Unholy Dk Advanced Pve Guide 3.3.5

In this guide I will introduce the entire concept of DK Unholy in PvE.

DK have 2 types of resources: Runic Power (RP) and Rune's (Blood / Frost / Unholy). Runic power is obtained using the "special attack " using Rune sites (like Icy Touch / Blood Strike / Scourge Strike, etc). The RP can use your Death Coil and of course defensive CDs (Icebound Fortitude / Anti-magic Shell) + Gargoyle.



   BS – Blood strike

   SS – Scourge strike

   DC – Death coil

   ERW – Empower rune weapon

   PS – Plague strike

   IT – Icy touch

   RP – Runic power

   Goyle – Summon gargoyle

   HoW – Horn of winter





Frost subspec
End Game Spec You can use it with confidence.


Basic spec
I recommend that  when you are low geared.

Reaping
This spec is good when you feel like 2x BS <1 SS. It is recommended for all Tier , however you must have a decent gear for him, otherwise pretty useless.

Reaping Endgame Spec
It is very good when your ilvl> 251 and no weapon proc. Ramaldini / Cryptmaker / LK Sword


Glyph of the Ghoul
Glyph of Icy Touch
Glyph of Dark Death

#showtooltip Blood Strike(Rank 6)
/cast Blood Strike(Rank 6)
/startattack
/petattack
/cast Claw

#showtooltip Scourge Strike(Rank 4)
/cast Scourge Strike(Rank 4)
/startattack
/petattack
/cast Claw
/equip  Sigil of Virulence

#showtooltip Scourge Strike(Rank 4)
/cast Scourge Strike(Rank 4)
/startattack
/petattack
/cast Claw
/equip  Sigil of the Hanged Man

#showtooltip Blood Tap
/cast Blood Tap
/stopcasting
/startattack
/petattack
/cast Bone Shield

#showtooltip Summon Gargoyle
/use potion of speed
/cast Summon Gargoyle

Normal Rotation: Ps -> It -> Bs-> Ss(with first macro) -> Bs -> Dc -> HoW -> Ss(with second macro) -> Bs -> Ss(with second macro) -> Bs -> Dc -> Dc
Reaping Rotation: Ps -> It -> Bs -> BS -> Ss(with first macro) -> Dc -> HoW -> Ss(with second macro) -> Ss(with second macro) -> Ss(with second macro) ->  Dc -> Dc



Hit (8% - 263 hit)> Strength> Haste> = ArP> Crit> Expertise (26 Expertise)> Agility> Spell Hit (17 spell hit)

   Glancing blows (only on bosses) happen 24% of the time on auto-attacks and cannot be critical hits. A glancing blow deals 70% damage.
   You need 263 hit rating (8%) to be 2H melee white (auto) and yellow (special) attack hit capped against bosses. With a Draenei this number decreases to 231 hit rating (7%).
   The spell hit cap is 445 hit rating (17%). Assuming Virulence and Misery this number decreases to 289 hit rating (11%). With a Draenei, it goes to 262 hit rating (10%). The only dps skills that are affected by this are Death Coil, Icy Touch, Death and Decay, Pestilence and Blood Boil.
   You need 26 expertise (6.50%) to be expertise soft capped which means your attacks will no longer be dodged.
   All melee classes suffer a 4.8% crit suppression vs bosses when using melee attacks.
   All spell attacks have a 3% crit suppression vs bosses.





The only stats that really need to be focused is Strength.

Red:Bold Cardinal Ruby and you should use 1 Nightmare Tear on head becouse it give you 8 strenght.




static.curseforge.net/content/files/456/880/ForteXorcist-v1.965.3.zip - ForteXorcist

static.wowace.com/content/files/456/427/MagicRunes-r72-nolib.zip - MagicRunes

static.wowace.com/content/files/438/904/ClassTimer-2.3.30300.4.zip - ClassTimer



Engineering
Hyperspeed Accelerators (340 haste for 12 seconds per minute), Flexweave Underlay, and Nitro Boosts (24 crit rating) at the cost of your preexisting glove, cape, and boot enchant, as well as [Saronite Bomb]s (which are off the GCD). Unlike other professions, it’s difficult to calculate the Engineering’s raw value, however it is at least equal to its competitors, and in most cases superior. On top of that fact, it provides a gain which is more than just damage - a self levitate and sprint should not be underestimated.

