An Overview of Death Knight Class Changes in the War Within Pre-Patch

If you are looking for Death Knight class guides, please visit one of the guides linked below.

• Bonestorm now triggers Insatiable Blade.
• Lichborne now grants 6% Leech (was 10%).
• Blood Scent now grants 3% Leech (was 5%).
• All talent trees have had many talents move locations or have had their pathing updated.
• New Talent: Subduing Grasp — When you pull an enemy the damage they deal to you is reduced by 6% for 6 seconds.
• New Talent: Osmosis — Anti-Magic Shell increases healing received by 15%.
• New Talent: Null Magic — Magic Damage taken is reduced by 10% and the duration of harmful Magic effects against you are reduced by 35%.
• New Talent: Vestigial Shell — Casting Anti-Magic Shell grants 2 nearby allies a Lesser Anti-Magic Shell that absorbs magic damage and reduces the duration of harmful Magic effects against them by 50%.
• New Talent: Ice Prison — Chains of Ice now also roots enemies for 4 seconds but its cooldown is increased to 12 seconds.
• New Talent: Runic Protection — Your chance to be critically struck is reduced by 3% and your Armor is increased by 6%.
• New Talent: Unyielding Will — Anti-Magic Shell's cooldown is increased by 20 seconds and it now also removes all harmful magic effects when activated.
• Chains of Ice is now learned at level 13 (was a talent).
• Anti-Magic Shell is now learned at level 14 (was a talent).
• Rune of the Stoneskin Gargoyle can now be Runeforged on 1-handed weapons.
• Abomination Limb no longer grants Bone Shield, Runic Corruption, or Rime based on specialization.
• Rune of the Apocalypse has been updated:
• War Effect — Damage taken increased to 4% (was 1%) and duration increased to 10 seconds (was 6 seconds).
• Pestilence Effect — Damage increased by 500%.
• Famine Effect — Damage dealt to the caster reduced to 5% (was 2%).
• Death Effect — Healing reduction increased to 5% (was 1%).
• Icebound Fortitude cooldown reduced by 60 seconds.
• Cleaving Strikes now also retains bonus effects for being within your Death and Decay for 4 seconds when leaving its area.
• Veteran of the Third War now grants 20% Stamina (was 10%). Now a 1-point talent (was 2).
• Icy Talons now increases attack speed per stack by 6% (was 3%). Now a 1-point talent (was 2).
• Unholy Bond now increases effectiveness of Runeforge effects by 20% (was 10%). Now a 1-point talent (was 2).
• Assimilation now reduces the cooldown of Anti-Magic Zone by 30 seconds. No longer increase Runic Power when absorbing damage.
• Suppression now grants an additional 6% damage reduction to area of effects when you suffer a loss of control effect. Moved to gate 3.
• Blood Scent Leech increased to 5%.
• Blood Draw now also grants a buff reducing damage taken by 10% and reducing Death Strike cost by 10 for 8 seconds when falling below 30% health. Now a 1-point talent.
• Blood Draw cooldown reduced to 2 minutes (was 3 minutes).
• The following talents have been removed:
• Might of Thassarian
• Merciless Strikes
• Clenching Grasp
• Empower Rune Weapon
• Rune of Hysteria

