Blood Death Knight Tank Mythic+ Tips in Battle for Azeroth (BfA) 8.0.1

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. Class Overview
  • 2. Patch 8.0.1 Changes for Blood Death Knights
  • 3. Blood Death Knight Strengths
  • 4. Blood Death Knight Weaknesses
  • 5. Contents
  • 6. Changelog
• +Easy Mode
  • 1. Foreword
  • 2. The Basics of Blood Death Knights
  • 3. Talent Choice for Blood Death Knights
  • 4. Stat Choice for Blood Death Knights
  • 5. Basic Rotation for Blood Death Knights
  • 6. Active Mitigation and Cooldowns for Blood Death Knights
  • 7. Changelog
• +Spell Summary
  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. Main Resource of Blood Death Knights
  • 3. Basic Abilities for Blood Death Knights
  • 4. Important Procs for Blood Death Knights
  • 5. Active Mitigation for Blood Death Knights
  • 6. Defensive Cooldowns for Blood Death Knights
• +Builds and Talents
  • 1. Talent Choices for Blood Death Knight
  • 2. Tier 1 (Level 56) Talents for Blood Death Knights
  • 3. Tier 2 (Level 57) Talents for Blood Death Knights
  • 4. Tier 3 (Level 58) Talents for Blood Death Knights
  • 5. Tier 4 (Level 60) Talents for Blood Death Knights
  • 6. Tier 5 (Level 75) Talents for Blood Death Knights
  • 7. Tier 6 (Level 90) Talents for Blood Death Knights
  • 8. Tier 7 (Level 100) Talents for Blood Death Knights
  • 9. PvP Talents (War Mode)
    • 9.1. General PvP Talents
    • 9.2. Blood Death Knight PvP Talents
  • 10. Changelog
• +Azerite Traits and Armor
  • 1. Best Azerite Traits for Blood Death Knight
    • 1.1. Outer Ring Traits for Blood Death Knights
    • 1.2. Middle Ring Traits for Blood Death Knights
    • 1.3. Inner Ring Powers for Blood Death Knights
  • 2. Azerite Trait Rotation Changes for Blood Death Knight
  • 3. Azerite Gear for Blood Death Knight
    • 3.1. Head
    • 3.2. Shoulders
    • 3.3. Chest
  • 4. Find Azerite Armor By Trait/Power
  • 5. Changelog
• +Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities
  • 1. Rotation for Blood Death Knights
    • 1.1. Opener for Blood Death Knight
    • 1.2. Standard Rotation
  • 2. Taunting
  • 3. Survival Cooldowns for Blood Death Knights
  • 4. Optional Read: Mastering Your Blood Death Knight
    • 4.1. Runes and Runic Power
      • 4.1.1. Runes
      • 4.1.2. Runic Power
    • 4.2. Detailed Cooldown Usage
      • 4.2.1. Anti-Magic Shell
      • 4.2.2. Dancing Rune Weapon
      • 4.2.3. Vampiric Blood
      • 4.2.4. Icebound Fortitude
      • 4.2.5. Tier 4 Talents
    • 4.3. Death Strike and Blood Shield
    • 4.4. Bone Shield
  • 5. Changelog
• ×Mythic+ Tips
  • 1. Blood Death Knight in Mythic+
  • 2. Blood Death Knight Mythic+ Rotation
  • 3. Blood Death Knight Utility
  • 4. Blood Death Knight Mythic+ Talents
    • 4.1. Tier 1 (Level 56) Talents
    • 4.2. Tier 4 (Level 60) Talents
    • 4.3. Tier 5 (Level 75) Talents
    • 4.4. Tier 7 (Level 100) Talents
  • 5. Blood Death Knight Dungeon Tips
    • 5.1. Atal'Dazar
      • 5.1.1. Trash
      • 5.1.2. Priestess Alun'za
      • 5.1.3. Rezan
      • 5.1.4. Yazma
    • 5.2. Freehold
      • 5.2.1. Harlan Sweete
    • 5.3. King's Rest
      • 5.3.1. Trash
      • 5.3.2. Dazar, The First King
    • 5.4. Shrine of the Storm
      • 5.4.1. Trash
