Unholy Death Knight DPS Guide — Dragonflight 10.2
Welcome to our Unholy Death Knight guide for World of Warcraft — Dragonflight 10.2. Here, you will learn how to play as an Unholy Death Knight in both raids and Mythic+ dungeons: from the very beginning to maximizing your DPS.
Unholy Death Knight Overview
The Unholy specialization currently provides high single-target burst as well as good AoE scaling. We are also one of the tankiest classes in the game, something that is very useful in all PvE content!
Strengths and Weaknesses
High single-target and AoE burst potential.
Great add control with
Death Grip.
Knockback prevention with
Death's Advance.
Anti-Magic Zone as a magic damage raid cooldown.
Effective at range.
One of the tankiest specs.
Limited mobility.
Limited spread add cleave.
Limited mythic+ utility.
Low cleave DPS.
Unholy Death Knight and Guide Changes for Patch 10.2
Unholy Assault now increases all damage dealt by 20% (was 20% Haste) for 20 seconds.
Raise Dead (Main Ghoul) damage increased by 10%.
Summon Gargoyle damage reduced by 30%.
Soul Reaper damage increased by 20%.
Army of the Dead damage of ghouls reduced by 25%.
- Ghouls summoned by
Apocalypse now have their own scaling from the Death Knight's stats, separate from
Army of the Dead.
Apocalypse Ghoul damage increased by 12%.
Death Coil damage increased by 12%.
Scourge Strike/
Clawing Shadows damage increased by 12%.
Festering Strike damage increased by 20%.
Festering Wound damage increased by 10%.
Lots of changes here, all done with the same goal in mind: make us do less burst in our opener and 3-minute cooldown window and move that damage to our core rotation and other cooldown windows. This was done successfully, lowering our peak burst by around 15% but not changing our overall damage throughput.
Unholy Assault moving to 20% is a nice boost to our AoE, since Haste
is not that valuable for us in AoE scenarios. Furthermore, it is also a buff in
Single Target since a raw 20% damage boost generally is better than 20% Haste!
Decoupling Army of the Dead and
Apocalypse is a solid change
that will make it significantly easier to tune our burst DPS vs constant DPS.
Previously, any buff to our 45-second burst window via
Apocalypse would
also buff our burst. Now, however, they can be tuned independently, like we see
in these notes.
These changes do have an impact on the value of Power Infusion for us,
in addition to the buff itself being nerfed. Other specs with similar gains were
also nerfed however, still making us one of the top targets for this buff.
The changes to the guide itself due to this update are primarily related to the new gear. Our builds and rotation are largely the same!
- Updated BiS gear.
- Minor rotation changes due to new Tier Set.
For a full breakdown of all Class Changes in Patch 10.2, check out our dedicated page below.
Mage Tower Challenge
From Patch 9.1.5 onward, both Legion Timewalking and the Mage Tower have returned. As such we have created a separate guide detailing what you can expect from the Mage Tower challenge available to Unholy Death Knights.
Significant Unholy Death Knight Changes in Dragonflight
The Unholy Death Knight saw some changes that affected how it plays. We
generally have more resources, allowing for a smoother rotation with
significantly
less downtime overall. Furthermore, our AoE scaling has been buffed through
the target cap increase on Cleaving Strikes as well as the new
Vile Contagion talent. This made the classic
Bursting Sores
build more powerful in Mythic+.
We have also received a large number of new talents, both from the arsenals
of Frost and Blood Death Knight, but also completely new ones. Some notable
examples
are Empower Rune Weapon,
Will of the Necropolis,
Vile Contagion
and
Commander of the Dead. Furthermore,
Summon Gargoyle has
received significant buffs and will be a staple part of many of our builds.
Overall, Unholy has retained its gameplay from Shadowlands with a smoother overall feeling and more rewarding cooldowns.
Leveling an Unholy Death Knight
If you want to level an Unholy Death Knight, you can check out our leveling guide for tips and tricks for your journey.
Once you reach max level, a great way to customize your game to fit the way you want to play, but also to help you play better, is with AddOns. We recommend using some of the basic AddOns that are on our Addons page below while you are leveling to not only get used to AddOns but also to help speed up your leveling. Since Unholy is a fairly complicated spec to play, it is heavily recommended that you use AddOns to clean up your screen and make your rotation easier.
Basics of Unholy Death Knight Gameplay
Unholy Death Knight is a spec that is all about managing your resources and maximizing your burst potential with correct cooldown management.
If you are new to Unholy Death Knight and would like to learn the basics of the class, I recommend looking at the Spell Summary, as well as the Easy Mode page that is linked below.
We also have a guide for the Unholy Death Knight talents and rotations below.
