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Frost Death Knight in Shadowlands - DPS Strengths, Best Covenants, Soulbinds and Legendaries

posted 2020/11/17 at 3:43 PM by Bicepspump

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I'm Bicepspump, a semi-hardcore player currently playing on Kazzak. You can often find me on the Death Knight discord discussing rotations and builds, on my stream (B1cepspump), running some juicy Mythic +, or on my youtube channel where I've started doing video guides. Big shoutout to everyone on the Acherus discord that have given me valuable insight through numerous discussions. I take part in writing and optimizing the action priority list for SimulationCraft and continuously test different hypotheses using the SimulationCraft program. Furthermore, I work with the WoWAnalyzer website where I develop modules for the Death Knight specs. Please feel free to contact me on Discord as Bicepspump#6318, I'm always happy to have a healthy discussion! Outside of playing WoW, I work as a data scientist and enjoy playing other games such as Dota 2!

Check out all our Shadowlands Launch Opinion articles by our Class Writers and members of the community! Click on any of the colored specs below to see what articles we've released so far.
These guides were meant to give you a preview of what's to come in the expansion, but don't worry -- our full Shadowlands Class Guides will be updated soon!

Vengeance Demon Hunter

Demonology Warlock

Restoration Druid

Class Changes and TalentsNotable Changes in Beta Cycle

Death's Due - Instead of gaining the strength based off the ability doing damage, it's now from your Obliterate hitting enemies. Duration of the buff was also nerfed. However, the ability also got a huge buff through an Obliterate cleave effect. Obliterate hits one additional target when you're standing in your Death's Due.

Shackle the Unworthy - Was changed from spreading on its own (small probability) to an active spread with rune-consuming abilities. The spell is decent in AoE where we can effectively spread it on multiple targets.

Covenant Abilities and Conduits Impact on Talent Choices

Death's Due - Specific synergy with Obliteration in AoE scenarios. You pop your Pillar of Frost, follow up with Death's Due and then weave in multiple Obliterates buffed with Killing Machine for massive damage. We get both the cleave and the strength gain!

Swarming Mist - Great synergy with Breath of Sindragosa. The Runic Power generation is massive for increasing the duration of your Breath of Sindragosa, specifically when we can leverage multiple mobs for more RP.

Eradicating Blow and Unleashed Frenzy - These conduits have anti-synergy with Breath of Sindragosa due to Frost Strike being less emphasised. This means that they are less of an upgrade when speccing into this talent. They still increase your damage, but less so compared to other builds.

Everfrost - Strong synergy with Gathering Storm since they both buff Remorseless Winter.

Level-Up Abilities

Obliterate (level 52) - 20% to Obliterate is significant to builds that rely heavily on your overall damage output from Obliterate. This buff helps Obliteration builds and thefore also the viability of 2H builds.

Sacrificial Pact (level 54) - A completely new ability that enables us to explode the ghoul we summon through Raise Dead. This is both AoE damage as well as a useful heal. For pure single target, we want to use this ability just before the ghoul dies on its own (it doesn't matter too much if you do this, not using the ability is pretty much neutral dps). You can use it earlier if you need to heal to stay alive! For AoE, again use it at the end of the duration as default, or trigger it early if you can hit more enemies doing so!

Empower Rune Weapon (level 56) - A rather odd rank 2 since it just desyncs with everything in our kit. Both Pillar of Frost and Breath of Sindragosa come off CD every 2 minutes. You'd definitely hold Empower Rune Weapon for Breath of Sindragosa and probably for Pillar of Frost as well. I'd ideally like to see the haste portion be buffed instead.

Killing Machine (level 58) - Now this is a huge rank 2 ability. Making your Obliterates do frost damage when they consume procs of Killing Machine significantly increases their potential. We bypass the ~30% reduction on physical attacks due to armour, as well as gaining ~50%+ damage due to our mastery Mastery: Frozen Heart. The result is roughly a 200% increase on the crit coming from Killing Machine compared to a regular crit. This is a significant buff to Obliteration since the value of Killing Machine procs is so much higher. It's also great for 2H since it makes the Obliteration build viable.

