Blood Death Knight Tank Gems, Enchants, and Consumables — The War Within (Season 1)
On this page, we list the best gems, enchants, flasks, potions, and food you can get for your Blood Death Knight, based on your stat priority. We also give budget alternatives. This page is updated for World of Warcraft — The War Within (Season 1).
Best Gems for Blood Death Knights
You should use a Culminating Blasphemite in your first available gem socket, and fill every other with Versatile Ruby.
Best Enchants for Blood Death Knights
Slot | Enchantment |
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Rings |
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Weapon |
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Chest |
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Cloak |
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Bracer |
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Legs |
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Feet |
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In practice, these guidelines are largely down to how enchants do not compete over primary stats, merely secondaries. As a result, the gearing stat priority is applicable and can be simply followed: Versatility as a good default, or whatever sims the highest for you at the time for damage. You can find more information about this on the stats page of this guide.
Consumables for Blood Death Knights
Best Phials for Blood
Use Flask of Alchemical Chaos as a general-use phial. If you prefer to have a simpler flask that provides a single secondary stat Flask of Tempered Aggression or Flask of Tempered Versatility can be used instead.
Mythic+ Phial Swap Strategies
If you are actively pushing Mythic+ keys and gold is no issue to you, it is possible to gain a significant amount of value on specific encounters by swapping phials mid-run. If you intend to do so, you should plan your swaps ahead. You can leverage the following phials:
- Phial of Icy Preservation when dealing with encounters with predictable, large, one-hit tankbusters. This phial applies to the entire hit if you had the right debuff at the time of the hit - be above 50% when the tankbuster lands and you will gain 6% damage reduction instead of the lower amount that you could get from another Dragonflight Phial option Phial of Tepid Versatility.
- Otherwise swap between Flask of Alchemical Chaos and Flask of Tempered Versatility.
Best Weapon Augments, and Potions for Blood Death Knight
Algari Mana Oil as a safe defensive and offensive option. For raw damage, you should sim between Algari Mana Oil and Ironclaw Whetstone / Ironclaw Weightstone.
Potion of Unwavering Focus should be your combat potion of choice on pure single target. For anything else, you should instead use a Tempered Potion (with Flask of Alchemical Chaos).
You should use Algari Healing Potion for in-combat healing. Healing potions do not share a cooldown with Healthstones, so you can use both independently if you can access a Warlock.
Best Food for Blood
Use The Sushi Special / Everything Stew as your food buff of choice if a Feast is not available.
If a Feast of the Midnight Masquerade / Feast of the Divine Day is available, use this instead.
Augment Runes for Blood
In addition, if you can afford it, you should use Draconic Augment Runes to increase your primary stat. Since there is a finite amount of the consumable runes available, you should make sure to use them wisely and to stock up on them for when you need them.
Through the Patch 10.2 Emerald Dream Zone and its Dream Wardens Faction, you can also obtain the Dreambound Augment Rune, which is permanent!
Changelog
- 09 Sep. 2024: Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
- 21 Aug. 2024: Updated for The War Within Launch with new consumables and enchants!
- 23 Jul. 2024: Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 07 May 2024: Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 22 Apr. 2024: Reviewed for Season 4.
- 19 Mar. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.6.
- 15 Jan. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
- 06 Nov. 2023: Added helm enchant, changed health pots to 10.2.
- 04 Sep. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 10 Jul. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
- 01 May 2023: Updated and clarified Onyx annulet section, added 10.1 Belt enchant, clarified gems, clarified potions and phials. Ready for 10.1.
- 20 Mar. 2023: Added Onyx Annulet and clarified info for 10.0.7.
- 24 Jan. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 11 Dec. 2022: Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 28 Nov. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 25 Oct. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
More Death Knight Guides
Guides from Other Classes
This guide has been written by Mandl and Panthea.
Mandl is one of Acherus' Useful Minions and Blood Death Knight theorycrafter.
Panthea raids in Catalyst and is the author of TankNotes. He plays all tanks and is a "Useful Minion" for the Acherus Death Knight Discord. You can follow him on Twitter.
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