Achmed's PvE guide - DW Frost DK

[Swazigold]

Frost Death Knight – DW PvE

This guide is purely aimed at single target / Boss fights. The priority is not to down groups of mobs but rather to down a single target as fast as possible. With high AoE DPS you will pull aggro off the tank and die. No disrespect to any tanks but with this spec your tank will have his work cut out to keep the aggro. Therefore I rather focus my DPS on one mob/boss, Howling Blast will be used enough to efficiently assist the group with AoE damage on group mobs.
As you can see I do 22k DPS in 10man raids.

IMG: http://s5.postimage.org/sqodl4urn/Achmed_22k_DPS.jpg IMG: http://s18.postimage.org/sb8exqns5/Achmed_22k_Stats2.jpg

Stat priorities:
Understanding the importance and effectiveness of each stat goes a long way. It can help you choose gear and know which stat, if any, should be reforged.
Strength > 8% Melee Hit > Expertise (26) > Haste > Mastery > Crit

Strength:
Strength is by far the most effective stat. It increases every source of damage that is dealt. Strength should always be your number one focus when optimizing your stats.

8% Melee Hit:
5% with this Build. Nerves of Cold Steel (wowhead link) talent brings you to 8% cap.
This hit amount will eliminate the chance for any special ability to miss against a boss. This is the cap regardless of weapon type (2H/DW). Special abilities missing are the easiest way to lose DPS, so always make sure you have this cap.

Expertise (26):
The Expertise Soft-Cap of 26 (for both weapons) will eliminate your attacks being dodged from behind. Having this cap and always attacking from behind your target is crucial for avoiding high DPS loss.

Haste:
Haste increases rune regeneration speed and attack speed. After the Hit & Expertise caps above, this is the next most effective way to increase your DPS.

Mastery:
Mastery increases frost damage dealt. This is the next best stat following Haste, and is especially effective in AoE scenarios, because it directly affects Howling Blast and Frost Fever.

Talents and Glyphs:
(3/32/6)
This DW build grabs every point possible for DPS increase.

3 points in Epidemic (wowhead link) allows for 12 sec extra DoT uptime which allows for more Obliterate (wowhead link) strikes. (264% weapon damage with Annihilation (wowhead link)).

3 points in Virulence (wowhead link) because your DoT’s are UP ALL THE TIME!

I use 3 point in Runic Power Mastery (wowhead link). The bigger Runic power pool is much more effective than reach distance of Icy Touch and Chains of Ice.

Extra points are used in On a Pale Horse (wowhead link) cause it just AWESOME!

Prime Glyphs:
Glyph of Frost Strike
Glyph of Howling Blast
Glyph of Obliterate

Major Glyphs:
Glyph of Dark Succor - This glyph is preferential.
Glyph of Anti-Magic Shell - This glyph should always be used.
Glyph of Pestilence - This glyph is preferential.
Glyph of Hungering Cold - This glyph is preferential.

Minor Glyphs are personal choice.

Reforging :
Reforging allows you to maximize your most effective secondary stats. Below is the general process for determining how to reforge your gear.

Step 1: Check for 5% Melee Hit
If you are below 5% Melee Hit, you need to reforge the weakest stat (see stat priority) into Hit rating. If possible, try to only reforge Crit or excess amounts of Expertise, as Haste and Mastery are very valuable. Continue to do this on gear until you are at the 5% Hit Cap.

Step 2: Not Expertise Soft-Capped (26)
Now you want to reach the Expertise Soft-Cap. To do this, on any gear without Expertise, reforge Crit (first priority) or Mastery (second priority) into Expertise rating. Continue to do this until you are at 26 Expertise.

Step 3: Hit & Expertise capped
Since you are capped with both Hit and Expertise, you want to reforge your gear for as much Haste as possible. On any gear without Haste, reforge Crit (first priority) or Mastery (second priority) into Haste. Also, if any gear has too much Hit/Expertise and no Haste, then reforge them into Haste.

Gems & Enchants:
Below are all of the most effective Gems & Enchants that can be used. Use the stat priority to further guide you on gem or enchant choices to manage stats.

