Frost Death Knight DPS Guide

Changes have come in the recent expansion.  Abilities have been dropped and a number changed, But that’s standard. Even in Shadowlands, besides the level and item squishes.

One thing that hasn’t changed is your ability to lay down a lot of damage.

This Frost Death Knight guide is primarily intended for use at the level cap. However, the principals will still apply during the leveling process. If you’re looking for more advice on leveling your Death Knight, check out our Death Knight Leveling Guide.

Frost DK Contents The Talents Glyphs Stats Rotations Gems and Enchants Consumables Professions Race Choice Frostie Macros Get Leveled Fast

If you want the same in-game step by step leveling guide that we use to get to max level as fast as possible, take a look at our favorite in-game leveling guide. Other DK Guides:  PvE: Blood tanking, Unholy PvP: Blood, Frost, Unholy Other: Leveling, Overview

 

Talents for the Frost DK

Your talents can easily be changed IF you’re in a “rested XP” area, such as your garrison, an inn, or the big city. No reagents, trainers, or special rituals required. You can change your spec (go Blood, back to Frost, then Unholy) any time you’re out of combat, but for the individual talents you need to get to the rested area. As with changing specs, no special items are required for changed talents. So if you want to DPS one fight and then you need to tank the next one, or try unholy because it looks like a bitter fit, then switching is easy.

If you are in the raid/dungeon and need to change talents (or Azerite Essences) before the next fight? Buy or make (with Inscription) a stack of Tome of the Quiet Mind. That will give you one minute to switch up.

If one suggested talent doesn’t work for your style, change it up.

 

Our general picks are checked, , but do note that you might want to change now and then, depending on the particular fight.

 

Tier 1, level 56

 

Tier 2, level 57

 

Tier 3, level 58

 

Tier 4, level 60

 

Tier 5, level 75

Tier 6, level 90

 

Tier 7, Level 100

 

 

Frost Glyphs:

Legion did away with pretty much all glyphs. This that remain are entirely cosmetic. They also modify abilities directly, rather than residing in your Glyph window. Unlike talents you will need the appropriate reagent to change glyphs. Not that any of them will help your DPS, but it might be better to have abilities look frosty, rather than bloody. (See our gold guide if you’re a bit short on cash to buy all your glyphs, gems, etc.)

You now have:

• Glyph of Cracked Ice and Glyph of Dry Ice modify your Path of Frost appearance.
• Glyph of the Chilled Shell and Glyph of the Crimson Shell modify your Anti-Magic Shell appearance.
• Glyph of the Geist and Glyph of the Skeleton modify your ghoul’s (if you switch to Unholy) appearance.

Nothing like a frostier looking Anti-Magic shell to improve your damage, right?

 

Frost Death Knight Stat Priorities

1. Duel wield: Strength > Mastery > Versatility > Haste > Critical Strike
2. The exact values of Mastery, etc., will vary with gear.

Strength improves all of your damage, including your diseases.

Mastery favors dual wield, since you will be doing more “frost damage” strikes. Frost damage makes up a solid chunk of your overall damage. 2h weapons favor Obliterate, so Mastery has less value.

Versatility adds to your damage, your heals, and your damage reduction.

Haste gives you faster rune regen and more Killing Machine procs, but it’s still a bit below the others in value.

Crit -With your Killing Machine procs you have little need of crit.

 

In-Depth Rotation Guide for Frost Spec DKs

Death strike uses Runic power.

Frost Fever is now your only disease and it has a chance to restore some Runic Power. It can only be applied with Howling Blast.

Your Weapon Runes

1. Rune of the Fallen Crusader procs add to all damage done, including diseases, if they’re applied during the proc. If you use it on both weapons the procs do not stack, rather the duration of the proc is extended. The boost to disease damage will fall off when the Fallen Crusader buff does and they will take on any new buffs that you have, again just for the duration of that buff.
2. Rune of Razorice for the off-hand weapon.

Offensive Buffs and Cooldowns

• Pillar of Frost adds 20% to your Str and should be used as it’s available, stacking it with other procs and buffs, if possible.
• Empower Rune Weapon on cooldown, but only when your runes are depleted and Runic Power is low.

Basic Rotation

1. Keep diseases up at all times.
2. Cast your “go to” strike, preferably on a Killing Machine proc.
3. Howling Blast on Rime procs
4. Try not to cap Runic Power
5. Keep an eye on your runes. Try not to have full runes just sitting there, doing nothing. Also try not to go to zero runes.

Duel Wield Rotation

As above, applying diseases is your first priority. Keep your diseases applied at all times, this means making certain that Frost Fever and Blood Plague are present on your target. Use Frost Strike at max Runic Power or whenever Killing Machine procs. Use Death Strike if you need some healing, otherwise your Runic Power is better spent on Frost Strike. Howling Blast should be used whenever Rime procs. It also refreshes Frost Fever. Use your Runes on Obliterate when Frost Strike is not available/optimal. Howling Blast without the proc., using Death and Frost Runes. Leave enough runes for Obliterate.

Multi-Target Rotation:

• Howling Blast
• Remorseless Winter
• Frostscythe

 

Frost Death Knight Gems, Enchants, Azerite, and Corruption

Legion has done away with gemming. The section below is for those with lower level gear that has sockets (rare in Warlords.)

Warlords and Earlier:

See the Warlords notes, just below this section. This section is for those with gear under item level 600,

Short on gold? “Perfect” gems have the same stats as the “regular” gems and one or the other might be available for a much lower cost. Baring that you can always check our Gold Guide for tips.