How to Gear Up as an Unholy Death Knight
Gear, enchants, consumables, and gems also play a big part in increasing your character's DPS. Linked below is a page to show you which enchants, consumables, and gems to use, as well as a stats page, where you can find more information on each stat and how they interact with your character.
Unholy Death Knight Viablity in Dragonflight
The Unholy Death Knight is 100% viable in Dragonflight. We have an incredible burst, making us useful in all situations of the game! We are also incredibly tanky, something great as you progress through hard content. Dying is the number one factor for not killing a boss.
Unholy Death Knight Tier Set in Dragonflight
- 2-piece set bonus:
Death Knight Unholy 10.2 Class Set 2pc
- 4-piece set bonus:
Death Knight Unholy 10.2 Class Set 4pc
The Unholy Death Knight Tier Set in Patch 10.2 revolves around our
Magus of the Dead talent! The 2-piece makes
Apocalypse
summon an additional
Magus of the Dead (1 without the talent, 2 with
the talent), and makes it cleave up to 4 enemies. Big improvement for you cleave
DPS as we otherwise have little tools to deal good damage at 2-5 target.
The 4-set extends the duration of active Magus of the Dead by 0.5
seconds for every Rune we spend. This makes the ability significantly more powerful,
even keeping them up for as long as 45 seconds during opening burst scenarios
with
Bloodlust active.
Compared to our Season 2 set, our new set deals the same damage on Single Target, more damage in Cleave and less damage in big AoE. You want to replace your old tier set once you obtain a full set of 4 pieces of the new one. Always sim yourself though as it might be worth to break the old set earlier depending on the ilvl of you pieces!
End-Game as an Unholy Death Knight
The end-game of an Unholy Death Knight is very exciting since your burst is incredibly high, and your AoE potential is also very high. Linked below are our Raiding, Mythic+ and PvP guides!
Improving as an Unholy Death Knight
If, after reading all these guides, you still find your performance lackluster, then check out the pages linked below for some tips and tricks that may answer any question you have. This is fairly common with Unholy Death Knight, as it is a very clunky spec.
Changelog
- 29 Nov. 2023 (gear page): Updated BiS after legendary was revealed.
- 24 Nov. 2023 (rotation page): Added macros to opener section.
- 22 Nov. 2023 (gear page): Updated Dawn drop locations to differentiate between upper and lower.
- 21 Nov. 2023 (Amirdrassil page): Updated build and tips for Igira.
- 17 Nov. 2023 (Amirdrassil page): Updated Fyrakk build and tips and added more detailed Smolderon timings.
- 15 Nov. 2023 (gear page): Added Ashes to Raid BiS and moved it up in active trinket list.
- 15 Nov. 2023 (Amirdrassil page): Updated Tindral Build.
- 14 Nov. 2023 (Amirdrassil page): Updated builds and tips.
- 12 Nov. 2023 (enchants page): Updated food recommendation.
- 12 Nov. 2023 (rotation page): Clarified unholy opener with Dark Transformation and Summon Gargoyle on the same line.
- 07 Nov. 2023 (gear page): Updated BiS list and embellishment recommendations after sporecloak nerfs.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (FAQ page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (how to improve page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (gear page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (addons page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (enchants page): Updated for Patch 10.2. Added new head enchant and swapped all stat enchants to Mastery.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (stats page): Updated for Patch 10.2, added discussion on pet inheritance delay and raw stat impact on mirror procs.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (rotation page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (talents page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (spells page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (easy mode page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
- 06 Nov. 2023 (this page): Updated for Patch 10.2.
- 29 Oct. 2023 (Amirdrassil page): Page added.
- 04 Sep. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (gear page): Updated for patch 10.1.7.
- 04 Sep. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (talents page): Reviewed and updated for Patch 10.1.7.
- 04 Sep. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 04 Sep. 2023 (this page): Updated for 10.1.7.
- 31 Aug. 2023 (talents page): Reviewed and updated for Patch 10.1.7.
- 22 Jul. 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Added Mythic Sark tips.
- 21 Jul. 2023 (rotation page): Added Mirror to Detailed trinket usage.
- 20 Jul. 2023 (gear page): Updated Bis Trinket and Neck.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (gear page): Updated trinket bis and added dawn of the infinite gear tips.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (rotation page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (talents page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (easy mode page): Updated for Patch 10.1.5.
- 10 Jul. 2023 (this page): Added 10.1.5 changes.
- 25 Jun. 2023 (rotation page): Max 4 coils to exactly 3 coils in opener.
- 25 Jun. 2023 (easy mode page): Minor opener update.
- 14 Jun. 2023 (rotation page): Added more detailed trinket and racial timings.
- 24 May 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Added more tips.
