Blood DK tank - PvE guide WotLK 3.3.5a (TsLK)
PvE guide for Blood DK tank (Death Knight, Blood branch) for WotLK 3.3.5a: talents, symbols, stats (defense/stamina), threat rotation, enchantments, sockets and BiS gear for CLK 25 GER.
Specialization Overview
Blood DK is the Death Knight's best tank spec in terms of survivability. Tanks with a two-hander, maintains aggro through Icy Touch and Runic Strike, actively self-heals with Death Strike, Rune Grab and Vampiric Blood. It has a rich set of saves and brings buffs (AP, attack speed) and interrupts to the raid.
- Best Tank Survivability: Vampiric Blood, Rune Grab, Empowered Death Strike, Frostbound
- Strong self-healing - reduces the load on healers
- Great threat set and fast multi-taunt (Death Grip + Dark Reign)
- Brings useful buffs and interrupts to the raid (Mind Freeze, Strangulation)
- There is no block with a shield - damage is caught by “spikes”, CD management is important
- Heavily depends on finishing caps (defense 540, skill, dodge/parry)
- Samohil is tied to runes and diseases - requires careful rotation
- Tier set gives less armor/shield than warrior/paladin
Races
Professions
Talents
Deep Blood (maximum survivability and threat) + Ice for Stronghold, Deadly Icy Touch and Black Ice. If a raid needs an attack speed buff, some of the points are taken deeper into the Ice under Tenacious Ice Claws (hybrid), sacrificing some of the mitigation in Blood.
↗ Open in calculatorGlyphs
Basic glyphs
Small Glyphs
Characteristics
First, we achieve accuracy (8%) and a defense cap of 540 - the foundation for raids. Then the skill is up to 26 (so as not to parry/dodge), we bring the evasion + parry, after which everything free goes into stamina (and armor on heavy physical bosses).
Rotation
We start in Blood Stance (or frost for RP regen in the opener), Winter Horn before the pool, Army of the Dead for threat burst. The threat is kept mainly by Icy Touch (the main aggro spell through the Power of Ice) + Runic Strike for proc. We always keep diseases, The blow of death is for self-healing.
Boss Pool (Opener)
Priority in battle
AoE rotation
Cooldowns
- Icy Touch is your main threat generator, so don't miss it in your rotation.
- Place the runic strike as a macro to the main strikes so as not to lose procs (dodge/parry).
- Keep the blow of death for self-healing; if you have enough healing, hit him in the heart instead for the sake of threat.
- Distribute your saves (Vampire Blood, Ice Immutability, Rune Capture) according to the timings of the boss’s strong damage, and do not press everything at once.
Stones
Meta - Diamond of the Strict Earth Ruler (stamina + 2% armor). We activate the meta with one blue-red stone (Tear of Nightmares or Royal Dreadstone). Everything else is pure stamina; We get the slope/protection due to the lack of caps.
We take socket bonuses only if the benefit exceeds pure stamina; otherwise we use solid zircon.
Enchantments
| Slot | Enchantment | Bonus | Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head | Magic sign of a staunch defender | +37 stamina, +20 defense | — |
| Shoulders | Great summit outline | +20 evasion, +15 defense | Gladiator's Inscription (stamina) with reputation |
| Cloak | Scroll of Enchant Cloak - Fabric of Titans | +16 defense | Mighty Armor (+225 armor, 39001) |
| Chest | Scroll of Enchant Chest - Health IX | +275 HP | — |
| Wrists | Scroll of Enchant Bracers - Stamina VI | +40 stamina | — |
| Gloves | Scroll of Enchant Gloves - Weaponsmith | +2% threat, +10 parry | — |
| Belt | Eternal Belt Buckle | +1 colorless socket | — |
| Legs | Snowhide Leggings | +55 stamina, +22 agility | — |
| Shoes | Scroll of Enchant Boots - Tuskarr Vitality | +15 stamina + running speed | — |
| Weapons | Stone Gargoyle Rune | +2% armor, +25 defense | — |
Consumables
Keep a Potion of Indestructibility (armor) and Flask of Stone Blood (HP) on hand; On bosses with Maguron, the Anti-Magic Shell helps out.
Best Items (BiS)
Patch: ICC + Ruby Sanctum (CLK + RS), 25 GER (ilvl 277)
Tank BiS for TsLK/RS 25 GER. We collect 4/5 of the TANK version of the Sanctified set (not to be confused with the DPS version: the tank has a breastplate = “chest armor” 51305, the DPS = “battle armor” 51310). We take the nethir head under the caps, the rest are top tank items for stamina/deflection/defense.
2T10 (tank) strengthens Death Strike, 4T10 gives a stack of damage reduction when using Death Strike - a noticeable mitigation, so we keep 4 parts.
| Slot | Item | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Broken Ram Skull Helm | 25 GER - TsLK |
| Neck | Malachite loop | 25 GER - TsLK |
| Shoulders | Sanctified Scourgelord's Pauldrons T | 25 GER - token from CLK bosses (tank version) |
| Cloak | Royal Crimson Cloak | 25 GER - TsLK |
| Chest | Sanctified Scourgelord's Chestguard T | 25 GER - token from CLK bosses (tank version 277) |
| Wrists | Bracers of Dark Reckoning | 25 GER - TsLK |
| Gloves | Blessed Scourgelord's Handguards T | 25 GER - token from CLK bosses (tank version) |
| Belt | Belt of Broken Bones | 25 GER - TsLK |
| Legs | Sanctified Scourgelord's Legguards T | 25 GER - token from CLK bosses (tank version) |
| Feet | Treads of Impending Resurrection | 25 GER - RS (Halyon) |
| Ring 1 | Ashen Ring of Boundless Courage | Reputation - Kirin Tor / Vanguard (tank version) |
| Ring 2 | Deviya's Eternally Cold Ring | 25 GER - TsLK |
| Accessory 1 | Sindragosa's Flawless Fang | 25 GER - Sindragosa, TsLK |
| Accessory 2 | Rusted Bone Key | 25 GER - TsLK. Alternative: Fossilized Duskscale (54591, RS) |
| Weapons (2H) | Glorenzelg, Sacred Blade of the Silver Hand | 25 GER - Lich King, TsLK; ilvl 284 |
| Seal of Insolence | For emblems of triumph (ilvl 245); best EHP tank choice - procs protection against Death Strike |
Purchase procedure for Frost emblems
- Chest (t10.5 tank) - Ice Emblems
- Legs (t10.5 tank) - Ice Emblems
- Shoulders (t10.5 tank) - Ice Emblems
- Gloves (t10.5 tank) – Ice emblems