Death Knight Double Legendaries in 9.2: Combinations for Blood, Frost and Unholy

Posted 2022/01/28 at 3:51 AM by Jaydaa

Memory of UnitySepulcher of the First Ones

The timeline and acquisition of Double Legendaries has changed on the 9.2 Eternity's End PTR. Check out our post below to learn how and when you'll be able equip two legendaries.

Double Legendary Acquisition in Patch 9.2

Our Guide Writers have provided initial thoughts on which Double Legendary combinations you'll likely equip in Patch 9.2. Check out all of our released articles below.

Theorycrafting of Double Legendaries in 9.2

Death Knight Double Legendary Analysis
Demon Hunter Double Legendary Analysis
Druid Double Legendary Analysis
Hunter Double Legendary Analysis
Mage Double Legendary Analysis

Monk Double Legendary Analysis
Paladin Double Legendary Analysis

Priest Double Legendary Analysis
Rogue Double Legendary Analysis
Shaman Double Legendary Analysis
Warlock Double Legendary Analysis
Warrior Double Legendary Analysis

Disclaimer: All theorycrafting is based on the current tuning of the PTR using all the latest class and systems changes including Double Legendary and a complete 9.2 4-Set Tier bonus. Additional tuning and class changes may dramatically affect the recommendations seen below. This is merely a preview of each spec's Double Legendaries and final recommendations will be published closer to 9.2's launch.Mandl

Mandl

Before we get into the whole meat of "which Unity covenant pair is better", there are two important topics we need to get out of the way.

What changed Since 9.1?

A couple of very important changes to covenant legendaries are coming for 9.2, and it would be criminal to not spend some time explaining the changes, along with their impact.

Kyrian: Final Sentence

Final Sentence went through a minor rework for 9.2, allowing it to have some value in single-target as well as in AoE. Instead of giving you the extra damage and Rune when shackle spreads, it instead provides the benefits when shackle is applied to an enemy. This means that pressing the button will, by itself, provide a rune and 4% damage for 15 seconds.

Necrolord, Night Fae: Minor Buffs

The covenant legendaries for Necrolord and Night Fae also received some minor tuning changes:

Abomination's Frenzy's damage bonus is now 20%, up from 10%
Rampant Transference now grants 4% more strength when fully stacked

Best Blood Death Knight Double Legendaries for Sepulcher of the First Ones

This is where things get both very straightforward and very complex at the same time. Due to the fact that our covenant legendaries do not interact with our rotation or any other legendary beyond "X does more damage", the choice of generic legendary will be the same for every covenant. Instead, the legendary and covenant combination you decide on will largely be dependent on the content you are doing, the same way you are today.

One thing to note - Crimson Rune Weapon is not the only legendary to benefit from the tier set bonus we will be receiving in 9.2. Based on set tuning and encounter profiles, in addition to Superstrain, there is a small but non-zero chance that Gorefiend's Domination might see some play.

Kyrian: Final Sentence & Superstrain

As much as it pains me to say this, the covenant legendary Final Sentence really does not add much to this oft-used combination. 4% extra damage every 56s (thanks to Mikanikos) and a bonus Rune at the same time is not that interesting, although it has some additional potential on fights with adds. And there are quite a few of those, although there is a fair chance you will be playing Necrolord for them (and even use Grip of the Everlasting on at least one of them on top of being necrolord).
Necrolord: Abomination's Frenzy & Superstrain
There are a number of fights with adds that need to be moved, either to facilitate cleaving them down, to prevent them from moving away, or to control them. There is a very strong chance you will want to be a necrolord for at least some of it. Once again, the bonus is sort of lackluster, functioning as 20% extra damage on anything you damage with Abomination Limb.