Red Sockets - Bold Inferno Ruby
Yellow Sockets - Fierce Ember Topaz
Blue Sockets - Etched Demonseye
Meta Socket - Reverberating Shadowspirit Diamond

Enchants:

Helm - Arcanum of the Dragonmaw / Arcanum of the Wildhammer
Shoulders - Greater Inscription of Jagged Stone
Cloak - Enchant Cloak - Greater Critical Strike
Chest - Enchant Chest - Peerless Stats
Bracers - Enchant Bracer - Major Strength
Gloves - Enchant Gloves - Mighty Strength
Belt - Ebonsteel Belt Buckle
Leggings - Dragonscale Leg Armor
Boots - Enchant Boots - Haste
Main Hand – Rune of Razorice (wowhead link)
Off Hand - Rune of the Fallen Crusader (wowhead link)

Consumables:

Flask - Flask of Titanic Strength
Potion - Golemblood Potion
Mythical Healing Potion
Food - Beer-Basted Crocolisk

Macros:

• DoT’s 1
This macro will cast Outbreak (wowhead link), placing both DoT’s on the target without using any runes and you will drink a Golemblood Potion:

#showtootip
/cast Outbreak
/use Golemblood Potion


• DoT’s 2
This macro will start auto attack, apply Frost Fever (wowhead link) and Blood Plague (wowhead link), cast Pillar of Frost (wowhead link) and activate your trinket. Using 2 Frost runes and 1 Blood Rune:

#showtootip
/startattack
/castsequence reset=target Icy Touch, Plague Strike
/cast Pillar of Frost
/use {trinket name without brackets}
/startattack


• Obliterate
This macro will cast Obliterate (wowhead link), activate your trinket and cast Pillar of Frost (wowhead link)

#showtooltip
/cast Obliterate
/use {trinket name without brackets}
/cast Pillar of Frost


• Shield
This macro will cast Anti-Magic Shell (wowhead link) and Icebound Fortitude (wowhead link):

#showtooltip
/cast Anti-Magic Shell
/cast Icebound Fortitude


• Heath
This macro will allow you to drink a Mythical Healing Potion and use one button for summoning your Ghoul and using Death Pac (wowhead link).

#showtooltip
/castsequence reset=60 Raise Dead, Death Pac
/use Mythical Healing Potion


Rotations and Presents:

A rotation is simply a handful of abilities that are prioritized in an order that will achieve the highest damage output possible during any encounter.
Similar to stat priorities, knowing which abilities are most effective will help you quickly determine what ability to use next.

1. Horn of Winter (wowhead link)
This MUST be active at all times.

2. Frost Fever (wowhead link) / Blood Plague (wowhead link)
Your very highest priority should be to keep both diseases active as they directly affect the damage output of Obliterate. Use Outbreak (wowhead link)
as often as possible to save your runes for Obliterate (wowhead link).

3. Obliterate (wowhead link)
Your next priority is to Obliterate as much as possible. Keep your runes depleted by using Obliterate. Use Obliterate when Killing Machine (wowhead link) procs as often as possible.

4. Howling Blast (wowhead link)
Use Howling Blast only when Rime (wowhead link) procs

5. Frost Strike (wowhead link)
Use Frost Strike when your runes are fully depleted (or you are almost RP capped)

I choose Unholy Presence (wowhead link) for all situations. This allows you to use more abilities more often resulting in more hits AND more crits. Currently I do 5k more DPS in Unholy Presence (wowhead link) than in Frost Presence (wowhead link).

There is no set rotation but you will always open a Boss fight in same way:
Outbreak – Blood Strike – Blood Strike – Blood Tap – Obliterate – Obliterate – Frost Strike

References:

Wowhead
Wowfreakz

[Swazigold]

I made this guide cause there is no Frost DK guide on the forum and website.
Please vote

[raxxar]

The guide is good and i am doing exactly the same things with my dk - but i am pulling only 2 k dps more in unholy presence than frost
What do u think of trinkets - i would like your opinion which is the best available so far and why.
Have fun!

[shhnedo]

Don't know about you guys but I can say for sure that ghis guide improved my dps by a good 5k+. Bare in mind that I'm half tank geared atm. Good work!

BTW, I used a little bit different talent spec on my dk. Here's the spec ( - On a Pale Horse (wowhead link) / + Lichborne (wowhead link) , Chilblains (wowhead link)).

[Swazigold]

Thanks a lot mate. Appreciate the feedback

[shhnedo]

Slightly modified the build(and the glyphs). (4/31/6)(updated the page since wowhead TC is for MoP)

A macro which I use to convert blood to death runes:

Code:

#showtooltip /cast Blood Tap /cast Blood Strike

and another macro for blood healing while tanking(this could also be modified with a Death Strike somewhere after Vampiric Blood):

Code:

#showtooltip Rune Tap /cast Vampiric Blood /cast Rune Tap

healing macro usable in all 3 specs(but I personally wouldn't use it in unholy):

Code:

/castsequence reset=30 Raise Dead, Death Pact