- Author: Nevermore
- Date: January 8, 2024
- Updated: January 10, 2024
- Expansion: WotLK Classic
In this section of the guide, we will help you choose the best equipment or alternatives that you can utilize for each of the different phases of the expansion. Having the Pre-raid tab contain items that you will want to acquire before you start any serious raiding!
This section of the guide will be divided into two parts: the first part of the section will have a simple BiS list. The second part of the section will have the best items along with all possible alternatives and extended explanations for their use.
Best-in-Slot
Alternative: Charged Titanium Specs
This will be your best option for this slot.
This will be your best option for this slot.
Alternative: Cloak of the Gushing Wound
This will be your best option for this slot.
Alternative: Golden Limb Bands
This will be your best option for this slot.
Alternative: Sharp-Barbed Leather Belt
This will be your best option for this slot.
Alternative: Rift Striders
This will be your best option for this slot.
Alternatives: Incisor Fragment & Sphere of Red Dragon’s Blood
Alternative: Edge of Oblivion
This will be your best option for this slot.
This will be your best option for this slot.
This will be your best option for this slot.
This will be your best option for this slot.
This will be your best option for this slot.
This will be your best option for this slot.
This will be your best option for this slot.
This will be your best option for this slot.
This will be your best option for this slot.
Alternative: Sabatons of Sudden Reprisal
This combination of rings will be your best option.
As an alternative, you can choose to swap Strong-Handed Ring with Ruthlessness.
This combination of trinkets will be your best option.
Alternative (Armor Penetration): Grim Toll & Darkmoon Card: Greatness
Alternative: Armageddon
Armageddon is a small bit weaker than Betrayer of Humanity, particularly if you’re an Orc. However, the two are close enough that you can safely use Armageddon for a while, specially if Betrayer of Humanity is being stubborn and refuses to drop.
This will be your best option for this slot.
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
Those will be the best options for the ring slots.
Alternatives:
There are several choices that you can make in regard to the best combination of trinkets.
Alternatives:
Those will be the best weapons for Dual-Wield.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot. This may be a competitive piece and a good spot to consider an alternate.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot. Four-piece tier bonus isn’t worth it for Morb spec, so we’ll try and pick up this chest piece instead.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
Those will be the best options for the ring slots.
Alternatives:
With new changes coming to Gargoyle and the removal of haste snapshotting, it’s difficult to determine the best trinkets. At this time, it appears that the best combination of trinkets going into Ulduar will be Darkmoon Card: Greatness and Comet’s Trail
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot. With Morb spec, we would rather dual-wield because of Nerves of Cold Steel; however, sometimes it may make sense to grab one of these two-handers while you secure your dual-wield set.
Alternatives:
Those will be the best weapons for Dual-Wield.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot. This may be a competitive piece and a good spot to consider an alternate.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
Those will be the best options for the ring slots.
Alternatives:
These will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
Those will be the best weapons for Dual-Wield.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
Those will be the best options for the ring slots.
Alternatives:
These will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
- Winding Sheet
- Heroic Saronite Gargoyle Cloak
- Heroic Shadowvault Slayer’s Cloak
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
- Polar Bear Claw Bracers
- Heroic Umbrage Armbands
- Heroic Bracers of the Heir
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
Those will be the best options for the ring slots.
Alternatives:
These will be the best option for this slot.
Alternatives:
Two-Handed Build Alternatives:
Dual-Wield Build Alternatives:
- Heroic Bloodvenom Blade
- Heroic Gutbuster
- Heroic Scourgeborne Waraxe
This will be the best option for this slot.
Alternative for the Dual-Wield Build: 
Sigil of Virulence
Progressive Best-in Slot
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Halls of Lightning – Loken (Heroic) |
As a fresh level 80, you have several choices for your head slot. You have two possible options for finding adequate gear, you can either buy Spiked Titansteel Helm from the Auction House or create Charged Titanium Specs if you are an Engineer. Those items are quite strong and will allow you to prepare for 25-man raids easily. From a pure DPS perspective, Spiked Titansteel Helm performs better than the Engineering counterpart.
If you choose not to craft or buy any of those items, you can simply follow a progressive dungeon adventure for gathering your items. The best possible choice will come from the new Heroic Plus Dungeons and is represented by the Heroes’ Scourgeborne Helmet. This grants you the best combination of Hit Rating, Critical Strike Chance, and decent base stats.
Titan’s Outlook is another decent alternative, however, it has no slots for a meta gem, meaning that it won’t bring you an optimal DPS output. Still, a better choice than the Planetary Helm.
A pretty decent choice to start with before you can actually get in any Heroic Plus Dungeons will be the Planetary Helm, that is if you decide to not buy the Spiked Titansteel Helm.
Pre-Raid
Item | Source |
The Obsidian Sanctum – Sartharion (25) | |
Naxxramas – Kel’Thuzad (25) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Your Pre-Raid options will often be defined by the BiS items from the previous raid tiers, and any other new dungeons or raid BoE items that arrive with the new phase.
For the first weeks of Phase 2, the Obsidian Greathelm will be the best possible choice that will aid you in reaching your Expertise soft cap and grant the best DPS output. However, you will find yourself quickly replacing it with an Ulduar helmet.
The next-best choice from a pure DPS output perspective will be the Valorous Scourgeborne Helmet. Depending on how many other tier set items you have, the 4-item tier set bonus alone will place this item quite high on your list, besides its high baseline stats. Naturally, you will want to reserve this slot for the Obsidian Greathelm, however, you can use it to activate the 4-item set bonus instead.
As valid alternatives, Helm of the Unsubmissive and Heroes’ Scourgeborne Helmet come very close in DPS output, even with the difference between their secondary stats. Naturally, you will want items with Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating or Critical Strike Chance/Armor Penetration as secondary stats, however, items such as the Helm of the Unsubmissive will be crucial for their Hit Rating.
The Spiked Titansteel Helm can still bring you a very solid DPS output, even if it pales in comparison to the rest of the items. The most attractive quality of this item is that you can directly buy it, allowing you to bypass some of the item grind. The 60 Hit Rating granted by this item will also be crucial since we depend on the 17% Spell Hit Rating as an Unholy Death Knight.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Thorim (25) | |
Ulduar – Flame Leviathan (25) | |
Ulduar – Mimiron (10) HM | |
Ulduar – Thorim (25) |
In our current build, the best possible item will be the Warhelm of the Champion. This is mainly due to the high baseline stats in combination with a high Hit Rating and Critical Strike Chance. Even if the item does not provide any Armor Penetration like the tier set item does, it compliments your Hit Rating and Critical Strike Chance perfectly.
The next-best option from a pure DPS output perspective will be the Iron Riveted War Helm for the same reason. Even if it brings you Haste Rating instead of Critical Strike Chance, the Hit Rating itself allows you to use your gems/enchantments for Strength and Attack Power.
Both Mimiron’s Flight Goggles and Conqueror’s Darkruned Helmet are very similar in DPS output, having a 350-400 DPS difference between them and the Warhelm of the Champion. Since Warhelm of the Champion is highly contested, you may want to use either of them until you can get the upgrade. Even if Conqueror’s Darkruned Helmet provides Armor Penetration, since the stat itself is quite scarce in the second phase of the expansion, it won’t bring you a valuable DPS output because of its scarcity. This is also true even if you combine Armor Penetration items with trinkets such as Mjolnir Runestone.
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Thorim (25) | |
Ulduar – Flame Leviathan (25) | |
Ulduar – Thorim (25) | |
Ulduar – Mimiron (10) HM |
In our Morb build, the best possible item will be the Warhelm of the Champion. This is mainly due to the high baseline stats in combination with a high Hit Rating and Critical Strike Chance. We don’t need 4p Tier, so we don’t have to worry about using this slot for our set bonus.
