News on patch 4.3:

 

Blood and Unholy Death Knights were buffed this patch. Some of the big changes made to Blood Death Knights were: Blood Presence was increased from 30% to 55%, Death Strike heals reguardless if you hit the target or not and Bone Shield increased charges from 4 to 6.

 

Full patch notes for what changed for Death Knights for 4.3:

• Death Strike now heals the death knight whether or not the attack misses, or is dodged/parried. As a result of this change, Death Strike no longer refunds its rune cost if it fails to hit the target, as the death knight will still receive the healing effect.
• Blood Presence now provides an armor bonus of 55%, up from 30%.
• Death Knight pets now properly inherit their master’s crit and spell penetration stats.

 

• Talent Specializations
  • Blood
    • Blade Barrier has been redesigned. It now passively reduces damage taken.
    • Bone Shield now has 6 charges, up from 4.
    • Veteran of the Third War now reduces the cooldown of Outbreak by 30 seconds.
  • Unholy
    • The gargoyle called by Summon Gargoyle should exclusively use its ranged attack regardless of range to the target.
    • Unholy Might now increases Strength by 25%, up from 20%.

 

Tier 13 Armor Bonus Patch 4.3:

Blood(Tanking) - 2 Piece Set Bonus: When an attack drops your health below 35%, one of your Blood Runes will immediately activate and convert into a Death Rune for the next 20 sec. This effect cannot occur more than once every 45 sec.

Blood(Tanking) - 4 Piece Set Bonus: Your Vampiric Blood ability also affects all party and raid members for 50% of the effect it has on you.

DPS - 2 Piece Set Bonus: Sudden Doom has a 30% chance and Rime has a 60% chance to grant 2 charges when triggered instead of 1.

DPS - 4 Piece Set Bonus: Runic Empowerment has a 25% chance and Runic Corruption has a 40% chance to also grant 710 mastery rating for 12 sec when activated.

 

There are no pictures of this armor yet so you can see what it looks like but that should be coming soon.

 

 

 

Please note if you are looking for previous Death Knight Builds you can find them here: death knight builds for 3.2 death knight builds for 4.0.1 - 4.0.3a death knight builds for 4.0.6

 

A lot changed for blood tanks in the 4.3 patch. Our armor went up quite a bit, our Death Strike now heals us even if we miss our target, Bone Shield has 2 more charges, Outbreak cooldown is now 30 seconds, and Blade Barier is now passive. For full patch notes that involve death knights see above.

 

Blood Tanking Builds:

31/8/2 - Raiding Blood Tank Spec With Interrupts - This is one of the best blood tank specs and is suited for 10-man raiding where the tank needs to interrupt.

 

31/8/2 - Raiding Blood Tank Spec With Max Interrupts - Like the above build everything stays the same except Hand of Doom has been taken instead of Blood Parasite to allow for you to lower cool down of Strangulate. If you do not need this many interrupt abilities I would go for another the above build or for the 25 man tanking build.

 

32/6/3 - Raiding Blood Tank Spec Without Interrupts - Blood tanking builds without focus on interrupts.

 

31/6/2 +2 End Game Blood Tanking Spec - This blood build is best suited for single target (endgame raiding) boss tanking. 2 points left, you may want to max Bloodworms.

 

38/2/1 - Optrixdk PvP Survival Build - Optrix's Blood spec PvP DK build. 2 points in Icy reach and 1 for Unholy Command to improve the CC ability of the PvP DK.
All Runes are specific for PvP reasons to cause as much instant damage as possible while the others are for survivability or like the resilient grip saving you losing a Death grip as someone goes running scared from you.

 

38/0/3 - Threat Generation Build - This build you may want to try if you are having issues generation threat.

 

Rotation:

Single Target Rotation:

1. Diseases Up (As of 4.3 this means using outbreak to put diseases on target)
2. Rune Strike
3. Death Strike (Min 5 second gap to max self heal, you may also want to time you DS to follow big damage dealing effects done to you to maximize healing to yourself)
4. Blood Boil
5. Heart Strike
6. Icy Touch

 

AoE Rotation:

1. DnD
2. Diseases up + Pestilence
3. Make sure Scarlet Fever is up if not Plague Strike, Blood Boil
4. Death Strike (Min 5 second gap to max self heal, you may also want to time you DS to follow big damage dealing effects done to you to maximize healing to yourself)
5. Blood Boil
6. Heart Strike
7. Rune Strike
8. Icy Touch

 

AOE trash groups:

DnD -> OB -> Pest -> BB -> DS and continue to spam DS and BB till dead.

 

Next group put diseases up and blood boil a bunch.. repeat and use DnD at start when available, note DPS has to give you time to spread diseases or they will pull agro.

