Unholy Death Knight PvP Guide - Shadowlands 9.2.7 (Archived)

By Skippee Updated: 2022/08/22

SkippeeTwitchTwitterArmoryUnholy Death Knight PvP OverviewUnholy Death Knight Strengths in PvPHigh Damage OutputVirulent PlagueNecrotic WoundsUnholy AssaultDark TransformationApocalypseRaise AbominationAbomination LimbUtility SpellsRaise DeadDark TransformationGnawLeapShambling RushMind FreezeDeath GripAsphyxiateGnawGnawAsphyxiateDark Transformationis Chains of IceChains of IcePsychic ScreamChains of IceStrong Against CastersAnti-Magic ShellAnti-Magic ZoneAnti-Magic ShellAnti-Magic ZoneAvenging WrathIcy VeinsCombustionArcane PowerDark Soul: MiserySpell EaterAnti-Magic ShellDeath's EmbraceExcellent Kiting AbilitiesDeath's AdvanceChains of IceChargeHamstringDeath's AdvanceDeath's AdvanceFleeting WindWraith WalkGreat Self-Healing AbilitiesDeath StrikeDeath PactLichborneDeath CoilLichbornePolymorphLichborneSapSacrificial PactDeath PactRaise DeadDark TransformationDeath CoilRaise AbominationNecrotic WoundsStrong Offensive Healing AbsorptionNecrotic WoundsScourge StrikeClawing ShadowsNecrotic StrikeUnholy Death Knight Weaknesses in PvPRune System DifficultyMobility IssuesWraith WalkSpell EaterDeath PactDeath GripChains of IceDeath GripLeg SweepIntimidating ShoutDeath GripChains of IceWeak Against MeleeIcebound FortitudeIcebound FortitudeChilled ResilienceUnholy Death Knight in Shadowlands Patch 9.2Patch Notes for Unholy:

Abomination Limb (Necrolord Ability) damage increased by 20%.

Abomination's Frenzy (Necrolord Runecarving Power) now increases enemy damage taken from the Death Knight by 20% (was 10%), and enemies affected by Abomination's Frenzy now also take increased damage from your Minions for the duration.

Final Sentence (Kyrian Runecarving Power) now grants 4% damage per stack (was 3%), duration reduced to 15 seconds (was 18 seconds), and now grants the Rune and Damage buff on the initial cast of Shackle the Unworthy (and again each time it spreads).

Rampant Transference (Night Fae Runecarving Power) Strength per stack of Death's Due increased by 3% (was 2%).

Convocation of the Dead (Conduit) now reduces the cooldown of Apocalypse by 1 second per burst at all ranks and now also increases damage by 15%.

Eternal Hunger (Conduit) increases Minion damage by 6% (was 3%).

Embrace Death (Conduit) causes Sudden Doom to increase Death Coil damage by 40% (was 35%).

Brutal Grasp (Conduit) increases Abomination Limb damage by 30% (was 15%).

Talents:Bursting SoresConvocation of the DeadUnholy BlightHarvest TimeHarvest TimeSoul ReaperSoul ReaperHarvest TimeSoul ReaperRacials:this linkSoul ReaperHarvest TimeGear:Harvest TimeHarvest TimeLegendaries:Frenzied MonstrosityAbomination's FrenzyEmbrace DeathDeath's CertaintyFrenzied MonstrosityHarbinger of DoomAbomination LimbBrutal GraspAbomination's FrenzyMemory of UnityAbomination LimbGuide OverviewTalents & RacialsRotations & StrategyGearCovenantsMacros & AddonsUnholy Death Knight in 9.1.5Death Coil damage increased by 30% in PvP combat:Embrace DeathDeath's CertaintyDeath CoilAbomination Limb(Necrolord Ability) no longer interrupts the Death Knight’s channeling abilities and no longer pulls stealthed enemies:FleshcraftAbomination LimbVirulent Plague damage increased by 30% in PvP combat:Lingering PlagueEbon FeverAbomination LimbSacrificial PactBursting SoresReanimated Shambler

Necrotic Wounds: This talent replaced Necrotic Strike and will help us do a lot more damage due to it working with every single way to burst our wounds. This includes Apocalypse, Scourge Strike/Clawing Shadows, and Death Coil with Doomburst.

: This is a great new talent that puts the actual rune, Rune of Spellwarding, on your weapon in addition to the one already enchanted.

Death's Echo: This talent can be extremely useful against many classes that can easily get away from you such as Mages with Blink/Shimmer, Monks with Roll or Transcendence, Druids with Wild Charge, and Locks with Demonic Circle: Teleport or Demonic Gateway.

Doomburst: This talent has a lot of synergy with Necrotic Wounds but may not get much use due to a lot of other talents being more important to choose. That being said, it could be a good pick in certain situations.

Strangulate: Having Strangulate back for Unholy feels great. It will most likely be taken every game unless you are playing with a class that already has a silence, like Shadow Priests.

Life and Death: This talent was reworked and now heals you for 5% of any healing received by targets affected by Virulent Plague instead of s (which it was doing before). This is a great change and in theory should provide more healing since it's easier to keep Virulent Plague up on multiple targets than s.

Next Page:
Talents and Racials

Comments

Comment by 1916219

Dear Sir,

Thanks for the detailed and well conceived guide !

There's one question I'd like to ask and if I could get an answer to this, I would be very pleased! :D
Should I use scourge strike in PvP (considering it to be a higher burst than converting the festering wounds) (ofc I understand why to use Necrotic strike)
I mean can I completely dismiss Scourge Strike then?(cuz Action bars and key bindings are pretty filled up^^) Or may there be situations where the little extra burst comes in Handy?
Furthermore if I use necrotic strike on an enemy who has already festering wounds on him, will they still do the popping damage(if converted to necrotic wounds) and therefore will I get the extra runic power?

Thanks in advance

Ratznfressa

Comment by Xoct

Needs Fix:

Multiple mentions of Unholy Mutation, this PvP talent was removed as of 8.1.

Comment by sawier

another useful macro I use is

#showtooltip Raise Abomination
/cast Raise Abomination

Comment by PissedReader

Dude did you even test what you are talking about?
How is Necromancer's Bargain of any use?
It does not refresh per HoT tick, only per spell, just as the description says. It is an absolute garbage. Test, then write.

Comment by Shadowbathed

I'd like to recommend a change to the Raise Abom macro, as the one you list does not swap between AOTD and Raise Abom.

If you use the same macro, but just replace it with Army of the Dead, it'll swap between them.

So if you just make it;

#showtooltip
/cast Army of the Dead

It'll swap between Abom and AOTD :) Hope this helps!

Comment by atticabox

Looks like virulent plague only lasts 7sec in arena.

Comment by trinketeer

that is how i know this guide is written by a gamer ;)

"Covenant abilities are great and each have their uses" , .. .
"We also have a wide assortment of Legendary items to choose from and they can all be used in different situations , "
the removal of corruption & introduction of the new, fresh set of 'building block' choices is super exciting ! very refreshing to see a genuine guide get this part right .. there is no 'bad' covenant for any class , and there is no 'bad' legendary , and there can be no '#1' all across the board - every encounter , every dungeon , every affix combination , every BG , every arena match , every secondary stat combination stumbled on during course of gearing . . thank you

Unholy Death Knight PvP Guide - Shadowlands 9.2.7 (Archived)

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