With the release of Cataclysm Classic, the Death Knight will also arrive in Azeroth's lands, the first heroic class in the game. The once unholy servants of the Lich King are ready to use the power of frost and death to rebel against their former enslavers. DKs are some of the best and most fun jobs due to their unique kit. With so many features level-locked in the game, Death Knight players are looking to speed-run their ranks to access every dungeon once released.
Table of Contents
Death Knight Overview
The Death Knight Heroic class is the only job introduced in Wrath of the Lich King and is only available to six races: Orcs, Trolls, Humans, Draenei, Dwarf, and Night Elves. The DK’s kit provides characters with decent multi-target damage, strong survivability skills, and excellent capacity to DPS, making them one of the fastest jobs to level up in the game. Depending on the players' specialization, the speed at which these unholy warriors progress can also be improved.
Players should expect a lot of changes coming to WoW Cata Classic. DK will acquire new skills and heavily rework some of their kit. Here are the pros and cons of using this class:
- Advantages: Starts at level 55 (you don’t need to grind starting from one), Excellent survivability and utility kit, Adaptable, Flexible Ability Rotation, and Good at Solo content
- Disadvantages: Starting at level 55 might overwhelm some players, and it might be hard for DK players to find a spot in Raid parties due to the overwhelming number of the class in the early stages of the expansion
Death Knights have three specializations: Blood DK, Unholy DK, and Frost DK. The first spec is focused on being a tank, while the remaining two are more of a DPS-type. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of each:
Blood DK
- Advantages: Excellent offense and defense capabilities and strong self-healing
- Disadvantages: Lacks mobility, requires decent equipment and damage, needs time to ramp up to deal significant DPS
- Unique Effect: Healing Absorption (You gain damage reduction every time you heal)
Unholy DK
- Advantages: Excellent AoE attacks and excellent defensive power
- Disadvantages: Lacks mobility, requires decent equipment, and DPS wanes when the number of mobs is reduced
- Unique Effect: Disease Damage (You deal increasing damage the more disease you inflict on an enemy)
Frost DK
- Advantages: Excellent AoE attacks and great defensive power
- Disadvantages: Lacks mobility, requires decent equipment, and DPS wanes when the number of mobs is reduced
- Unique Effect: Runic Power Generation
Death Knight Changes in WoW Cata Classic
As mentioned earlier, DKs are getting a massive update to their kit. These sweeping changes include updates to the Rune System and skill tree of each specialization. The most noticeable one would be the focused spec of Blood Death Knights. Instead of being a hybrid between DPS and tanks, Blood DKs will now primarily be tanks, which means they lose most of their damage capabilities. In addition, Frost Death Knights will undergo a vast revamp of their Runic Regeneration. Here are other sweeping changes coming to this class:
- The Rune System received a massive update. Frost DKs are now forced to wait for their Runes to charge up before they attack fully. Missing an attack or using an ability while these meters are inactive will severely weaken their damage output.
- Runes now regenerate sequentially instead of simultaneously. Instead of recovering all six at once, these meters will regen their energy in three sets.
- We are getting three new offense-oriented skills for all DKs. Outbreak, Necrotic Strike, and Dark Simulacrum are available to every DK spec, so players can try them out once they learn them.
It is essential to note that these changes will significantly impact players’ leveling progression. These updates will also dictate which classes are best for the open world and raids.
Stat Priority of Death Knights
Players looking to level up quickly have to learn how each combat attribute affects the Death Knight. Each stat empowers a specific part of the class, but some combat stats will fit this job better. Here are the priorities for the Death Knight:
Priorities:
- Strength: This stat is arguably the best one to invest in as a Death Knight. Each point allocated to this attribute increases your attack power by 2, which is the best investment because it is a flat bonus.
- Haste Rating: This stat increases the speed of all your abilities, which means you can do more damage quickly. Haste is a secondary attribute that players should consider investing in.
- Attack Power: Attack Power increases the damage of every attack skill. While investing at least a few points in this attribute is recommended, investing your points in STR is much more worthwhile.
- Hit Rating: Hit Rating is decent as an attribute for Death Knights since it ensures that your attacks hit your targets. However, it is not an excellent combat stat to invest in during the leveling phase since the bonuses are not strong enough to warrant it.
Alternatives:
- Agility: Agility increases your Critical Strike Chance slightly, so it is not really that great of a stat to acquire.
