use Shift + 1 2 3 4 or Ctrl + 1 2 3 4 for some pet commands and god knows what, and Ctrl + Q E R F C V 1 2 3 4 for the same basic ability just for focus target. This is not set in stone, its just an example of how you can use those binds.
    Overall just find best solution for your own game play.

    Macros:
    "/cancelaura" could be useful when canceling Chaos Bane, Divine Favor, Divine Shield, Ice Block, Hand of Protection or any kind of buff u want to remove instantly.
    "/cast [target=focus]" could be useful so u don't have to target your focus, and simply cast a spell on him while auto attacking your main target.
    "/cast [@party1]" could be useful so u can cast supportive spells on your team mate without targeting him (u can use numbers from 1-5).
    "/cast [target=Gnimo]" could be useful if u want to cast a specific spell on a specific target, something like MD, Tricks, Hysteria (just type in the name of the player u want to cast any spell on, instead of "Gnimo").

    Full Macros (examples):
    "/cancelaura Divine Favor
    /cancelaura Hand of Protection
    /cancelaura Blood Tap
    /use Unbreakable Armor
    /use Blood Tap
    /use Blood Fury / Berserking
    /use 10 (Engineering Gloves - 10 being the item slot of Gloves)
    /startattack
    /petattack"

    ''#showtooltip Death Grip
    /cast [target=focus]Death Grip''

    ''/cancelaura Divine Favor
    /cancelaura Hand of Protection
    /cast [target=Maintank] Misdirection/Tricks of the Trade''

    ''/cast [target=Topdps] Hysteria''

    "/cast [@mouseover]Howling Blast"

    U can use this for any spell...


    Useful Addons:

    Spoiler: Show
    Deadly Boss Mods
    Will show u timers of Boss abilities and warn u when they come.
    Perfect for those that are new to the game.
    As u start getting used to game, boss and your class start playing without relying on Warnings DBM gives u and just track timers.

    Move Anything
    U can basically move anything when it comes to your Interface while keeping it simple.
    I like it since u can adjust the simple and basic Blizzard UI as u like. U can change the position of your Portrait, Target, Buffs, w/e and wherever u want and set up and make a perfect UI that suits u, without those flashy thingies others use.

    DK Monitor and MobileEnergy
    These addons can help you track Runes, Diseases and Runic Power.

    SnowfallKeyPress
    You cast your abilities after u release the button u pushed.
    So basically, u do your abilities with a 0.001sec delay. This addon makes u use abilities as soon as u press that button. Its GREAT for MELEE classes, but it sucks when it comes to CASTERS (Mage, Warlock, anything that casts spells constantly).
    As a DK I would suggest using this addon.
    (Test this by holding your Blood Boil keybind without releasing it while not using this addon. U will see that nothing will happen until u release that key. After u turn on this addon, do this again and u will see that even tho u didn't release the keybind, u will cast Blood Boil.)

    Need to Know
    Great addon to track anything u want. Debuffs on your Targets, Buffs on yourself, Spell Cooldown, Item Cooldown, anything, its awesome.

    VuhDo
    GET THIS STUFF! Its not that useful for DKs, u will only use it to see Debuffs on other Players and yourself, but when it comes to Rets, Shadowpriests, Healers, this is the perfect addon. It will show u your Group Frame and u can bind Spells in it that will help u assist your raid with Dispels, Heals, Hand of Protection/Sacrifice/Freedom, Buffs,... Its going be hard to set up at first, but all u need to do is Bind Spells and Adjust Frame size and maybe change how it looks, but its worth it.

    Mics Scrolling Battle Text
    It can help u track your procs and when u crit (its SHINY!).
    Overall it gives u better view on how much damage your abilities did and if some of them missed, got dodged, resisted, parried...

    Spell Replay
    Its that slide where it shows the icon of which spell I did in my rotation videos on youtube.

    Omen
    Helps u manage your threat.

    "Recount"/"Skada"/"Details"
    Try not to tunnel and try not to be that one moron in the raid group that links it 24/7 without any reason if he tops.
    Use it so u can track your abilities/proc uptime ("Details") after every fight (how many Obliterates and how many Frost Strikes you did), analyse your overall damage (how many melee attacks were hits, crits, misses, ...), damage on some certain abilities u want to track (% of Blood Caked Blade), track how u improve and check your average damage and talent value, so u can change whatever u need.

    OmniCC
    Helps u track the remaining time on your CDs.

    Couple of more Addons u might find useful:
    Atlas Loot - from where items drop.
    Combat Log Fixer - fixes potential addon bugs.
    Chatter - improves chat abilities.
    Quartz - helps with spell cast interface.
    SimpleUnitFrames - extension to default unit frames.
    Tidy Plates - modifies blizzard nameplates.

    Google is a great way to find all of these addons.
    Just type in the addon name and "3.3.5 WotLK".


    Professions:

    Spoiler: Show
    If you want to PvE and some serious PvP as well, go for JC + BS.
    JC - 3x 34 Armor Penetration/Strength/Resilience Gems
    (total of 42 Extra Stats from JC gems)
    BS - 2 Extra Gem Sockets
    -Total of passive 82 bonus Armor Penetration/Strength/Resilience

    If you want to PvE ONLY, go for JC + Engineering.
    Engineering is the best PvE profession mainly because of Nitro Boots.
    This enchant alone lets you play a bit more greedy and sticky to the target, just remember, it has 3min cd, so if you use it once, be careful after that.
    On top of that, Haste active from gloves enchant syncs perfectly well with UA, which is another great plus for this profession.
    You could argue that if you just want to play BGs and World PvP all day, and you have BIS PvP gear from Arena, Engineering is better than Blacksmithing, especially on a DK.

    -U can also go for Tailoring (especially if you don't have a lot of gold), since its cheap/easy to farm mats and level up. It has a nice cloak enchant. You can always change it once you get your hands on some nice amounts of gold or mats for JC, BS or Engineering depending on what is your other profession.

    -In case you want to make some gold, Alchemy is great.
    Longer flasks, small personal flask that bypasses the "no flask alert addon", chances of crafting extra gems and/or pots.
    Just make sure you farm the mats for it with Herbalism, for 0 - 450 Alchemy, after that unlearn it and start making pots (look for a guide online that shows which and how many exact mats you need for Alchemy).

    Cooking
    Get this one as well. There is NO reason why u should skip this prof. Its awesome!
    It will provide u with extra 40 Strength / Armor Penetration / Expertise / Hit.
    Its easy to level, and mats are cheap on AH, and/or easy to farm. If u want to maximize your DPS, u want this prof (if u level Fishing as well u will be able to farm all mats yourself).
    Those extra 40 Armor Penetration from food will let u gem better, aka match some yellow socket bonuses u couldn't otherwise and gain more stats overall. Get cooking!


    Itemisation:

    Spoiler: Show
    BiS list Itemisation:
    Spoiler: Show
    [Sanctified Scourgelord Helmet] - M [Relentless Earthsiege Diamond] + R - 50 attack power 20 crit
    [Lana'thel's Chain of Flagellation]- Y (10str10hit)
    [Sanctified Scourgelord Shoulderplates] - R - 40 attack power 15 crit
    [Varian's Furor] - R - 23 haste / Flexweave Underlay (Engineering)
    [Sanctified Scourgelord Battleplate] - R + [Nightmare Tear] - 10 to all stats
    [Toskk's Maximized Wristguards] - R + R - 15 expertise
    [Aldriana's Gloves of Secrecy] - R + R + R - 20 hit / Hyperspeed Accelerators (Engineering)
    [Coldwraith Links] - Y (10str10hit) + R + R
    [Sanctified Scourgelord Legplates] - R + R - 75 attack power 22 crit
    [Apocalypse's Advance] - R + R - 12hit12crit / Nitro Boots (Engineering)
    [Might of Blight] - Y (10str10hit)
    [Ashen Band of Endless Might] - Y (10str10hit)
    [Deathbringer's Will] (has a 105sec cooldown)
    [Sharpened Twilight Scale] (has a 45sec cooldown)
    [Havoc's Call, Blade of Lordaeron Kings] - R - Razorice
    [Havoc's Call, Blade of Lordaeron Kings] - R - Fallen Crusader
    [Sigil of Awareness]

    With this itemisation you will be on 237-269 hit (9-10% spell hit) and 26 expertise (dodge cap) as well as having 1356-1396 armor penetration.
    R gems are [Fractured Cardinal Ruby]
    Y gems are [Etched Ametrine]
    Helm + Shoulders + Chest have [Fractured Dragon's Eye] gems in them.
    Food: 40 Strength Dragonfin Filet or 40 Armor Penetration Hearty Rhino depending on professions you have.

    This is for all Races except Orcs.

    U can also enchant Feet with TBC enchant: Minor run Speed + 6 agility in case you have Blacksmithing.

    If u don't care about Expertise cap, just use: [Penumbra Pendant] and Enchant Bracers with 50 attack power.

    In case u go for Engineering (which you should if you PvE only):
    U will lose Hit from Gloves and Icewalker from Feet.
    You will be at 237 Hit which is fine.
    As for Expertise its up to u if u want to be on:
    17 expertise with Penumbra Pendant.
    24 expertise with Lana'thel's Chain of Flagellation without any expertise Gem and/or Enchant.
    26 expertise with Lana'thel's Chain of Flagellation using 15 expertise on wrist, or 2x [Accurate Ametrine] instead of 2x [Etched Ametrine].
    I would also suggest using 40 Armor Penetration Food: Hearty Rhino with Engineering, so you can use those yellow gems and get more stats overall (duo to matching gem slots and getting extra stat from it).

    Its on u to decide which one u want to go for.
    Since I have BS + JC, I personally go for : https://imgur.com/a/VWELepQ
    I also se Armor Penetration food, and I gem EVERY Yellow socket with 10str10hit (in both Strength and Agility items) on top of 20hit enchant on gloves and 15exp enchant on wrist.
    This way I cap both Spell Hit and Expertise.
    However If you are a Draenei or have one in your group always you should stop at 269 hit, and if you are Orc look below.
    On my other DK where I have Engineering I stop at 237 Hit as Draenei and use Armor Penetration food as well.
    Orc Itemisation:
    Spoiler: Show
    [Sanctified Scourgelord Helmet] - M [Relentless Earthsiege Diamond] + R - 50atkp 20crit
    [Penumbra Pendant] - Y (10exp10hit)
    [Sanctified Scourgelord Shoulderplates] - R - 40atkp 15crit
    [Garrosh's Rage] - R - 23haste
    [Sanctified Scourgelord Battleplate] - R + [Nightmare Tear] - 10 to all stats
    [Toskk's Maximized Wristguards] - R - 50atkp
    [Aldriana's Gloves of Secrecy] - R + R - Hyperspeed Accelerators
    [Coldwraith Links] - Y (10exp10hit) + R + R
    [Sanctified Scourgelord Legplates] - R + R - 75atkp 22crit
    [Apocalypse's Advance] - R + R - Nitro Boots
    [Might of Blight] - Y (10exp10hit)
    [Ashen Band of Endless Might] - Y (10str10hit)
    [Deathbringer's Will]
    [Sharpened Twilight Scale]
    [Havoc's Call, Blade of Lordaeron Kings] - R - Razorice
    [Havoc's Call, Blade of Lordaeron Kings] - R - Fallen Crusader
    [Sigil of Awareness]
    In case you do have Engineering and want to use Flexweave Underlay, do it, its w/e.
    I personally use that enchant on every Engineer I have over the Haste one, it wont affect your DPS at all, and is a nice slow fall gadget, especially if a Valk grabs you right before transition.