Gemming in Warlords of Draenor

• Gem sockets have a (small) random chance to appear on Raid and other gear, they are not as common as before. There are no meta gems or meta sockets, there are no socket bonuses, and all sockets are “prismatic,” which means that they will take any available gem.
• The gems themselves are actually available. They are all prismatic, meaning they fit into any socket. None have Int, they all have secondary stats (Mastery, etc.) Apparently there are no Meta sockets or gems.
• Older (Mists of Pandaria) gems work until item level 600, but the item squish cut them down a bit. What used to be 160 Int is now 10, for example. The new Prismatic gems are 50 points of Mastery or whatever.
• Older gems (Mists of Pandaria and lower) that used to code for Hit now do Crit, gems that had Expertise are now Haste.

In Warlords the gemming plan has become easy. Assuming you actually have sockets…

• Dual Wielding? Gem for Mastery.
• Two Handed? Gem for Haste.

Enchantments for Frost Death Knights

Legion has done away with enchants, as it did with gemming. The section below is for those with lower level gear that has sockets (rare in Warlords.)

Warlords and Earlier:

Get Strength where you can, then your next best stat (Mastery or Haste) when you can’t get Str.

Short on gold? While some enchants are pretty cheap, some of the others aren’t. At least you don’t have to worry about buying weapon enchants at 1-2k gold each. If you want to buy the best enchants, fund all of your alts, donate to the guild, etc., but don’t have the cash, then see what the Zygor Gold Addon can do about about fixing your cash flow.

In Warlords of Draenor the enchants are more available than the gems, but there are limits. The only items that you can enchant on WoD are your weapons, rings, neck, and cloak items. There are not primary stat enchants, only secondary stats (Mastery, etc.) There is, however a weapon enchant which will bleed your opponent.

 

Consumables for Frost DKs

Note that Pandarens get twice the food buff. All food buffs last one hour and provide only one stat. There should by more interesting foods in Legion.

Foods

Potions

Flasks

Rune

Other

 

 

Professions for the Frost DK

 

Why get a profession since there are no bonuses? For the item level 640 gear that you will, eventually, be able to create. That gear requires level 91 to equip. Said gear require a lot of materials to create, your Garrison will be a help here if you create a professional building.

If you’re below 90 then you’ll have to do it (level your skill) the old fashioned way. See our professions page for more info on leveling up the various skills.

Several professions have definite value while leveling, others not so much. If gear is readily available on the Auction House, and you have the gold, then the professions are less important. Sometimes making your gear is the only way to go. Or hoping you win the rolls in the dungeons.

If you just want something to earn gold with, then the gathering professions are the most reliable choice. You can make plenty of gold with some of the crafting professions (Inscription and blackmithing have worked very well for me,) but it takes some work to find the sweet spots. Gathering isn’t quite the gold maker that it used to be, thanks to the Garrisons, but if you leave Draenor and gather some of the older ores, skins, or herbs you’ll make more gold than with the Draenor bits.

Note that all of the craftable gear pieces can be bought on the Auction House.

• Blacksmithing allows you to make some nice plate gear and weapons, including starting raid gear in Warlords.
• Alchemy better living through chemistry. Drink up and get heals, improved stats, etc.
• Engineering makes a lot of useful gadgets, especially once you’re 90+ (and have Draenor Engineering.) Rockets, gliders, and shields all have use in the open world, but they’re not allowed in raids.
• Inscription will let you make a very nice shoulder enchant, makes shoulder enchants for others, make all your own glyphs (and for your pals,) and make a few other items.
• Enchanting lets you do everyone’s enchants, plus those rings and neck items.
• Jewelcrafting creates useful rings, neck items, gems (of course,) and gemmed mounts.
• Tailoring and Leatherworking are pretty useless for you.
• The gathering skills are nice for making gold or supplying the appropriate profession.
• Recommended skills?
  • If you have lots of gold: Blacksmithing & Engineering for the useful gear and toys.
  • Otherwise: take two gathering skills and level the profession skills later.

 

Death Knight Race Choice

 

 

Macros for the Frost DK

Death grip your mouseover target. Useful for wandering targets.

/cast [@mouseover,exists][] Death Grip

 

“Time to Die” macro – ties all your buffs together. /use 14 uses your “on use” trinket, if you have one and you have it in the second trinket slot (slot 14.) If it’s the first one use ’13.’ Test this on a target dummy so that you know exactly how it works. Try to line this macro up with a Fallen Crusader proc.

/cast Pillar of Frost
/use Draenic Strength Potion
/use 14

 

 

How to Get Your Death Knight to the Level Cap Fast

Frost DK leveling is easy, maybe too easy, especially when you have some nice gear. Tons of damage to make up for any lack of toughness.

Still, it’s a long way to max level and there are thousands of quests and a bazillion mobs to kill (not to mention other players, but they don’t count here.) Sorting out which quests are best and which series of quests will get you to 110 the fastest is another game entirely, which is why we highly recommend Zygor’s Guide.

Zygor’s is an in-game guide and it transforms the whole leveling process: you just pick your starting point, at any level, and the guide tracks which quest you’re on, tracks the quest objectives, and automatically advances and updates as you complete your tasks and quests. In addition, a waypoint arrow is set automatically, so you never have to wonder where to go. All the way to 110 you will never wonder what to do next or where to go.

Playing with Heirlooms and/or Recruit a friend? Gaining a few levels in the dungeons or in PvP? Zygor has your back. The guide knows what level you are and will correctly suggest where to go next. It will even help you to dump all of your obsolete quests. Better yet, you will probably never need to look at your quest log again.

Grab your copy here.

 

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