- Critical Strike Rating: While it does increase critical damage, Death Knights rely more on raw attack power. It is okay to invest here if you are going pure DPS, but if you want to input a bit of utility, then it is probably best to leave this alone.
- Stamina: This combat stat is a great one to invest in. This attribute increases your max HP, but there are other more consistent sources of this stat, such as gear and accessories. It would help if you focused more on acquiring Stamina equipment than allocating points.
Once you have a chosen spec, you may have to refocus your stat priorities. Each specialization gives more importance to other attributes, helping you know which will benefit your character the best. Here are all the stat priorities for each DK spec:
Blood Death Knight
- Stamina
- Strength
- Mastery
- Dodge Rating
- Parry Rating
- Haste Rating
- Critical Strike Chance
Frost Death Knight
- Strength
- Critical Strike Chance
- Haste Rating
- Mastery
- Stamina
Unholy Death Knight
- Strength
- Haste Rating
- Critical Strike Chance
- Mastery
- Stamina
These stat priorities become essential once you reach higher-level content because they will impact the effectiveness of your specs. If you want to reach the current level 85 cap, you must adjust your attributes to the appropriate stats to ensure you can get into raid parties.
Best Equipment for Leveling
In general, you should use items that boost your priority stats. We don’t have any preference for weapons since DKs can choose either one-handed or two-handed things, so equip one that adds more points to your best attributes. However, weapon damage would be the best attribute to look for since it increases your overall DPS, which will help in any content.
In terms of armor, we want to focus on collecting Plate Armor. This heavy armor provides significant defensive boosts, further improving DKs’ survivability. However, this doesn’t mean Death Knights should take on unnecessary damage. Here are examples of the best items for each DK specs on higher levels:
Blood Death Knight
- Level 67: Adamantine Breastplate
- Level 68: Crow Wing Reaper
- Level 72: Leggings of the Forceful Purification
- Level 73: Shoulderplates of the Abolished
- Level 75: De-Raged Waraxe
- Level 77: Staunch Signet
- Level 78: Gauntlets of the Culling and Faceguard of Punishment
- Level 80: Tattered Castle Drape
Frost Death Knight
- Level 68: Amberplate Grips
- Level 70: Ingvar's Monolithic Cleaver
- Level 71: Gleaming Iceblade
- Level 73: Shoulderplates of the Abolished and Volazj’s Sabatons
- Level 74: Thick Bracers of Battle
- Level 75: De-Raged Waraxe
- Level 76: Forlorn Breastplate of War
- Level 77: Fezzik’s Pocketwatch
- Level 78: Fists of Loken
- Level 78: Faceguard of Punishment
Unholy Death Knight
- Level 68: Amberplate Grips
- Level 70: Ingvar's Monolithic Cleaver
- Level 73: Shoulderplates of the Abolished and Volazj’s Sabatons
- Level 74: Thick Bracers of Battle
- Level 75: De-Raged Waraxe
- Level 76: Forlorn Breastplate of War
- Level 77: Fezzik’s Pocketwatch
- Level 78: Fists of Loken
- Level 78: Faceguard of Punishment
Best Glyphs for Death Knight
As you level your character, you want to increase their power by incorporating glyphs into your build. These Inscription items boost your stats and spell functions, which can significantly help your efficiency in battle. Whether you are doing solo or group raids, glyphs will provide you with much-needed enhancements. Here are the best ones to use for each DK specialization:
Blood Death Knight
- Glyph of Heart Strike (Prime)
- Glyph of Death Strike (Prime)
- Glyph of Death and Decay (Prime)
- Glyph of Bone Shield (Major)
- Glyph of Dancing Rune Weapon (Major)
- Glyph of Anti-Magic Shell (Major)
- Glyph of Death Gate (Minor)
- Glyph of Horn of Winter (Minor)
- Glyph of Resilient Grip (Minor)
Frost Death Knight
- Glyph of Obliterate (Prime)
- Glyph of Howling Blast (Prime)
- Glyph of Frost Strike (Prime)
- Glyph of Ice Touch (Prime)
- Glyph of Anti-Magic Shell (Major)
- Glyph of Dark Succor (Major)
- Glyph of Hungering Cold (Major)
- Glyph of Blood Tap (Minor)
- Glyph of Horn of Winter (Minor)
- Glyph of Path of Frost (Minor)
Unholy Death Knight
- Glyph of Scourge Strike (Prime)
- Glyph of Raise Dead (Prime)
- Glyph of Death Coil (Prime)
- Glyph of Icy Touch (Prime)
- Glyph of Anti-Magic Shell (Major)
- Glyph of Blood Boil (Major)
- Glyph of Pestilence (Major)
- Glyph of Blood Tap (Minor)
- Glyph of Horn of Winter (Minor)
- Glyph of Death’s Embrace (Minor)
Best Leveling Methods for Dark Knights in Cataclysm Classic
There are three ways to level up your Dark Knight quickly. These methods will vary in their effectiveness depending on the specialization you are running, so be mindful of which one you run. The best way to learn is to plan and observe. Check out the theoretically optimal leveling method, then watch if it works for your character. Here are the best leveling paths for the Dark Knight:
Dungeons/Raids
The fastest way to level up your Dark Knight is to keep running the Dungeons available. The amount of exp acquired paired with the quality of loot makes Raiding worth your time. However, there is a catch in running this content, affecting the efficiency of grinding the challenges.