    With this itemisation you will be on 237 hit (9% spell hit) and 26 expertise (dodge cap) as well as having 1348 armor penetration (1388 with ArP food).
    R gems are [Fractured Cardinal Ruby]
    Y gems are [Accurate Ametrine] and [Etched Ametrine] and
    Helm + Shoulders + Chest have [Fractured Dragon's Eye] gems in them.
    Food: 40 Armor Penetration Hearty Rhino

    This itemisation is with Engineering and Jewelcrafting as professions.
    If you have Blacksmithing instead of Engineering...
    Enchant Gloves with: Precision
    Enchant Feet with: Icewalker
    With this you will be at 269 hit rating.
    You can also gem those extra BS gems with 20 armor penetration and use 40 Strength Dragonfin Filet food, or match those yellow gem slots in Agility items to reach 289 hit and keep the armor penetration food.

    In case u don't care about Expertise cap, get hit to 237 or 239 rating and after that gem every yellow socket in strength items with [Fierce Ametrine]. I would not recommend this since capping Expertise is so easy as Orc.
    In the end, it wont matter which last item, or last gem u decide to go for, make sure u perfect your ROTATION!
    Gemming:
    Spoiler: Show
    When it comes to gemming u should always try to go for those STRENGTH socket bonuses (+4/+6 strength) if there are [yellow], and/or [red + yellow] gems in them.
    Use Etched/Fierce/Inscribed/Accurate Ametrine gems.
    U should only match 1 Blue gem with Nightmare Tear (Chest, or any other solo blue or blue + red item that gives u +6 Strength in return). In other blue gem slots just put those Red, Cardinal Rubyes.
    Weapon enchants:
    Spoiler: Show
    Razorice Main Hand
    Fallen Crusader Off Hand

    This is what you want to have in raids.
    On a dummy, it can "feel" like double Fallen is better, especially if you get unlucky and have abysmal uptime of it while having Razorice.

    Both weapons have the exact same amount of miss chance, so this wont ever change the uptime of Fallen Crusader.
    Main Hand weapon hits harder than the Off Hand weapon which is why you want Razorice on the Main Hand.
    The third reason on why you want Fallen in the offhand is if you are not Expertise Capped.
    Explanation: If you Hit Obliterate, and it gets "dodged" the dodge happens only on the MAIN HAND part of the ability, which means that OFF HAND part of the ability will HIT even tho you have your runes replenished. This will always increase the hit count of offhand weapon which is why you want Fallen Crusader on offhand because it will procs more.
    Alternate itemisation u can go for if u cant get the items from the list above:
    Spoiler: Show
    The point of "Alternate itemisation" is to simply look for the easier to get items, and combine them with other easier to get items to reach similar if not exactly the same stats that u would hit with BiS list.
    For example:
    [Lana'thel's Chain of Flagellation] + [Varian's Furor] + [Toskk's Maximized Wristguards] + [Ashen Band of Endless Might] give you: Expertise, 2x Hit, 2x Armor Penetration, 2x Crit and one of those items is Agility.
    [Penumbra Pendant] + [Might of the Ocean Serpent] + [Polar Bear Claw Bracers] + [Ashen Band of Endless Vengeance] will give you same stats, just a bit less duo to overall lower item level and different stat distribution.
    That's the basic idea, getting close to exactly the same stats as if you were BiS.

    Itemisation From ICC only (48 coins used for Havoc's Call and STS):
    [Sanctified Scourgelord Helmet]
    [Ahn'kahar Onyx Neckguard]
    [Sanctified Scourgelord Shoulderplates]
    [Might of the Ocean Serpent]
    [Sanctified Scourgelord Battleplate]
    [Toskk's Maximized Wristguards]
    [Aldriana's Gloves of Secrecy]
    [Coldwraith Links]
    [Sanctified Scourgelord Legplates]
    [Blood-Soaked Saronite Stompers]
    [Might of Blight]
    [Ashen Band of Endless Vengeance]
    [Deathbringer's Will]
    [Sharpened Twilight Scale]
    [Havoc's Call, Blade of Lordaeron Kings]
    [Bloodvenom Blade]
    [Sigil of Awareness]

    [Ashen Band of Endless Vengeance] is used here mainly cos u lose Crit from the cloak and using Bloodvenom Blade over 2nd Havoc. You can try to play with both rings and decide which one suits your playstyle more, again, 1 item at that point wont make a huge difference.
    Overall you lose Haste and gain Armor Penetration for the same reason, but that change wont matter that much in the end.
    Here, if you have Engineering and you don't get that extra 32 hit from Enchants on Gloves and Feet to reach 237+ Hit, you can gem those Yellow socket slots in Ashen Band of Endless Vengeance, Toskz and Aldrianas with 10str10hit gems, even tho they are agility items. You will have more than enough of Armor Penetration anyway.

    Bottom line is, it wont matter that much in the end...
    As long as u can get 237-264 hit, 26 expertise and 1200+ Armor Penetration, with Sigil of Awareness and 2/5 T10, u should be doing awesome DPS.
    If u have Limited amount of coins, this is the item prio:
    Spoiler: Show
    1. [Havoc's Call, Blade of Lordaeron Kings]
    2. [Sharpened Twilight Scale]
    3. [Havoc's Call, Blade of Lordaeron Kings], (2nd Havoc)
    4. [Apocalypse's Advance]
    5. *[Penumbra Pendant]*,
    DO NOT coin Penumbra Pendant, if you are NOT an Orc and you want to cap Expertise.
    6. [Varian's Furor]/[Garrosh's Rage]
    7. ICC items (prio is based on Boss Difficulty, how many of other Classes are in Need for that item, and which items you already have)
    For Example: [Deathbringer's Will] and [Coldwraith Links] should be the first items u want to go for... After that u can get [Toskk's Maximized Wristguards] and maybe [Aldriana's Gloves of Secrecy] since most of the Melee classes use these 2 agility items.
    U can finish with some Tear 10 items like [Sanctified Scourgelord Helmet] or [Sanctified Scourgelord Battleplate], that u usually cant get in VoA for example... (even if u donate for those, it wont be a waste, the moment u decide to try out Unholy DPS as well, u will need another Helm, Chest, Shoulders and Legs cos of the difference in Gemming: Arp for Frost, Str for Unholy)


    ROTATION:

    Spoiler: Show
    BEFORE YOU START READING THIS PART GO WATCH VIDEOS:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLfyqzrSSYE - Blood SubSpec + Unholy SubSpec rotation
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6mfzjuMWQA - Some target swaps
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciuo24u43ZQ
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc4OOD5WdZQ
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlAgZ8ao8uM
    (ordered from latest to oldest)

    Here you have everything in the latest video (Blood SubSpec + Unholy SubSpec rotation), from SPELL REPLAY addon that shows which spell was used, to a flashy star addon showing which button/spell I am clicking exactly at what point (watch the spell bars).
    If you understand everything in the videos, and can replicate it without reading these long texts of Rotation spell ordering, you are good to go and pump some big numbers in raids!

    Now, when it comes to couple of "rules/priorities", these are the most important ones:

    1. DON’T DPS IF U DON’T HAVE DISEASES ON UR TARGET!
    Always start with IT > PS > ...
    DO NOT use any other ability if your target does not have Frost Fever and Blood Plague on them.

    Applying Diseases on the target is our FIRST priority as Death Knights.

    2. ALWAYS prioritize RUNE usage over RUNIC POWER usage.
    Spend your Runes FIRST and use Runic Power as a filler while u wait for your Rune Cooldown to end.
    Use Frost and Unholy runes for Obliterate (or IT and PS if u need to reapply your diseases).
    Use Blood Runes for Pestilence and Blood Strike (ALWAYS use them together, one after another).
    Use Death Runes u get for Obliterate (or IT and PS if u need to reapply your diseases).

    Using Runes as soon as possible is our SECOND priority as Death Knights.

    3. Whenever our Runes are on Cooldown, start using Runic Power and/or Horn of Winter.
    Using Runic Power during Rune downtime is our THIRD priority as Death Knights (aka Runic Power Dump).

    Overall Priority list:
    Spoiler: Show

    1. Keep Frost Fever up
    2. Keep Blood Plague up
    3. Obliterate
    4. Always Pestilence after Blood Strike and/or Blood Strike after Pestilence
    (make sure that both blood/death runes are synchronized)
    5. Frost Strike with Killing Machine
    (unless you have Rime proc and you are about to hit another Obliterate after this GCD)
    6. Howling Blast with a Rime proc
    (unless you have more than 110+ runic power)
    7. Frost Strike
    8. Horn of Winter
    (Horn of Winter has number 1 prio if the buff is not up on someone in the raid/group)
    Guide for dummies (click here if you dont understand shortcuts below):
    Spoiler: Show
    IT - Icy Touch
    PS - Plague Strike
    Pesti - Pestilence
    BS - Blood Strike
    Obli - Obliterate (the more u know)
    FS - Frost Strike
    HB - Howling Blast
    UA - Unbreakable Armor
    BT - Blood Tap
    ERW - Empovered Rune Weapon
    HoW - Horn of Winter
    AMS - Anty Magic Shell
    DnD - Death and Decay
    AotD - Army of the Dead

    RP - Runic Power
    WARNING - Again, the first thing u should ALWAYS do when u start to DPS your target are Diseases, OR when you Switch to a new Target > Diseases, OR in case u lost them due to a missed Pestilence > Diseases... Never Obliterate, Frost Strike, Blood Strike, or any other Strike unless you have both Diseases on your target first!

    The rotation is different based on the 2 specs you use.
    First being [Blood Sub Spec], which is there mainly for early game content.
    Second being [Unholy Sub Spec], which is there for content after Trial of the Crusader is released.
    Try out both, see which one works better for you at any stage of the game, and keep using it.



    Blood Sub Spec rotation:
    Spoiler: Show
    This spec/rotation should be better early on, preparing for Naxx, Naxx, preparing for Ulduar, Ulduar. There are couple of reasons, one of which is that this rotation is more target swap friendly (so if you are Frost DK DPS player for like, this should be your offspec even at BIS for world content, farming dungeons, etc), second being that Crit is more valuable from talents the less you have it from gear, which is at the early stages of the game...

