Frost Death Knight PvP Stat Priority, Gear, and Trinkets — The War Within (11.1.7)

The stat priority for Frost Death Knights in PvP is as follows:

1. Versatility
2. Haste
3. Mastery=Critical Strike

Versatility is the best stat by far. Versatility, in PvP, has the highest contribution to output while also heavily increasing survivability through healing and damage mitigation. No other stat can compete with Versatility in value in PvP.

Haste improves your ability to use your important burst windows by increasing resource generation and reducing the global cooldown.In fact, every 12.5% haste will give an extra global during Pillar of Frost. As a general rule, aiming for 20% haste will ensure you have two extra globals with Empower Rune Weapon active.

Mastery and Critical Strike are both very valuable stats, and a combination of both should be used. Mastery drastically improves output to important abilities like Chill Streak and Obliterate during Killing Machine while Critical Strike syngerizes with our talents such as The Long Winter.

If you are opting for a dual-wield setup with The Long Winter then you want to lean more towards crit. 12-15% Critical Strike is a good goal but if you are using a 2-handed weapon or Hyperpyrexia then you want to prioritze Mastery with only a small amount of crit, about 5%.

As for gearing, there are no pieces you truly need to target for slots like legs or boots; you are just looking for the proper stats on them, which will come from honor, conquest, professions, and the weekly cache. Due to the introduction of the new crafting system, you are able to craft either Haste or Versatility alongside Mastery in every slot, allowing for maximum burst potential. It is recommended that you aim for at least 20% haste and then move the rest of your stat budget to mastery. Lower haste may be viable if you want more burst but you will lose globals during Pillar of Frost.

There are two main options for Embellishments. First, you can go with Darkmoon Sigil: Ascension with Writhing Armor Banding as this will provide the highest DPS increase. However, you can also go with Darkmoon Sigil: Symbiosis. This is slightly less DPS but with the added benefit of continually breaking any breakable CC every 10 seconds.

For a more sustained damage option you can go Elemental Focusing Lens. This provides less top end damage in exchange for more consistent damage throughout the entire match

Prized Gladiator's Emblem can be an option if you need to play particularly defensive against a comp you have not been able to survive against (such as Rogue/Hunter comps). Death Knights scale very well with increased health effects because their heals are based on a percentage of your maximum health. Despite this, it is best to use other trinkets over an Emblem.

Prized Gladiator's Insignia of Alacrity is a viable option. The trinket provides a main stat proc along with static Haste. Early on, there will be low haste values, so this trinket will prove to be useful.

Prized Gladiator's Badge of Ferocity is best used with your damage cooldowns. Badge has a higher value later into the season and is generally used over Insignia.

Fill every gem socket you have with Quick Onyx except one slot will need the new PvP gem Enduring Bloodstone.

These are the best Frost Death Knight enchants by slot:

• Wrist: Enchant Bracer - Chant of Armored Leech or Enchant Bracer - Chant of Armored Speed
• Cloak: Enchant Cloak - Chant of Leeching Fangs or Enchant Cloak - Chant of Burrowing Rapidity
• Chest: Enchant Chest - Oathsworn's Strength
• Legs: Stormbound Armor Kit
• Rings: Enchant Ring - Cursed Mastery
• Neck: Vicious Jeweler's Setting
• Boots: Enchant Boots - Defender's March

Death Knights get a special weapon enchant called Runeforges. Runeforging is done by using your Death Gate to get back to Acherus, the Ebon Hold. Rune of the Fallen Crusader and Rune of Razorice, both have value in a PvP setting. Fallen Crusader and Razorice are the standard output-increasing Runeforges but you could consider Rune of the Stoneskin Gargoyle if you are playing Dual-Wield Frost.