It is worth noting that all the issues with this covenant legendary have not been addressed since the first time we saw them. I covered Abomination's Frenzy in particular at length on the initial preview, and I am still very disappointed that, in most situations, some of the Bone Shield charges from this legendary will be wasted. It feels like such a cop-out to have a legendary be copy-pasted between two DPS specs and a tank spec, with resources that are not even close to comparable (you spend Rime as soon as it shows up, and Runic Corruption has the effect of speeding up everything you do. Meanwhile, Bone Shield is neither in your control nor is it a resource you particularly care about beyond a certain level - 5 or more - and overcapping is strictly negative). I also still stand by my initial opinion - having the legendary grant Runic Corruption on every additional tick granted by this legendary (i.e. tick 0 bones, tick 1 RC, tick 2 bones, tick 3 RC, tick 4 bones, tick 5 RC etc) would be a formidably fun change.
Night Fae: Rampant Transference & Superstrain

In cases where you are able to predictably hunker down and turret without the need to move too much, Night Fae might show some promise. It already did in Sanctum of Domination under very specific conditions, and the rule will not really change in Sepulcher.

The reward for managing Death's Due gets amplified even further with Rampant Transference, thanks to the bonus Runic Power and strength. Death Knights able to manage and maintain Death's Due optimally despite the plethora of mechanics that might cause you to drop it (yes, there are plenty) will be rewarded even more than in Sanctum, as this is technically, if played absolutely optimally, the highest performing covenant on DPS in vacuo. This "technically" is a very slim margin, however, and is extremely dependent on the player's skill and ability to think 20 to 25s ahead.

In other words: not for the faint of heart, but potentially good in very specific circumstances.

Best Blood Death Knight Double Legendaries for Mythic+

Unfortunately, the disclaimer will be the same as for Sepulcher - you will just pick whatever covenant you prefer and you'll inherit a glorified buff stick no matter what you pick. On the upside, Crimson Rune Weapon actually interacts with our tier set, so we can at least look forward to that interaction.

These suggestions of legendary and covenant pairs are based on what you can expect to be playing in the majority of key levels played out there. There will always be some ultra cool tech at world first level, but very few people will get there and the choice is often based on group covenant diversity as well as specific tech.

Just like in 9.1, all four covenants will be perfectly fine to easily get keystone hero and beyond (there are world 10 keys being done by each and every covenant right now). And just like in 9.1, the better choice is the one you are better at.
Bicepspump

Bicepspump

Best Frost Death Knight Double Legendaries for Sepulcher of the First Ones

Necrolord: Abomination's Frenzy & Rage of the Frozen Champion/ Koltira's Favor

A combination pretty much without synergy that will see play simply because the individual components are good. Sure, the extra Rime does arguably synergise with Rage of the Frozen Champion but it's incredibly minor. Koltira's Favor is always paired with Obliteration and potentially with Breath of Sindragosa. Our new tier set does make it more powerful which is why it is likely to see more play. Rage of the Frozen Champion is a nice cleave legendary for Breath of Sindragosa and also can see play on single target, mostly because it smooths our the rotation nicely.

I feel like running Necrolord is a great option for the Frost Death Knight due to the versatility it brings. It's always nice to have the extra grips from Abomination Limb available to you, and you get really nice 2 minute burst windows as well.

Best Frost Death Knight Double Legendaries for Mythic+

Necrolord: Abomination's Frenzy & Rage of the Frozen Champion/ Biting Cold

We see an almost identical Necrolord setup for Mythic+ as a viable play. Only difference is that we swap out Koltira's Favor for Biting Cold when running Obliteration. Biting Cold is also a viable pick when running Breath of Sindragosa if you're looking for a bit more AoE instead of single target.

Overall, Necrolord is versatile and fits into your rotation nicely, bringing even bigger 2 minute burst windows.

Night Fae: Rampant Transference & Rage of the Frozen Champion/ Biting Cold

Night Fae becomes a lot more powerful in Mythic+ due to the quick buff-scaling of Death's Due as well as the really nice Obliterate cleave. Since Death's Due has a short 30 seconds cooldown, we expect to use it on every pull in the dungeon. This means that the legendary brings consistent damage, an option to the more bursty Necrolord. It is also very likely to bring more overall damage throughput, due to the nice AoE scaling of the legendary combo.