    First part of this video is the Blood Sub Spec rotation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLfyqzrSSYE
    Opener for Frost DK DPS with Blood Subspec, there are couple things to know IF you want to maximize the Obliterate count and not waste too many Killing Machine procs and Runic Power overall.

    You want to open like this:

    IT > PS > UA+BT > Obli > FS > Pesti > ERW >
    Obli > Obli > Obli > "OptionX"
    Option1: FS > HB (if you have a Rime proc) > FS
    Option2: FS > Ghoul > FS (reason to split FS's with another GCD is for potential KM proc)
    Option3: FS > FS > FS
    (DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT DO MORE THAN 3 GCDs IN ANY OF THE OPTIONS!!!)

    After that you have ~1sec of downtime that you have to sit out and spam Obliterate as hard as you can since your next couple of abilities will be:
    Obli > Obli > Pesti > FS > BS > FS ...

    If you do more than 3 GCDs in "OptionX" part, you wont be able to Pestilence in time.

    Final product/Opener with ERW:
    IT > PS > UA+BT > Obli > FS > Pesti > ERW >
    Obli > Obli > Obli >
    FS > Ghoul > FS >
    Obli > Obli > Pesti > FS > BS > FS ...

    After that, Rune Rotation:
    Obli > Obli > BS > Pesti ...

    Remember, you always want to use Runes first, so Obliterate is still your highest priority.
    The only thing that changes with Blood Sub Spec is that you WANT to Weave a Frost Strike in between Obliterates IF you have Killing Machin proc, BUT, only if it DOES NOT interfere with Rune Grace on your Frost and Unholy Runes (that you use for Obliterate).

    Insert Runic Power in Rune Rotation:
    Obli > FS > Obli > FS > BS > FS > Pesti > FS ...
    This would be a perfect world scenario where you maximize both Runic Power usage, KM usage and Rune Grace usage.
    You want to instantly FS after you get a KM proc after any of the abilities: "Obli > Obli > BS > Pesti ..."
    But even if u get another instant KM proc you still want to PRIO RUNE USAGE over Runic Power usage so you dont extend Rune Grace on Obliterate Runes.

    The only exception to Rune Grace is Blood Strike Rune if you have too much Runic Power and KM proc.
    In case you are constantly capped with Runic Power, you want to completely abandon using Blood Strike and pump as many Frost Strikes as you can.
    The only time you want to Blood Strike in this case is before you use your Blood Tap for Pestilence after you use both of your Death Runes for Obliterate.

    So, basically, in a perfect world you do 1 ability that uses Runes and than 1 ability that uses Runic Power and u just repeat this (DKmonitor is a great WotLK addon that can show you the timer of Rune Grace after the Rune is replenished, so download it, go on the dummy, and try to weave some Frost Strike in between Obliterates).

    Another "good advice" would be that If you dont have Killing Machine up, and you are not getting capped with Runic Power constantly just pop next Rune ability, Blood Strike included.
    You always want to think ahead, and sometimes even delay a Frost Strike or two (if you are not RP capped constantly) and pop it with a "late" Killing Machine proc, or a trinket proc, or a cooldown that is coming soon.

    When it comes to Blood Tap you dont want to use it in combination with Unbreakable Armor (as said above).
    You want to use Unbreakable Armor using the Death Rune you get from Blood Strikes/Pestilence.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLfyqzrSSYE > @1:08sec of the video.
    Once you used your UA, you want to wait with BT.
    You use Blood Runes for BS and Pesti,
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLfyqzrSSYE > @1:17sec of the video,
    after that u use Death Runes you got from that for extra Obliterate and than u Blood Tap and Pestilence,
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLfyqzrSSYE > @1:29sec of the video.
    This is the only way to use Unbreakable Armor and Blood Tap in order to get 1 extra Obliterate, which for sure will make a difference when it comes to damage done at the end of a fight.

    When it comes to AoE, there is nothing new (it still sucks sadly).
    You want to apply diseases on your main target:
    IT > PS > ...
    You want to spread diseases to other targets:
    ... > Pestilence > ...
    You want to Howling Blast every one of them with potential Killing Machine proc:
    ... > Blood Boil*(you maybe get a KM proc during this GCD, if you already have it skip it) > Howling Blast > FS > HoW > ...

    You never want to Death and Decay.
    However, you can Blood Boil now, since you are not in the need for both Blood Runes being Death Runes constantly because you cant use them for extra Obliterate (dont do this before Obli > BT > Pesti).

    Opener without ERW:
    IT > PS > Obli > BS > BT > UA > Pesti > FS > Ghoul > FS/HB/HoW > ...
    Obli > FS*/HB* > Obli > FS* > BS > FS* > Pesti > FS/HB > FS/HB/HoW* > ...

    FS* - Frost Strike between the abilities that use Runes ONLY if you have Killing Machine proc.
    HB* - If you get Howling Blast from FIRST Obliterate, you want to use that HB instantly and fish for another proc using second Obliterate. If you get Howling Blast from SECOND Obliterate, you want to use it after you used all the other Runes.
    HoW* - Horn of Winter is there ofc only if you have a free GCD and nothing else to do.

    Opener with Army of the Dead and without ERW:
    Use DnD > AotD 8-9 seconds before combat.
    This is important because you want all your Runes to be on Cooldown as you get in Combat, which will activate Rune Grace timer on them. You also want to be able to use those Runes as soon as possible, which is why you have to time this perfectly and hope noone ninja pulls.
    Keep in mind that you DO NOT want to have 3/6 Runes on Cooldown as combat starts, so its sometimes better to use DND > AotD 8 seconds before the combat, in case you have impatient tanks/dps (this can happen if Runes that you used for Death and Decay get ready, you enter combat, and than Runes from Army are ready as well).

    So the opener should be something like this:
    Death and Decay > Army of the Dead > HoW (8-9 seconds before combat/pull) >
    IT > PS > Obli > BS > BT > UA > Pesti > FS > Ghoul > FS/HB/HoW >
    Obli > FS*/HB* > Obli > FS* > BS > FS* > Pesti > FS/HB > FS/HB/HoW* > ...

    So this is basically an "Opener without ERW" just with DND > AotD before that.
    You can also use this opener with Army WITH Empover Rune Weapon, but if your guild is pulling fast enough so you dont have ERW every pull, you might want to have ERW for one pull and Army for the next one, and just keep rotating them hopefully.

    In case you want to Parse/DPS really hard on a certain Boss, go with this:
    Death and Decay > Army of the Dead > HoW (8-9 seconds before combat) >
    IT > PS > UA+BT > Obli > FS > Pesti > ERW >
    Obli > Obli > Obli >
    FS > Ghoul > FS >
    Obli > Obli > Pesti > FS > BS > FS > ...
    Obli > FS*/HB* > Obli > FS* > Pesti > FS* > BS* > FS > FS/HB > ...

    If I find anything new I can add to Blood Sub Spec rotation, I will.
    If you think I forgot something or there is something helpful that made your DPS higher that you want me to add here, please say so in the comments below. :)



    Unholy Sub Spec rotation:
    Spoiler: Show
    This spec/rotation should be used in Trial of the Crusader + content for raids.
    From my point of view, it should work better than Blood Sub Spec on a highly single target based fights once you have "Best in Slot, Herald of the Titans gear", however, if you are having hard time maximizing that Obliterate count, and syncing Blood Runes constantly for extra Obliterates, you might want to keep playing Blood Sub Spec until ToC.

    Opener with Empower Rune Weapon:
    IT > PS > BT > Pesti > UA > Obli > FS* > ERW
    Obli > Obli > Obli > FS > FS > FS >
    Obli > Obli > BS > Pesti > FS > ...

    FS* = U can skip this Frost Strike at BIS, ESPECIALLY if u don’t have Killing Machine proc up.

    Opener without ERW, with Army of the Dead:
    DnD > Army of the Dead (8-9sec before the pull)
    IT > PS > Obli > BS > BT > UA > Pesti > FS* >
    Obli > Obli > Obli > FS > FS >
    Obli > Obli > BS > Pesti > FS > ...

    -For this to work, u must GET IN COMBAT before any of the runes finish their CD, aka, ALL RUNES have to be on CD the moment u get in combat.
    -This will let activate Rune Grace Period the moment u enter combat.
    -U probably wont use this way of pulling often, unless u joined a speed run of some sort.
    -Don't use ERW more than once in a fight (on the start) and u wont need this almost at all.
    -Use the AotD opener mainly when ERW is on Cooldown.
    Note:
    If u do this and your Runes are NOT on cooldown once u get in combat, u didn't do it correctly.
    If u do this and only 3/6 Runes are on cooldown once u get in combat, u didn't do it correctly. (this is the WORST scenario)
    In case u need to RUN towards to the boss to hit it after tank pulls, or in case u think someone will ninja pull, its better to do this 1 sec sooner (6-7sec before the pull), just to make sure u get it right.

    Opener without ERW and without AotD:
    IT > PS > Obli > BS > BT > UA > Pesti > FS* >
    Obli > Obli > Obli > FS > FS >
    Obli > Obli > BS > Pesti > FS > ...

    *U can make a Macro for this:*
    /use Unbreakable Armor
    /use Blood Tap
    /use 10 (in case you have Engineering to activate the Gloves enchant)

    And spam it like a mad lad before that Pestilence.

    Opener when u switch targets:
    IT > PS > Obli > BS > Pesti > FS >
    Obli > Obli > Obli > FS > FS > (in case you had 2 Blood Runes when switching)

    IT > PS > Obli > Obli > FS >
    Obli > Obli > BS > Pesti > FS > (in case you had 2 Death Runes when switching)

    Constant rotation after "Opener" (diseases on target):
    step1: Obli > Obli > Pesti > BS > FS* > FS* > step2
    step2: Obli > Obli > FS** > Obli > FS* > FS* > step1

    FS** = if you are BIS or close to BIS, you want to skip this part and simply do 3 Obliterates asap
    FS* = If u have Killing Machine up, and runic power for it, use FS over anything else
    FS* = Use Howling Blast if Rime procs, especially when u are low on runic power
    FS* = Use Horn of Winter if not enough Runic Power, no Rime proc up, or if u have to refresh it
    FS* = Skip if u don't have Horn of Winter or Runic Power or Howling Blast from Rime
    FS* = Use Frost Strike ALWAYS if u have 95%+ Runic Power

    If u miss Pestilence, just do:
    BS > Pesti (miss) > BS > FS** > IT > PS > Obli > Obli > FS > FS* > step1
    Pesti (miss) > BS > BS > FS** > IT > PS > Obli > Obli > FS > FS* > step1

    If Pestilence is resisted, just do:
    BS > Pesti (resist) > BS > FS** > IT > PS > Obli > Obli > FS > FS* > step1
    Pesti (resist) > BS > BS > FS** > IT > PS > Obli > Obli > FS > FS* > step1

    BS* - If u can repeat Pestilence and still somehow manage to Refresh your Diseases do Pestilence instead of Blood Strike. If your diseases ran off already and there is no way that Pestilence will be helpful, just do Blood Strike and refresh Diseases manually.

