Unholy Death Knight DPS Guide — Dragonflight 10.0.7
Welcome to our Unholy Death Knight guide for World of Warcraft — Dragonflight 10.0.7. 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 raid and mythic+ utility.
Dragonflight Changes for Death Knights
We are maintaining a list of changes for Death Knights, so you can see what changes with every patch of Dragonflight.
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.
Unholy Death Knight Changes for 10.0.7
The Unholy Death Knight has seen multiple changes for Patch 10.0.7. Please find a list below with added discussion.
Rotten Touch duration increased to 10 seconds (was 6 seconds).
Runic Mastery now also increases
Runic Corruption's regeneration rate by 10/20%.
Commander of the Dead now always buffs your minions for 30 seconds after
Dark Transformation has been used.
Harbinger of Doom now also increases the damage of your next
Death Coil by 20% or
Epidemic by 10%.
Ruptured Viscera now has a 25% chance to apply a
Festering Wound to enemies hit by its explosion.
Ruptured Viscera damage increased by 10%.
Feasting Strikes now also has a 15% chance to proc
Runic Corruption.
Defile now works with
Pestilence.
Defile now grants a stacking Mastery % buff when enemies stand in the area, granting 1% every second up to 8%.
Defile has moved from its choice node with
Unholy Pact to the position where
Pestilent Pustules used to be.
Pestilent Pustules has been removed.
Epidemic has swapped places with
Unholy Blight in the talent tree.
Pestilence has been updated to reflect its tooltip better.
A lot of changes overall, but only a few significant ones. Many
underperforming talents have been buffed, but only really Defile sees
play.
Commander of the Dead update will make players much less likely
to miss buffing their pets and will change our opener slightly.
Epidemic
swapping places with
Unholy Blight opens up for better hybrid AoE/ST raid
builds. Overall solid changes!
Significant Unholy Death Knight Changes in Dragonflight
The Unholy Death Knight sees some changes that will affect 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 makes the classic
Bursting Sores
build far 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 to also 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, we 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.
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
- 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.
- Mythic+ Dungeon Timers in Dragonflight Season 2
- A Preview of the Mage Crucible Raid Tier Set in Patch 10.1
- World of Warcraft Patch 10.10 Notes
- 11.0 Patch Notes, R/WoW Changing to FF14 and More: Reddit April Fools
- Dragonflight Patch 10.0.7 Hotfixes, March 31st
- Dragonflight April Trading Post Items and Activities
- The Story of a Test Creature That Showed Up on Live Servers
- How to Buy More Onyx Annulets in Patch 10.0.7