MoP Classic Death Knight Guide

Our comprehensive MoP Classic Death Knight guide is dedicated to exploring one of the strongest classes in the game. You will learn about the latest changes in the Death Knight class, about the abilities and talents required for enjoyable gameplay, and learn the rotation. Additionally, we will share the best gear and consumables to make you fully prepared for Mists of Pandaria Classic.

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Mists of Pandaria Classic Death Knight Updates

Death Knight is one of those classes that remain largely unchanged after Cata, so in Mists of Pandaria, there are no major changes. MoP Classic Death Knight skills received some updates, though, mostly positive. For instance, Dancing Rune Weapon costs no Runis Power for Blood spec, Summon Gargoyle used by Unholy spec is also Runic-Power-free now.

Some Death Knight skills were turned into talents, which concerns all three specs, and some new abilities appeared. Now, completing raid runs in Mogu’shan Vaults becomes even more pleasing. If you are a Tank, you will be unstoppable, and as a DPS, your power will be irreplaceable. However, if raids are not your cup of tea, ask our team to do it for you, regardless of your role.

Mists of Pandaria Classic Death Knight Leveling

All Death Knight specs in MoP Classic are good for leveling, each offering its perks and advantages. As a DK Tank, you’ll rely on your increased survivability, but it might take longer to deal with packs of mobs. Playing a DPS DK, be it Frost or Unholy, you will deal a fair share of damage, but watch out not to take too much damage from enemies.

Death and Decay ability is your best friend, as it helps to spread Diseases in the area and kill multiple mobs at once. If you plan to focus on dungeon leveling, then try Frost spec, as it feels extremely well in dungeons with Howling Blast and Pillar of Frost skills.

Another option for fast and easy leveling is Power Leveling, which we are eager to help you with. Our team knows how to speed up the leveling process and allow you to enjoy the gameplay in the blink of an eye.

Do not forget to follow the Mists of Pandaria Classic Death Knight leveling stat priority on your gear to achieve the best results:

1. Strength;
2. Hit & Expertise (up to 7.5%);
3. Mastery;
4. Critical Strike;
5. Haste.

Further MoP Classic leveling optimization can be achieved via Heirlooms for Death Knights:

• Worn Stoneskin Gargoyle Cape
• Polished Helm of Valor
• Polished Spaulders of Valor
• Polished Breastplate of Valor
• Polished Legplates of Valor
• Bloodied Arcanite Reaper
• Bloodsoaked Skullforge Reaver
• Swift Hand of Justice

Mists of Pandaria Classic Death Knight Best Spec

Considering that MoP Classic Death Knight offers only 2 roles, Tank and DPS, it’s important to understand what each spec brings to the table. Let’s review some of the specialization features of each DK spec to see what suits you best:

• Blood Death Knight is one of the best tanks in the current season thanks to their unmatched self-sustain, high tank DPS, and grip, but requires at least an initial level understanding of the role of tanks to avoid taking too much damage.
• Frost Death Knight is a reliable DPS spec, equally good at AoE and ST damage, has good utility and defensives, but in the current meta, the maximum potential can be reached only in the hands of a skilled player.
• Unholy Death Knight is a master of single-target damage, with good utility, bursts, and nice defensives. However, in terms of performance, like Frost spec, it required some knowledge and skills to play Unholy.

It’s recommended to aim for the best-in-slot gear options for any of these specs, as it will improve your chances of successful raid and dungeon runs. You can get some of the optimal Gear options from our team: we will ensure that every piece that you need will be yours.

Mists of Pandaria Classic Death Knight Abilities

Death Knight in MoP Classic has a set of distinctive abilities that you will use a lot, so it’s better to learn them all first:

• Runeforging — allows you to customize your weapon with a rune power bonus at specialty stations;
• Death Grip — pulls a distant enemy to you and causes it to focus its attention, excellent for interrupts or repositioning;
• Mind Freeze — instant interrupt with a 10-second cooldown, excellent for shutting down enemy casting;
• Chains of Ice — slows a target and gives Frost Fever, useful for kiting or movement control;
• Anti-Magic Shell — absorbs magical damage and grants Runic Power, serves both as defense and resource gain;
• Rune Strike — instant strike that requires dodge/parry procs, enables spending Runic Power efficiently.

Mists of Pandaria Classic Death Knight Rotation

The fact that DKs have two roles affects their rotation, meaning there are separate MoP Classic Death Knight rotations for Tanks and for DPS. Also, two DPS specs differ in their priority skills. Here you can find an optimized rotation for each of Death Knight specs, including openers and main priority loops.