    Doing UA while in combat:
    1st way (better than "2nd way"):
    Step2: Obli > Obli > FS* > UA > BT > Obli > FS > FS > step1

    2nd way:
    Step2: Obli > Obli > FS* > Obli > BT > UA > FS > FS > step1

    FS* - skip this part if you are not skilled enough yet

    3rd way: (better than "4th way"):
    Step1: Obli > Obli > BS > BT > UA > Pesti > FS > FS > step2

    4th way:
    Step1: Obli > Obli > BT > UA > Pesti > FS > FS > step2

    ALWAYS, always use FIRST aka LEFT Blood Rune for UA(>BT), if u use SECOND aka RIGHT Blood Rune it WONT WORK
    If u use Second (Right) rune for UA, BT will convert First (Left) Blood Rune, basically making a Death Rune into a Death Rune, while your Second Blood Rune will stay Blood and go on Cooldown cos u used it for UA.
    (BT will always convert First aka Left Blood Rune to Death)

    The point of UA > BT is to use First (left) rune for UA, making it go on Cooldown as Blood Rune, so when u use BT it will make that Blood Rune into Death Rune with no Cooldown on it.

    Altho, depending on a fight and situation u are in, any of the 4 ways of doing it could be useful. Learn and perfect them all.

    U should probably make a macro: /cancelaura Blood Tap and use it after the UA > BT > Obli part of rotation (combine it with /startattack and/or /cancelaura Hand of Protection /cancelaura Divine Intervention, in case you have troll paladins).
    If u don't use it, it wont matter most of the time. U could however **** up rune grace period timer a bit in case u use that 2nd Blood Rune for pestilence first, since your 1st Blood Rune will be Death Rune.
    (your spells will always prio normal runes over death runes as said in the rune section)

    NOTE:
    In case sometimes you use BS > BT > UA > Pesti and you dont get 2 Death Runes, do this...

    Go on a dummy starting like this:
    IT > PS > Obli > BS > wait 1 sec (for this test) > Pesti > Obli > Obli > Obli > ...
    Obli > Obli > BS > BT > UA > Pesti > ...
    You end up on 1 Blood and 1 Death Rune.

    If you do all that without "wait 1 sec (for this test)":
    IT > PS > Obli > BS > Pesti > Obli > Obli > Obli > ...
    Obli > Obli > BS > BT > UA > Pesti > ...
    You end up on 2 Death Runes.

    Now, you wont ever wait that 1 second, but in combat, in haste (because you really need to be fast sometimes so you dont end up losing Diseases due to a late Pestilence), if you do BS > BT > UA before the rune (2nd/Right Blood Rune) for Pesti is ready for use (even if its on 0.001sec CD) you will again end up on 1 Blood and 1 Death Rune.
    The easy fix is to be fast on BT > UA > Pesti part once the rune (2nd/Right Blood Rune) is ready, or simply to use UA > BT > Obli when you have 2 Death Runes.

    This might never happen to you, just putting it here in case it does so you know whats going on.


    AoE Rotation:
    First I need to say that FROST DEATH KNIGHT HAS THE WORST CONSTANT AOE DAMAGE DONE OUTPUT IN THE ENTIER GAME.
    Priority list is when facing 3+ targets is simple because of it:
    Howling Blast with KM > Obliterate

    This one u need to learn yourself, and is highly situational.
    Just prio using Howling Blast with KM instead of Obliterate when off CD when facing 3+ targets that have equal priority on the kill list (Valkires on Lich King for example), after that keep spamming the normal rotation and whenever Obliterate gives u free Howling Blast use it instead of FS.
    Try not to use Killing Machine for anything else except Howling Blast, especially if HB is getting off CD in 2sec. If the CD on Howling Blast is more than 4sec for example and u used all your runes, feel free to use FS.
    Think ahead, its always better to skip using 1 FS that consumes KM in order to have a sick huge AoE burst with Howling Blast.
    If for example you are facing 3 targets and 1 of them needs to be killed as soon as possible, just Obliterate it and hope you get Rime for Howling Blast. This is why I said its situational...

    DO NOT, I will repeat, DO NOT USE DEATH AND DECAY!!!
    It will ruin your rotation and DMG done on a long run.
    It will make u lose at least 3 Obliterates and 3 potential free Howling Blasts from "Rime".
    Just forget about it as Frost DK dps. If u want to use it, go Unholy.
    If u want to AoE as FDK, perfect timing your Killing Machine with Howling Blasts, after that spam Obliterate and hope "Rime" will give u a free HB proc.
    Also DO NOT use Blood Boil. U can remove those 2 abilities from your bars.

    This is how your Recount and Ability Count (aka Obliterate and Frost Strike ratio) should look like:
    http://imgur.com/a/RooaY
    This is from Udba 0% Icecrown Lich King Fight.

    http://imgur.com/a/wIU6F
    This one is from a Dummy (with some Bad Obliterate Crit RNG)

    Do them Obliterates!!!

    I cant stress this enough, Frost Death Knight DPS purely depends on for how long u can keep the "perfect rotation" going.
    U have to think about the long run, and not make hasted dumb decisions (like using Death and Decay).
    Even if u gain something at that moment, it will cost u on the long run.

    Rules of a good Frost DK:
    Think ahead!
    NEVER DPS without both Frost Fever and Blood Plague on your target.
    ALWAYS prio RUNE usage over runic power usage.
    Never use Frost Strike if u have Runes Up and Ready for Obliterates.
    FDK is purely a Single Target DPS class with only Howling Blast as a AoE tool.
    If u want to maximize your AoE potential, use Howling Blast and Killing Machine carefully.
    Never use Unbreakable Armor consuming a Frost Rune, always use it consuming a Death Rune in combination with Blood Tap.
    Always synchronize Frost and Unholy runes (Obliterate), use them one after another (Icy Touch into Plague Strike).
    Always synchronize Blood runes, use them one after another (Pestilence into Blood Strike, or the other way around).
    Always synchronize Death Runes, use them one after another (Obliterate, or same as Blood Runes).
    ALWAYS be one step ahead of everyone in the raid. Think. Ahead. !!!

    The more u go away from these "rules" the less DPS u will do...

    Screen Shot of Flawless 5minute Rotation on a Dummy:
    https://imgur.com/a/6K37n
    Food - 40 Armor Penetration (forgot to SS this one as well...)
    Once u get to this point, where u can DPS for 5min straight without dropping your Diseases once, and end up on 9k+ DPS with BIS gear, u are the best version of yourself as a FDK.
    I know u need a bit of luck as well (no pestilence miss/resist) but thats the point.
    Practice until u get to this 1 Dummy DPS run where everything is perfect for 5 minutes.
    After that u can abandon Dummy for good... :D
    And another one: https://imgur.com/a/E4rCB with less luck on Pestilence RNG.




    VIDEOS OF FDK ROTATION:

    Spoiler: Show
    This is the channel you want to check for Frost DK rotation videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/UrosDasic
    Latest video being: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLfyqzrSSYE (Blood VS Unholy SubSpec @early game raids)

    by Rifokelt:
    Spoiler: Show
    1st September 2017:
    (shout out to Rifokelt for providing his old one, since I'm bad and I cant record my own - they are basically the same)
    https://youtu.be/Q0Cdp0_2vKY

    TRACK HIS RUNE USAGE and notice Couple of things (minor difference in opener):

    "/cancelaura Blood Tap" comes in handy at 0:11-0:19

    As u see, since there are both Death and Blood runes available when he does "Blood Strike", ability will always prio the NORMAL rune over DEATH rune.
    If both runes were Blood, the 1st aka the Left Blood Rune would be used first, instead the 2nd aka the Right one that got used in the video (@ 0:20).
    This is why I like using the cancelaura macro, cos sooner or later u will use the 1st rune first instead of 2nd rune, and might **** up Rune Grace period by 1sec (which can be huge when it comes to diseases refresh timer since its always close).
    I use it somewhere around 0:12+, right after I use Obliterate Consuming 2 Death Runes, before 0:19 when he used "Blood Strike" again in the Video.

    Notice and REMEMBER the part from 0:21, when he refreshes diseases with pestilence, until 0:41 when he does it again.
    THIS PART OF ROTATION MUST BE ALWAYS LIKE THAT.
    No matter what happens, no matter how many targets u switch, no matters how many misses or dodges happen, u always, ALWAYS have to try and make your rotation look like that.

    That is the:
    Pesti > BS > Obli > Obli > FS > FS > Obli > Obli > Obli > FS > FS > FS > Pesti > BS > Obli > ...
    part of the rotation from the guide.
    (with him doing BS > Pesti instead of Pesti > BS in the video)

    Note: I do Pesti first cos sometimes if it misses or it get resisted, if u are lucky and fast enough u can repeat Pesti again using the 2nd Blood Rune and refresh the Diseases.
    A lot of "IF"s but its worth if u make it.
    Also, sometimes it might be better to use BS > Pesti.
    Best Example is 1st Transition Phase on Lich King when u are DPSing the Ragings.
    There, u want to cast Pestilence and Spread diseases from 1st to 2nd and from 2nd to 3rd Raging so u don't have to IT > PS on it again (More Obliterates!).
    Since Ragings Spawns a bit latter its best to use BS and wait 1-2 sec for that Pestilence if u can and cast it right when the 2nd (3rd) one spawns.

    19th September2017:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwy7...ature=youtu.be
    Rifokelt sent me a new opener for u guys to use if u are interested.
    With this one u will get an extra Blood Strike at the start.
    If u find hard time executing this one, just keep using the old one since the DPS gain wont be noticeable at all, but if u **** it up u will notice a DPS loss...
    by Gnimo:
    Spoiler: Show
    There are A LOT of videos on the channel:
    The latest video containing both "perfect rotation" for Blood SubSpec and Unholy SubSpec:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLfyqzrSSYE
    The latest "BIS single target DPS" video:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFzm-9wj2pg

    Older videos:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6mfzjuMWQA
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc4OOD5WdZQ
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlAgZ8ao8uM
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6hKS_BYjp8
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciuo24u43ZQ
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBmP9W56DIg
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mQmHEeqyWg

    If u don't understand Rotation part, nor u understand what is going on in all the Videos I linked here, reroll to another class.