      • 5.4.2. Aqu'sirr
      • 5.4.3. Lord Stormsong
      • 5.4.4. Vol'zith the Whisperer
    • 5.5. Siege of Boralus
      • 5.5.1. Trash
      • 5.5.2. Sergeant Bainbridge/Chopper Redhook
    • 5.6. Temple of Sethraliss
      • 5.6.1. Trash
      • 5.6.2. Merektha
      • 5.6.3. Galvazzt
      • 5.6.4. Avatar of Sethraliss
    • 5.7. The MOTHERLODE
      • 5.7.1. Trash
    • 5.8. The Underrot
      • 5.8.1. Trash
      • 5.8.2. Sporecaller Zancha
      • 5.8.3. Unbound Abomination
    • 5.9. Tol Dagor
      • 5.9.1. Trash
      • 5.9.2. Overseer Korgus
    • 5.10. Waycrest Manor
      • 5.10.1. Raal the Gluttonous
  • 6. Changelog
• +Common and Worst Mistakes
  • 1. Capping Runes or Runic Power
  • 2. Not Planning Defensive Cooldowns
  • 3. Not Using External Cooldowns
  • 4. Poor Death Strike Timing
  • 5. Allowing Bone Shield to Expire
  • 6. Stacking Unnecessary Defensive Tools
• +Frequently Asked Questions
  • 1. Frequently Asked Questions for Blood Death Knight
    • 1.1. Should I Play Defensively or Offensively?
    • 1.2. How Much of X Stat Should I Have?
    • 1.3. Can I Sim Myself? Should I?
  • 2. Changelog
• +Boss by Boss Strategies
  • 1. Introduction for Blood Death Knight Boss Advice in Uldir
    • 1.1. Talent Cheatsheet
  • 2. Taloc
  • 3. M.O.T.H.E.R.
  • 4. Fetid Devourer
  • 5. Zek'voz, Herald of N'Zoth
  • 6. Vectis
  • 7. Zul, Reborn
  • 8. Mythrax the Unraveler
  • 9. G'huun
  • 10. Changelog
• +Stat Priority
  • 1. The Basics of Stats for Blood Death Knight
  • 2. Getting a Better Understanding of Blood Death Knight Stats
  • 3. Changelog
• +Gems, Enchants, and Consumables
  • 1. Gems for Blood Death Knights
  • 2. Enchants for Blood Death Knights
  • 3. Consumables for Blood Death Knights
  • 4. Changelog
• +Macros and Addons
  • 1. Macros
    • 1.1. Generic Macros for Death Knights
      • 1.1.1. Raise Ally
      • 1.1.2. Mind Freeze
    • 1.2. Specific Macros for Blood Death Knights
      • 1.2.1. Gorefiend's Grasp
      • 1.2.2. Death and Decay
      • 1.2.3. Blessing of Protection Cancelaura Macro
  • 2. Addons
    • 2.1. Generic Addons for Death Knights
      • 2.1.1. ElvUI
      • 2.1.2. Boss Mods: Deadly Boss Mods or Bigwigs
      • 2.1.3. GTFO
      • 2.1.4. Parrot or Mik's Scrolling Battle Text
      • 2.1.5. Weak Auras
      • 2.1.6. Recount / Skada / Details!
      • 2.1.7. mRunes
      • 2.1.8. Omen Threat Meter
      • 2.1.9. Clique
      • 2.1.10. Compact Runes
    • 2.2. Specific Addons for Blood Death Knights
  • 3. Changelog
• +Gear and Best in Slot
  • 1. Best in Slot List for Blood Death Knights
  • 2. Trinket Recommendations for Blood Death Knight
  • 3. Set Bonuses for Blood Death Knights
  • 4. Legendary Items for Blood Death Knights
  • 5. Azerite Gear for Blood Death Knight
  • 6. Changelog
• +Simulations
  • 1. Disclaimer: Simulations for Support Roles
  • 2. Blood Death Knight Talent Row Simulations
    • 2.1. Level 56 Talents
      • 2.1.1. Single Target
      • 2.1.2. 3 Targets
    • 2.2. Level 57 Talents
      • 2.2.1. Single Target
      • 2.2.2. 3 Targets
    • 2.3. Level 90 Talents
      • 2.3.1. Single Target
      • 2.3.2. 3 Targets
    • 2.4. Level 100 Talents
      • 2.4.1. Single Target
      • 2.4.2. 3 Targets
  • 3. Changelog

