Unholy Death Knight DPS Gems, Enchants, and Consumables — Shadowlands 9.2
On this page, we list the best gems, enchants, flasks, potions, and food you can get for your Unholy Death Knight, based on your stat priority. We also give budget alternatives. This page is updated for World of Warcraft — Shadowlands 9.2.
Best Gems for Unholy Death Knights
You should use Masterful Jewel Cluster (or the cheaper
Masterful Jewel Doublet) in all
sockets.
Best Enchants for Unholy Death Knights
Slot | Enchantment |
---|---|
Weapon | ![]() |
Gloves | |
Chest | |
Rings | |
Boots | |
Cloak |
For your Ring enchant Enchant Ring - Tenet of Mastery is the most commonly used
and will usually be your best choice. It is still recommended that you sim
your character to see which enchant is the best for your gear.
Consumables for Unholy Death Knights
Best Flasks, Oils, Potions for Unholy
Spectral Flask of Power should be used for Raids and Mythic+
encounters.
Shaded Sharpening Stone/
Shaded Weightstone should be placed
on your weapon to provide passive damage. These are usually very cheap so you
can use them all the time.
Potion of Spectral Strength should be used for both single-target and AoE scenarios.
Warlock Healthstones and Cosmic Healing Potion should be used when
at low health.
Best Food for Unholy
Use Iridescent Ravioli with Apple Sauce is your Mastery food buff of choice.
Best Armor Kit for Unholy
Use Heavy Desolate Armor Kit where you feel as though you need more
Stamina for increased survivability.
Augment Runes for Unholy
If you can afford it, you should use Veiled Augment Runes (or the
permanent
Eternal Augment Rune) 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.
For a more detailed breakdown on Unholy Death Knight stats and how gems, enchants, and consumables interact with your stats, please check out our dedicated stat page linked below.
Death Knight Runeforges for Unholy
Rune of the Fallen Crusader: the staple Runeforge for Unholy Death Knights, you will always see this Runeforge used in both Mythic+ and Raid content.
Rune of Hysteria: a new Runeforge in Shadowlands that does not provide as much damage as
Rune of the Fallen Crusader.
Rune of Razorice: this Runeforge has more of a place with Frost Death Knights since Unholy does no frost damage.
Rune of Sanguination: a new Runeforge in Shadowlands that provides a small execute effect for
Death Strike and a small cheat death mechanic. This Runeforge has more of a place in PvP as opposed to PvE content and is a viable Runeforge for Torghast.
Rune of Spellwarding: a new Runeforge in Shadowlands that provides small defense towards casters making it more geared towards PvP situations.
Rune of the Apocalypse: a new Runeforge in Shadowlands that is currently very weak compared to other options especially
Rune of the Fallen Crusader.
Rune of the Stoneskin Gargoyle: this Runeforge is a defensive option that does not see play for Unholy.
Rune of Unending Thirst: a new Runeforge in Shadowlands that is commonly used for leveling since it provides movement speed, Haste, and heals when you kill an enemy.
Changelog
- 20 Feb. 2022: Reviewed and approved for Patch 9.2.
- 01 Nov. 2021: Reviewed and approved for Patch 9.1.5.
- 29 Jun. 2021: Guide reviewed and updated for Patch 9.1.
- 10 May 2021: Added Shaded Weightstone to recommendations.
- 09 Mar. 2021: Reviewed for Patch 9.0.5.
- 19 Jan. 2021: Guide reviewed and completely updated.
- 02 Dec. 2020: Updated the recommended consumables.
- 23 Nov. 2020: Page updated for Shadowlands Release, added new enchants and oil.
- 12 Oct. 2020: Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
More Death Knight Guides
Guides from Other Classes
This guide has been written by Bicepspump, a semi-hardcore player raiding with Wicked Vigilantes on Kazzak. He is heavily involved in the DK DPS theorycrafting community, testing hyoptheses and investigating the correct priority to use. He is also a useful-minion in the Acherus discord, frequently answering questions and discussing optimisations (do not hesitate to reach out). He produces guide-content on YouTube and frequently streams on Twitch.
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