 

Blood PVP Builds

 

31/8/2 - Death Knight Arena PVP Spec - This is a diseaseless blood build that has good burst DPS, healing and survivability. Death strike is your main ability you will want to use, heart strike when not available. Dancing Rune Weapon will allow you to double damage so use that for burning targets down and use Lichborne to be able to finish those nasty warlocks.

 

33/8/0 - Death Knight PVP Spec - This spec is similar the the above spec but does not have Unholy Command or Endless Winter but instead has Toughness (for armor) and On A Pale Horse (to reduce movement impairing effects).

 

Frost Death Knights did not see a nerf or a buff really in the 4.3 patch so nothing changes here.

 

Frost PVE Builds

 

7/31/3 - DW - Raid DPS Frost Spec (DW Improved Blood Tap Build) - This is the highest DPS spec for Death Knights, DPS is now done in unholy presence. DW stat priority is now: Strength > Hit to Cap > Expertise to Cap > Haste > Mastery > Crit

 

4/31/6 - DW - Raid DPS Frost Spec with increased disease time(DW Epidemic Build) - This build is a little more forgiving than the above build as it allows for diseases to stay up for an additional 12 seconds and does a little better when in a target rich environment. You will want to dps in unholy presence.

 

7/31/3 - 2-Handed Frost DPS Spec (2H Improved Blood Tap Build) - 2H Frost DPS goes good damage, is below DW Frost and is on par with 2H Unholy. You will want to dps in unholy presence. Stat priorities are as follows: Strength > Hit to Cap > Expertise to Cap > Haste > Mastery > Crit

 

4/31/6 - 2-Handed Frost DSP Spec (2H Epidemic Build) - 2H Frost Epidemic Build is a good DPS build but is behind the DW variant. Advantages of this build include longer periods where you do not have to not have to worry about diseases. Damage is done in unholy presence. Stat priorities are as follows: Strength > Hit to Cap > Expertise to Cap > Haste > Mastery > Crit

 

7/31/3 - 2H Shadowfrost Build - This is a build that doesn't use obliterate for the main source of damage, it lags behind a little on single target fights but does better damage when there are multiple targets. Stat priorities are as follows: Strength > Hit to Cap > Mastery > Expertise to Cap > Haste > Crit

Casting priorities for this build is different that other specs: Keeping Up Diseases (with Howling Blast and Plague Strike or Outbreak) > Howling Blast (if both Frost runes and/or both Death runes are up) > Frost Strike (if RP capped or Killing Machine Proc) > Death and Decay (if both unholy runes are up) > Plague Strike (if Death and Decay is on cooldown and both Unholy Runes are up)

 

The Shadowfrost priority revolves around using Howling Blast as much as you can and using FS to get Frost and Death Runes back. Death and Decay or Plague Strike are fillers to use an unholy run. You will always want to keep one Unholy Rune on cooldown so that Runic Empowerment will return you a Death Rune or a Frost Rune when you Frost Strike.

 

2/32/2 - 2H Diseaseless Leveling Spec - Takes advantage of increased run and mount speed; also Not reliant on diseases, runes or ghoul. This Frost leveling build can get away with casting HB, then casting FS until the mob is dead, with no downtime and while doing similar dps to other builds up to level 80.

 

 

Frost PVE Rotations:

Frost Single Target Rotation Priority for level 85 builds(Unholy Presence):

1. Cast Diseases on mob and recast them if they are about to expire(FF apply with Howling Blast)
2. Obliterate - if both Frost/Unholy pairs and/or both Death runes are up, or if KM is proc'd.
3. Frost Strike - if RP capped.
4. Rime -> cast free Howling Blast
5. Obliterate
6. Frost Strike
7. Horn of Winter (For runic power and to keep buff up)

 

Frost AoE PVE Rotation Priority (done in Unholy Presence):

1. Howling Blast - if both Frost runes and/or both Death runes are up
2. Death and Decay and Plague Strike - if both Unholy Runes are up
3. Frost Strike - if runic power capped
4. Horn of Winter
5. Death and Decay and Plague Strike
6. Frost Strike
7. Horn of Winter (For runic power and to keep buff up)

 

*rotation information from elitist jerks post http://elitistjerks.com/f72/t121704-frost_dps_4_1_way_we_get/ for additional information check it out.

 

 

Frost PVP Builds:

 

5/34/2 2H Frost PVP Build - This is a frost 2h PvP build good for arena and BGs. The empty glyph slot is for http://db.mmo-champion.com/s/96284/glyph-of-dark-succor/ which will be introduced in patch 4.0.6. This spec requires you to be in Unholy Presence.