- 24 May 2023 (rotation page): Resolved issues with the opener not displaying properly.
- 10 May 2023 (gear page): Updated trinket bis after Puzzle nerf.
- 09 May 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Page added.
- 08 May 2023 (gear page): Updated bis list and trinket prio after changes.
- 03 May 2023 (rotation page): Added Death and Decay to opener and expanded cooldown usage section with DnD.
- 01 May 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (gear page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (talents page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 01 May 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 30 Apr. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed and Updated for Patch 10.1.
- 30 Apr. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
- 30 Apr. 2023 (gear page): Reviewed and Updated for Patch 10.1.
- 30 Apr. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed and Updated for Patch 10.1.
- 30 Apr. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed and Updated for Patch 10.1.
- 30 Apr. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed and Updated for Patch 10.1.
- 30 Apr. 2023 (mythic+ page): Reviewed and Updated for patch 10.1.
- 30 Apr. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed and Updated for patch 10.1.
- 29 Apr. 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed and Updated for patch 10.1.
- 29 Apr. 2023 (talents page): Reviewed and Updated for Patch 10.1.
- 29 Apr. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed and Updated for Patch 10.1.
- 29 Apr. 2023 (this page): Updated for 10.1.
- 15 Apr. 2023 (rotation page): Expanded on Disease build rotation.
- 12 Apr. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Updated after 10.0.7 buffs.
- 12 Apr. 2023 (talents page): Updated talents after 10.0.7 buffs.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (Legendaries): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (gear page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Added Primordial Stone Gems recommenation.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Updated builds for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated talents for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (rotation page): Updated rotation for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (talents page): Updated talents for 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (spells page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (easy mode page): Updated for Patch 10.0.7.
- 20 Mar. 2023 (this page): Added 10.0.7 changes.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (gear page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (talents page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 24 Jan. 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (simulations page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (addons page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (stats page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Page added.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (rotation page): Updated for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (talents page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (spells page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 11 Dec. 2022 (this page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (FAQ page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (how to improve page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (simulations page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (addons page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (stats page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (mythic+ page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (rotation page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (talents page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (spells page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (easy mode page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 28 Nov. 2022 (this page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Legendaries): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Torghast): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Covenants and Soulbinds): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (FAQ page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (how to improve page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (simulations page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (addons page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (stats page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Castle Nathria page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Sanctum of Domination page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (Sepulcher of the First Ones page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (mythic+ page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (rotation page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (talents page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (spells page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (easy mode page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 25 Oct. 2022 (this page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
- 20 Feb. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Reviewed and approved for Patch 9.2.
- 19 Jan. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Updated with latest build tuning.
- 15 Jan. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Page added with initial thoughts and information.
- 01 Nov. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Reviewed and approved for Patch 9.1.5.
- 17 Jul. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Updated with recent hotfixes.
- 29 Jun. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Created page.
- 12 Oct. 2020 (Ny'alotha page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 17 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Added more information on Queen Azshara.
- 09 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Guide added.
- 24 Jun. 2019 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
- 24 Jun. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Minor changes to talent selections.
- 24 Jun. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
- 19 May 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Added Mythic tips.
- 16 Apr. 2019 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed and no changes are necessary for the release of the Crucible of Storms raid.
- 16 Apr. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): This page has been reviewed and no changes are necessary for the release of the Crucible of Storms raid.
- 16 Apr. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Guide added.
- 24 Feb. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Updated boss talent recommendations slightly.
- 18 Feb. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Fixed the boss order.
- 08 Feb. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Updated talent recommendations.
- 24 Jan. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Updated talent recommendations.
- 22 Jan. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Added first version of Unholy DK advice for Battle of Dazar'alor.
- 10 Dec. 2018 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for Patch 8.1 and no changes are necessary.
- 03 Sep. 2018 (Uldir page): Added information for all bosses in Uldir.
- 12 Aug. 2018 (Uldir page): Page added (empty for now).
More Death Knight Guides
Guides from Other Classes
This guide has been written by Bicepspump, a semi-hardcore player raiding with Pescorus 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 moderator in the Acherus Death Knight Discord, frequently answering questions and discussing optimisations (do not hesitate to reach out). He produces guide content on YouTube and frequently streams on Twitch.
- Dragonflight 10.2 Hotfixes, November 30th
- Population Caps Increased, New Realm Added to Season of Discovery
- Season of Discovery Now Live
- Season of Discovery PvP Rank Caps
- Season of Discovery WoWCast Episode
- Mythic+ Tier List for Dragonflight Season 3 Week 3
- Amirdrassil a Proper Zone in Patch 10.2.5
- Season of Discovery Guides