Iron Riveted War Helm is our second option since it lacks the more significant stat contribution from Warhelm of the Champion.
Conqueror’s Darkruned Helmet and Mimiron’s Flight Goggles are very close in comparison; the tier helmet comes out on top as its Strength is more optimized.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Utgarde Pinnacle – King Ymiron | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Violet Hold – Xevozz (Heroic) |
As a fresh level 80, you have several choices for your necklace slot. The most accessible option if you have the right amount of gold will be the Titanium Impact Choker, granting you a high DPS output due to the Armor Penetration Rating it offers.
However, if you can not gain it, you have several other choices, some of them being even better, especially with the addition of the new Heroic Plus Dungeons. Normally, you will have to progressively upgrade your necklace if you choose to not buy the Titanium Impact Choker. The most realistic path is to start with items such as Necklace of Arcane Spheres and Gold Amulet of Kings which grant you a decent DPS output until you can get an upgrade.
The best possible option for you will be the Gem of Imprisoned Vassals, granting you a solid DPS output for 25-man raids. This is especially due to the high baseline stats and the combination of Haste Rating and Critical Strike Chance as secondary stats. Even if this necklace does not grant any Armor Penetration, the high Critical Strike Chance granted compensates for it.
As a valid alternative to the Gem of Imprisoned Vassals, you can use the Collar of Dissolution. It will grant you similar DPS output, being a far better option if you severely lack Hit Rating and Expertise Rating. You should always choose this item in case you did not manage to gain any other Hit Rating/Expertise Rating items.
Pre-Raid
Item | Source |
The Eye of Eternity – Heroic Judgement at the Eye of Eternity | |
The Eye of Eternity – Judgement at the Eye of Eternity | |
Naxxramas – Multiple Bosses | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Naxxramas – Sapphiron (25) |
Your Pre-Raid options will often be defined by the BiS items from the previous raid tiers, and any other new dungeons or raid BoE items that arrive with the new phase.
The best possible choice before entering Ulduar will be the Favor of the Dragon Queen. Its high baseline stats combined with a high Critical Strike Chance and high Armor Penetration will provide the best DPS output. The only situation in which this item won’t bring you the best DPS output is a lack of Hit Rating and Expertise Rating. Pendant of the Dragonsworn is the next-best choice from a DPS output perspective, being the lesser version of Favor of the Dragon Queen
Even if Armor Penetration doesn’t give the best value early in the expansion, the items themselves still produce quite a high DPS output.
Fool’s Trial is a very good alternative, especially if you have issues with Hit Rating and you still want to maintain a solid DPS output. The overall DPS difference between Fool’s Trial and Favor of the Dragon Queen is entirely dependent on the amount of Hit Rating you already have. The difference itself is very low.
As valid alternatives, you can use either Gem of Imprisoned Vassals or Icy Blast Amulet as both will grant you the same type of stats which results in a solid DPS output. The Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating combination will often bring you the best DPS output!
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (10) | |
Ulduar – Hodir (25) | |
Ulduar – General Vezax (25) | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) |
The best possible option for this slot for Phase 2 depends entirely on your current Hit Rating. If your build is optimized in a way in which you do not require Hit Rating anymore, the best possible choice will be the Strength of the Heavens necklace. In case your Hit Rating is not perfectly optimized, you will want to use Frigid Strength of Hodir as your BiS necklace. Their damage output is extremely similar, making the stat optimization the only valid difference.
As another valid alternative, you can use the Pendulum of Infinity, however, due to the Agility baseline stat, it will provide you with a lower DPS output. Still, this is a perfect alternative in case either of the first two options is not available at all.
Lastly, you can use the Seed of Budding Carnage, however, the baseline stats are rather weak compared to the rest of the stats. Since our build has enough Hit Rating, this item will flourish more in cases where you lack Hit Rating. The Armor Penetration granted by the item itself is not amazing either.
Frigid Strength of Hodir is technically better for us than Strength of the Heavens; however, if we have an excess of hit rating, Strength of the Heavens can be a better option.
Spiked Battleguard Choker is an excellent option to remember, as it can quickly be purchased if you have badges to spare.
Finally, Pendant of a Thousand Maws has well-optimized stats for us, making it a solid supplemental piece from 10 man.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Naxxramas – Instructor Razuvious (25) BoE | |
Gundrak – Slad’ran (Heroic) | |
The Sons of Hodir – Revered |
As a fresh level 80, you have several choices for your shoulders slot. You can either directly buy a BoE item such as Trollwoven Spaulders or Spaulders of Egotism to boost your stats by a large amount directly or you can start a slow dungeon crawl and progressively upgrade your items.
Spaulders of Egotism will grant you a very high DPS boost straight off the bat, especially due to the Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating combination while Trollwoven Spaulders will be a great choice if you attempt to reach the Expertise soft cap fast.
You can start with either Snake Den Spaulders or Spaulders of the Giant Lords as they both grant you decent baseline stats and secondary stats, however, you will want to get upgrades as soon as possible.
The best possible option will be the Heroes’ Scourgeborne Shoulderplates, as it grants you good baseline stats, decent Hit Rating, and Critical Strike while it also grants you access to the tier set bonuses. A similar alternative will be the Shoulderplates of Bloodshed granting you similar stats and quite a similar DPS output.
Pre-Raid
Item | Source |
Naxxramas – Loatheb, Gluth (25) | |
Naxxramas – Zone Drop (25) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Naxxramas – Gluth, Noth the Plaguebringer (25) |
Your Pre-Raid options will often be defined by the BiS items from the previous raid tiers, and any other new dungeons or raid BoE items that arrive with the new phase.
The best possible option for this slot during the Pre-Raid phase will be the Valorous Scourgeborne Shoulderplates, granting you a combination of high stats, a decent Hit Rating, and a High Critical Strike Chance. This item also grants you access to the 4-item tier set bonus, which will provide you with the best DPS output.
The next-best alternative will be the Shoulderguards of the Undaunted, granting you a high Hit Rating and high baseline stats. In some situations, this item may be even more powerful than the tier-set item due to the massive Hit Rating that it offers.
Both Heroes’ Scourgeborne Shoulderplates and the Shoulderguards of Opportunity are perfectly valid alternatives before breaching the gates of Ulduar, granting you a very similar DPS output. Even if Armor Penetration is not the strongest stat that you can obtain in the second phase of the expansion, it will still boost your overall DPS output if you already have enough Hit Rating/Expertise Rating.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (25) | |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (10) | |
Ulduar – Thorim (10) NM/HM | |
Ulduar – Auriaya (25) | |
Ulduar – Steelbreaker (25) |
The best option for this slot is Conqueror’s Darkruned Shoulderplates. This is mainly due to the tier-set bonus and the high stats it offers. The 4-set item bonus is extremely important for the second phase of the expansion, as it massively amplifies Scourge Strike and Death Strike.
The next best option is Shoulderplates of the Celestial Watch. It provides you with 2 sockets, a considerable amount of raw stats, Critical Strike Chance, and Armor Penetration. From a pure DPS output perspective, you may want to use this item instead of the T8 set item until you manage to acquire all 4 set pieces.
Valorous Darkruned Shoulderplates and Shoulderplates of the Eternal come quite close to the Shoulderplates of the Celestial Watch, providing you with a solid alternative in case you are unlucky with the drop rate or simply waiting in line to get an upgrade. While it does not provide you with any Armor Penetration, it still grants you high enough stats to give you a decent DPS output.