General Information

On this page, you will various tips and pieces of advice for clearing high Mythic+ content with your Blood Death Knight.

The other pages of our Blood Death Knight guide can be accessed from the table of contents on the right.

About Our Author

This guide has been reviewed and approved by Volstatsz who raids in Eternal Kingdom. He is a Blood Death Knight theorycrafter and moderator for the Acherus Death Knight community. You can follow him on Twitter.

1. Blood Death Knight in Mythic+

Blood Death Knights are a very strong choice for Mythic+ tanking, with a deep utility toolkit and a much higher degree of self-sustain than most other tank specializations. While Blood can struggle with massive damage attacks, it shines in its ability to control enemies and shape pulls.

2. Blood Death Knight Mythic+ Rotation

Your rotation in Mythic+ is unchanged from the rotation provided on our Blood Death Knight Rotation page. From a practical perspective, the biggest difference in the feel of the rotation will be ensuring that Bone Shield will not expire between pulls — it will be important to keep two runes available to refresh it with a Marrowrend before moving out of melee range of the current fight.

3. Blood Death Knight Utility

• Gorefiend's Grasp is a signature Blood Death Knight ability and an important component of Blood's value in Mythic+. On a 2-minute cooldown (90 seconds with Tightening Grasp), it will immediately pull all enemies within 15 yards of the target together. You will typically want to plan ahead of time where in a given dungeon you will want to use it. Gorefiend's Grasp is particularly strong for bringing loosely-spread casters together to cleave, interrupting multiple dangerous channels or casts simultaneously, and positioning multiple high-priority targets together.
• Death Grip is a versatile ability with several uses in Mythic+. Death Grip can be used to reposition individual casters in melee range, or as an additional interrupt on dangerous casts or channels. Be aware that Death Grip will only interrupt casts if the enemy is repositioned by the spell; enemies that are immune to repositioning effects, enemies that are currently rooted by another ability, and enemies that are already directly adjacent to the Death Knight will not be interrupted. To use Death Grip to interrupt a cast on an enemy already in melee range you should take a step back first, which will require additional planning. Death Grip also serves as a second taunt, and can be used to gain aggro on an additional target while engaging a group of enemies.
• Mind Freeze is the Death Knight interrupt ability. It operates identically to other melee interrupts such as Kick and Pummel, except that it has a 15-yard range. This allows Death Knights to interrupt casts when enemies are standing in zones that other melee cannot reach, helping to reposition them in a safer location.
• Asphyxiate is a 4-second, single-target stun on a 45-second cooldown. This is particularly useful for preventing uninterruptible casts, or preventing enemies with movement abilities or that are coded to flee at low health from repositioning. As with Death Grip, be aware that enemies that are immune to stun effects will not be interrupted by Asphyxiate.
• Death and Decay, when paired with the Grip of the Dead talent, becomes a highly effective tool for starting to kite as you head to the next pack. As with Bone Shield, be sure that Death and Decay is available to use when you are ready to move on to the next pack.
• Raise Ally is the Death Knight combat resurrection spell. While in a raid environment, you would not normally want to rely on the tank for combat resurrection, in a Mythic+ dungeon you may be the only player to bring this utility. Additionally, the instant-cast nature of Raise Ally will make it preferable to other combat resurrections in some circumstances, even considering the cost in Runic Power. If you need to resurrect an ally, be sure to consider both timing and positioning — avoid placing the newly-resurrected player in the path of a dangerous boss cleave or immediately prior to a dungeon-wide damage event.

4. Blood Death Knight Mythic+ Talents

Level	Choices
56	✔ Heartbreaker	✔ Blooddrinker	✘ Rune Strike
57	✘ Rapid Decomposition	✔ Hemostasis	✘ Consumption
58	✘ Foul Bulwark	✔ Ossuary	✘ Tombstone
60	✔ Will of the Necropolis	✘ Anti-Magic Barrier	? Rune Tap
75	? Grip of the Dead	✔ Tightening Grasp	✘ Wraith Walk
90	✘ Voracious	✔ Bloodworms	✘ Mark of Blood
100	? Purgatory	✘ Red Thirst	✔ Bonestorm

Most talent choices remain the same between raiding and Mythic+ content for Blood Death Knights. We have highlighted below some of the key differences in talent recommendations. Some of our recommendations draw a distinction between "lower-tier keys" and "higher-tier keys": there is no easy guideline as to where the line exists between the two. In these situations, you will need to take your gear, your skill, and your familiarity with the dungeon into account in deciding which talent to select.

