With the release of the 4.1 patch I am putting the builds that were active on this page. Most of these builds still remain in the 4.1 area as the trees are still the same just there were a few small changes to some of the talents.

 

With the release of cataclysm on the level cap was increased to 85, the talent system was changed and a few new skills were added.

 

New skills include:

 

Outbreak, Necrotic Strike and Dark Simulacrum

 

 

The patch 4.0.1 was the first stage of making Azeroth ready for the coming Cataclysm expansion. This patch made the changes to everything except for level cap and completely changed the mechanics of the Death Knight Class. All of the death knight builds had completely been made obsolete due to tree changes, this also happened for all other classes. Some of the changes included for our class included:

-A death knight can no longer tank in all trees, they can only tank in if spec'd in blood. -Trees no longer allow for true hybrid builds, you have to put 31 points in a tree before you can put points in another tree.

-Less points are now available to be spent in trees now.

-Glyph system changed.

-etc, etc.

 

Cataclysm increases the level cap by 5 and opened a large amount of new content for players.

 

 

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

 

If you are looking for current death knight builds you can find them here:

death knight builds for 4.1

 

 

You can create Death Knight talent builds at: http://wowtal.com/#k=.a8t.deathknight or http://www.wowhead.com/talent#j.

 

Blood Tanking Builds

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’ing 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 (Applied and recast before they fall off 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 -> IT -> PS -> 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.

 

Frost PVE Builds

 

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.

 

7/31/3 DW Frost Spec - This Death Knight build is the best Frost dps spec, and is the only real choice for DW Frost currently in Cataclysm beta. DPS in this build is done in Frost Presence. This spec is the second highest damage spec for Death Knights, the best specs are either DW unholy or 2H unholy (depending on the mode of the dungeon).

 

7/31/3 Frost 2H Build - This build is about 10% behind in dps from DW frost build.

 

Frost PVE Rotations:

Frost Single Target Rotation Priority for level 85 builds(DW uses Frost Presence, 2H uses 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. Blood Strike - if both Blood Runes are up.
4. Frost Strike - if RP capped.
5. Rime -> cast free Howling Blast
6. Obliterate
7. Blood Strike
8. Frost Strike
9. Horn of Winter (For runic power and to keep buff up)

 

Frost AoE PVE Rotation Priority (done in Frost 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. Blood Strike - if both Blood Runes are up
4. Frost Strike - if runic power capped
5. Horn of Winter
6. Blood Strike
7. Death and Decay and Plague Strike
8. Frost Strike
9. Horn of Winter (For runic power and to keep buff up)

 

*rotation information from elitist jerks post http://elitistjerks.com/f72/t110296-frost_dps_cataclysm_if_i_die_young/ 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 CDs 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.

 

 

This tree was the only tree that was really broken with the 4.0.6 patch as far as how the build generators were displaying the build. This mainly had to do with a talent being added to this tree and one being severely changed.

 

Unholy DPS Builds

 

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
2. Dark Transformation 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.