Lastly, you may use Shoulderpads of the Intruder, however, they provide a lower damage output than the other items listed before it. It is also an item highly contested by other classes and specializations, but if no one else needs it, you may confidently use it until you get an upgrade.
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (25) | |
Ulduar – Thorim (10) NM/HM | |
Ulduar – Auriaya (25) | |
Ulduar – Steelbreaker (25) |
Our Morb talent build does benefit from 2p tier set bonus, and luckily Conqueror’s Darkruned Shoulderplates offer us the best DPS in this slot, so it makes sense for us to take Tier for our shoulder piece.
Valorous Darkruned Shoulderplates is slightly better than Shoulderplates of the Eternal, as haste is still valuable to our gargoyle.
Shoulderpads of the Intruder will work if they become available, but they are our lowest priority option as they are more optimized for leather-wearing classes.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Gundrak – Zone Drop (BoE) | |
As a fresh level 80, you have several choices for your cloak slot. You can either grind your items in dungeons or you can directly buy BoE items.
Depending on your luck in finding items on the AH, you can either buy Ice Striker’s Cloak or Cloak of Bloodied Waters as they are both great starting options. While they may not bring you the best DPS output, they will be easily affordable items, depending on your realm economy.
With the addition of the new Heroic Plus Dungeons, you can either get Cloak of Mastery or Cloak of Darkening as your best options before a 25-man raid. The Cloak of Mastery will be the best choice if you severely lack Hit Rating while the Cloak of Darkening will grant you a better DPS output if you already have your 8% soft Hit cap.
Pre-Raid
Item | Source |
Naxxramas – Kel’Thuzad (25) | |
Naxxramas – Zone Drop | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) |
Your Pre-Raid options will often be defined by the BiS items from the previous raid tiers, and any other new dungeons or raid BoE items that arrive with the new phase.
The Drape of the Deadly Foe will remain the best possible choice for this slot as it grants you the best DPS output. The combination of high baseline stats and high secondary stats such as Critical Strike Chance and Haste Rating will grant you the best DPS output out of all the other options.
As the second-best option, the Hammerhead Sharkskin Cloak will grant you similar DPS output. It is worthwhile to mention that all other options are direct downgrades, each offering a lower DPS output.
While both Aged Winter Cloak and Cloak of Darkening grant Armor Penetration, it won’t bring you considerable amounts of value due to how badly Armor Penetration scales for Unholy Death Knight early in the expansion.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Ulduar – General Vezax (10) | |
Ulduar – Heroic: All is Well That Ends Well | |
Ulduar – Razorscale (25) | |
Ulduar – All is Well That Ends Well |
The best choice by far for this slot is the Drape of the Faceless General. It grants you two gem sockets, a high Critical Strike Chance, and a high Armor Penetration rating. Even if Armor Penetration does not grant the best damage output, the overall stats of the item will bring you the best DPS output.
As the next-best alternative, Drape of the Skyborn will provide you with a similar DPS output. This is mainly due to the difference in baseline stats, this item granting you Strength instead of Agility, even if it has stats such as Hit Rating.
Both Drape of the Drakerider and Drape of the Skyherald grant you very similar damage in terms of DPS output, with a very slight difference of 20-30 DPS. The Drape of the Skyherald will be a better choice if you severely lack Hit Rating.
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Heroic: All is Well That Ends Well | |
Ulduar – Hodir (25) HM | |
Ulduar – All is Well That Ends Well | |
Ulduar – Ignis the Furnace Master |
Drape of the Skyborn is our best bet; it has a high item level and decent stats.
Drape of Icy Intent is slightly less damage, as it gives Agility instead of Strength.
Drape of the Skyherald is the 10-man equivalent of Drape of the Skyborn, so it has fewer stats.
Since there will be a lot of demand for quest reward Cloaks, Drape of Fuming Anger is a good 10-man supplement.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former The Obsidian Sanctum 10 Drop) | |
Ahn’Kahet: The Old Kingdom – Prince Taldaram (Heroic) | |
Drak’Tharon Keep – Novos the Summoner (Heroic) |
As a fresh level 80, you have several choices for your chest slot. Since there are no possible BoE items for this slot, you will want to go through a progressive item hunt from Normal Dungeons, Heroic Dungeons, and the brand-new Heroic Plus Dungeons.
The best possible choice will be the Heroes’ Scourgeborne Battleplate, especially due to the access to the tier-set bonuses. However, until you can manage to get into the new Heroic Plus Dungeons, you will want to start with items such as the Breastplate of Undeath or Bonegrinder Breastplate from Heroic Dungeons which grant you a very solid baseline start. Depending on your current needs, you will either want to pick items with Hit Rating and Expertise if you are severely lacking or items with Critical Strike Chance, Haste Rating, and Armor Penetration if you are hitting the soft caps.
Either the Blade-Scarred Tunic or the Chestplate of the Risen Soldier are great choices before managing to get your hands on the tier 7 chest.
Pre-Raid
Item | Source |
Naxxramas – Four Horseman, Gluth (25) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Naxxramas -Sapphiron (25) | |
The Eye of Eternity – Malygos (25) | |
Naxxramas -Maexxna (25) |
Your Pre-Raid options will often be defined by the BiS items from the previous raid tiers, and any other new dungeons or raid BoE items that arrive with the new phase.
The best possible choice will be the Valorous Scourgeborne Battleplate due to the high baseline stats and secondary stats it offers while also granting you access to the 4-item set bonus. As for possible alternatives, it all depends on how your Hit Rating and Expertise Rating present themselves. Naturally, the Heroes’ Scourgeborne Battleplate, will be the next best choice as it is a simple downgrade of the main item.
Besides the tier set items, the Breastplate of Frozen Pain will grant you the best possible DPS output due to the high baseline stats, gem sockets, and high Critical Strike Chance. This item will be better once you manage to have enough Hit Rating and Expertise Rating!
Both Chestguard of the Recluse and Undiminished Battleplate will be solid choices, especially if you lack Expertise Rating/Hit Rating. However, once you reach enough Hit Rating/Expertise Rating, those two items won’t bring you the best possible DPS outcome.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Hodir (25) | |
Ulduar – Thorim (25) HM | |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (10) | |
Ulduar – Runemaster Molgeim, Steelbreaker, Stormcaller Brundir (25) |
The best option for this slot is Conqueror’s Darkruned Battleplate. This is mainly due to the tier-set bonus but also because of the high stats it offers. The 4-set item bonus is extremely important for the second phase of the expansion, as it massively amplifies Scourge Strike and Death Strike.
The next-best option in terms of pure DPS output will be Embrace of the Gladiator. Due to the 3 gem sockets, high baseline stats, and Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating as secondary stats, this item grants very similar DPS output to the Conqueror’s Darkruned Battleplate. However, if you severely lack Expertise Rating, this choice will actually dampen your DPS instead of enhancing it.
Valorous Darkruned Battleplate and Steelbreaker’s Embrace both grant you very similar stats and DPS output, making either choice perfectly viable before attaining Conqueror’s Darkruned Battleplate. This is due to the high Critical Strike Chance combined with a high Expertise Rating. You will generally want to obtain items with an Expertise Rating since our build generally lacks an Expertise Rating. One way to complement this issue is through using Expertise Rating gems.
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Auriaya (10) | |
Ulduar – Hodir (25) | |
Ulduar – Thorim (25) HM | |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (10) | |
Ulduar – XT-002 Deconstructor (10) | |
Ulduar – Runemaster Molgeim, Steelbreaker, Stormcaller Brundir (25) |
Chestplate of Titanic Fury will offer us the best damage, but Conqueror’s Darkruned Battleplate is only 30 DPS less, while Embrace of the Gladiator is only 32 DPS less.