 

4/34/3 DW Frost PVP Build

 

 

Priority System:

1. Frost Fever (Blood Plague is not useful enough to use) applied by Howling Blast
2. Death Runes (aka blood strike until both blood runes have turned to death runes)
3. Obliterate as much as possible 
4. Frost Strike.
5. If killing machine procs use Obliterate if you cant use a frost strike
6. Howling Blast when rime procs
7. If you getting low on health and its past patch 4.0.6 (for Glyph Of Dark Succor) spam Death Strike in he place of Obliterate until your health is back up to a level you are         comfortable with.  
8. As of patch 4.0.6 if you follow the spec exactly you will root the target for 3 seconds with Chains of Ice useful in conjunction with Death Grip
9. Horn of Winter if its falling or if you cant do anything else

 

Strategy:

1. Follow the priority system.
2. Keep the enemy next to you frost DKs can't get to the target so we bring the target to us. (death grip + chains of ice + chilblains)
3. Stay alive! Use defensive cool downs when necessary like when getting kited by a frost mage (anti magic shell/strangulate) or when fighting an arms warrior or feral druid (IBF)
4. Sometime offense is the best defense like when you see a resto druid go into tree form its time to put down some pressure. If you can have a teammate distract the dps a frost DK can put down so much pressure the druid is forced to waste the heals on himself instead of saving a dps. Strangulate also works well in this situation.

 

 

Unholy Death Knights in patch 4.3 receive a bit of a buff. Changes unholy death knights see include: gargoyle now only hits with ranged damage, Unholy Might now gives +25% strength (increase of 5%), and our ghouls now properly inherit our crit and spell penetration stats.

 

Unholy DPS Builds

 

5/0/36 - 2h - Unholy Raid DPS Control Spec - This spec has all of the high DPS talents needed for unholy and some that will help slow down mobs and allow you to pull mobs back that are running away from the tank.

 

7/3/31 2H Unholy Raid DPS Build - This unholy Cataclysm build does not have AMS and but does have all the other major DPS abilities in unholy, it also has IBT and RPM.

 

7/3/31 2H Unholy DPS Build - It uses 2H weapon and is used in frost. dps is 12.5-13k in raid (lvl 347).

 

7/0/32 +2 2H Unholy DPS Spec - Cookie cutter unholy Death Knight 2H Build with all the best DPS talents selected.

 

6/3/32 DW Unholy Cataclysm Raid Spec - This spec is a dual wield spec that does the lowest DPS currently in Cataclysm 4.0.6+ . You will want to play this in Frost Presence.

 

7/3/31 DW Unholy #2 - You will want to play this in Frost Presence.

 

7/3/31 DW Unholy #3 - You will want to play this in Frost Presence.

 

 

Unholy Death Knight Rotations for Cataclysm have moved to a priority system.

Single Target Rotation (DPS done in Unholy Presence):

1. Cast Diseases on mob and recast them if they are about to expire (if you can cast Outbreak to put them on if not just put them on with IT and PS)
2. Dark Transformation Active, and keep it active.
3. Death and Decay / Scourge Strike - if both Unholy and/or all Death runes are up. Use DnD whenever possible instead of SS as it does more damage.
4. Festering Strike - if both pairs of Blood and Frost runes are up.
5. Death Coil on Sudden Doom proc or if about to go over runic power max.
6. Death and Decay / Scourge Strike
7. Festering Strike
8. Death Coil
9. Horn of Winter

 

Unholy Death Knight AoE Rotation (DPS done in Frost Presence):

1. Diseases up and spread to everything with Pestilence.
2. Dark Transformation Active
3. Death and Decay
4. Scourge Strike - if both Unholy and/or all Death runes are up.
5. Blood Boil + Icy Touch if BB and FF runes up.
6. Death Coil on Sudden Doom proc or if about to go over runic power max.
7. Scourge Strike
8. Blood Boil + Icy Touch
9. Death Coil
10. Horn of Winter

 

*rotation information from elitist jerks post http://elitistjerks.com/f72/t110294-unholy_dps_cataclysm_say_youll_haunt_me/ for additional information check it out.

 

Unholy PVP Build

 

0/6/35 Unholy PVP Build

 

0/8/33 Unholy PVP Build #2 It took 2 points out of Sudden Doom for Death's Advance

A general rotation would be
1 Chains of Ice for slow and Frost Fever
2 Plague Strike for Blood Plague
3 Festering Strike to set up 2 Death Runes
4 Necrotic Strike to get 30% cast time debuff and healing absorb

You want to keep using Festering Strike to refresh Chains, FF, and BP,
and to set up for Death Runes. You also want to keep stacking the healing absorb from Necrotic Strike if your opponent is getting healed or generally if you are fighting a
plate wearer. You can use Scourge Strike as well especially on Cloth wearers who are
not getting healed. Death Strike when you need to heal, AMS + Lichborne + Death Coil spam for when you really need to heal.