    Naxxramas:

    Spoiler: Show
    Before you even step in to Naxxramas, you will most likely be farming some dungeons.
    Here are the items you can use from all of them (this is NOT a "preraid bis list", just a bunch of items you can find to be useful that you will replace anyway as you start farming Naxxramas):
    Spoiler: Show

    Helm:
    Spiked Titansteel Helm - Meta gem
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=41386
    Chitin Shell Greathelm - Meta gem
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37237
    Mask of the Watcher - Helm (lether/62 expertise) Meta gem
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37293
    Planetary Helm - (52 hit) No meta
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37849
    Winterfin Patch of Honor - (lether/25 hit)
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37463

    Neck:
    Chain of the Tolling Bell / Choker of Forceful Redemption - 20 hit 21 expertise
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=38226 / https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=38231
    Gold Amulet of Kings
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37397
    Necklace of Arcane Spheres
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37861

    Shoulders:
    Snake Den Spaulders
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37627
    Spaulders of the Careless Thief - lether 33+4 hit
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37139
    Spaulders of the Giant Lords - (The Sons of Hodir Revered Reputation)
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=44195

    Cloak:
    Cloak of Bloodied Waters (boe)
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37647
    Shroud of Reverberation - 31 expertise
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37840
    Cloak of the Gushing Wound - 29 hit
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=43406

    Chest:
    Bonegrinder Breastplate - chest 2 gems
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37612
    Breastplate of Undeath - 45 hit
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37722
    Custodian's Chestpiece - lether 45 expertise
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37219
    Engraved Chestplate of Eck - 61 hit 2 gems
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=43310
    Crystal-Infused Tunic - lether 51 hit 2 gems
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37165

    Wrist:
    Golden Limb Bands
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37217
    Bands of the Stoneforge
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37668
    Drake-Champion's Bracers - (boe) lether 29 hit
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37366
    Bindings of the Tunneler - lether 25 expertise
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37183
    Cast Iron Shackles - 29 hit (boe)
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37891

    Gloves:
    Horn-Tipped Gauntlets - 67 expertise (tank gloves)
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37645
    Charged-Bolt Grips - lether
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37846
    Gauntlets of Dragon Wrath
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37363
    Gilt-Edged Leather Gauntlets - lether 66 hit
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37409
    Gauntlets of Capture
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37874

    Belt:
    Sharp-Barbed Leather Belt - lether 43 expertise
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37194
    Treasure Seeker's Belt - (boe) lether 41 hit
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37243
    The General's Steel Girdle - 41 hit
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37826
    Flame-Bathed Steel Girdle
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37171
    Ley-Whelphide Belt - lether (boe187ilvl)
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=36978
    Strategist's Belt
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37178
    Girdle of the Mystical Prison
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=35653

    Legs:
    Staggering Legplates
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37193
    Legplates of the Oculus Guardian
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37263
    Legplates of Steel Implants
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37675
    Legguards of Swarming Attacks - lether 54 expertise
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=43286
    Gored Hide Legguards - lether 52 hit
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37644
    Rift Striders
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37150
    Chain Gang Legguards
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37890
    Mind-Expanding Leggings - lether 62 expertise (Kirin Tor Revered Repuation - will reduce the epic Ring and Mammoth gold cost)
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=44179

    Feet:
    Slag Footguards - lether
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37841
    Boots of the Whirling Mist - lether 38 hit
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37666
    Berserker's Sabatons - (boe) 25 hit
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37068
    Echoing Stompers
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37367
    Death-Inured Sabatons - (Knights of the Ebon Blade Exalted Reputation)
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=44306

    Rings:
    Hemorrhaging Circle (33expertise)
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37642
    Mobius Band (25hit)
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37685
    Band of Frosted Thorns
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37151
    Stained-glass shard ring - (boe)
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37624
    Palladium Ring - (boe 183ilvl)
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=35683

    Trinkets:
    Meteorite Whetstone
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37390
    Sphere of Red Dragon's Blood - 55 hit
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37166
    Frenzyheart Insignia of Fury
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=44073
    Oracle Talisman of Ablution
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=44074
    Incisor Fragment
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37723

    Weapons:
    Reaper of Dark Souls - 33 hit / 2.7 speed (Knights of the Ebon Blade Revered Reputation)
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=44250
    The Key - 24 hit / 2.6 speed
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37871
    Crypt Lord's Deft Blade - 24 hit / 2.5 speed
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37235
    Stormstrike Mace - 2.6 speed
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=43407
    Infantry Assault Blade - 19 exp / 2.6 speed
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=37179
    Stalactite Chopper - ez Orc weapon / 2.6 speed (The Sons of Hodir Revered Reputation)
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=44192

    Sigil:
    Sigil of the Frozen Conscience
    https://wotlk-twinhead.twinstar.cz/?item=40822
    When it comes to both Naxxramas 10 and 25m, here are couple of items you can farm...
    I am not saying these are "the best options" out there, nor that these items will give you "highest dps numbers according to sims", but there is also a high chance that you wont ever reach your "phase bis list", so just try to get Hit and Expertise cap with them and wait for Ulduar to release.
    Highest DPS upgrade out of all these items, part from weapons, is Darkmoon Card Greatness. Hands down the best trinket all the way until you can get double Deaths Verdict.
    If you are rich when it comes to gold, you can also get Dalaran Expertise Ring, you will be able to upgrade it in latter phases to a nice 251 ilvl Ring (if you are Exalted with Kirin Tor, the price of the ring, and any other Kirin Tor vendor mount for example, will be reduced, so you might want to try and farm that reputation if you have the time for it and save some gold).

    Naxxramas 10m enjoyers:
    Spoiler: Show
    Helm:
    https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=39619 - T7
    Neck:
    https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=39146 - Anub'Rekhan
    Shoulders:
    https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=39621 - T7
    Cloak:
    https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=39404 - Sapphiron
    Chest:
    https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=39617 - T7
    Wrist:
    https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=39195 - Grand Widow Faerlina
    Gloves:
    https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=39299 - Instructor Razuvious
    Belt:
    https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=39345 - Gothik the Harvester
    Legs:
    https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=39620 - T7
    Feet:
    https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=39139 - Anub'Rekhan
    Ring:
    https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=39277 - Grobbulus
    Ring:
    https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=39401 - Sapphiron
    Trinket:
    https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=37390 - King Ymiron (Utgarde Pinnacle 5m Heroic)
    (https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=40684 - 40 Emblems of Heroism)
    Trinket:
    https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=42987 - Darkmoon Card: Greatness (Gold)
    (https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=39257 - Loatheb)
    (https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=37166 - Keristrasza (Nexus 5m Heroic, only if u lack Hit))
    Weapons:
    https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=39291 - Thaddius
    https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=39291 - Thaddius
    Sigil:
    https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=40207 - 25 Emblem of Valor

    With these items, you should be melee hit capped and at 25 expertise.
    Overall, if you are not in a "try hard guild" and are raiding casually, its a great base for farming 25m Naxx content, where you can get some better upgrades.
    The first item you want to buy with emblems if you want to get this gear only for the phase (part from the Sigil) would be the Feet (40x Emblem of Valor) Bladed Steelboots: https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=40742, since more hit will increase your Pestilence chance to hit.
    When it comes to "the item" from Naxx 25m, the weapon (Noth the Plaguebringer) Angry Dread: https://www.wotlkdb.com/?item=40189 should be top prio, mainly because of the weapon damage, on top of the Hit it gives also.

    Naxxramas 25m good enough gear:
    Spoiler: Show
    Helm (T7) Valorous Scourgeborne Helmet:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40554

    Neck (Multiple Naxx25 bosses) Fool's Trial:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40065
    or (Sapphiron) Icy Blast Amulet:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40369

    Shoulders (T7) Valorous Scourgeborne Shoulderplates:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40557

    Cloak (25x Emblems of Valor) Hammerhead Sharkskin Cloak:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40721
    or (Kel'Thuzad) Drape of the Deadly Foe:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40403

    Chest (Maexxna) Undiminished Battleplate:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=39767
    or T7 - http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40550

    Wrist (Gothik the Harvester) Bracers of Unrelenting Attack
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40330
    or (60x Emblem of Valor) Wristbands of the Sentinel Huntress:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40733
    or (Grand Widow Faerlina) Bracers of the Tyrant:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=39729

    Gloves (T7) Valorous Scourgeborne Gauntlets:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40552
    or (Four Horsemen) Zeliek's Gauntlets:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40347

    Belt (Instructor Razuvious) Girdle of Razuvious:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40317
    or (Grobbulus) Girdle of Chivalry:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40278

    Legs (T7) Valorous Scourgeborne Legplates:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40556

    Feet (Anub'Rekhan) Sabatons of Sudden Reprisal:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=39706
    or (40x Emblem of Valor) Bladed Steelboots:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40742

    Ring1 (Multiple Naxx25 bosses) Ruthlessness:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40075

    Ring2 (Gold) Inscribed Ring of the Kirin Tor:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=45690
    or (Sapphiron Naxx 10m) Circle of Death:
    https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=39401
    or (Multiple Naxx25 bosses) Strong-Handed Ring:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40074
    or (25x Emblem of Valor) Ring of Invincibility:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40717

    Trinket1 (Sartharion) Fury of the Five Flights:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40431

    Trinket2 (GOLD!) Darkmoon Card: Greatness:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=42987

    Other trinkets you can use:
    Meteorite Whetstone (King Ymiron Utgarde Pinnacle 5m Heroic):
    https://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=37390,
    Bandit's Insignia (Sapphiron):
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40371,
    Darkmoon Card: Death (gold):
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=42990,
    Mirror of Truth (40x Emblem of Heroism):
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40684)

    Weapon1 (Noth the Plaguebringer) Angry Dread:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40189

    Weapon2 (Noth the Plaguebringer) Angry Dread:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40189

    Sigil (Heigan the Unclean / 25 Emblem of Valor) Sigil of Awareness:
    http://wotlk.cavernoftime.com/item=40207

    If you go for the "first in line" item choice for each slot, you will be on:
    362 Hit (almost at spell hit cap)
    174 Expertise (21.22 + 5 = 26, soft cap)
    with only 2x 8hit8expertise gems, one of which should be put in yellow socket on Legs to get the +6hit bonus as well.
    This will provide you with a steady rotation (desynced Runes rotation that maximises the Obli count works only with 26 expertise and as much hit as you can get untill the spell hit cap).
    Some of these items might be easy to get, some of them might be hard, just dont be greedy.
    You will change them as soon as you hit Ulduar, so just try to have fun and make some friends as you do it. :)



    Herald of the Titans:

    Spoiler: Show
    You can find the latest "BIS Herald of the Titans itemisation" in this video:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxlLgHRHANw - starting @00:02 ending @00:20
    (I am lazy to go trough the trouble of fixing the links and editing the guide so just watch this)

    Frost DK is the strongest out of all 3 specs when it comes to early game raiding.
    Its perfect spec for Herald of the Titans achievement duo to 20% Melee Haste and 155 Strength and Agility buff to the raid.
    On top of that it does AWESOME DPS.
    U will most likely top DPS at the end of the fight as Frost DK when u are doing this achievement (if u know how to play it).