Obliteration DW is within 1% of Breath of Sindragosa DW on pure single target.

Obliteration 2H is within 4% of Breath of Sindragosa DW on pure single target.

ObliterationImpact of Azerite Traits and Essences lossIcecaptremendousBreath of Sindragosa

Memory of Lucid Dreams - Losing Lucid minor is most significant for Breath of Sindragosa since it was pumping up its duration.

Icy Citadel and Frostwhelp's Indignation - The majority of the power of Icecap comes from gaining more value off these two Azerite traits. Losing them is a huge nerf to Icecap, essentially removing its competitiveness completely in Shadowlands.

Raid BuildFrozen PulseAvalancheFrozen PulseAvalancheCovenant AbilitiesKyrian

Shackle the Unworthy (Class ability) - A hasted DoT that lasts for 14 seconds. Using direct abilities that cost runes on the target with the DoT has a chance (50%) to spread the DoT with its remaining duration to another target (it's a bit weird atm and isn't exactly remaining duration, close enough though). Can't jump to targets that already have the DoT. The ability works best in single target but also scales well in AoE. In AoE scenarios, your Frostscythe and Howling Blast can proc the spread on targets that aren't your main targets. However, the spread mechanic has an internal GCD of 1 second. This means that only a single spread can happen each GCD. The probability of spreading increases with the number of targets you hit with the DoT though.

1 Target -> 50%

2 Targets -> 75%

3 Targets -> 87.5%

4 Targets -> 93.75%

Proliferation (Conduit) - Increases damage by 20% and duration with 3 seconds. Solid conduit that provides a longer duration to spread the DoT in AoE.

Summon StewardNecrolord

Abomination Limb (Class ability) - A 2-minute AoE cooldown. Hits a total of 13 times (direct initial hit) and is hard-capped at 5 targets. The targets that are pulled also receive a damage tick. First time hooking a target provides a proc of Rime. It's currently unclear how the proc gain works as it doesn't seem like the hook needs to be successful. The grip-portion isn't that powerful in PvE sadly. We'd pick this ability for AoE scenarios, ideally when there are adds or bick packs that show up every 2 minutes and where there aren't more than 5 mobs turning up to the party.

Brutal Grasp (Conduit) - Flat damage increase. Solid dps gain in AoE.

FleshcraftNight Fae

Death's Due (Class ability) - Replaces your Death and Decay, effectively adding an effect that causes targets damaged by your Obliterate to deal 1% less damage to you, stacking up to 8 times. You also gain 1% strength per target hit, also stacking up to 8 times (the buff lasts for 12 seconds). Your Obliterates also cleave to one additional target when you're standing in your Death's Due. This cleave is really powerful in cleave and specifically works really well with Obliteration. You pop your Pillar of Frost, follow up with Death's Due and then weave in multiple Obliterates buffed with Killing Machine for massive damage.

Withering Ground (Conduit) - Extra damage to Death and Decay doesn't look too appealing honestly. Possibly a solid choice for AoE scenarios.

SoulshapeVenthyr

Swarming Mist (Class ability) - An AoE with both a small increase in survivability as well as runic power generation. The spell ticks a total of 9 times (there's an instant initial tick). Every tick itself can generate a maximum of 15 runic power, making 135 the maximum generation possible. For a single target, you would generate 27 runic power. This is mainly an AoE ability that generates a ridiculous amount of runic power, as well as dealing heavy damage in big AoE. It synergises extremely well with Breath of Sindragosa due to the Runic Power generation. It's okay for single target (37 total Runic Power for a single rune) but truly shines in AoE. When we can leverage the increased Runic Power gain from multiple target we'll be able to significantly extend our Breath of Sindragosa window.