• New Talent: Bone Collector — When you would pull an enemy, generate 1 charge of Bone Shield.
• New Talent: Ossified Vitriol — When you lose a Bone Shield charge the damage of your next Marrowrend is increased by 15%, stacking up to 75%.
• New Talent: Carnage — Blooddrinker and Consumption now contribute to your Mastery: Blood Shield. Each time an enemy strikes your Mastery: Blood Shield, the cooldowns of Blooddrinker and Consumption have a chance to be reset.
• New Talent: Bloodied Blade — Parrying an attack grants you a charge of Bloodied Blade, increasing your Strength by 0.5%, up to 4% for 15 seconds. At 8 stacks, your next parry consumes all charges to unleash a Heart Strike at 200% effectiveness, and increases your Strength by 10% for 6 seconds.
• Crimson Scourge is now learned at level 21 (was a talent).
• Death's Caress is now learned at level 23 (was a talent).
• Tightening Grasp now Silences enemies for 3 seconds when they are pulled and no longer increases the damage enemies take from you when they are pulled by Gorefiend's Grasp.
• Blooddrinker now reduces the damage the enemy deals to you by 20% while channeling and for an additional 5 seconds after a channeling it fully. Now also generates 20 additional Runic Power over its duration.
• Consumption now also causes your Blood Plague damage to occur 50% more quickly for 8 seconds and generates 2 Runes.
• Bonestorm no longer costs Runic Power. Costs up to 10 Bone Shield Charges and lasts 1 second for each charge consumed. Generates 1 Bone Shield charge every 1 second while active.
• Reinforced Bones now also lets Bone Shield stack 2 additional times.
• Heartbreaker’s Runic Power per target hit increased to 2 (was 1). Now a 1-point talent (was 2).
• Perseverance of the Ebon Blade’s Versatility bonus increased to 6% (was 4%). Now a 1-point talent (was 2).
• Red Thirst reduces the cooldown on Vampiric Blood by 2 seconds (was 1 second). Now a 1-point talent (was 2).
• Shattering Bone is now a 1-point talent (was 2).

• New Talent: Shattered Frost — When Frost Strike consumes 5 Rune of Razorice stacks, it deals 65% of the damage dealt to nearby enemies. Deals reduced damage beyond 8 targets.
• New Talent: Cryogenic Chamber — Each time Frost Fever deals damage, 15% of the damage dealt is gathered into the next cast of Remorseless Winter, up to 20 times.
• New Talent: Arctic Assault — Consuming Killing Machine fires a Glacial Advance through your target.
• New Talent: Smothering Offense — Your auto attack damage is increased by 10%. This amount is increased for each stack of Icy Talons you have and it can stack up to 2 additional times.
• New Talent: Icy Death Torrent — Your auto attack critical strikes have a chance to send out a sleet of ice dealing Frost damage to enemies in front of you. Deals reduced damage beyond 8 targets.
• New Talent: The Long Winter — While Pillar of Frost is active your auto-attack critical strikes increase its duration by 2 seconds, up to a maximum of 6 seconds.
• New Talent: Hyperpyrexia — Your Runic Power spending abilities have a chance to additionally deal 45% of the damage dealt over 4 seconds.
• Frostscythe has been redesigned — A sweeping attack that strikes all enemies in front of you for Frost damage. This attack always critically strikes and critical strikes with Frostscythe deal normal damage. Deals reduced damage beyond 5 targets. Consuming Killing Machine reduces the cooldown of Frostscythe by 1 second. Now has a 30 second cooldown and Rune cost increased to 2 (was 1).
• Icecap has been redesigned — Reduces Pillar of Frost cooldown by 15 seconds.
• Obliteration now has an additional effect — While Pillar of Frost is active it will now also increase the cost of your Frost Strike by up to 15 Runic Power to deal up to 52.5% additional damage.
• Empower Rune Weapon has moved to the Frost tree (was Class tree).
• Rime is now learned at level 21 (was a talent).
• Breath of Sindragosa damage increased by 54% and cost per second reduced to 17 (was 18).
• Frost Strike damage increased by 23%.
• Obliterate damage increased by 23%.
• Howling Blast damage increased by 23%.
• Frost Fever damage increased by 23%.
• Remorseless Winter damage increased by 23%.
• Glacial Advance damage increased by 23%.
• Frostscythe damage increased by 5%.
• Chill Streak damage increased by 23%.
• Frostwyrm's Fury damage increased by 10%.
• Inexorable Assault damage increased by 23%.
• Enduring Strength's Strength increased to 20% (was 10%). Now a 1-point talent.
• Frostwhelp's Aid now grants 8% Mastery per target hit (was 4%). Now a 1-point talent.
• Shattering Blade now increases Frost Strike damage by 125% (was 100%).
• Pillar of Frost's Strength increased to 30% (was 25%).
• Spending runes no longer increases the Strength bonus of Pillar of Frost.
• Rage of the Frozen Champion's Runic Power generated from Howling Blast reduced to 6 (was 8).
• Killing Machine now stacks 1 additional time.
• Murderous Efficiency's chance to grant a Rune reduced to 25% (was 50%).
• The functionality that increased Obliteration’s Frost Strike runic power cost and damage has been removed.
• Chill Streak can now bounce off the Death Knight if a second enemy target isn’t found.
• Rune of Razorice now displays the debuff on the enemy nameplate.
• The following talents have been removed:
• Fatal Fixation
• Cold-Blooded Rage
• Invigorating Freeze