Jewelcrafting
42 Strength (or Hit) gain. The second best dps profession for a Death Knight, both due to the raw numbers, and due to the customizability of it – being able to choose which stat you need.

Blacksmithing
40 Strength (or Hit) gain. The third best dps profession, following Engineering and Jewelcrafting. Similar to JC, gains some value due to the fact that you can choose which stat you need.

Skinning
40 Crit Rating gain. A moderate fourth. Uncustomizable.

Enchanting
80 AP gain. A distant fifth. Uncustomizable. Tied with Leatherworking, Inscription, and Alchemy.

Leatherworking
80 AP gain. A distant fifth. Uncustomizable. Tied with Enchanting, Inscription, and Alchemy.

Inscription
80 AP gain. A distant fifth. Uncustomizable. Tied with Enchanting, Leatherworking, and Alchemy.

Alchemy
80 AP gain. A distance fifth. Uncustomizable. Tied with Enchanting, Leatherworking, and Inscription.

Tailoring
Swordguard Embroidery, grants 400 AP for 15 seconds, which with a 45s ICD gives it a theoretical maximum of 128 AP over time. When you subtract from this the lost haste of a normal cloak enchant, it comes out well behind all of the above professions. It does have a slight advantage in the sense that you can time the proc with others for a stronger Gargoyle, but that doesn’t significantly increase its worth.

Mining
60 Stamina gain. Utterly worthless for dps.

Herbalism
Self heal. Utterly worthless for dps.



Flask:Flask of Endless Rage
Potion:Potion of Speed
Pet Food:Spiced Mammoth Treats
Food: Fish Feast




Army of the Dead went through some changes with this last patch. On the one hand, it now has a shorter cooldown – 6 minutes talented (10 untalented) as opposed to 10 minutes talented (20 unalented) – and the channeling time of the spell went from 6 seconds to 4 seconds. On the other hand, it now does less damage – 50% of its previous amount.

Similar to a Blood or Frost DK’s Ghoul or your own Gargoyle, Army of the Dead will take a snapshot of your AP, haste, and hit at the time summoned. Changes in these stats after you have casted the spell will have no effect on the summoned minions, and other stats – crit, ArP, and the like – will have no effect period. On top of this, your Army of the Dead ghouls will receive the 90% AoE damage reduction from your Night of the Dead talent that your other pets receive.

The most optimal time to use Army of the Dead will vary from boss to boss, but is typically right before the beginning of an encounter. Using it mid encounter can lead to lost dps time, as the spell is channeled, and can also open the possibility of the spell getting interrupted by a fight mechanic, hurting the value of the spell. That said, if you are unable to cast it before the fight begins (or if it comes back off cooldown mid-fight) it is still worth casting mid-fight – ideally during a phase transition or similar period of down-time, but even on a Patchwerk-esqe fight it would be worth it – simply not as large a gain as using it immediately before the pull.

One note about Army of the Dead is that although the summoned ghouls will not taunt a boss, they will taunt most adds present on boss encounters. Keep this in mind as it can cause a wipe if used inappropriately… or prevent one if used intelligently.



This spell is recommended to use it when you most procs enabled because it benefits throughout his duration from Stat you got when you cast it . You can use it in combination with heroism, Haste Potion, Trinket with "Use" . Anyway it is better to use it 2 times during an encounter only once (because you lose time waiting after each and every proc). So  in consequence use it whenever it's cooldown is off.



Remember to use every time refresh this spell (preferably to use it along with tap blood, it does not hurt to rotation) so that you get 2% more dmg I mean it give you more dmg - and is pretty good at AoE, 20% Reduced dmg.


Ignored or forgotten by many, Anti-Magic Shell not only absorbs magic damage, it also produces Runic Power based on the damage absorbed. More Runic Power translates directly into more damage and, as such, the proper use of AMS is a skill essential for a DK wishing to perform to their very best.

As far as the Icecrown Citadel sub-section is concerned, additional encounters as well as hard modes will be added as gates come down. It is very much a work in progress.

[top]Icecrown Citadel

Lord Marrowgar
Simply pop AMS and sidestep into a coldflame nearby the boss to soak some free RP. There is nothing during the fight you would have to save AMS for to survive, so use it on CD for the free runic power, and thus dps.
Hard Mode : Same.