Impenetrable Gloom (Conduit) - A small increase in dodge chance as well as a buff to the ability itself. Looks like a solid conduit since the ability already does good damage.

Door of ShadowsCovenant ChoiceObliterationBreath of SindragosaObliterationKyrianNight FaeDeath's DueKyrianVenthyrBreath of SindragosaHereConduitsEverfrostAccelerated Cold

Everfrost - The best potency conduit by a large margin. It's best on both AoE and single target, essentially making it the go-to pick for any build. Also synergises really well with Gathering Storm, making us more likely to pick up this talent as well.

Accelerated Cold - Second best conduit for all builds. The important aspect of it comes through the haste increase. The cooldown reduction just makes us hold it for longer before we line it up with our cooldowns... Works well in single and AoE which is a good benefit!

Unleashed Frenzy - Third slot for all builds. Doesn't synergise that well with Breath of Sindragosa but neither does Eradicating Blow. Mostly a single target conduit but can be useful in AoE in the few scenarios you press Frost Strike.

Eradicating Blow - Least amount of single target damage and no scaling in AoE, this potency is lackluster in all areas.

Spirit Drain - Only non-potency conduit that provides a dps increase. Really nice to have a reward for successful interrupting.

Hardened Bones - Best defensive endurance option. Really nice to attach an extra damage reduction to Lichborne, transforming the spell into a proper extra defensive cooldown.

Reinforced Shell - Bigger and longer Anti-Magic Zone can be very useful in a raid setting!

death knight conduit pageSoulbindsPelagosSpirit DrainNadjiaExacting PreparationBreath of SindragosaLegendariesLegendary PowersPicking a LegendaryKoltira's FavorBreath of SindragosaObliterationBiting ColdRime

Death's Embrace - A purely defensive legendary which makes Anti-Magic Shell much more potent. Can see potential niche use when there are magic abilities that must be soaked, and a normal Anti-Magic Shell can't get the job done. It has a tiny offensive perk since it can allow for a greater amount of Runic Power generation.

Grip of the Everlasting - Providing a small utility increase through the decreased cooldown and an extra subsequent grip. This legendary will probably not see use in any end-game PVE situation for us. If you want lots of grips, you bring a Blood DK.

Phearomones - A significant damage increase connected to your Death and Decay makes the ability worthwhile to use in single target. A good legendary to pick up if you want something that works on all the DK specs.

Superstrain - This legendary provides us with both Virulent Plague and Blood Plague, both giving some damage (the extra DoTs are nerfed compared to their vanilla version) as a perk through Blood Plague. It heals you for all the damage it deals! Small note, the part of Virulent Plague the explodes on death is actually not nerfed in damage. It's therefore a bit more powerful that it probably should be. Generally a solid AoE legendary that also works well across specs!

Absolute Zero - An old Legion legendary has returned. A 50% cooldown reduction on Frostwyrm's Fury can play into very specific fights where it allows you to harvest the insane AoE burst of the ability. If a fight has adds showing up every 90 seconds, with very high priority, this legendary might be the play. The stun is a nice addition which has value mostly in M+.

Biting Cold - Inspired from Frozen Tempest with a % damage gain instead of a flat one, this legendary has a lot of potential in AoE. The free Rime has great potential since it sends off your burst with high damage and free DoT application. I think this will be the go-to legendary for Mythic + due to the big AoE gain.

Koltira's Favor - Another legendary power based off an old Legion legendary. It has great synergy with builds based off of Obliterate. Both because it increases Obliterate damage, but also because it generates lots of runes throughout a fight, resulting in more Obliterates. It also synergises really well with Breath of Sindragosa. You generally use Obliterate lots in your Breath of Sindragosa windows. The extra runes here will significantly increase the duration of Breath of Sindragosa! This legendary is the best single target legendary for all builds at the moment.