In a similar fashion to Necrolord, we pair up the covenant legendary with either Biting Cold or Rage of the Frozen Champion, depending on our talent choices and damage focus.

Bicepspump

Bicepspump

Best Unholy Death Knight Double Legendaries for Sepulcher of the First Ones

Necrolord: Abomination's Frenzy & Deadliest Coil/ Frenzied Monstrosity

This legendary combination essentially just follows along from our current best setup in 9.1.5. Playing Necrolord with Deadliest Coil/ Frenzied Monstrosity being picked up depending on fight. Deadliest Coil for a bit more single target and Frenzied Monstrosity for a bit more cleave.

Abomination's Frenzy doesn't synergise at all with the paired legendaries, but it also doesn't need to since it's powerful on its own. Increasing the burst of our Abomination Limb-window is great since we tend to line up our big cooldowns with it. It also brings a ton of bursty AoE, perfect for any adds that need grouping and killing in the raid (Artificer for instance).

This legendary combination is by far the most versatile since it doesn't require any setup or additional play. It simply makes us deal a lot more dmg in our burst windows. It also makes us run Necrolord which is nice due to the extra grip utility!

Night Fae: Rampant Transference & Deadliest Coil/ Frenzied Monstrosity

Finally, a synergy that has always been on the Unholy DKs minds manifest into a competitive build. Running Defile, this setup allows us to maintain 100% uptime on an empowered version of Death's Due strength buff, giving us 20% strength. This hasn't been competitive before since we sacrificed a good legendary for it. Now however, Rampant Transference is a good theoretical second option making this build viable.

This combination relies on reducing the Cooldown of Death's Due sufficiently so as to chain the stacks and keep up the buff indefinitely. Defile is sufficient to do so since a refresh of the Death's Due at the end of the Death's Due window gives us 14 seconds (12 seconds base + 2 seconds from the legendary) to refresh it. This provides a 4 second window where you need to pop down Death's Due and cast a Scourge Strike to refresh the buff. This is rather tight but doable if you keep good track of it.

In a controlled setting, there isn't any issue at all keeping up with the stacks. You control your resources so that you always spam Scourge Strike at the end of your Death's Due. Just before Death's Due comes up again, you dump your Runic Power before-hand to ensure you have the two Runes available to refresh the buff ASAP. The gameplay feels pretty smooth and easy on a target dummy.

Now let's talk about why this legendary combination won't necessarily be the best to play on encounters, even if it might be theoretically best in a controlled scenario. Dropping the stacks is very easy in a raid environment. Avoiding mechanics, forced downtime, running around, being distracted. Tons of effects that will make it difficult to maintain your stacks. An experienced player that knows the fight really well can probably do it, but it will still depend on the specific fight.

Overall, this combination will definitely be viable, but not necessarily optimal. I believe it can see play on fights where it's easy to keep up the stacks, and where you can leverage the extra cleave you get on adds etc. For progression, I do expect us to play something different though!

Best Unholy Death Knight Double Legendaries for Mythic+

Night Fae: Rampant Transference & Reanimated Shambler/ Frenzied Monstrosity

We again see Rampant Transference, now paired with either Reanimated Shambler or Frenzied Monstrosity. In a Mythic+ scenario, we no longer care too much about extending the buff from Death's Due. Instead, we simply gain a ton of value by boosting our Death's Due window a ton! For AoE, we hit that 20% strength buff instantly with our first Scourge Strike within Death's Due, buffing our main (when running the wound build) dmg window a ton.

You are likely to run a build centered around Infected Claws and Bursting Sores. The legendary buffs our Death's Due and these talents really brings our burst to this window. If we are running something else, we'll see a much larger proportion of our damage coming from outside the window, not synergising very well with the legendary.