Lady Deathwhisper
P1: Death and Decay, Deathchill Blast, and Dark Martyrdom are all AoEs which aren’t strong enough to pose too large of a risk for you, but are easy to soak from.
P2: Continue to soak from Death and Decay.
Hard Mode: Do not attempt to soak from Deathchill Blast, as it will still hit those around you.

Gunship Battle
Your Ship: There are no opportunities to pop AMS. Do not attempt to soak from a rocket – you will get knocked back, potentially off the ship.
Enemy Ship: Once again, no real opportunities.
Hard Mode: Same

Deathbringer Saurfang
Unfortunately all of the raid damage Saurfang does is physical, and thus AMS holds no value on this encounter.
Hard Mode: Same

Rotface
Multiple opportunities to soak: Mutated Infection (a dot, similar to Grobbulus) and Sticky Ooze (puddles left by the adds). The ooze adds - small and big - both deal magical damage to targets within a 10 yard radius, and thus can be abused for RP, although they shouldn't be by you for any extended period of time.

Although Slime Spray can be soaked from, you shouldn't be in front of the boss. Ooze Flood is another ability which although soakable, one shouldn't risk it; you can die if you get caught up in it after AMS ends.
Hard Mode: Same.

Festergut
A very straight-forward fight for AMS: Soak from Gaseous Blight and/or Pungent Blight, as both are raid-wide unavoidable AoEs. I would not advise attempting to AMS the damage from Gas Spore, as it may prevent the application of the damage reduction buff, without which you can die.
Hard Mode: Malleable Goo is easily soaked from, granting you RP while preventing the application of the debuff.

Professor Putricide
P1: Volatile Ooze Adhesive, if cast on you, is the perfect time to both soak AMS and assure you won't die. Gaseous Bloat works just as well. Slime Puddles are an option, but are generally dangerous to try to abuse.
P2: Everything from phase 1. Choking Gas will provide you with plenty of RP, but due to the hit debuff you'll be unable to spam Death Coil, and thus make the most of it. If Malleable Goo is thrown at you, AMS away.
P3: Slime Puddles as well as Mutated Plague.
Hard Mode: If it comes to you, Unbound Plague is an obvious option.

Blood Princes
Almost too many possibilities to list: Glittering Sparks, Empowered Flare, Flames, Shock Vortex, Kinetic Bomb, and Shadow Lance to name a few.
Hard Mode: AMS will prevent the application of additional stacks of Shadow Prison, as well as allow you to soak from pre-existing stacks..

Blood Queen Lana'thel
P1: You can basically use AMS on cooldown for a full RP bar, thanks to Shroud of Sorrow. Twilight Bloodbolt, Swarming Shadows, and Pact of the Darkfallen are also opportunities which may be worth saving it for due to potential survivability concerns.
P2: Bloodbolt Whirl is easily soaked from, assuming you are lucky enough to be one targetted.
Hard Mode: Same.

Valithria Dreamwalker
Column of Frost will be ongoing and can be soaked from, but it's best to be avoided as you'll still get the knock-up, AMS or no. Frostbolt Volley, Lay Waste, Acid Burst, and Gut Spray are all better opportunities, but are only "available" when their various adds are up.
Hard Mode: Same.

Sindragosa
A lovely fight for AMS: Frost Aura provides a constant stream of potential RP. Blistering Cold is generally a better time to use it, however, as it prevents you from having to run out of melee range. There's Permeating Chill and Frost Bomb as well.
Hard Mode: Frost Bomb is no longer an option due to hitting far too hard.

The Lich King
Wowhead links to abilities are still unavailable, and generally still underdeveloped.
P1: Aside from Infest not being healed up immediately, there's unfortunately no raid damage during this phase.
P2: There's still Infest, but Defile is the main source of raid damage this phase. Do not attempt to actively soak it; simply use AMS as you run if it happens to be casted on you or near you.
P3: Infest, Defile, and Vile Spirit explosions, the latter of which you only should be taking away from the rest of the melee, which means its often not worth it due to having to stop dps.
Transition Phases: Due to the Lich King essentially spamming Pain and Suffering, AMS can be used at near any time for a full bar of RP.
Hard Mode: AMS can be popped at any point during the Frostmourne phase for a guaranteed full bar of RP. Aside from that, no extra opportunities.