Chestplate of Vicious Potency has excellent stats and at least one socket, so this is a good solution from 10-man between getting Tier chest or one of the other pieces.
While our Tier chest isn’t the best item for this slot, it is worth considering putting it here to get our 2p bonus.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
60 Emblem of Valor BoE | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
60 Emblem of Valor BoE | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Violet Hold – Zone Drop BoE |
As a fresh level 80, you have several choices for your bracers slot. The good news for a fresh 80-character is that there are many BoE items that can be directly acquired from the Auction House granting you an amazing damage boost. The best possible option you can get “on your hands” will be the Wristbands of the Sentinel Huntress, offering you a good amount of Critical Strike Chance and Expertise Rating. Alternatively, you can get Wristwraps of the Cutthroat if you have enough Expertise Rating.
If you have little to no gold and you still wish to acquire a decent BoE item, you can gain the Cast Iron Shackles.
If you do not wish to gain BoE items and skip a part of the gearing process, you can gain some pretty neat items with the addition of the Heroic Plus Dungeons. The Bracers of Lost Sentiments have a similar DPS output to the Wristbands of the Sentinel Huntress while the Cuffs of Dark Shadows make for an alright initial choice.
Pre-Raid
Your Pre-Raid options will often be defined by the BiS items from the previous raid tiers, and any other new dungeons or raid BoE items that arrive with the new phase.
All of the above-mentioned items are actually quite similar in DPS output, with the Bracers of Unrelenting Attack bringing the best DPS output in our current setup. Depending on your current stats, you may either need to keep the Bracers of Unrelenting Attack for increased Hit Rating or swap to the Wristbands of the Sentinel Huntress for increased Expertise Rating.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Mimiron (25) | |
Ulduar – Hodir (10) | |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (25) | |
Ulduar – Kologarn (25) |
The best possible choice for an Unholy Death Knight in Phase 2 will be the Armbands of Bedlam. This is mainly due to the high baseline stats, combined with the gem sockets and Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating secondary stats combo. Even if the item does not grant any Armor Penetration, the raw stats certainly make up for it.
As the next-best option, you can use the Bitter Cold Armguards for a solid DPS output. This is mainly due to the high Critical Strike Chance combined with Armor Penetration, even if the Armor Penetration itself does not scale perfectly with Unholy Death Knights in the second phase of the expansion.
The Solar Bindings will provide a similar DPS output to the Bitter Cold Armguards, mainly due to the item providing you with an Expertise Rating and overall high baseline stats. The DPS difference is quite low.
Lastly, Decimator’s Armguards can be a decent choice, providing you with both Hit Rating and Armor Penetration, however, since Unholy Death Knights don’t scale so well with Armor Penetration this early in the expansion, the item itself won’t grant you the best possible DPS output. You will want to grab this item until you can get your hands on an upgrade.
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Mimiron (25) | |
Ulduar – Kologarn (25) | |
Naxxramas – Gothik the Harvester, Gluth (25) | |
Ulduar – Hodir (10) | |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (25) |
Armbands of Bedlam are our best choice for bracers; high baseline stats optimized for our Morb build and a juicy Red socket put this piece above everything else.
Our middle three options are comparable and are in a range of 10 DPS from each other. If you managed to pick up Bracers of Unrelenting Attack in Phase 1, you could keep this equipt.
Solar Bindings are viable but could be more optimized as they are Agility based.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Naxxramas – Four Horseman (25) BoE | |
Naxxramas – Sapphiron (25) BoE | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
The Oculus – Cache of Eregos (Heroic) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Violet Hold – Cyanigosa (Heroic) |
As a fresh level 80, you have several choices for your gloves slot. Depending on how much gold you acquired on your journey or if you are on an “Alt”, you may want to acquire Zeliek’s Gauntlets directly as it grants you the best possible DPS output, granting you much-needed Expertise Rating along with a decent amount of Haste Rating and high baseline stats. You can also acquire the Gloves of Fast Reactions to achieve a similar result, with the only difference being the loss of Expertise over Critical Strike Chance.
Alternatively, if you do not have enough gold to gain any of the previously mentioned items, you will want to go through a normal dungeon crawl and obtain progressive items. The best alternative to the BoE items will be the Heroes’ Scourgeborne Gauntlets, especially if you manage to activate the 4-item set bonus. Any other item can be considered a direct downgrade. However, even if they are considered downgrades, each of them has its own role in your progressive path.
Pre-Raid
Item | Source |
The Obsidian Sanctum – Sartharion (25) | |
Naxxramas – Patchwerk (25) | |
The Eye of Eternity – Malygos (25) | |
Naxxramas – Four Horseman (25) BoE |
Your Pre-Raid options will often be defined by the BiS items from the previous raid tiers, and any other new dungeons or raid BoE items that arrive with the new phase.
Your Pre-Raid options will often be defined by the BiS items from the previous raid tiers, and any other new dungeons or raid BoE items that arrive with the new phase. The best option from a DPS output perspective will be the Valorous Scourgeborne Gauntlets. This is due to its high baseline stats combined with the access to the 4-item set bonus.
Crude Discolored Battlegrips will provide the next-best alternative, especially because it grants the same type of stats as the tier-set item.
Zeliek’s Gauntlets and Frosted Adroit Handguards as they both have similar DPS output. Zeliek’s Gauntlets are especially good if your build severely lacks Expertise Rating while Frosted Adroit Handguards are a lot better in builds that lack Hit Rating.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Mimiron (25) NM/HM | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) NM/HM | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) | |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (10) | |
Ulduar – General Vezax (10) |
The best option for this slot is Conqueror’s Darkruned Gauntlets. This is mainly due to the tier-set bonus but also because of the high stats it offers. The 4-set item bonus is extremely important for the second phase of the expansion, as it massively amplifies Scourge Strike and Death Strike. Naturally, the next-best option will be the Valorous Darkruned Gauntlets since it grants you similar stats and access to the same bonuses.
Gauntlets of Ruthless Reprisal will be the best alternative besides the tier-set items, granting you high baseline stats and a Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating.
Either Gloves of the Endless Dark or the Gauntlets of the Wretched will provide great initial choices due to the Hit Rating and baseline stats they offer, however, you will want to swap them as fast as possible.
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Mimiron (25) NM/HM | |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (10) | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) NM/HM | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) |
Tier gloves are our best piece here, which makes it optimal to have equipt for our 2p set bonus.
Gloves of the Endless Dark has a couple of sockets, making it a solid choice despite being Agility based.
Valorous Darkruned Gauntlets has a socket that lets it make up for the Strength it lacks compared to Gauntlets of Ruthless Reprisal. However, Gauntlets of Ruthless Reprisal is a good choice over the 10-man tier if you don’t need the hit.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
The Nexus – Keristrasza (Heroic) | |
Utgarde Keep – Prince Keleseth (Heroic) | |
Utgarde Keep – Ingvar the Plunderer (Heroic) | |
Halls of Lightning – General Bjarngrim (Heroic) |
As a fresh level 80, you have several choices for your waist slot.
You can either get Verdungo’s Barbarian Cord once you gather enough Emblem of Heroism for the most optimal DPS output or you can have an easy start and buy the Trollwoven Girdle for a decent damage output until you can get an upgrade.
Flame-Bathed Steel Girdle and Strategist’s Belt are both amazing initial choices due to the high baseline stats they offer and the gem sockets. Additionally, as an Unholy Death Knight you will scale perfectly with either Haste Rating or Critical Strike Chance in the second phase of the expansion.
The General’s Steel Girdle and the Sharp-Barbed Leather Belt are also great choices depending on your current need. The Sharp-Barbed Leather Belt will be a lot better than The General’s Steel Girdle once you manage to get an 8% Hit Chance.
