Introduced in Wrath of the Lich King, where a different subclass was the tanking spec, Death Knights have since been a popular choice for tanking. World of Warcraft has plenty of tanking choices available, but it's hard to go wrong with a Blood Death Knight. However, depending on the type of content a player wants to run, there are different builds to consider, thanks to the revamped talent system in Dragonflight.
General Play & Raiding Build for Blood Death Knight
There isn't much that can be played with on a Death Knight tanking build. It's a class that works best as a single-target attacker with a lot of self-sustain. This particular build is focused on Soul Reaper and Empower Rune Weapon. As such, players should have plenty of Runes and Runic Power to spend during a fight.
Death Knight Tree
- Chains of Ice: 1/1
- Mind Freeze: 1/1
- Death Strike
- Raise Dead: 1/1
- Cleaving Strikes: 1/1
- Anti-Magic Shell: 1/1
- Permafrost: 1/1
- Improved Death Strike: 1/1
- Anti-Magic Barrier: 1/1
- Enfeeble: 1/1
- Icebound Fortitude: 1/1
- Veteran of the Third War: 2/2
- Brittle: 1/1
- Merciless Strikes: 1/1
- Anti-Magic Zone: 1/1
- Might of Thassarian: 1/1
- Gloom Ward: 1/1
- Unholy Endurance: 1/1
- Runic Attenuation: 1/1
- Unholy Ground: 1/1
- Unholy Ground: 1/1
- Insidious Chill: 1/1
- Will of the Necropolis: 2/2
- Death's Echo: 1/1
- Icy Talons: 1/1
- Rune Mastery: 2/2
- Unholy Bond: 1/2
- Empower Rune Weapon: 1/1
- Abomination Limb: 1/1
Blood Tree
- Heart Strike: 1/1
- Marrowrend: 1/1
- Blood Boil: 1/1
- Vampiric Blood: 1/1
- Crimson Scourge: 1/1
- Ossuary: 1/1
- Improved Heart Strike: 2/2
- Death's Caress: 1/1
- Improved Heart Strike: 2/2
- Death's Caress: 1/1
- Foul Bulwark: 1/1
- Dancing Rune Weapon: 1/1
- Hemostasis: 1/1
- Relish in Blood: 1/1
- Improved Bone Shield: 1/1
- Insatiable Blade: 1/1
- Blooddrinker: 1/1
- Reinforced Bones: 1/1
- Everlasting Bond: 1/1
- Voracious: 1/1
- Bloodworms: 1/1
- Coagulopathy: 1/1
- Tombstone: 1/1
- Sanguine Ground: 1/1
- Shattering Bone: 2/2
- Heartrend: 1/1
- Iron Heart: 1/1
- Red Thirst: 1/2
- Purgatory: 1/1
- Bloodshot: 1/1
Mythic Dungeons Build for Blood Death Knight
When playing Mythic+ content, a tank must do more than simply hold aggro. They must also pitch in with crowd control, stuns, and interrupts. This build offers that without sacrificing the core of what makes a tank.
Death Knight Tree
- Chains of Ice: 1/1
- Death Strike
- Raise Dead: 1/1
- Mind Freeze: 1/1
- Anti-Magic Shell: 1/1
- Cleaving Strikes: 1/1
- Blinding Sheet: 1/1
- Permafrost: 1/1
- Improved Death Strike: 1/1
- Anti-Magic Barrier: 1/1
- Enfeeble: 1/1
- Icebound Fortitude: 1/1
- Veteran of the Third War: 2/2
- Brittle: 1/1
- Merciless Strikes: 1/1
- Might of Thassarian: 1/1
- Gloom Ward: 1/1
- Grip of the Dead: 1/1
- Unholy Endurance: 1/1
- Runic Attenuation: 1/1
- Unholy Ground: 1/1
- Insidious Chill: 1/1
- Will of the Necropolis: 2/2
- Death's Echo: 1/1
- Icy Talons: 2/2
- Rune Mastery: 2/2
- Empower Rune Weapon: 1/1
- Abomination Limb: 1/1
Blood Tree
- Heart Strike: 1/1
- Marrowrend: 1/1
- Blood Boil: 1/1
- Vampiric Blood: 1/1
- Crimson Scourge: 1/1
- Ossuary: 1/1
- Improved Heart Strike: 2/2
- Death's Caress: 1/1
- Heartbreaker: 2/2
- Dancing Rune Weapon: 1/1
- Hemostasis: 1/1
- Relish in Blood: 1/1
- Leeching Strike: 1/1
- Improved Bone Shield: 1/1
- Insatiable Blade: 1/1
- Rapid Decomposition: 1/1
- Blood Tap: 1/1
- Everlasting Bond: 1/1
- Voracious: 1/1
- Bloodworms: 1/1
- Coagulopathy: 1/1
- Tombstone: 1/1
- Sanguine Ground: 1/1
- Shattering Bone: 2/2
- Iron Heart: 1/1
- Red Thirst: 1/2
- Bloodshot: 1/1
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Published: Jan 17, 2023 11:06 am