   Gloves: Enchant Gloves - Crusher

   Cloak: Enchant Cloak - Greater Speed

   Legs: Icescale Leg Armor

   Feet: Enchant Boots - Tuskarr's Vitality

   Bracers: Enchant Bracer - Greater Assault

   Chest: Enchant Chest - Powerful Stats

   Head: Arcanum of Torment

   Shoulders: Greater Inscription of the Axe

   Weapon: Rune of the Fallen Crusader



Sanctified Scourgelord Helmet
Scourge Reaver's Legplates
Sanctified Scourgelord Battleplate
Sanctified Scourgelord Shoulderplates
Fleshrending Gauntlets
Penumbra Pendant
Winding Sheet
Umbrage Armbands
Coldwraith Links
Apocalypse's Advance
Ashen Band of Endless Might
Might of Blight
Sharpened Twilight Scale
Death's Verdict
Shadowmourne

Pro Guide m8 ty, i will need it for my DK.

Nice man I could use it on my dk!

Good job

Just to add few suggestions:

1. You should always use one BS before SS, just to activate Decimation. 5%
dmg is not something that should be ignored.

2. 10 all stats is > than 10 str + 15 stam, so You should use Nightmare tear to activate 21 agy + 3% crit dmg.

3. You should consider using Glyph of Disease. Resetting dot timers with one blood rune should be better than 20% dmg increase on a dot, that's making such a small portion of Your overall dmg.

Overall, You did nice job. I understand that it is hard to make something innovative about the guide when there's already a tone of good guides out there. I would like to see ICC encounters explained from UDKs point of view, but instead of using Elitist Jerks posts, You should use Your own exp.

1. You should always use one BS before SS, just to activate Decimation. 5%
dmg is not something that should be ignored.

Done.

2. 10 all stats is > than 10 str + 15 stam, so You should use Nightmare tear to activate 21 agy + 3% crit dmg.

Done.

3. You should consider using Glyph of Disease. Resetting dot timers with one blood rune should be better than 20% dmg increase on a dot, that's making such a small portion of Your overall dmg.

You should use Glyph of Disease only for basic and reaping spec , for frost subspec you need to use Glyph of Icy Touch becouse you used 5 talent point in " Icy Talons"

Just spec into blood and ignore all this wall of text is my suggestion.

I still prefer Unholy over blood. It surpasses blood in every aspect if You ask me. AoE damage, raid utility as well as single target damage of unholy is superior compared to blood.

Paragraph 15 and 16 added , the next one will come soon

As I am familiar, you could actually go for DK t10 set on retail with Strenght/Haste/Crit which is same as paladins ones (for unholy and frost). However, I am not sure, was it current update and they change it, or we just miss that part of DK set.

Gear (Armor Penetration) on t10 is making you prefer Blood over Unholy,
but Unholy is more playable for players, as well as you practice PvP with it also.

I don't mind having unholy DKs, as long as they do good job.

+rep on guide. altho we don't have reps.

i love mathematics
mathematics say blood > unholy

BUT THIS IS WHERE THE HUMAN FACTOR COMES IN, blood requires you to pay attention to the screen while with unholy you can just apply your dots and just press 1 2 3 with your fingers without paying attention which is pressed first or last

Fuck dk, roll fire mage.

Elune wrote:Fuck dk, roll fire mage.

^

I had a wall of text ready to be posted, but my browser crushed, so
Ill have to do it all over again.

I am not exped DK, but I like the discussion, so I have to answer on Tinas post. Personally, I would always pick uDK over bDK, now let me explain why:

1. Much, much better AoE potential, and in Icc this adds a fair amount to Your overall damage.

2. Unique raid buff (30% disease damage) - This boosts evet Spriest for 5% damage, witch results in another great raid dps boost.

3. Scales much better with buffs, and therefore having upper hand at eng game level.

I understand that ARP works well in ICC and that bDK *might* have higher single target dps, but that for sure does not mean that it can out damage uDK. When it comes to CDs, I know, You have Hysteria , but even that should be used on a Warrior since they have 100% physical damage than, where bDK get a solid chunk of their damage from spell damage (DC,PS,IT), which is not boosted by this CD.
uDKs are unique spec, where bDK brings nothing to raid.


I have to disagree with Atinas comment that bDKs are harder to play than uDKs, they really come down to the same thing. None of these specs have dynamic rotations.