Frost Death Knight DPS PVE Guide – WotLK

Welcome to the PVE Frost Death Knight DPS Guide for World of Warcraft Wrath of the Lich King!

This guide will teach you how to play a Frost Death Knight in a raid. It covers talents, glyphs, gems, enchantments, rotation, and gameplay tips.

This is an optimal build for players with medium to high gear.

Let’s take a moment to discuss four talents that are sometimes not fully utilized. Depending on the situation, gear, encounter, and raid, you might want to adjust these for optimal build performance.

• Subversion – This talent provides a small DPS increase and a decent threat decrease. It’s particularly useful if your raid doesn’t include a Paladin with Hand of Salvation.
• Black Ice – This talent is typically taken at a minimum of 2/5 as a go-through talent. Note that this talent synergizes with Strength, not Armor Penetration.
• Killing Machine – This talent is always beneficial. Its efficiency is inversely proportional to the amount of Critical Strike chance you have. The less crit you have, the more useful this talent becomes.
• Blood-Caked Blade – This talent offers a nice DPS boost. It works best with Armor Penetration – the more you have, the more damage it will deal.

Major Glyphs

• Glyph of Frost Strike
• Glyph of Obliterate
• Glyph of Disease

Minor Glyphs

• Glyph of Pestilence
• Glyph of Horn of Winter
• Glyph of Raise Dead

Gems are situational and depend on the build and equipment. They are used to reach the required stat caps.

• Meta – Relentless Earthsiege Diamond
• Red – Bold Cardinal Ruby
• Yellow – Inscribed Ametrine
• Blue – Nightmare Tear x1 – Required for Meta Gem

• Head – Arcanum of Torment
• Shoulder – Greater Inscription of the Axe
• Cloak – Enchant Cloak – Greater Speed or Enchant Cloak – Major Agility
• Chest – Enchant Chest – Powerful Stats
• Bracers – Enchant Bracers – Greater Assault
• Gloves – Enchant Gloves – Crusher
• Waist – Eternal Belt Buckle
• Legs – Icescale Leg Armor
• Boots – Enchant Boots – Tuskarr’s Vitality or Enchant Boots – Greater Assault
• Weapon
  • Main Hand – Rune of Razorice
  • Off Hand – Rune of the Fallen Crusader

• Hit
• Expertise
• Strength
• Armor Penetration
• Critical
• Haste
• Attack Power
• Agility

With this build you need 5% (164 Hit) thanks to Nerves of Cold Steel (4% if Draenei) and a total of 26 Expertise.

Opening Rotation

1. Icy Touch
2. Plague Strike
3. Obliterate
4. Frost Strike
5. Blood Strike
6. Pestilence
7. Horn of Winter
8. Frost Strike
9. Obliterate
10. Obliterate
11. Frost Strike
12. Obliterate
13. Frost Strike

Rotation

• Frost Strike
• Obliterate
• Obliterate
• Frost Strike
• Blood Strike
• Pestilence
• Frost Strike
• Obliterate
• Obliterate
• Frost Strike
• Obliterate
• Frost Strike

Priority of Abilities & Spells

1. Killing Machine -> Frost Strike
2. Maintain Frost Fever and Blood Plague
3. Obliterate
4. Blood Strike
5. Frost Strike
6. Rime -> Howling Blast
7. Horn of Winter
8. Unbreakable Armor, Army of the Dead, and Raise Dead are used on cooldown