Tank Death Knight Rotation

Pre-pull Opener:

1. Bone Shield;
2. Army of the Dead;
3. Raise Dead;
4. Potion of Mogu Power, then pull to start.

Main Priority Loop:

1. Bone Shield;
2. Outbreak;
3. Blood Boil — Use when diseases need refreshing, also AoE;
4. Death Strike;
5. Soul Reaper — Use when target is ≤ 35% HP;
6. Death and Decay / Blood Boil;
7. Heart Strike;
8. Rune Strike;
9. Death Siphon;
10. Empower Rune Weapon — Use once all runes are on cooldown and Runic Power isn’t capped;
11. Horn of Winter.

DPS Death Knight Rotation for Frost Spec

Opener:

1. Pre-cast Army of the Dead, Raise Dead, and Pillar of Frost;
2. Apply diseases with Outbreak;
3. Howling Blast to spread diseases with Rime proc;
4. Obliterate.

Main Priority Loop:

1. Howling Blast;
2. Obliterate;
3. Frost Strike;
4. Death and Decay — Use when ≥ 2 Unholy runes free;
5. Plague Strike;
6. Horn of Winter.

DPS Death Knight Rotation for Unholy Spec

Opener:

1. Pre-cast Army of the Dead, Raise Dead, combat potion;
2. Unholy Frenzy, then Summon Gargoyle;
3. Outbreak + Death and Decay, Festering Strike twice, then Scourge Strike.

Main Priority Loop:

1. Outbreak / Plague Strike;
2. Soul Reaper;
3. Dark Transformation;
4. Death Coil;
5. Scourge Strike;
6. Festering Strike;
7. Death and Decay — Use to spend Unholy and Death runes and spread diseases;
8. Blood Tap;
9. Empower Rune Weapon — When runes are all down and then Rune of Death;
10. Horn of Winter.

Mists of Pandaria Classic Death Knight Best in Slot Items

In MoP Classic, the BiS gear options are split into Death Knight DPS best-in-slot items and DK Tank BiS gear. Both of them can be obtained with the assistance of our team, who know where to get any PvE BiS Gear that you want. BiS gear is the most powerful asset that you, as a group member, can bring.

Mists of Pandaria Classic DPS Death Knight BiS List

MoP Classic Tank Death Knight BiS List

Mists of Pandaria Classic Death Knight Stats

Gearing your Death Knight requires understanding of the stat priority, so here’s an overall balanced stat priority for both Tank and DPS Death Knights in MoP Classic:

Stats for Tank Death Knight:

1. Hit & Expertise 7.5%;
2. Strength;
3. Stamina;
4. Critical Strike;
5. Haste;
6. Mastery.

📌 Note: You need to prioritize Parry & Dodge straight after reaching 7,5% cap for Hit & Expertise, and don’t forget about tracking your Stamina values.

Stats for DPS Death Knight:

1. Strength;
2. Hit & Expertise 7.5%;
3. Critical Strike;
4. Haste;
5. Mastery.

Mists of Pandaria Classic Death Knight Talent Build

Death Knights in Mists of Pandaria Classic utilize the new MoP talent system, which allows more flexibility than ever before. You are offered three talents in each row with varying utility or power, and you can change them at any time using Dust of Disappearance or Tome of the Clear Mind. Below are our suggested Death Knight talent choices for all specs — Blood, Frost, and Unholy.

MoP Classic DPS Death Knight Talent Build

MoP Classic Tank Death Knight Talent Build

Mists of Pandaria Classic Death Knight Glyphs

If you plan to be a Tank, then the following Mists of Pandaria Classic Death Knight Glyphs will be the best for you:

The following glyphs are suitable for DPS Death Knights in MoP Classic:

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Mists of Pandaria Classic Death Knight Best Consumables

Always make sure that you have enough consumables in your backpack. The following consumables are the best for MoP Classic Death Knights:

Mists of Pandaria Classic Death Knight Food

When choosing the best food for DPS Death Knights, remember that we are looking for either Strength or a useful stat improvement. Therefore, the following options are appropriate:

• Black Pepper Ribs and Shrimp — +300 Strength;
• Fluffy Silkfeather Omelet — +300 Strength;
• Pandaren Treasure Noodle Soup — +300 useful stat.

There are also alternative, weaker options that will also do in case you can’t find any of the above, e.g., Eternal Blossom Fish, Deluxe Noodle Soup, or Great Banquet of the Grill.

Tanks, in their turn, are usually looking for Hit, Expertise, Mastery, or Stamina boost. Thus, try to keep the following food options at hand:

• Spicy Salmon — +300 Hit;
• Spicy Vegetable Chips — +300 Expertise;
• Mango Ice — +300 Mastery;
• Chun Tian Spring Rolls — +450 Stamina.

Mists of Pandaria Classic Death Knight Enchants

Enchants are widely used to improve your MoP Classic Death Knight gear build, as they provide additional stats and generally make your Death Knight a better fighter. Never skip the step of enchanting, as it is essential for good performance in both instance groups and open-world activities.