Pre-Raid
Item | Source |
Naxxrama – Grobbulus (25) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas10 Drop) | |
Naxxrama – Instructor Razuvious (25) | |
Naxxrama – Patchwerk, Gluth (25) | |
Naxxrama – Gluth, Heigan the Unclean (25) |
Your Pre-Raid options will often be defined by the BiS items from the previous raid tiers, and any other new dungeons or raid BoE items that arrive with the new phase.
The best possible choice during the Pre-Raid phase will be the Girdle of Chivalry. This is due to its high baseline stats but also for the Hit Rating it grants. Similarly, the Girdle of the Ascended Phantom grants a very similar DPS output due to the Hit Rating it grants in our current setup.
If you managed to get Hit Rating from different items than the set we have prepared for you, you can use the Girdle of Razuvious as the next-best alternative, especially since it grants a high amount of Expertise Rating.
Lastly, you can use either Belt of the Tortured or Stalk-Skin Belt for a solid DPS output, however, you will want to swap them as fast as possible. The Belt of the Tortured is especially good if you severely lack Hit Rating.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Steelbreaker (25) | |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (10) | |
Ulduar – Ignis the Furnace Master (25) | |
Belt of Colossal Rage is the best choice for this slot, especially due to the high Critical Strike Chance it offers and the 2 sockets paired up with it. Since Frost Death Knights are heavily reliant on Critical Strike Chance, you will want to favor this item, despite its lack of Armor Penetration.
Starfall Girdle is the next best choice as it provides the closest DPS output compared to Belt of Colossal Rage. This item is also heavily recommended if you struggle with your Expertise Rating.
Belt of the Titans is an extraordinary early choice if you have enough gold in your pockets to acquire it from a Blacksmith or the Auction House. It provides you with ample Critical Strike Chance, Expertise Rating, raw stats, and 2 socket slots. However, it is inferior to the previous two choices.
If you do not have enough gold for Belt of the Titans or if you are unlucky with the first two items, you should use Girdle of Embers, as it is quite a strong choice, especially for the beginning. It grants high Armor Penetration and Critical Strike Chance.
Lastly, the Belt of the Singing Blade provides a great initial choice offering you decent baseline stats and a good amount of Hit Rating until you can get your hands on an upgrade.
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Steelbreaker (25) | |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (10) | |
Ulduar – Ignis the Furnace Master (25) |
Belt of Colossal Rage wins due to raw stats and two sockets.
Starfall Girdle is a solid runner-up and offers us sockets that Belt of the Singing Blade doesn’t.
Belt of the Titans & Girdle of Embers has a further drop off in damage; Belt of the Titans at least has sockets, but this crafted item may be cost-prohibitive, especially early in the phase.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former The Obsidian Sanctum 10 Drop) | |
Utgarde Keep – Ingvar the Plunderer (Heroic) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas10 Drop) | |
The Culling of Stratholme – Meathook (Heroic) | |
The Oculus – Varos Cloudstrider |
As a fresh level 80, you have several choices for your legs slot. Since there is no BoE item that you can buy for this slot, you will have to go through a progressive dungeon crawl in order to get some great items.
From a pure DPS output perspective, both Heroes’ Scourgeborne Legplates and Belabored Legplates grant you very similar DPS output. However, the Heroes’ Scourgeborne Legplates are better if you manage to activate the item set bonuses. The Belabored Legplates will be a great initial choice by fulfilling your need for Hit Rating while also granting you high baseline stats and a decent amount of Critical Strike Chance besides its 2 gem sockets.
However, in order to get those items, you will need enough gear to enter the new Heroic Plus Dungeons. Until you can get into the new dungeons, you will want to use items such as the Staggering Legplates, Legplates of Steel Implants, and Legplates of the Oculus Guardian to boost your initial stats.
You will want to prioritize items such as the Staggering Legplates and the Legplates of the Oculus Guardian initially since they grant you a very high Hit Rating that will help you achieve your 8% soft cap as fast as possible.
Pre-Raid
Item | Source |
Naxxramas – Thaddius, Gluth (25) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas10 Drop) | |
Naxxramas – Instructor Razuvious (25) | |
The Obsidian Sanctum – Sartharion (25) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former The Obsidian Sanctum 10 Drop) |
Your Pre-Raid options will often be defined by the BiS items from the previous raid tiers, and any other new dungeons or raid BoE items that arrive with the new phase.
Valorous Scourgeborne Legplates will grant you the best DPS output, mainly due to the high baseline stats, the combination of Critical Strike Chance and Haste Rating as secondary stats, and the access to the 4-item set bonus. Naturally, the Heroes’ Scourgeborne Legplates will grant you the next-best option since it grants you the exact same type of stats.
Another great option from a DPS output perspective will be the Legplates of Double Strikes, providing very similar damage to the Valorous Scourgeborne Legplates. Even if Armor Penetration is by far a better stat than Haste Rating, the 4-item set bonus grants a better damage output than the raw Armor Penetration granted by the Legplates of Double Strikes.
There are two other possible viable alternatives, however, specifically Leggings of the Honored stands out. This item will be specifically powerful if you fail to gain other items that provide you with a Hit Rating. The Belabored Legplates grant you a very similar DPS output, granting you a DPS only 20-30 lower than the Leggings of the Honored.
Best-in-Slot
The best possible choice for our “Legs” slot during Phase 2 will be the Conqueror’s Darkruned Legplates. This is due to the high baseline stats and the combination of high Critical Strike Chance and Haste Rating. Besides the high stats granted by the item itself, it also grants you access to the tier-set bonuses which will severely boost your overall damage.
The next-best option if you decide to use this slot as your off-piece slot will be the Plated Leggings of Ruination granting you very similar stats to the tier-set item. Similar to Plated Leggings of Ruination, the Legplates of the Violet Champion grant you the same type of stats, presenting itself as a very valid alternative.
Lastly, you can use the Legguards of Cunning Deception as a strong alternative due to its very high baseline stats and high Critical Strike Chance combined with high Armor Penetration. Even if the item does grant high baseline stats, it won’t be better than the tier set item!
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Flame Leviathan (25) | |
Ulduar – Mimiron (25) HM | |
Ulduar – XT-002 Deconstructor (25) | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) HM |
Plated Leggings of Ruination wins our top spot due to raw stats and three sockets that no other piece can offer.
Surprisingly Fused Alloy Legplates aren’t too far behind, so they may be a good choice, as plate DPS will highly contest Plated Leggings of Ruination.
Clockwork Legplates & Legplates of the Violet Champion are virtually identical, so your choice should be based on whether you need hit from Clockwork Legplates.
Tier is viable and is only a few DPS less than the above two choices; while we want the two-piece set bonus, there are better choices to fill those slots.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Naxxramas – Gluth, Heigan the Unclean (25) (BoE) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas10 Drop) | |
Violet Hold – Zuramat the Obliterator (Heroic) | |
Knights of the Ebon Blade – Exalted |
As a fresh level 80 Unholy Death Knight, you have several choices for the “Boots” slot. The best item you can gain right after reaching level 80 will be the Iron-Spring Jumpers since it is a BoE. It provides you with a high Hit Rating which will specifically aid you at the beginning of your gearing process while it will also grant you a high amount of Armor Penetration.
Besides the BoE choice, you have other several good alternatives that can be gained from dungeon crawling. With the addition of the new Heroic Plus Dungeons, the next best alternative will be the Ravaging Sabatons due to the high baseline stats and Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating secondary stats combination.
