Unholy Death Knight Leveling Guide
AoE powerhouse with ghoul pet, strong diseases, and great mobility. Excellent for quest stacking and dungeon DPS.
Why Unholy in WotLK?
Superior AoE via Wandering Plague, strong pet, and Unholy Presence speed. Very fun and fast for leveling.
Strengths
- Best AoE of the DK trees.
- Permanent ghoul for damage + utility.
- Great mobility with Unholy Presence and Death Grip.
Weaknesses
- Slightly lower single-target than Blood.
- Requires disease uptime and pestilence management.
- Starts at 55 only.
Talents by Level (55-80)
Early (55-63)
- Virulence for hit; Necrosis for white damage.
- Epidemic for longer diseases.
- Ghoul improvements (Ravenous Dead).
Mid (64-73)
- Scourge Strike core ability.
- Unholy Blight, Magic Suppression.
- Bone Shield for mitigation/damage.
Late (74-80)
- Wandering Plague for massive AoE.
- Master of Ghouls for permanent pet.
- Desolation for damage; Reaping for death runes.
Rotation & Playstyle
Single Target
- IT → PS → SS → BS → BS → DC dump.
- Refresh diseases with Pestilence + glyph or IT/PS.
- Use Gargoyle at 80 or on bosses; Empower Rune Weapon for burst.
AoE
- DnD → IT/PS → Pestilence → Blood Boil spam.
- Unholy Blight + Wandering Plague provide huge cleave.
- Ghoul + Gargoyle add to AoE; use Anti-Magic Zone if needed.
Survival
- Bone Shield for mitigation; AMS/IBF for heavy hits.
- Death Strike for self-heal; Death Pact with ghoul as panic.
- Chains of Ice to kite; Anti-Magic Zone for casters.
Zone & Dungeon Path (55-80)
| Level | Zone/Dungeon | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 55-58 | DK Start | Finish intro; practice pestilence spread. |
| 58-63 | Hellfire | DnD + Pestilence big AoE; Blood Boil spam. |
| 63-68 | Zangarmarsh/Terokkar | Great AoE packs; tank or DPS. |
| 68-70 | Nagrand/Netherstorm | Upgrade weapon; spread diseases on packs. |
| 70-72 | Borean/Howling Fjord | HB? (no) Use SS; DnD + Pest. |
| 72-75 | Dragonblight/AN/OK | Wandering Plague cleave; AMS vs magic. |
| 75-77 | Zul'Drak/Drak'Tharon | Gargoyle for bosses; Reaping for death runes. |
| 77-80 | Storm Peaks/Icecrown | Heroics; mastery of AoE shine. |
Gear, Stats, and Enchants
Stat Priority
- Hit/Expertise caps > Strength > Haste > Crit.
- Armor Pen later; some Defense if tanking.
Weapons
- Slow 2H preferred; Rune of the Fallen Crusader.
- Upgrade often; Scourge Strike scales with weapon.
Enchants
- Runeforge: Fallen Crusader.
- AP/Strength enchants; Stamina/Defense if tanking.
- Icewalker if hit is short.
Pro Tips & Utility
Leveling Speed
- Spread diseases then BB; Wandering Plague carries AoE.
- Use Unholy Presence for speed when DPS; Blood for threat.
- Keep ghoul alive; Death Pact if needed.
Group Utility
- Ebon Plaguebringer debuff boosts magic damage.
- Death Grip/Chains for control.
- AMZ for casters; Raise Ally battle rez.
Survival
- Bone Shield mitigation; AMS/IBF often.
- Death Strike heal; ghoul Death Pact.
- Carry bandages/pots; use Lichborne + DC self-heal.
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