Unholy Death Knight DPS PVE Guide – Cataclysm

Welcome to the PVE Unholy Death Knight Guide for World of Warcraft Cataclysm!

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

Standard Build

This build takes 3 points in Magic Suppression in order to unlock Anti-Magic Zone for raids.

Desecration Build

This talent spend gives up Anti-Magic Zone and Unholy Command to put points in Desecration, for the AoE slow.

Blood Tap Build

This build maxes Improved Blood Tap for the lowered Blood Tap cooldown, which can be useful if you are able to use Blood Tap on cooldown and benefit from it.

Prime Glyphs

Single Target:

• Glyph of Death Coil
• Glyph of Scourge Strike
• Glyph of Raise Dead

AoE:

• Glyph of Icy Touch
• Glyph of Death and Decay
• Glyph of Raise Dead

Major Glyphs

• Glyph of Anti-Magic Shell
• Glyph of Blood Boil
• Glyph of Pestilence

Minor Glyphs

• Glyph of Blood Tap
• Glyph of Death's Embrace
• Glyph of Horn of Winter

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

• Meta – Reverberating Shadowspirit Diamond
• Red/Prismatic – Bold Queen's Garnet, Bold Inferno Ruby, Bold Chimera's Eye (Jewelcrafting option)
• Yellow
  • Bold Queen's Garnet or Bold Inferno Ruby if Socket bonus is not at least +20 Strength or +30 of other stat, otherwise use Fierce Lava Coral or Fierce Ember Topaz
• Blue
  • Bold Queen's Garnet or Bold Inferno Ruby if Socket bonus is not at least +20 Strength or +30 of other stat, otherwise,
  • Etched Shadow Spinel or Etched Demonseye

• Head – Arcanum of the Wildhammer /Arcanum of the Dragonmaw
• Shoulder – Greater Inscription of Jagged Stone or Lionsmane Inscription (Inscription)
• Cloak – Enchant Cloak - Greater Critical Strike or Swordguard Embroidery (Tailoring)
• Chest – Enchant Chest - Peerless Stats
• Bracers – Enchant Bracer - Major Strength or Draconic Embossment - Strength (Leatherworking)
• Gloves – Enchant Gloves - Mighty Strength
• Waist – Grounded Plasma Shield (Engineering), Socket Gloves (Blacksmithing)
• Legs – Dragonscale Leg Armor, Dragonbone Leg Reinforcements (Leatherworking)
• Boots – Enchant Boots - Haste or Enchant Boots - Precision
• Weapon – Rune of the Fallen Crusader

The highest priority will be to make sure your hit is at 8%, after that use the following. If you have Gurthalak, Voice of the Deeps, Mastery Rating is instead higher priority than Critical Strike rating.

• Strength
• Hit
• Haste
• Critical Strike
• Mastery
• Expertise (to 26)

Single Target Rotation

Always be in Unholy Presence for this rotation.

• Use Frost Fever/Blood Plague (keep up 100%)
• Use Dark Transformation
• Use Death and Decay/Scourge Strike if both of your Unholy or Death runes are available
• Use Festering Strike if both of your Blood and Frost runes are available
• Use Death Coil if you have a Sudden Doom proc or you are near maximum runic power
• Use Death and Decay/Scourge Strike
• Use Festering Strike
• Use Horn of Winter

Area of Effect Rotation

You can stay in Unholy Presence for shorter AoE rotations, but for longer phases where you need to do AoE DPS, swap to Frost Presence.

• Use Frost Fever/Blood Plague and use Pestilence to spread them to all enemies
• Use Dark Transformation
• Use Death and Decay/Scourge Strike if both of your Unholy or Death runes are available
• Use Blood Boil if both of your Blood and Frost runes are available
• Use Death Coil if you have a Sudden Doom proc or you are near maximum runic power
• Use Icy Touch

DPS Cooldowns

• Unholy Frenzy should be used on cooldown just before Summon Gargoyle, although you can delay to wait for a period where the boss will take bonus DPS. Does not stack with Heroism/Bloodlust/Timewarp.
• Empower Rune Weapon should be used when your runes are all on cooldown and you have low runic power, to increase DPS when you need it
• Army of the Dead benefits from your stats, but should be used just before combat, or during phases in which you’re unable to attack the boss (due to its cast time)
• Blood Tap should be used on cooldown, assuming one or both of your Death runes are unavailable