    When it comes to Rotation, check the latest Blood and Unholy SubSpec youtube video.

    If u want to spend money on Coins u have the list I consider is BiS ("BiS" list itemisation, just chose what u want to buy carefully because some items u can use for both specs and some u cant, some items u can get easy from raiding cos no one wants them, on some u have to waste a ton of DKP or roll high numbers).
    When it comes to Point shop, u should get BiS Herald gear always.
    It doesn't matter if there is a slightly better item in the shop (239 item level stuff u can buy for some extra points), u don't care about those items.
    U will get even better items from ToC 10-25m/ICC 10-25m soon enough, and sell 239 items for Gold, or let them root in your Bank, but u can always use those 226(232 weapons) items for this achievement.
    So, if u have those points and u want to spend them somewhere, here is a list of items I consider to be Best in Slot for this Achievement...

    Itemisation for Herald of the Titans achievement (BIS):

    [Valorous Scourgeborne Helmet]
    [Strength of the Heavens]
    [Valorous Scourgeborne Shoulderplates]
    [Drape of the Faceless General]
    [Conqueror's Darkruned Battleplate]
    [Bitter Cold Armguards]
    [Gloves of the Endless Dark]
    [Starfall Girdle]
    [Conqueror's Darkruned Legplates]
    [Footpads of Silence] (Leatherworking)
    [Band of Lights]
    [Loop of the Agile]
    [Mjolnir Runestone]
    [Darkmoon Card: Greatness]
    [Caress of Insanity]
    [Caress of Insanity]
    [Sigil of Awareness]

    Total of:
    -236 hit rating (7.20% melee / 9.00% spell hit)
    -26 Expertise (179 rating)[/color]

    Screenshot of dummy DPS while in this gear:
    https://imgur.com/a/hXVA3 - old (god knows when)
    https://imgur.com/a/c6S4a9q - new (July 2020)
    https://imgur.com/a/yDhqJqg - and another one (was using the UABT macro with Aldrianas, rip engi gloves uptime)
    http://armory.warmane.com/character/...ecrown/summary

    All of those items are generally hard to get (boss killing wise), so there is no set in prio on which one to buy first.
    I guess you can check Atlas Loot and see which one drop from harder bosses to kill, but generally u want to get weapons first, trinkets, items you cant get with ease, etc... Also check which items can be found in emblem vendors 226 ilvl or less, and prio the slots you cant get that way (if you have limited amount of coins).
    There is also a ToC trinket you can get by farming the dungeon, Darkmoon Card and Footpads of Silence by farming gold, couple of Tier items by farming RDF for emblems, same goes for Sigil, and I think that is about it.

    Other items u can use as well:
    [Conqueror's Darkruned Helmet] - helm
    [Conqueror's Darkruned Shoulderplates] - shoulders
    [Shoulderplates of the Celestial Watch] - shoulders
    [Conqueror's Darkruned Gauntlets] - gloves
    [Valorous Scourgeborne Gauntlets] - gloves
    [Belt of the Titans] - belt (Blacksmithing)
    [Battlelord's Plate Boots] - feet (Blacksmithing)
    [Fluxing Energy Coils] - wrist
    [Soul-Devouring Cinch] - belt
    [Favor of the Dragon Queen] - neck (would use this neck if I had it, instead of the Heavens one)
    [Seed of Budding Carnage] - neck
    [Brann's Sealing Ring] - ring
    [Banner of Victory] - trinket
    [Dark Matter] - trinket
    [Serilas, Blood Blade of Invar One-Arm] - weapon
    [Sigil of the Vengeful Heart] - sigil

    U will mostly Gem this gear with 20 Strength Cardinals, with 2-4 10 Strength and 10 Crit/Haste Ametrine gems, in items where u can get +4/+6 strength and +6 agility (cloak and gloves), with 1 Nightmare Tear in Legs.

    Yes, there are a couple of agility items. The reason is simple. They are better.
    Even tho they have Agility as original stat in them, they have a LOT of Attack Power with the Extra gem slots that will make up for the Strength lost and overall u will have more stats in total.
    More or less when it comes to Herald (if u cant get all of these items), u should get as many 226 items (232 Weapons) as possible with as many Gem slots in them.
    I would also suggest going trough couple of actual Ulduar 10m Farm Runs before using Points for items. U might get some of the items legit, so u can use points on those u are missing.
    Try to get 7-10% Melee Hit and cap Expertise. After that it doesn't matter which item u go for tbh...


    PvP Itemisation and Spec:

    Spoiler: Show
    I am in no way a great Frost DK PvP player.
    I have almost no experience when it comes to 2v2, and especially 3v3 with this spec.
    This is some of the information I gathered when I was trying out these specs and way of playing DK in PvP.
    If you find a more experienced gladiator Frost DK, you should ask him how to do this part. :D

    Talents:
    2v2 maximum DMG spec
    https://wotlk.evowow.com/?talent#jbI...ucuzAoc:kNc0Mz
    3v3 more control spec
    https://wotlk.evowow.com/?talent#j0x...uzAof0M:kNT0Mz

    Itemisation:
    [Wrathful Gladiator's Dreadplate Helm]
    [Ahn'kahar Onyx Neckguard]
    [Wrathful Gladiator's Dreadplate Shoulders]
    [Winding Sheet]
    [Wrathful Gladiator's Dreadplate Chestpiece]
    [Wrathful Gladiator's Bracers of Triumph]
    [Wrathful Gladiator's Dreadplate Gauntlets]
    [Wrathful Gladiator's Girdle of Triumph]
    [Wrathful Gladiator's Dreadplate Legguards]
    [Apocalypse's Advance]
    [Skeleton Lord's Circle]
    [Ashen Band of Endless Might]
    [Death's Verdict]
    [Death's Verdict](HC)
    [Wrathful Gladiator's Truncheon] - Rune of Razorice
    [Wrathful Gladiator's Truncheon] - Rune of Fallen Crusader
    [Sigil of the Vengeful Heart]

    This itemisation is for "Human" only.
    Any other class should use [Medallion of the Alliance/Horde] instead of DV/DC normal. The main difference part from the trinkets are gems, where you go more Resilience if you don't have Medallion and more Strength if you do.

    Yes, with talents u will be over capped with Hit.
    No, there is no better stat u can go for, nor better items in WotLK (the only better stat would be haste, but there is no 277+ item level Neck with Strength and Haste on it).
    Same goes for Ring, even tho Expertise wont help u almost at all in PvP, it will help a bit and there is no better item in WotLK to fit that slot.
    Armor Penetration SUCKS in PvP. I tried it, it wont help u...
    More Hit = More melee hits = More Killing Machine Procs = More HUGE Frost Strikes = More kills.

    If u are Orc, u should use:
    [Wrathful Gladiator's Handaxe]
    [Wrathful Gladiator's Splitter]
    As weapons (cos of the extra Expertise Racial).

    Gem Resilience until u reach 1200. After that get as much Strength as possible.
    Use:
    [Mystic King's Amber] 20 resilience
    [Resplendent Ametrine] 10 strength 10 resilience
    [Bold Cardinal Ruby] 20 strength
    gems in order to reach that point.

    When it comes to itemisation, u can use items like:
    [Wrathful Gladiator's Pendant of Victory]
    [Wrathful Gladiator's Cloak of Victory]
    in case u want even more resilience...
    I personally don't like doing this cos u lose both Gem slot and **** ton of Strength.
    U can reach total of 1253 Resilience with the itemisation i linked while having BS + JC as profession (i play with ~1200+ resi).

    This is some basic info on spec and itemisation i gathered when it comes to Frost PvP DK.
    When it comes to play stile, i wont make this a huge section. U need to learn that **** on your own.

    The main idea of the FDK in PvP is:
    NEVER drop Frost Fever off your target, u will do no DMG if u lose it...
    farm **** ton of Runic Power with the use of Chains of Ice, Plague Strike and Blood Strike,
    on trinket procs, spam the **** out of Frost Strike on your target,
    use Howling Blast and Obliterate to gain some extra Runic Power while spamming FS for even more DMG on your target,

    While focusing on one target, use Grip to pull the other target close to u and use [Hungering Cold] to freeze them both,
    after that just burn the target u want to kill, and prepare your next CC on the other target that is frozen for 10sec.
    Repeat this part until your target dies,

    Don't forget to use Unbreakable Armor when bursting your target after Hungering Cold
    (try use it like in PvE - "rotation" section of the guide, read more about it below - fast tip:
    use UA consuming Death Rune, instantly BT to convert that Blood Rune to Death again, and Howling Blast/Obliterate after that using both Death Runes)
    Note: Howling Blast deals more Single Target DMG than Obliterate in PvP. Always prio HB over Obli.

    That's it for this sections bois and grills. Hope it helped a bit with the basic idea of how this thing should be played...


    How to get to End Game raiding:

    Spoiler: Show
    First of all, open your Spellbook and READ EVERY SINGLE ABILITY!
    Second of all, open your Spellbook and READ EVERY SINGLE ABILITY U HAVE THERE, AGAIN!
    Now, there is no spec for everything when it comes to, lets call it Early game.

    U need both Frost and Unholy specs. Get that Dual Talent Specialisation and spec into both.

    Check both Frost and Unholy guide "Spec" sections. U have explanations there how u could use the specs as well... The more u know the better...

    READ EVERY TALENT U HAVE!
    I'm serious, if u don't know how your class, spells and talents work, u can NEVER maximise your DPS/Gameplay in the current situation u are facing. Knowledge is power...

    Use Frost Spec for Raids.
    Use Unholy Spec for Clearing Dungeons.
    Check both "Rotation" sections in the guides on how to play these specs correctly.
    Note: you can use Frost in Dungeons and Unholy in Raids, try out both ways couple of times to see which one suits your play style more.

    Now when it comes to Raids and Dungeons... ALWAYS BE PREPARED!
    Never, i repeat NEVER enter a raid group without knowing how that boss works.
    If u are completely new to the game there are Guides back from retail that give detailed info on how **** works
    (TANKSPOT guides): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWtJL-A81u0
    Go to: Youtube > Search for: Tankspot ___(type in the name of a boss and difficulty u want to watch)
    and u have yourself a great guide.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1x9MErf5NA one of the great LK guides u can find outside of Tankspot videos.

    Download Atlas Loot and check Reputation faction rewards in Northrend.
    You can get Revered with all of those factions just by doing all the quests with them and maybe couple of daily quests after that. There you can get awesome 187 and 200 rare item level gear.
    Use both Tanking pieces with Hit and Expertise on them, and dps pieces to cap those stats first, or get close to it.

