Frost Death Knight Frequently Asked Questions — The War Within (11.2.5)
On this page, we go over several of the most frequently asked questions regarding Frost Death Knight in World of Warcraft — The War Within (11.2.5). This will be updated as more common repeated questions surface over the course of the expansion.
Is 2H or DW better?
Both DW and 2H are competitive options. 2H builds run 
Breath of Sindragosa
and relies on big 
Obliterate and 
Frostscythe damage. DW builds
run 
Shattering Blade with 
Frostbane in Mythic+, relying on
Razorice Runeforge on one of the weapons.
When is the best time to use 
Reaper's Mark?
It is about 0.5% more DPS in Single Target and 1.5% more DPS in AoE
to use 
Reaper's Mark the GCD before your 
Pillar of Frost.
This allows slightly more 
Killing Machine consumptions within the
Pillar window!
When do I use 
Cursed Stone Idol?
Cast it before you enter your Cooldowns, so before Reaper's Mark
with 
Deathbringer and before 
Frostwyrm's Fury with
Rider of the Apocalypse.
How much is the Killing Machine proc rate increased for 2H?
The effective proc rate of Killing Machine is ~50% for dual-wield
and 100% for 2H with 
Might of the Frozen Wastes. Dual-Wield still gets
38% more natural procs.
How much DPS do I lose by macroing 
Empower Rune Weapon to all my buttons?
Empower Rune Weapon should ideally be managed to maximise its damage.
However, just macroing it to your main rotation buttons will result in roughly 1.5%
DPS downgrade in Single Target. Something to consider! When you macro it, put
it after your main ability in the macro (otherwise it will not work), like:
- /cast Obliterate
- /cast Empower Rune Weapon
Changelog
- 05 Oct. 2025: Reviewed for Patch 11.2.5.
- 16 Sep. 2025: Added some more useful FAQs.
- 04 Aug. 2025: Updated for Patch 11.2.
- 15 Jun. 2025: Clarified 2H frost viability.
- 21 Apr. 2025: Reviewed for Patch 11.1.5.
- 24 Feb. 2025: Reviewed and updated for Patch 11.1.
- 15 Dec. 2024: Reviewed and update for Patch 11.0.7.
- 21 Oct. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 09 Sep. 2024: Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
- 21 Aug. 2024: Updated for The War Within.
- 23 Jul. 2024: Reviewed for The War Within Pre-Patch.
- 07 May 2024: Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 22 Apr. 2024: Reviewed for Season 4.
- 15 Jan. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
- 06 Nov. 2023: Updated for Patch 10.2.
- 04 Sep. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 10 Jul. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
- 01 May 2023: Reivewed for Patch 10.1. Added extra answer for DW viability for Obliteration in Mythic+.
- 20 Mar. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 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 Bicepspump, a semi-hardcore player raiding with Pixelbased Lifeforms on Kazzak. He is heavily involved in the DK DPS theorycrafting community, testing hyoptheses and investigating the correct priority to use. He produces guide content on YouTube and frequently streams on Twitch.
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