Picking up Reanimated Shambler or Frenzied Monstrosity depends on your priorities within the group. Reanimated Shambler has quite a wonky AoE and an inconsistent proc-rate. However, it just leads to a huge amount of AoE damage in the end. Frenzied Monstrosity is more versatile, bringing a balance of AoE without sacrificing any single target. You will make the choice depending on dungeon and your group, picking what is most needed.

Comment by NzallNo Venthyr analysis?Comment by MandlNo Venthyr analysis?Comment by sotabaAre the recommendations for blood mythic plus missing or am i blind?Comment by ElZukiGreat theorycraft! Cant wait to see more of these guides about ele/resto shaman and paladin.Comment by ElZukiKinda, the writer only reccomends same covenant choice based on utility and just run dancing rune lego. Lets wait if he add more infoComment by MandlKinda, the writer only reccomends same covenant choice based on utility and just run dancing rune lego. Lets wait if he add more infoUnfortunately, the disclaimer will be the same as for Sepulcher - you will just pick whatever covenant you prefer and you'll inherit a glorified buff stick no matter what you pick. On the upside, Crimson Rune Weapon actually interacts with our tier set, so we can at least look forward to that interaction.Comment by MendokusaiNo Venthyr analysis?Comment by DrynixNo Venthyr analysis?Comment by MandlNo Venthyr analysis?Comment by CooferMy Venthyr timewalking set is going to be so goddamn degenerate next patch. I've already been using a 190 Swarming Mist Lego on top of an Azerite gear set + Nzoth cloak + some three-stat boosting Legion legendaries. Now I can throw in an additional Lego and wreck some real mayhem.Comment by MandlMy Venthyr timewalking set is going to be so goddamn degenerate next patch. I've already been using a 190 Swarming Mist Lego on top of an Azerite gear set + Nzoth cloak + some three-stat boosting Legion legendaries. Now I can throw in an additional Lego and wreck some real mayhem.Gorefiend's DominationpurelyComment by Moon87I feel as though DK has been the big casualty of SL in terms of gameplay systems. Saying nothing at all about their viability/DPS etc - purely from a gameplay standpoint, there has been very little interactivity or excitement with the covenant abilities, legendries or tier sets. So many are passive or have little to no impact on the rotation.

Essentially all 3 DK specs will play exactly the same in 10 as they do in 9.2 (losing only their covenant ability).Comment by LootFeverWe shall call it the Fae Defile build!Comment by DrynixNo Venthyr analysis?Comment by FedemonteroI tested on the PTR Sindragosa build being NF, with Rage of the Frozen Champion and with the extra of Glacial advance I changed a Rune from my weapon using Rune of Hysteria and not Rune of Razorice, cause the amout of runic power regeneration of the rune and the NF legendary it allowed me to sustain the breath up to 40/50 secs, and with the pillar of frost plus the stregnth given by the legendary you gain 40% primary stat every 1 min and 20% every 30 seconds, there are just a few frost death knights we need to help each other guys, KissesComment by hazmaxedI ask that the DPS writer provide their extensive thoughts on spec/covenant/double legendary combinations that were NOT covered in the above post, for both the raid and mythic+.

Despite the opinion that some spec/covenant combinations are much worse than others, there are still players who will play them. They might benefit from some analysis.Comment by BicepspumpI ask that the DPS writer provide their extensive thoughts on spec/covenant/double legendary combinations that were NOT covered in the above post, for both the raid and mythic+.

Despite the opinion that some spec/covenant combinations are much worse than others, there are still players who will play them. They might benefit from some analysis.Comment by Manchild1318So is there even a point to playing a DK in 9.2? Sounds like just another disappointing patch for us.Comment by hazmaxedI ask that the DPS writer provide their extensive thoughts on spec/covenant/double legendary combinations that were NOT covered in the above post, for both the raid and mythic+.

Despite the opinion that some spec/covenant combinations are much worse than others, there are still players who will play them. They might benefit from some analysis.Comment by SheepulfCan Superstrain be good on a dps spec with the ring from Anduin?