Alternatively, until you can get in the new Heroic Plus Dungeons, you will want to start with either The Obliterator Greaves from Heroic Dungeons or the Death-Inured Sabatons from The Knights of the Ebon Blade reputation farm.
Pre-Raid
Item | Source |
The Eye of Eternity – Malygos (25) | |
Naxxramas – Anub’Rekhan (25) | |
Naxxramas – Gluth, Heigan the Unclean (25) (BoE) |
Your Pre-Raid options will often be defined by the BiS items from the previous raid tiers, and any other new dungeons or raid BoE items that arrive with the new phase.
The best possible choice will be the Melancholy Sabatons! This is due to the high baseline stats and high Critical Strike Chance/Armor Penetration secondary stat combination. Even if Armor Penetration is not the best stat early on for an Unholy Death Knight, the sheer amount of it will compensate for the lack of Haste Rating.
The Sabatons of Sudden Reprisal are very close in DPS output to the Melancholy Sabatons due to the Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating secondary stat combination and the gem socket it offers.
Either Bladed Steelboots or Iron-Spring Jumpers will be great initial choices for the beginning of Ulduar, especially since they can help you cover any issue with Hit Rating.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (25) | |
Ulduar – General Vezax (25) | |
Leatherworking | |
Ulduar – Multiple Bosses (25) |
Sabatons of Lifeless Night is arguably the best choice for this item slot. While it does not grant you Armor Penetration, it provides two sockets for free use, a high rating of Critical Strike Chance, and a high rating of Haste. You can choose to use either 2x Strength gems or 2x Armor Penetration gems to fully empower the item.
The next-best alternative will be the Boots of the Underdweller, being an especially great choice if you severely lack Hit Rating. However, if you already have enough Hit Rating, the Battlelord’s Plate Boots will provide a better DPS output thanks to the Critical Strike Chance/Haste Rating combination.
Either Footpads of Silence or Runed Ironhide Boots will grant you a good initial choice, however, they are both far from the best possible DPS output. This is mainly due to the baseline stats difference, however, the Runed Ironhide Boots will be a great choice if you have no Expertise Rating at all.
Raw, optimized stats and two sockets win it for Sabatons of Lifeless Night.
Boots of the Underdweller is next on our list for offering more stats than Greaves of Iron Intensity.
Battlelord’s Plate Boots are last on our list; however, this crafted item may be a little expensive early on in the Phase.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
The Eye of Eternity – Malygos (10)/Heroic +Dungeons | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Gundrak – Gal’darah (Heroic) | |
Azjol-Nerub – Anub’ar Warrior |
As a fresh level 80, you have several choices for your ring slots. With the addition of the Heroic Plus Dungeons system, we will be able to secure items such as the Surge Needle Ring and Circle of Death which provides us with the best possible stat combination until we manage to get into a 25-man raid.
However, until we can get into Heroic Plus Dungeons, we have several great choices that can aid us in the meantime. You can either acquire BoE items such as Stained-Glass Shard Ring or Titanium Impact Band that grant you a solid DPS output at the beginning or you can go through the dungeon path and acquire progressive upgrades such as the Hemorrhaging Circle and Sealing Ring of Grobbulus.
Item | Source |
The Eye of Eternity – Malygos (10)/Heroic +Dungeons | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas10 Drop) | |
Once we reach level 80, we have a great selection of rings, with many options between running dungeons or buying them outright.
Surge Needle Ring & Strong-Handed Ring will be our best stat combo from what’s available immediately. If you’re having trouble getting into Heroic + groups, Ring of Scarlet Shadows & Ring of Invincibility will work for now.
Pre-Raid
Item | Source |
Naxxramas – Zone Drop (25) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas10 Drop) | |
The Eye of Eternity – Malygos (10)/Heroic +Dungeons | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former The Obsidian Sanctum 10) |
Your Pre-Raid options will often be defined by the BiS items from the previous raid tiers, and any other new dungeons or raid BoE items that arrive with the new phase.
You have many ring combinations that you can use for the Pre-Raid phase, however, one of them stands atop the rest with an exquisite balance of Expertise Rating and Critical Strike Chance. That ring is Ruthlessness. The main issue with our build is a constant shift on our Expertise Rating if we change any item, this ring resolves a big part of that problem. You can combine it with multiple other rings such as Circle of Death or Surge Needle Ring for the best possible DPS output.
There are other solid options such as Greatring of Collision and Ring of Invincibility which grant a solid DPS output, however, if you do not have Ruthlessness paired up with them, your DPS output will drop drastically.
Item | Source |
Dalaran – 10,000g | |
The Eye of Eternity – Malygos (10)/Heroic +Dungeons | |
Naxxramas – Various Bosses (25) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former The Obsidian Sanctum 10) |
Again, Surge Needle Ring & Strong-Handed Ring are our strongest options until harder content, however, if you have the money to spend, you could consider investing 10,000g for the Inscribed Ring of the Kirin Tor which has been updated with increased item level for Phase 2.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (25) | |
Ulduar – Thorim (25) NM/HM | |
Ulduar – Heroic: All is Well That Ends Well | |
Ulduar – Guardian of Life (10) | |
Ulduar – All is Well That Ends Well | |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (25) |
The best possible combination of rings that you can acquire is the Seal of the Betrayed King & Sif’s Promise. This is mainly due to the combination of high baseline stats, high Critical Strike Chance, Hit Rating, and Expertise Rating.
With the new Ulduar items, Brann’s Signet Ring retains a very strong position, making it a great alternative to Sif’s Promise, followed up by Bladebearer’s Signet in terms of pure DPS output. It all comes down to your current stats and how much Hit Rating/Expertise Rating you currently have.
Either Brann’s Sealing Ring or Godbane Signet are very good initial/mid-raiding choices as they grant similar stats to the BiS choices, however, they are inferior due to their baseline stats.
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (25) | |
Ulduar – XT-002 Deconstructor (25) | |
Ulduar – General Vezax (10) | |
Ulduar – All is Well That Ends Well | |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (25) |
Seal of the Betrayed King & Crazed Construct Ring will give us the best damage when combined as their stats are well optimized stats with Crit, Haste, and Hit, not to mention the socket from Seal of the Betrayed King.
As we move down the list, our next options don’t have as much damage but still, offer us Strength and a decent amount of Hit rating.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Darkmoon Faire – Darkmoon Nobles Deck | |
Utgarde Pinnacle – King Ymiron (Heroic) | |
The Nexus – Keristrasza (Heroic) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas10 Drop) | |
Drak’Tharon Keep – King Dred (Heroic) |
As a fresh 80 Unholy Death Knight, you have several trinket choices. The most notable one and arguably the best choice that you can acquire right off the bat for the entirety of Phase 2 will be Darkmoon Card: Greatness. The sheer DPS output granted by Darkmoon Card: Greatness DPS output granted will simply out-damage any other Trinket, as it grants you 390 Strength. This trinket is also very powerful as you will be able to buy it directly from the Auction House if you have the necessary gold.
The next-best option will be the Meteorite Whetstone. This is mainly due to the fact that Unholy Death Knight scales really well with Haste Rating. While it may not seem the best option at face value, the DPS output itself speaks volumes. Mirror of Truth is very similar in terms of DPS output, however, it is slightly lower. However, you need to grind emblems for a while until you can get your hands on the trinket.
Your other options can be considered viable alternatives, however, their damage output is very low compared to the previously mentioned options. Both Loatheb’s Shadow and Sphere of Red Dragon’s Blood provide decent DPS output due to the attack power bonus that they grant. You will not want to keep them for a very long time, so try to get the Darkmoon Card: Greatness as fast as possible.
Lastly, the Incisor Fragment can help boost your overall damage, even if Armor Penetration is not as strong in the second phase of the expansion. Better than no trinket at all for sure!