    Reputation rewards and pre-dungeon gear:
    Spoiler: Show
    Knights of the Ebon Blade
    [Reaper of Dark Souls] - 1h sword with hit
    [Runeblade of Demonstrable Power] - 2h sword
    [Arcanum of Torment] - must have Head enchant
    These would be easy to get to Revered since its our base faction. If you are not done with the rep grind by just unlocking them in Icecrown, there are a lot of daily quests you can do for them.

    The Sons of Hodir
    [Spaulders of the Giant Lords] - shoulders
    [Stalactite Chopper] - 1h axe
    [Greater Inscription of the Axe] - must have Shoulder enchant
    You should be instantly exalted with these as you finish the full quest chain.
    If u finish it and you cant buy anything from them, go to reputation character panel and uncheck "at war" with them as u click on Sons of Hodir. If that doesn't work, make a ticket and GM should help you out.

    The Wyrmrest Accord
    [Cloak of Peaceful Resolutions] - cloak with hit
    [Breastplate of the Solemn Council] - chest with expertise
    [Sabatons of Draconic Vigor] - feet with hit
    The quest with this faction starts in Borean Thundra that leads to Coldara after. U might need to do 2 daily quests in Coldara couple of times in order to get to Revered.

    Argent Crusade
    [Special Issue Legplates] - legs with hit
    [Fang-Deflecting Faceguard] - helm
    Should be revered after the full normal quest chain.
    There are low level quests at Lights Chapel in Eastern Plaguelands that can help u out if something goes wrong.

    Frenzyheart Tribe
    [Giant-Sized Gauntlets] - gloves with hit
    [Frenzyheart Insignia of Fury] - trinket with haste
    Start of the quest chain.
    If the link is broken, google: "Frenzyheart Tribe quest chain".

    Kirin Tor
    [Mind-Expanding Leggings] - agil legs with expertise
    (Kirin Tor might be hard to get to revered, and I would go for this one last with equiping their Tabard while farming dungeons, altho, you might not even need these legs to be honest)

    If you want to get any of these factions to exalted, buy a tabard, equip it and do dungeons on top of Daily quests IF there are any available.

    Items you can get off Auction house or with BS / JC:
    [Savage Saronite Skullshield] - google "Savage Saronite full set" for the other pieces
    [Ring of Scarlet Shadows]
    [Jade Ring of Slaying] - u need to have JC for this one
    [Windfire Band]
    If you dont have BS or JC, you can always farm/buy the mats and find a JC or BS and ask them to make it for you.
    [Cast Iron Shackles]
    [Treasure Seeker's Belt]
    [Berserker's Sabatons]

    Examples of awesome quest reward items:
    [Chain of the Tolling Bell]
    [Signet of Bridenbrad]
    [Band of Motivation]
    [Rune of Finite Variation] - trinket
    [Fezzik's Pocketwatch] - trinket

    http://armory.warmane.com/character/...mourne/summary
    Missing only Sons of the Hodir quest chain.

    When it comes to the Epics on Auction House:
    Wodin's Lucky Necklace
    Ring of Rotting Sinew
    these items should be your top Prio. When it comes to the rest of the BoE epic items from AH, it all depends on how much gold you have and what can you afford.

    Point shop:
    [Comet's Trail] is the best item in there.
    If you have points for it, get it.
    If you have small amount of gold (4000), or coins (3) that you cant increase a lot, maybe going to auction house / trade item shop and getting:
    [Darkmoon Card: Greatness] might be a good idea.
    These two trinkets are Best in Slot up until you can get your hands on Death's Verdict/Death's Choice, Deathbringer's Will and Sharpened Twilight Scale, so they are an awesome investment.
    When it comes to point shop weapons:
    1h: [Caress of Insanity].
    1h: [Empowered Deathbringer] - for Orcs (MAYBE)
    2h: [Aesir's Edge].
    2h: [Voldrethar, Dark Blade of Oblivion]. - care if you ever want to try and go for Herald of the Titans achievement, this Sword has higher item level.
    2h: [Hammer of Crushing Whispers]. - in case you lack hit.
    Other than these, I dont feel like using points is a smart thing to do.
    If you really want to use a lot of points on your DK, I would suggest going for items from "Herald of the Titans" list I have in this guide as well.
    As you get in dungeon farming, try to get a Two Handed Weapon for Unholy and 2x slow, 2.6sec Speed One Handed Weapons for Frost.
    Frost has greater single target DPS potential when it comes to early game, so its perfect for boss fights.
    Unholy has greater aoe DPS potential when it comes to early game, so its perfect for clearing dungeons.
    In case you have Glorenzelg with 284 ilvl (coined it, or got it legit) and couple of 232 ilvl one handers, 2 handed Frost is a better choice until you get better weapons (double BVB or Havoc).
    Frost DK should be best raiding spec out there, when it comes to DPS, if you know how to play it properly.
    Its only down side is that it doesn't scale as good as Fury Warrior does for example with 284 item level meta, but before that you should top anyone with same or a bit higher GS than you.

    When Gearing up, try to get 237-367 Hit rating (any rating in between these 2 is good, don't ever try to push for 367 intentionally) and 26 Expertise asap, for both specs, and just gem Strength.
    When it comes to other stats u cant do much about it since u lack items. Try to get as much Crit as possible without sacrificing those 3 stats from above (hit, exp, too much strength) and wait for better items.
    Feel free to use Frost for Dungeons and Unholy for Raids as well as said above. U should try out both in those situations (both raids and dungeons) so u can transition to your Main Spec in End Game.
    However, if u notice doing a lot more DPS with one spec, don't use the other one when the raid needs your top performance.
    After couple of Raids and Dungeons u should see which spec and play stile suits u more.
    This doesn't mean that if you DPS as Frost sucks for example, that you cant do anything about it.
    If you practice a lot, and put in a lot of time and effort in perfecting both specs, you can be an awesome player, this is not rocket science, the game is easy, just needs that muscle memory by repetition.

    Don’t be afraid to "waste" those Emblems of Frost on both T10 [Gloves] and [Legs] in Early game stages, especially if you are not in a good guild.
    These two items should be your TOP PRIO.
    There will come a time when u join a good Guild when u will have to play both specs for them, so u wont waste emblems since Gloves are BiS for Unholy DPS and Legs are BiS for Frost DPS in end game (talking about T10).
    On top of that, both Gloves and Legs have perfect stats for early game dps, and if you shine in those couple of first guild runs and build some nice rep with the leaders, gear will come with ease.
    If you are completely new to the game, I would not buy neither Gloves nor Legs up until I have emblems for both of them (155 Emblems of Frost total).
    You might be 5% lucky to get 1 of the pieces in VoA during that emblem farm.
    If you farmed 155 emblems and got 0 T10 dps pieces from VoA, just buy them both.

    Never stop farming Emblems of Frost, especially if u want to play both Frost and Unholy in PvE. Those two specs require different gems when BiS (Frost - Armor Penetration / Unholy - Strength) so u might need double T10 set, aka 2x 4/5 T10 set items (2 Helms, 2 Shoulders, 2 Chest, 2 Legs).

    As for Emblems of Triumph you get from random dungeon finder (RDF), you should use them to get 2/5 T9 set bonus asap ([Helm] and [Shoulders]) and follow it with the rest of the pieces ([Gloves], [Chest]and last to get [Legs]).
    You can skip the T9 Legs and get T10 Legs first, since that Armor Penetration from T9 wont help almost at all at early stages of gearing and DPS. Other Emblems of Triumph items at the vendor like [Ring], and [Sigil] can also be good. You can downgrade the emblems as well to get some nice items from previous tier vendors like:
    Spoiler: Show
    [Legs] - you should get these instead of T9
    [Belt] - you should get this one if you plan on going for T9 helm and T10 legs
    [Belt] - hit and expertise in case you lack both stats and no T9 helm and T10 legs
    [Gloves] - better than the Str counterpart at that vendor
    [Neck] - nice hit neck, but you should get Wodins instead of this
    The last 3 items are more expensive than the rest above, and should be take last.
    [Cloak]
    [Wrist]
    [Feet]
    Take a GOOD look in the loot table from FoS, PoS, HoR and ToC 5m dungeons, before you buy some of these items.
    If there is an item that is better than the emblem ones, save the emblems for a piece/item slot that is not even in those instances.
    Overall all these items (part from T10 pieces) will become less valuable as you start raiding 25m ToC, ICC and RS.

    If u are starting from Scratch, and u are new to this game, try to look into some guides on how to level professions.
    Going for Blacksmithing will provide u with some nice close to 200 item level gear and Jewelcrafting with some nice Jewelry. Although u might need to get Mining in order to level these professions and make some money out of it first...
    (Both Mining and Herbalism can be awesome for farming Gold. U can start with those 2 professions and once u are confident in your wealth u can go Mining + BS and in the end BS + JC, or even JC + Engi)
    Farm some quests in Northrend for gold which will on top of that give u Reputation. There are nice 200 ilevel Rares and Epics u can get from Northrend reputation vendors that can help u start farming RDFs better (try to get Atlas Loot addon to help u with this, so u know which reputation faction can give u what item, so u know where to farm and do quests).
    Overall questing on level 80 will reward u with lots of gold, and some nice items from Reputation vendors, and with the gold u earn you can scout Auction House for some cheap items to complete your blue / pre rdf set.

    Just take your time and enjoy the game.
    World of Warcraft is not a race, its a marathon!

    Overall Conclusion for Early Game stages:
    Open that Spellbook and Talent tree, READ EVERYTHING. Learn how your class works!
    Watch some Tankspot or w/e Guides on how Bosses work.
    Get both Specs. (dual talent specialisation)
    Get 237+ (Frost) or 289 (Unholy) hit rating, 26 Expertise, asap, go for Strength and Crit in items, and keep on farming and practice.
    T10 2/5 is perfect start(Gloves and Legs), get a great Sigil (Virulence for both at start, Awareness for Frost after u get 2/5 T10), and a Weapon hopefully, and keep on farming and practice.
    Use Professions, quests, Reputation to gear up and farm some Gold.
    Keep on the Practice.


    Final words:

    Spoiler: Show
    While u are gearing up there is not much u can do. Focus on getting 9-14% spell hit (237-367 rating) and 26+ Expertise (173+ rating). This will remove any chance of a random miss or a dodge interrupting your rotation, which is really important when you are trying to get a hang of it.
    U want to work your way and PERFECT your Rotation and play style as soon as possible.
    All the Best in Slot items will be gained once u start raiding TogC 25m hc, ICC 25m hc, RS 25m hc.
    Until than, as long as Item A gives u more Strength, Crit and Armor Penetration/Haste than Item B, u want to go for Item A (as long as u are Hit and Expertise capped), so please don't ask questions like is this item better than this item?
    Agility items are as good, and even better than some Strength items in some early stages of the game. How to see that? Compare the overall stats on both items and use the one that has more.
    Always work on a better Stat balance. Don't be that moron who uses tank and healer items just to boost Gear Score and does 0 DPS. Get what u can and hope those BIS items will drop soon.