4.1. Tier 1 (Level 56) Talents

You generally won't want to use Rune Strike in Mythic+; if you are looking for a more defensive option the choice will be Heartbreaker. Blooddrinker is still an acceptable choice and will result in higher damage output, however especially on higher-tier keys, the survival gain of Heartbreaker is significant and should not be ignored.

4.2. Tier 4 (Level 60) Talents

As your talent selections are locked for the entire dungeon in Mythic+, a highly situational talent such as Anti-Magic Barrier is unlikely to be worth taking over the other options in this row, even if a specific encounter in the dungeon would be ideal for the talent. As a general rule, take Rune Tap in high-tier keys during Tyrannical weeks in dungeons where one or more bosses have potentially lethal tank abilities; in any other circumstance take Will of the Necropolis.

4.3. Tier 5 (Level 75) Talents

In most Mythic+ dungeons you will want to take Grip of the Dead for the strong snare it will provide, allowing you to kite between packs. There may be specific pulls in some dungeons that require Tightening Grasp to facilitate difficult back=to-back pulls; however, this may be better resolved by developing a pull strategy that allows for the extra 30 seconds between uses of Gorefiend's Grasp. The notable exception to this is during Sanguine weeks, when a snare on Death and Decay can seriously undermine your pull strategy, and additional uses of Gorefiend's Grasp can be hugely important for repositioning enemies out of pools.

4.4. Tier 7 (Level 100) Talents

Generally, in a Mythic+ dungeon you will not be able to capitalize on the cooldown reduction provided by Red Thirst in a reliable fashion, making it a less desirable choice. Your default pick here will be Bonestorm, which provides a significant offensive and defensive benefit in Mythic+. In higher-tier keys, especially on Tyrannical weeks, you may find you get more benefit from the death save of Purgatory.

5. Blood Death Knight Dungeon Tips

5.1. Atal'Dazar

5.1.1. Trash

• Dazar'ai Confessors will cast Bwonsamdi's Mantle; enemies will be immune to crowd control inside the effect (including Death Grip).
• Using Death Grip on Dazar'ai Augurs while channeling Fiery Enchant will interrupt the channel and place it on cooldown.
• Use Control Undead on a Reanimated Honor Guard; the damage from Rending Maul is significant.
• Use Asphyxiate to interrupt Shieldbearers of Zul when channeling Bulwark of Juju.
• Be ready to break the stun from Shadowblade Stalkers with Icebound Fortitude if needed to save the rest of the group.

5.1.2. Priestess Alun'za

• Save Dancing Rune Weapon for the first application of Gilded Claws.
• Drop Death and Decay as the Spirit of Gold spawns; follow up by using Death Grip to pull it back to the boss and, if necessary, Asphyxiate.

5.1.3. Rezan

• It will be very difficult for you to escape Pursuit; watch the timer and save Death's Advance or another mobility cooldown in case you are fixated.

5.1.4. Yazma

• Save Brain Freeze for interrupting Wracking Pain during movement unless your group has a reliable ranged interrupt for this circumstance.

5.2. Freehold

5.2.1. Harlan Sweete

• Snare Irontide Grenadiers with Death and Decay.

5.3. King's Rest

5.3.1. Trash

• Interrupt Shadow-Borne Champion's Vigilant Defense with Asphyxiate — be sure to position behind them before using grip or it will be deflected.
• Interrupt King Rahu'ai's Channel Lightning with Death Grip.
• Spectral Beastmasters have a high damage output and make an ideal choice for Control Undead.

5.3.2. Dazar, The First King

• Use Anti-Magic Shell to avoid the fear from T'zala's Deathly Roar.

5.4. Shrine of the Storm

5.4.1. Trash

• Watch Tidesage Initiates and be ready to Death Grip any that get away from the group when they flee.
• Gaining immunity to Rising Tides from Living Currents would require both Death's Advance and Icebound Fortitude to prevent both the stun and the knock-up; it will usually be better just to take the hit.
• Anti-Magic Shell can prevent applications of Rip Mind from Abyss Dwellers.

5.4.2. Aqu'sirr

• Consider saving Death's Advance as an emergency tool during Phase Two, in the event that you get caught between two Aqualings as casting Surging Rush.

5.4.3. Lord Stormsong

• The most important Void Bolt to interrupt is the one immediately after he casts Awaken the Void, while everyone is starting to kite their Awoken Voids. Save your Mind Freeze for this interrupt if you do not have a ranged interrupt for it.

5.4.4. Vol'zith the Whisperer

• Use Gorefiend's Grasp to group Manifestations of the Deep, then snare them with Death and Decay.