Pre-Raid
Item | Source |
Darkmoon Faire – Darkmoon Nobles Deck | |
Naxxramas – Zone Drop (Multiple Bosses) | |
The Eye of Eternity – Malygos (25) | |
Utgarde Pinnacle – King Ymiron (Heroic) | |
The Obsidian Sanctum – Sartharion (25) |
Your Pre-Raid options will often be defined by the BiS items from the previous raid tiers, and any other new dungeons or raid BoE items that arrive with the new phase.
Just like we mentioned earlier, Darkmoon Card: Greatness will be the best possible option before entering Ulduar. Your second-best option will be Grim Toll, giving you an ample Armor Penetration boost. While the Armor Penetration gained by this item is extremely high, its proc chance can be a bit chaotic, so do watch out for proper cooldown timing. Even if Armor Penetration is not as strong early in the expansion, there are close to no better alternatives before Ulduar’s gates open.
The only viable alternatives for Grim Toll will be either Mark of Norgannon or Meteorite Whetstone. This is due to the unique way that Unholy Death Knight scales with Haste Rating. Both trinkets grant a very similar DPS output, even if Mark of Norgannon is a lot harder to acquire than Meteorite Whetstone.
Lastly, you can use either Mirror of Truth or Fury of the Five Flights as their Attack Power proc will be decent from a DPS output perspective. However, they won’t bring you the best DPS output.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (25) | |
Darkmoon Faire – Darkmoon Nobles Deck | |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (10) | |
Ulduar – Kologarn (25) | |
Ulduar – Thorim (10) |
As an Unholy Death Knight, the best trinket combination will be the Darkmoon Card: Greatness & Comet’s Trail. This is mainly due to the fact that there is not enough Armor Penetration in the second phase of the expansion to fully commit to a full Armor Pen build, meaning that raw stats will be way more powerful. The raw 390 Strength gained from Darkmoon Card: Greatness, combined with the huge amount of Haste Rating gained from Comet’s Trail will provide a way more powerful DPS output than trinkets such as Grim Toll or Mjolnir Runestone.
Working on a similar principle, Dark Matter will be more powerful than the pure armor Penetration granted by Mjolnir Runestone. Wrathstone is very similar in DPS output to Dark Matter, however, this item allows you to choose when you activate your proc compared to Dark Matter which will grant you the proc randomly.
However, even if Armor Penetration is not the strongest stat you can still gain a huge DPS boost from Mjolnir Runestone, especially if you have a weaker trinket such as Grim Toll.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Halls of Lightning – Loken (Heroic) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas10 Drop) | |
The Knights of the Ebon Blade – Revered |
As a fresh level 80 Unholy Death Knight, the best possible choice will be the Colossal Skull-Clad Cleaver. This is mainly due to the extremely high baseline stats plus the Haste Rating as a secondary stat.
Demise offers a very similar DPS output to the Colossal Skull-Clad Cleaver. This is mainly due to the Hit Rating and Haste Rating it offers and the high raw damage of the weapon itself. With the addition of the Heroic Plus Dungeons, this weapon can be easily acquired early on.
Claymore of Ancient Power offers lower DPS output than Demise, however, only by a slight amount. Even if the weapon itself has a higher raw damage value, the agility baseline stat is weaker than the strength stat granted by Demise.
If you are unlucky and can’t get the Colossal Skull-Clad Cleave or you still don’t have enough gear to enter the new Heroic Plus Dungeons, you can choose to directly buy Titansteel Destroyer from the Auction House which will severely enhance your damage and strongly boost your overall Hit Rating. As a last resort, you can farm reputation for the Knights of the Ebon Blade and acquire the Runeblade of Demonstrable Power which grants you a decent DPS output, as long as you have enough Hit Rating and Expertise Rating.
Item | Source |
BoE World Drop | |
Azjol-Nerub – Anub’arak (Heroic) | |
Utgarde Pinnacle – King Ymiron (Heroic) |
Once you reach level 80, your quickest and strongest options will be the Titansteel Bonecrusher crafted by Blacksmithing and Avool’s Sword of Jin, which can typically be purchased at the auction house immediately if you have the gold.
Titansteel Bonecrusher is our top choice as it has good damage and gives us Strength, while Avool’s Sword of Jin is less optimized as it provides Agility.
Crypt Lord’s Deft Blade from Heroic Azol’Nerub is an alright choice if the above is too expensive. Red Sword of Courage from Heroic Utgarde Pinnacle is acceptable despite its defensive stats; finally, players can purchase Reaper of Dark Souls from the Knights of the Ebon Blade at Revered reputation.
Pre-Raid
Item | Source |
Naxxramas – Kel’Thuzad (25) | |
Naxxramas – Four Horseman (25) | |
Naxxramas – Maexxna (25) | |
Naxxramas – Heigan the Unclean (25) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas10 Drop) | |
Naxxramas – Zone Drop (25) |
By far the best weapon that you can acquire in the Pre-Raid phase will remain the Betrayer of Humanity, granting you a very high baseline DPS output. However, while that may be the case, the majority of alternatives are very close to the Betrayer of Humanity in terms of raw DPS output.
The two next-best alternatives will be Armageddon and The Jawbone as they are both very similar in DPS output. To understand completely how similar they are, the difference in DPS output between the 3 items in several simulations is roughly between 40-75 DPS.
Cryptfiend’s Bite and Death’s Bite are both viable alternatives to the previously mentioned items, however, their DPS output is slightly lower, reaching around 100 DPS lower than the other items.
Lastly, you can use Inevitable Defeat as your last resort, however, it is considerably weaker to all the other mentioned items. It still is better than breaking the gates of Ulduar empty-handed, right?
Item | Source |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Eye of Eternity10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas10 Drop) |
Hailstorm pulls slightly ahead of our other options; however, it is only marginally better than Angry Dread and Silent Crusader.
Ideally, we want Hailstorm in each weapon slot, but any combination of the above weapons will give us baseline melee damage.
Widow’s Fury is another choice if the other weapons are tricky to loot; it simply sims around 36 damage lower than Silent Crusader.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Ulduar – General Vezax (25) | |
Ulduar – XT-002 Deconstructor (25) | |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (10) | |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (25) | |
Ulduar – Ignis the Furnace Master (25) |
By far the best possible choice will be Voldrethar, Dark Blade of Oblivion for the Two-Handed build. The sheer amount of raw weapon damage, 2 gem sockets, Critical Strike Chance, and Armor Penetration will grant you the best possible damage output! In contrast, the best possible choice for the Dual-Wield build will be the Caress of Insanity, used in both weapon slots.
Aesir’s Edge will be the next-best choice for the Two-Handed build, granting you similar stats to e Voldrethar, Dark Blade of Oblivion. However, it will provide you with a lower DPS output.
As solid yet a bit underwhelming alternatives, you can use the Hammer of Crushing Whispers or the Dark Edge of Depravity, granting you similar DPS output, generally lower by around 100-150 DPS.
Worldcarver is a better alternative than Hammer of Crushing Whispers if your build does not use Expertise gems.
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (10) | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) | |
Ulduar – XT-002 Deconstructor (25) | |
Ulduar -Thorim (25) |
For the Dual-Wield Unholy Death Knight, just like previously mentioned, the Caress of Insanity will be the best choice due to its raw damage, stats, socket, and high Expertise Rating.
Serilas, Blood Blade of Invar One-Arm will be the next-best option due to its high raw damage. This item, along with Vulmir, the Northern Tempest are great choices if you lack Hit Rating and Expertise Rating.