Mists of Pandaria Classic DPS Death Knight Enchants

Here we provide a list of the best Mists of Pandaria Classic DPS Death Knight Enchants, which are perfect for Frost and Unholy specs:

Mists of Pandaria Classic Tank Death Knight Enchants

Mists of Pandaria Classic Death Knight Combat Potions

For Tank Death Knights in Mists of Pandaria Classic, choose the following combat potions:

• Pre-pull: Potion of Mogu Power — to gain 4000 Strength for 25 sec;
• Mid-pull: Kafa Press — for +1191 Haste for 25 sec.

Best choice for DPS Death Knight specs:

• Potion of Mogu Power or Golemblood Potion, granting a Strength stat boost.

Mists of Pandaria Classic Death Knight Flasks

Flask of Winter’s Bite is an overall good choice for both Tanks and DPS Death Knights. This flask increases Strength for 1 hour, which lasts through death. For Tanks, Flask of the Earth is also recommended to gain extra Stamina.

Mists of Pandaria Classic Death Knight Best Race

In Mists of Pandaria Classic, races do not play any essential role in your gameplay. However, some races provide nice perks that can ease the routine or be useful in some particular situations. All MoP Classic races are available for Death Knights in MoP Classic: Blood Elf, Draenei, Dwarf, Gnome, Goblin, Human, Night Elf, Orc, Tauren, Troll, Undead, Worgen.

Horde

Orc and Troll are the best Horde races for MoP Classic Death Knight. Orcs provide a short-term attack power boost with Blood Fury, while Hardiness protects you from stuns. Trolls can buff your Haste with Berserking, and the leveling goes easier with Beast Slaying.

Alliance

Worgen and Human are a good pick for Alliance players. Worgen’s Darkflight is really useful for Death Knights, as they lack mobility. Humans provide all types of perks, including overall useful Diplomacy, or Will to Survive, to protect you in the toughest fights.

Mists of Pandaria Classic Death Knight PvP

In PvP activities, Death Knights provide everything you need for aggressive pressure and staying alive, especially their Tank spec. Battleground runs, arena play, or world PvP dabbling are a piece of cake for them, as they bring a combination of sustained damage, disruptive control, and tanky presence.

Frost and Unholy both are good in cleave comps due to burst windows that are high and crowd control abilities. Blood spec is a good choice for flag carrying and surviving in longer fights. Their spells, such as Death Grip, Gorefiend’s Grasp, and Anti-Magic Zone are very helpful in coordinated teams. They do struggle against caster teams at higher ratings, but their power in melee pressure makes them relevant in most matchups.

Your chances for victory on BGs and Arenas grow significantly if you have the right PvP Gear equipped. Our team can get you any BiS item or a full set of PvP gear and let you enjoy the best part of MoP Classic!

Mists of Pandaria Classic Death Knight Best Professions

Choosing the correct professions can make a huge impact, particularly in PvP. Engineering is an elite choice, providing:

• Socketed head-slot items with custom stats;
• Synapse Springs for burst windows;
• Goblin Glider cloak for easier and safer traveling.

Blacksmithing goes well with it. You’ll receive additional sockets for gloves and bracers, which translates to more Strength or endurance based on your build. Alchemy has uses, but most Death Knights opt for professions that will straight-up enhance their plate power and usefulness in combat.

Need a shortcut? We can provide you with the required Profession Kits that will increase your profession level up to the 600 cap. This is the fastest option to start crafting straightaway and enjoy all the benefits of the chosen profession.

Mists of Pandaria Classic Death Knight Class Mechanics

MoP Classic Death Knight gameplay revolves mostly around Rune management and Disease spreading. However, each spec differs a bit from another in terms of mechanics:

• Blood Death Knight: Convert Frost/Unholy runes into Death Runes with Death Strike to fuel self-healing and control your mitigation flow.
• Frost Death Knight: Spam Howling Blast and dump Runic Power into Frost Strike to keep your damage bursty and steady.
• Unholy Death Knight: Stack Shadow Infusion with Death Coil to trigger Dark Transformation and supercharge your Ghoul.

Mists of Pandaria Classic Death Knight Macros

Macros are a valuable tool used by Death Knight players to optimize some routines and improve their performance. Here we have gathered some of the most popular MoP Classic Death Knight Macros for your convenience:

• Auto Attack + Strike

Start Auto Attack
/cast Scourge Strike

• Focus Mind Freeze

#showtooltip Mind Freeze
/cast [@focus] Mind Freeze

• Death Coil Pet Heal

/target ghoul name
/cast Death Coil
/targetlasttarget

• Mouseover Death and Decay

#showtooltip Death and Decay
/cast [@cursor] Death and Decay

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To sum up, Death Knights are a strong, viable class, and our MoP Classic Death Knight Guide provided you with every piece of information that you needed to start playing it. Now with your knowledge about the class abilities, talents, rotation, BiS gear, and optimal consumables, you are ready to conquer every raid and dungeon on your way.