Mists of Pandaria Classic Frost Death Knight Spell Summary

Frost has several different viable playstyles in Mists of Pandaria and the key to doing maximum damage as a Frost Death Knight is reacting to a constantly changing list of priorities regardless of what build you decide to play. Listed below are abilities you will primarily be using as a Frost Death Knight so you can better understand how to fully utilize each of them.

Frost remains one of the strongest melee DPS in the game in Mists of Pandaria. Highlighted below are your core rotational abilities you will be using most often.

• Frost Strike — an instant cast melee attack that deals Frost damage based off of your weapon damage. This ability will act as your primary spender of Runic Power.
• Howling Blast — an instant cast ranged attack that deals Frost damage to enemies within 10 yards of the target. In Mists of Pandaria this will also act as your primary way of applying Frost Fever.
• Soul Reaper — is an instant cast attack that deals damage to the target based off of your weapon damage and attack power. It also applies a debuff that after 5 seconds if the target is below 35% deals massive damage to the target. If the target dies before this debuff is able to expire it grants the Death Knight 50% Haste for 5 seconds.
• Obliterate — an instant melee attack that deals damage based off of your weapon damage. This attack deals an additional 12.5% damage for each diseases active on the target
• Plague Strike — is an instant cast melee attack deals damage based off of your Attack Power and weapon damage. This also applies the Blood Plague debuff to the target.
• Outbreak — instantly applies Blood Plague and Frost Fever. This is ideally used instead of Plague Strike to preserve the Rune.
• Death Coil — an instant cast, ranged attack that deals Shadow damage based off of your Attack Power. Your Runic power is ideally spent on Frost Strike but in a situation where you are out of melee range and unnable to cast Howling Blast then consider using this.
• Death and Decay — summons a patch of corrupted ground dealing Shadow damage based off of your Attack Power.
• Pestilence — is an instant attack that spreads the diseases on your current target to any nearby enemies.

Frost Death Knight has a wide array of cooldowns that will both greatly increase your DPS output and help mitigate incoming damage. Knowing how these cooldowns function is crucial to maximizing your DPS output.

• Pillar of Frost — a one-minute cooldown increases your Strength by 20% and causes the Death Knight to be immune to knockback effects.
• Anti-Magic Shell — a 45 second cooldown buff that absorbs 75% of the damage dealt by harmful Magic spells and makes you immune to Magic effects for its five second duration or until 50% of the Death Knights health is taken in Magic damage.
• Anti-Magic Zone — summons a bubble at a targeted area that reduces incoming Magic damage to those inside of the bubble by 40% for 3 seconds.
• Army of the Dead — summons a horde of ghouls to attack any nearby enemies. These ghouls will attempt to taunt any nearby non-boss mob so be careful when using it.
• Dark Simulacrum — applies a debuff to an enemy that allows the Death Knight to duplicate the next spell cast by the enemy. This ability has some very powerful situational uses in PvE so always try to be aware of what spells can be Dark Simulacrum'd.
• Blood Tap — is a stacking buff that when used at 5 charges activates a random depleted Rune as a Death Rune. This can be activated at 5 stacks but you can have up to 12 stacks maximum.
• Icebound Fortitude — is a reduces all incoming damage by 50% for 12 seconds and prevents you from being stunned during its duration.
• Asphyxiate — replaces your Strangulate ability and now causes it to Stun the target for 5 seconds instead of silencing. This can be used as an interrupt on targets that are immune to stuns.
• Raise Ally — instantly resurrects a dead party/raid member. This will return them to life at 60% health and 20% mana so make sure to use this during a period of low incoming damage.
• Death Grip — is a 35-second cooldown that instantly pulls the target to the Death Knight. This can be used as an impromptu interrupt as well just make sure you get far enough away to move the mob.
• Strangulate — a two-minute cooldown that silences the target for five seconds. This can also be used as an interrupt for targets that are immune to silencing effects.
• Empower Rune Weapon — a five-minute cooldown that instantly resets the cooldown of all of your Runes and grants you 25 Runic Power. This ability is best used when you have depleted most if not all of your Runes.
• Gorefiend's Grasp — pulls all enemies within 20 yards to the Death Knight's location. This ability effectively acts as an AoE Death Grip.
• Remorseless Winter — enemies within 8 yards of the Death Knight will start to gain a stacking debuff slowing their movement speed by 15% per stack for 3 seconds, up to 5 stacks. Upon reaching 5 stacks the target will be stunned for 6 seconds.
• Desecrated Ground — summons a corrupted patch of ground that causes the Death Knight to become immune to all crowd controlling effects for 10 seconds. This can be used to free yourself from an already existing crowd control.

In addition to the many rotational abilities and cooldowns you find yourself using, Death Knight has been given a number of utility based tools that you will find yourself using, including the iconic Death Grip.

• Chains of Ice — slows the target by 60% for eight seconds.
• Mind Freeze — is a ten-second cooldown short ranged interrupt that allows you to disrupt spell casting.
• Death's Advance — is a 30-second cooldown that when active increases your movement speed by 30%. It also includes a passive effect that increases your movement speed by 10% at all times.
• Death Pact — instantly heals you for 50% of your maximum health in exchange for dealing 50% of your ghouls maximum health.
• Death Pact — instantly sacrifices your ghoul healing you for 25% of your maximum health. You may not have your ghoul active when attempting to use this ability so be aware of your Raise Dead cooldown when considering using this ability.
• Horn of Winter — is an instant cast spell that generates 10 Runic Power and increases the Attack Power of your group by 10%.
• Raise Dead — summons a ghoul that will fight by your side for one minute.
• Death Gate — opens a gate that allows the Death Knight to teleport back to Ebon Hold.

In Mists of Pandaria presences have been greatly simplified, as a Frost Death Knight you should be in Frost Presence at all times.

In Mists of Pandaria only slight changes have been made to Runeforges, as a Frost Death Knight you will want Rune of the Fallen Crusader on your main-hand and Rune of Razorice on your off-hand if you are playing dual-wield. If you are using a two-handed weapon then use Rune of the Fallen Crusader. These take the place of traditional weapon enchants.

• Rune of Lichbane — your weapons deal 2% extra weapon damage as Fire damage or 4% against Undead enemies.
• Rune of Razorice — your weapons deal 2% extra weapon damage as Frost damage and increase the targets vulnerability to Frost Damage.
• Rune of Spellshattering — your two-handed weapons reducing incoming Spell damage by 4% and reduce the duration of silencing effects by 50%.
• Rune of Swordshattering — your two-handed weapons increase your parry rating by 4% and reduce the duration of disarming effects by 60%.
• Rune of the Fallen Crusader — your weapon has a chance to heal you for 3% of your total health and increase your Strength by 15% for fifteen seconds.
• Rune of the Stoneskin Gargoyle — your two-handed weapons increase your armor by 4% and your total Stamina by 2%.
• Rune of Cinderglacier — causes your attacks to have a chance to increase the Shadow damage done of your next 2 attacks that deal Shadow or Frost damage by 20%.