Rage of the Frozen Champion - This Legendary is essentially the T19 set-bonus of Nighthold baked into one. If you remember the durations of Breath of Sindragosa from those days, you should already know what this legendary synergises with. It's a significant boost to your duration of Breath of Sindragosa! This legendary is a strong contender to Koltira's Favor when it comes to breath duration increase. However, it falls a bit short of Koltira's Favor. It's still a great pick though!

Playstyle Issues2H vs DW balancingBreath of SindragosaObliterateMight of the Frozen WastesFrostscytheObliterateFrostscytheKilling MachineFrostscytheKilling MachineObliterateObliterateFrostscytheFrostscytheRazoriceFrostscytheFrostscytheFrostscytheObliterateEmpower Rune Weapon DesyncEmpower Rune WeaponPillar of FrostBreath of SindragosaEmpower Rune Weapon

Empower Rune Weapon - 15 seconds off the cooldown makes it 1 minute 45 seconds. Really doesn't give any power at all since you most likely hold it to gain the haste and Runic Power. Mostly the haste in Obliteration's case.

Accelerated Cold - 10% off the cooldown, making the ability 1 minut 34.5 seconds. Again, we'd most likely hold this for our cooldown windows, making the cooldown reduction insignificant. There is a possibility of using it on cooldown for builds that don't run Breath of Sindragosa. It still feels bad to not sync it with anything though.

Pillar of FrostPillar of FrostAccelerated ColdPillar of FrostEmpower Rune WeaponThe Withering of IcecapIcecapObliterationBreath of SindragosaIcecapIcecapFrostwhelp's IndignationConclusionObliterationBreath of SindragosaObliterationDeath's DueFrostwyrm's Fury

Comments

Comment by BarbdreamsGreat article summary of your super in depth videos. I really would prefer to 2H but now looking at the dual wield as I'll be doing BoS venthyr.Comment by ekidnaI leveled as 2H on the Beta, and, once you get the KM Rank 2 trait, Obliteration feels really good. It is a bit like Ret by feeding into cooldowns, but with a shorter cycle. I wish that Frostscythe (as mentioned) was better for 2H, and also a Glacial Advance buff would would be nice. Glacial Advance would give 2H a way to apply Razorice in AoE, which would help a bit...maybe... Or at least feel like you are funneling a bit more.Comment by PaulnutzBiceppumps dulcet tones could coax the panties off anyone who listened to itComment by AnjackRemoved remember how they said you'd choose your covenant based on story and looks? Psh.Comment by IceWolfDKHrm. Had contemplated a DK, but i had wished to commit to 2h, instead of feeling forced to go 1h x2 later on. So if its not competitive in the long run, yeah, no go.Comment by CyfaerasGod, I'm going to miss icecap. I love playing frost and just spamming out dragons, but doing the breath myself just seems so weird so I avoid that talent. Icecap has been an amazing time, hopefully blizz will work in the Frostwhelp. If not, obliteration is... fine.Comment by JorgesIt's sad for me that BoS sims higher on everything. It feels so weird and so un-death knight imo (spitting frozen mist makes me feel more like a spore than the avatar of death). I really hope that DW Obliteration catches up in AoE in the long run (1% behind BoS ST is OK imo. BoS is risky anyway). Even better if 2h gets better AoE, but you can't have everything in this game.Comment by RenolutionVery well written article! Defs makes me look forward to playing more Frost DK in SL.Comment by NekoEyesAww yea! Waited so long for this article! Thank you Bicepspump!Comment by spid3rs1God i hope i get to see the death of the BoS build during this lifetime...i really hope they will add a conduit with frostwhelp indignation and Icy Citadel in future patches,until then Obliteration it is.Comment by DurlotSo in all this guide the new rune weapon enchants are forgotten? Or are they just so meh that you still go Razorice/Fallen Crus?Comment by FulgrimEUSo in all this guide the new rune weapon enchants are forgotten? Or are they just so meh that you still go Razorice/Fallen Crus?

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