5.5. Siege of Boralus

5.5.1. Trash

• Interrupt Snarling Dockhound's Clamping Jaws with your Asphyxiate.
• You can use Asphyxiate to prevent Bilge Rat Buccaneer's Banana Rampage. Save this for when it is being cast while dealing with other trash, to allow melee to remain on target.
• Use Anti-Magic Shell to drop stacks of Stinging Venom Coating from Ashvane Invaders.

5.5.2. Sergeant Bainbridge/Chopper Redhook

• Anti-Magic Shell can be used to avoid the knockback from soaking Heavy Ordnance that is about to explode, if it completely absorbs the explosion.

5.6. Temple of Sethraliss

5.6.1. Trash

• Use Asphyxiate to interrupt Drain from Faithless Tenders — unless your group has a mage who intends to Spellsteal the buff.
• Death's Advance will not prevent the gauntlet reset knockback from hitting an orb.
• You can clear a path for orbs in the bazaar fairly easily. Be ready to Death Grip the Orb Guardian that spawns when you first get close to the skull. With a well-timed Death and Decay, you can get some distance between you and the adds and run it in yourself as well, thanks to the passive snare reduction from Death's Advance.

5.6.2. Merektha

• Use Asphyxiate to clear A Knot of Snakes from allies.
• Avoid using Death and Decay (assuming you have Grip of the Dead talented) until immediately after moving adds out of Dust Cloud.

5.6.3. Galvazzt

• Use Anti-Magic Shell at the start of soaking an Energy Core; you will be able to soak a full pillar by yourself this way and still end with reasonable stacks of Galvanize.

5.6.4. Avatar of Sethraliss

• Only help to intercept Rain of Toads with Anti-Magic Shell active; the debuff affects your self-healing. You can still control toads and keep them from reaching your healer with Asphyxiate, Death and Decay, and Gorefiend's Grasp.

5.7. The MOTHERLODE

5.7.1. Trash

• Wait until Mech Jockeys actually start running towards a mech, then use Death Grip to interrupt their attempt to activate the mech. Asphyxiate will have the same effect if needed. Mech Jockeys will only attempt to activate a mech once.
• Use Death Grip or Asphyxiate to interrupt Repair cast by Expert Technician.

5.8. The Underrot

5.8.1. Trash

• When Devout Blood Priests get low on health, they cast Gift of G'huun followed immediately by Dark Reconstitution. You can Mind Freeze the first and Asphyxiate the second; she should be dead before the stun wears off.
• Use Control Undead on a Fallen Deathspeaker Turn off autocast on Wicked Frenzy until you are through that area — if a Reanimated Guardian is currently engaged, he will cast the buff on the hostile Guardian instead of himself.

5.8.2. Sporecaller Zancha

• You can break several spore pods using Anti-Magic Shell without applying the Decaying Spores debuff.

5.8.3. Unbound Abomination

• Use Death Grip to grab the Blood Visage farthest from Titan Keeper Hezrel when they spawn; Hezrel will stun and kill the closer Visage on his own.

5.9. Tol Dagor

5.9.1. Trash

• Throughout the cell block area, be alert for prisoners fleeing to aggro more trash. Use Death and Decay, Death Grip, Gorefiend's Grasp, and even Asphyxiate as necessary to keep enemies corralled.
• Use Death Grip to interrupt Riot Shield as Ashvane Jailers are channeling.
• Handcuff can also be placed on cooldown by interrupting Ashvane Officers mid-channel with Death Grip.

5.9.2. Overseer Korgus

• Rather than wildly repositioning the boss if you are stuck in the line of a Massive Blast, use Death's Advance to prevent the knockback and Anti-Magic Shell to mitigate the additional damage.
• As a last resort, Icebound Fortitude can be used to clear the stun from Heartstopper Venom.

5.10. Waycrest Manor

5.10.1. Raal the Gluttonous

• Use Gorefiend's Grasp only after the Bile Oozelings begin moving. Do not use Gorefiend's Grasp to group Bile Oozelings if there is any chance it will pull a Wasting Servant closer to Raal.

6. Changelog

• 24 Sep. 2018: Updated tips for Atal'Dazar and Temple of Sethraliss.
• 02 Sep. 2018: Added dungeon tips.
• 24 Aug. 2018: Made minor changes to talent recommendations.
• 13 Aug. 2018: Page added.

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