The first issue regarding Raids is your reliance on groups. If you want to run the newer Dungeons, you need a team to ensure you can finish these challenges. Sufficient DPS, tanks, and support are essential for more difficult Raids since many mechanics cannot be done solo.
Finding a static group to do Dungeons is the best way to fix this setting. Statics are people you constantly run raids with, so you set a schedule to ensure everyone is present. If you cannot find a constant team, then you have to settle for looking for random groups for raids.
Looking for random groups can be quite a pain, mainly if you run DPS. Fortunately, Death Knights can run as Tanks if it's hard to get a spot as a damager. The problem with teaming up with people you don’t know, also known as pugs, is that you are unfamiliar with how they play and if they know the mechanics. In addition, you might not be able to communicate and synergize appropriately, which will significantly hamper your chances of clearing your Raids.
As a Death Knight, your efficiency leveling up via Raids depends on how fast and often you clear dungeons. The best way to ensure optimal clearing speed is to run challenges recommended for your level. It should be noted that Raiding would be your best leveling method beyond level 80.
Quests
Quests are another decent way of gaining levels fast. While they do not provide as much experience as Raiding, they are less intensive and don’t take as much time. They are also the easiest way to gain levels, as not all require killing enemies, and some might need players to interact with NPCs. To level a Death Knight, you should do some quests while looking for Raid groups or during your break.
Another good thing about Questing is that you can develop your professions, too, since some tasks require life skills. Death Knights are more efficient in doing missions than other classes due to their Pale Horse skills, which give them decent traveling speed. Cutting down time spent summoning a mount and moving from place to place makes DK's questing experience more bearable.
Grinding
For Death Knights, grinding mobs is only efficient from level 55 until they reach Northrend. Once players get the Cataclysm-related content, they should reduce this method since it does not reward as much EXP as before. However, it is an essential part of a DK’s leveling process.
Death Knights start at level 55, so they need to utilize every available source of EXP in TBC before they reach Cata Classic content. The Burning Crusade’s mobs have decent EXP drops from their mobs, unlike Cata, so it is ideal for Death Knights to spend some time in grind spots until they can transfer to Northrend. However, for players who still want to do some grinding in Cata. Here is the best rotation:
- Howling Fjord or Borean Tundra for levels 68 to 72
- Dragonblight for levels 71 to 75
- Grizzly Hills for levels 73 to 75
- Zul’drak for levels 74 to 76
- Sholazar Basin for levels 76 to 78
- Icecrown for levels 77 to 80
- Storm Peaks for levels 77 to 80
Notes:
A problem that Death Knights might encounter when relying on Dungeons for leveling is that they might neglect their professions. Aside from combat rank, many players try to balance trade skills along the way since it can be tedious to go back to lower-level areas to progress them. Leveling up primarily in Dungeons will limit your time engaging with professions, so players should take note of this.
For grinding sessions, it is ideal for Death Knights to progress in their skinning or mining professions since they are bound to encounter many gathering sources for these trade skills.
When questing, sometimes doing tasks with a group is more optimal. Doing quests with friends makes several combat-related searches easier, which Death Knights can benefit from.
While you may have Pale Horse, find an Epic Mount soon. These high-rarity companions can sometimes be faster than your summonable mount.
Take the necessary consumables to buff your Death Knight before entering content such as Raids and Grinding.
Don’t Focus on Leveling Method
Death Knights are some of the best solo-playing classes, so they are efficient in most leveling content. This gives players more flexibility since they can swap between ranking-up methods. It is recommended that gamers alternate their sessions, so they won’t get burnt out from specific content.