Lastly, in a bit of a twist of fate, Sorthalis, Hammer of the Watchers actually has a damage output similar to Serilas, Blood Blade of Invar One-Arm, even if it has defensive stats. This is mainly due to the Strength baseline stat compared to the Agility stat, even if the item itself has a lower raw DPS value.
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (10) | |
Ulduar – General Vezax HM (10) | |
Ulduar – Freya (25) | |
Ulduar – XT-002 Deconstructor (25) | |
Ulduar -Thorim (25) |
Technically, Void Sabre has a slight edge of 8 DPS over Caress of Insanity and Serilas, Blood Blade of Invar One-Arm. Any of these three weapons will work as we care about raw damage and not weapon speed.
Sorthalis, Hammer of the Watchers is our next option, despite its tanking stats; however, this probably will be prioritized to Tanks first.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
25 Emblem of Valor/Naxxramas – Heigan the Unclean (25) | |
There are only two good options for your Sigil Slot as a fresh 80 Death Knight. The truth about this slot is that Death Knights have very limited options in general. There are only two main options that you can possibly opt for.
The best possible option will be the Sigil of Awareness since it provides the best raw damage buff for our Scourge Strike and Death Strike! Since this directly amplifies the damage that Scourge Strike and Death Strike does before dealing any critical strike or before any additional stats are added, this sigil greatly increases our overall DPS output.
Sigil of Haunted Dreams is the only other available option, granting you a raw Critical Strike Chance buff. Even if this seems like a good option initially, when you compare it to the raw damage buff of Sigil of Awareness, it simply pales in comparison.
It is recommended to buy Sigil of Awareness as fast as possible since it’s one of your greatest sources of DPS increase.
Item | Source |
Grizzly Hills – 30 Venture Coin |
Unfortunately for Morb, we don’t have a lot of options for our Sigil slot.
Sigil of the Wild Buck is a decent choice that at least adds some damage to our rotation through Death Coil; it costs 30 Venture Coins, which are rewards from the Venture Bay dailies you can start at level 73.
Pre-Raid
Item | Source |
25 Emblem of Valor/Naxxramas – Heigan the Unclean (25) | |
Your Pre-Raid options will often be defined by the BiS items from the previous raid tiers, and any other new dungeons or raid BoE items that arrive with the new phase.
Just like mentioned previously, Death Knights have limited options when it comes to their Sigils sadly. The best possible option will be the Sigil of Awareness since it provides the best raw damage buff for our Scourge Strike and Death Strike! Since this directly amplifies the damage Scourge Strike and Death Strike do before dealing any critical strike or before any additional stats are added, this sigil greatly increases our overall DPS output.
Sigil of Haunted Dreams is the only other available option, granting you a raw Critical Strike Chance buff. Even if this seems like a good option initially, when you compare it to the raw damage buff of Sigil of Awareness, it simply pales in comparison.
Item | Source |
Sigil of Haunted Dreams will be our best pre-raid option, as the added crit is better than anything else available to us now since we aren’t using Scourge Strike.
This item costs 15 Emblem of Heroism, so you should be able to farm it quickly.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Ulduar – XT-002 Deconstructor (25) | |
25 Emblem of Valor/Naxxramas – Heigan the Unclean (25) | |
Item | Source |
Ulduar – XT-002 Deconstructor (25) | |
600 Arena Points |
Our best Sigil, Sigil of the Vengeful Heart, drops off of XT-002 (25); Remember, we also have the option of going with the PvP reward Deadly Gladiator’s Sigil of Strife for 600 Arena points.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Flame Leviathan (10) BoE | |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Halls of Lightning – Loken (Heroic) |
If you have the money, Iron Riveted War Helm will be a solid pick-up to get hit as a newly minted level 80. Spiked Titansteel Helm is still a decent choice if you want to go the Blacksmithing route. Mimiron’s Flight Goggles do decent damage as the stats are optimized, but since it provides Agi instead of Str, we should aim for something else. Finally, Our 10-man Tier helm offers solid stats.
Pre-ToGC
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Thorim (25) | |
Ulduar Flame Leviathan (10) BoE | |
Ulduar – Thorim (10) | |
Animated Constellation – 25 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
The Obsidian Sanctum – Sartharion (25) |
Warhelm of the Champion is our top pick out of what’s available in Ulduar, due to its raw ilvl and the hit and crit it grants us. Among our other choices are the BoE, Iron Riveted War Helm, and our 25-man Tier.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Thorim (25) | |
Ulduar – Thorim (10) |
For Unholy, our 4-piece tier from this phase will provide us with excellent damage, with crit now applying to our Blood Plague. For that reason, we really want to put either version of the 25-man tier pieces (Koltira’s Helmet of Triumph for Heroic & Koltira’s Helmet of Triumph for Normal) in this slot. In the meantime, our BiS from the last phase, Warhelm of the Champion, can be used.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
One of our BiS options from last phase, Strength of the Heavens, is now available via Sidereal Essence, so with a little bit of patience in Beta Heroics, you can pick up this piece for your fresh DK. Barring that, we can grab Spiked Battleguard Choker for a small amount of Emblem of Conquest from the vendor.
We also have a couple Heroic ++ Dungeon options; they simply lack the ilvl and stat itemization of our top choices.
Pre-ToGC
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Hodir (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) Shoulders | |
The Eye of Eternity – Heroic Judgement at the Eye of Eternity | |
The Eye of Eternity – Judgement at the Eye of Eternity |
Frigid Strength of Hodir will most likely be given to physical DPS classes and specs over Unholy, but if we can get our hands on it, it’s a nice piece to go into ToGC with.
Strength of the Heavens has perfect stat itemization for us with haste and crit rating, so we can stick with this if we already have it.
If we can’t get our hands on our top pieces, we can grab our Emblem or dungeon options instead.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Eydis Darkbane (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Hodir (25) | |
Trial of the Crusader – Eydis Darkbane (25) | |
Animated Constellation – 19 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) |
The Executioner’s Vice gives us the most out of anything in this slot; we can also use the normal version The Executioner’s Vice, or the previous phase BiS, Frigid Strength of Hodir.
In this slot, our option’s viability descends in terms of ilvl.
Fresh 80
Item | Source |
Animated Constellation – 24 Sidereal Essence ( Sidereal Essence Vendor) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) | |
Heroic + Dungeons (Former Naxxramas 10 Drop) |
Heroes’ Scourgebourne Shoulderplates Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10)
Shoulders
Despite the Agi, we can use Shoulderplates of the Celestial Watch as a fresh character if we can’t find some 10-man tier.
We don’t care so much about the tier bonus it offers, but Valorous Darkruned Shoulderplates is a really solid piece without much competition available early on.
Pre-ToGC
Item | Source |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (25) | |
Heroic ++ Dungeons (Former Ulduar 10) | |
Ulduar – Auriaya (25) | |
Naxxramas – Loatheb, Gluth (25) | |
Naxxramas – Zone Drop (25) |
Tier shoulders (Conqueror’s Darkruned Shoulderplates), our BiS from the last phase, are the best thing we can get out of Ulduar; we can take the 10-man version as well.
Shoulderplates of the Eternal grants OK hit and crit if we can’t secure Tier.
Best-in-Slot
Item | Source |
Trial of the Crusader – Argent Crusade Tribute Chest (25) Heroic | |
Ulduar – Yogg-Saron (25) | |
Ulduar – Algalon the Observer (10) |
Like our other slots that have a Tier piece, our best slot is the Heroic 258 ilvl Koltira’s Shoulderplates of Triumph.
The Normal version (Koltira’s Shoulderplates of Triumph) will also work, as we really want that set bonus and don’t want to use this slot as our set drop piece.
In the meantime, we can hang onto our old Ulduar Tier.