    PRACTICE A LOT! Like seriously... Spend 3 days on a dummy, switching from one to another, DPSing one dummy for 4min, stop after that for 30sec, wait for your CDs and ERW and go again, PRACTICE opener, stop DPSing after 1min and PRACTICE opener without ERW, PRACTICE how to use CDs and try to see when your Trinket Procs so u can align them perfectly, just PRACTICE everything you can think of.
    U can read 1000 guides, if u don't have the experience and practice your fingers, u wont get any better.

    READ everything I wrote. There is a good reason behind every word I said.
    I didn't read a guide when I started playing my DK back in the days on Retail, nor when I came back to WotLK on Warmane, i had to learn it the hard way.
    I read my spells, talents, connected the dots and thought about how can I use them combined for most amount of DMG, I started practising a lot, DPSed the dummy like crazy for months, tried different things, some failed, some succeeded...
    The point is, u can come to all these conclusions yourself, u just need to use your head, care and try, and waste a lot of time. What this guide offers you is to save all that time, and just go straight to the end game where you can polish your skill to perfection and top meters.

    If i forgot to mention something, or u have an idea what can I add to the guide to help new players find their answers in one thread please comment below. Or if u see any mistakes i made i guess...

    Guide is not perfectly written.
    It still has some things i could work on when it comes to aesthetics.
    However, it has ALL the information about Death Knights that I have and know.
    Some of us didn't have this kind of shortcut and had to go trough all the painful tests ourselves.
    With this guide, u can just copy paste all kind of stuff and do the maximum DPS possible.
    As said at the start of the Guide, PRACTICE and LEARN the ROTATION part, rest is not as important.
    I might update it again and make it look better, might not, its really boring and it doesn't bring me any kind of satisfaction.
    I had to google a LOT and do all kind of stuff to be here where I am, all u have to do is read this tiny guide, so don't nitpick. If I forgot something or if u have any questions, ask below in comment section (just please, read the guide before asking about stuff that are already answered in it).
    U have more than enough Information in all 3 Guides to be a GREAT DK.
    Just read them...



    https://imgur.com/a/MGVKKXa
    Picture of my "last raid" on my FDK. You have couple of other good FDKs in there. Main thing you should focus on is ability count, other things are decided based on RNG from procs.


    P.S. Any question Answered by "Rifokelt" in the comment section is what you want to follow.
    So if he answered and I didn't, I agreed with him so follow his suggestions. :D
    (any question answered by Awbee on any platform or in game should be completely ignored xD)
    Oh, also, whoever says anything like "Frost DK is not viable" has no clue about the game in general so just ignore them and keep pumping.

    Thanks for reading.
    Hope I did help some of u LEGENDS still playing this awesome spec!
    Best regards, Gnimo.

    NOTE: All of the comments are outdated, I wont update them as well. If I said something different in the comments that is not/different in the guide, follow the guide. I made some mistakes and I will always update the guide ONLY after I realize them, or am shown.
    Again, Guide is UPDATED, comments are OUTDATED.


    FINAL NOTE: I wont be answering any questions regardless this guide, unless its something that's not in the guide (which I doubt there is).
    So, if u see me not answering your question, it means that IT IS IN THE GUIDE AND U DIDN'T READ IT, stop being lazy.
    Don't be lazy!
    Edited: July 25, 2022 Reason: 25th July 2022, The End.

  2. UHDK DPS Guide: http://forum.warmane.com/showthread.php?t=349829
    DK TANK Guide: http://forum.warmane.com/showthread.php?t=349830

    Solid Blood DK DPS guide, if anyone is interested since im lazy to make one:
    http://forum.warmane.com/showthread.php?t=290640

    ALTERNATIVE TALENT LINKS:

    4/5 KM Frost spec:
    https://wotlk.evowow.com/?talent#jzZ...ofM0hxc:pakmMV
    Raiding Spec - use this if u use: Obli > FS > Obli > FS > Obli > FS rotation.

    5/5 KM Frost spec:
    https://wotlk.evowow.com/?talent#jzZ...ofM0hxc:pakmMV
    Raiding Spec - use this if u use: 3x Obli > 3x FS rotation.

    3/3 Subversion Frost Spec:
    https://wotlk.evowow.com/?talent#jcZ...AofM0hx:pakmMV
    dungeon master spec.
    Cos of the higher crit chance and more RP it should help u burn down targets a bit faster.

    2/3 Frost Spec:
    https://wotlk.evowow.com/?talent#jMZ...ofM0hxM:pakmMV
    This spec should be used in case u have aggro problems, aka if tanks in ur guild suck.
    The point is 2/3 points in Subversion and BcB, u can use any of the 4/5 or 5/5 KM talent combinations.
    If u still have aggro problems, tell ur tank to learn how to play. If u might get in trouble cos of that, spec like:
    https://wotlk.evowow.com/?talent#jcZ...ofM0hxz:pakmMV
    There is no chance in hell, if ur tank has any brain cell running in his head, that u will overagro with this spec...

    2v2 Frost PvP spec:
    https://wotlk.evowow.com/?talent#jbI...ucuzAoc:kNc0Mz

    3v3 Frost PvP spec:
    https://wotlk.evowow.com/?talent#j0x...uzAof0M:kNT0Mz

    If any of these links are not working, please inform me in the comments so i can find a new website to update them...
    Edited: January 28, 2018 Reason: 28th January 2018

  3. Empty comment for god knows what reason...
    Might turn on to be helpfull in future, will see...

    pls no delete.
    Edited: May 21, 2017

  4. Good guide, happy to see that you perfected the list.
    For proffessions I'd add that I feel Tailoring is BiS in Naxx due to gear being so bad that BS offering some 16 STR gems is not spectacular compared to a 400 ap proc this early on.
    As for Ulduar, ToC and early ICC progress I feel Engi is better, since you start picking up good ARP pieces already in Ulduar and Nitro boots offer a lot in Ulduar for sure. At this moment you swap spec to UH supspec where you benefit from haste and Engi gets way better when synergizing with BCB.
    But you're correct, for the absolute end-game gear BS/JC is indeed best, at this point you look to get the last caps of ARP through those gems potentially and with 20 Str gems it just offers more than the procs of Tail/haste usage of Engi.

    gg gnimo

  5. Wouldn't PS>IT be better for opener rather than IT > PS >
    Glacier Rot talent effect misses out on the opener IT if u do IT>PS.
    Any reasons why u mentioned IT>PS everywhere that I'm missing?

  6. For Unholy it might be a 0.01% DPS increase if u start with PS > IT (cos ur Frost Fever deals nice amount of DMG as UH), for Frost it wont.
    On top of that, if u have higher chance to Miss IT u SHOULD start with it. Its better to miss IT before u hit ur target and get all procs active and waste ur time on them while repeating the spell u missed. And also, if u are starting a fight while not beeing in melee range of ur target, waiting and running towards it before doing IT just to get some minor DMG increase is ******ed if u ask me... Yes, cos that Damage wont matter, ever, and that one GCD might be extra Obliterate or Frost Strike on that target.
    And no. Using PS > IT wont increase ur DPS. Ive been doin IT > PS for years and i never had any problems. If u want to tryhard, sure, do it, but its more important to get a healty rotation than squizing extra 10-20% DMG on something that deals 0.01% of ur total DMG.
    Like, do u really think that 20% DMG increase on first IT will help u reach any great DPS?

    Dont get me wrong, im 100% up for everyone finding their own way of how to DPS as a DK, use the things i wrote as a guideline to finding ur own playstyle, this is simply how i play my DK, nothing else...

    Im not mad or anything, im glad u asked, i just tryed to use this so i get over with this topic once and for all.
    This, again, is how i play my DK. If u find a flaw in what im doing and fix it, and actualy get more DPS out of it in the end, il be more than happy for u. But i did think of all of those stuff and ended up saying what i said for a reason.
    The focus was on Obliterate > big pile of krap > Frost Strike, when it comes to rotation, cos i saw way too many DKs use FS even tho they could use Obli instead. Those minor things like PS > IT wont matter at all in the end.

    Best of Luck. :D

    Edit: mistakes wer made...
    Edited: April 4, 2017

  7. Most spectacular guide I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot. Keep up with the good work bro!

  8. Best guide hands down, if you can add a section for FDK BiS gear for A Tribute to Dedicated Insanity would be perfectly 100% well done guide <3

  9. great guide, vote for sticky!

    btw: any suggestions w/o Varian's furor?

  10. btw: any suggestions w/o Varian's furor?
    Your best bets would be EoF cloak (might of the oceant serpant) or Winding Sheet (rotface 25hc). The former is primarily used by non-orc dks while the latter can and imo should be used on an orc dk if some fight is going to be short and with no important cleave.
    Edited: April 21, 2017

  11. Easyest to get solution is:
    [Ahn'kahar Onyx Neckguard] (from LDW)
    [Might of the Ocean Serpent] (from Emblems)
    U will have same stats but a bit less Strength overall duo to lower item level and cos u have to get 1 extra 10exp10hit gem to cap Expertise.

    Another way of doin it is going for:
    [Penumbra Pendant] (from Halion)
    [Might of the Ocean Serpent]
    [Signet of Twilight] (as 2nd ring, instead of MoB)
    With this itemisation u will lose 100 Attack Power and gain 2% Crit Chance.

    This is for all classes. Orc will only enable u to gem/enchant more Strength/AP instead of Expertise, and since Expertise is curently faked up on this server going for some extra wont hurt.

    Overall i would suggest getting those Coins with Gold or Cash and buying that Cloak, unless u are in a guild that farms ToGC 50/50.

  12. I just wanna know if damage of FS is bugged or not? I get confused when i see on MSBT crit only 25k fully buffed and STR gemmed almost bis dk 6541 gs properly geared ..

  13. Im not sure tbh but i belive in Abra...
    https://www.warmane.com/bugtracker/report/21172

    Edit:
    I deleted the last comment about: what to do if u cant get [Varian's Furor]/[Garrosh's Rage]?, and put it in the guide and also updated it a bit...
    Edited: April 29, 2017

  14. May 25, 2017  
    Frost Death Knight DPS Guide is complete.

    Next guide il be working on is Unholy. I dont know when its gona be completed, hopefully next week so i can start working on Blood aka tank guide aswell.
    Il bump them all again once they are finished.

  15. June 3, 2017  
    So im at 263 hit right now as frost dps. should i drop some of the hit to get down to 164? im so confused. every dk i talk to is like ya just get ( random number of hit) and i t make no sense. im 6.1k with 1018 arp as well if that matters

12311 ... 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
  •