• New Talent: Doomed Bidding — Consuming Sudden Doom calls upon a Magus of the Dead to assist you for 8 seconds.
• New Talent: Raise Abomination — Summons an Abomination to attack nearby enemies applying Festering Wound with its melee attacks and infecting all nearby enemies with Virulent Plague. 90 second cooldown. Replaces Army of the Dead.
• New Talent: Foul Infections — Your diseases deal 10% more damage and have a 5% increased chance to critically strike.
• New Talent: Menacing Magus — Your Magus of the Dead Shadow Bolt now fires a volley of Shadow Bolts at up to 4 nearby enemies.
• New Talent: Festering Scythe — Every 20 Festering Wound you burst empowers Festering Strike to become Festering Scythe for 12 seconds. Festering Scythe: Sweep through all enemies within 14 yards in front of you, dealing Shadow damage and infecting them with 2-3 Festering Wounds.
• New Talent: Decomposition — Virulent Plague has a chance to abruptly flare up, dealing 50/100% of the damage it dealt to the target over the last 4 seconds. When this effect triggers, the duration of your active minions are increased by 1 second, up to 3 seconds. 2-point talent.
• Epidemic is now learned at level 18 (was a talent).
• Outbreak is now learned at level 13 (was a talent).
• Sudden Doom has been redesigned — Your auto attacks have a 25% chance to make your next Death Coil or Epidemic cost 10 less Runic Power and critically strike. Additionally, your next Death Coil will burst 1 Festering Wound.
• When talented into Harbinger of Doom, Sudden Doom now displays the activation overlay images separately, left and right, for each stack.
• Unholy Blight has been updated — Passive ability. Dark Transformation surrounds your ghoul with a vile swarm of insects for 6 seconds, stinging all nearby enemies and infecting them with Virulent Plague and an unholy disease that deals damage over 14 seconds, stacking up to 4 times.
• Dark Transformation cooldown reduced to 45 seconds (was 60 seconds).
• Army of the Dead cooldown reduced to 3 minutes (was 8 minutes).
• Apocalypse cooldown reduced to 45 seconds (was 90 seconds).
• Apocalypse now always summons 4 ghouls regardless of Wounds burst.
• Apocalypse ghoul damage reduced by 15%.
• Vile Contagion cooldown reduced to 45 seconds (was 90 seconds).
• Clawing Shadows damage reduced by 15%.
• Raise Dead ghoul damage reduced by 10%.
• Scourge Strike damage reduced by 15%.
• Death Coil damage reduced by 15%.
• Magus of the Dead damage reduced by 15%.
• Epidemic damage reduced by 15%.
• Festering Wound damage reduced by 15%.
• Defile damage increased by 200% and no longer increases Mastery when dealing damage to enemies.
• Festermight now functions like Ironfur, allowing multiple instances to overlap.
• Ebon Fever now also affects Frost Fever and Blood Plague if Superstrain is talented.
• Dragonflight Season 4 Class Set Bonuses have been updated to the Dragonflight Season 1 Class Set Bonuses:
• 2 Set Bonus — Bursting a Festering Wound grants your ghoul Vile Infusion, increasing their damage by 25% and Haste by 10% for 5 seconds.
• 4 Set Bonus — Your primary ghoul's attacks have a 8% chance to increase your damage and Haste by 8% for 8 seconds. This chance is increased to 15% during Vile Infusion.
• The following talents are now 1 point:
• Ghoulish Frenzy
• Improved Death Coil
• The following talents have been removed:
• Replenishing Wounds
• Army of the Damned
• Unholy Command
• Feasting Strikes

• Strangulate (PvP Talent) now overrides Asphyxiate, but its cooldown is decreased to 45 seconds (was 60 seconds), its duration is increased to 5 seconds (was 4 seconds), and its range is increased to 20 yards (was 15 yards).

You can find other War Within Pre-Patch class changes linked below.