This is the Cataclysm Unholy 85 Death Knight leveling build guide updated for patch 4.0.6. This guide is for a player that wants to use the Unholy tree while leveling, questing and playing AoE.
In this Death Knight build guide I have given 1 through 85 talents, full glyph list and spell rotations to use.
These are the best Unholy talents to level with that go along great with the best leveling route guide: Zygor’s Leveling Guide.
Spell Rotation
Single Target (Unholy Presence):
- Cast Diseases on mob and recast them if they are about to expire
- Dark Transformation Active
- Death and Decay / Scourge Strike – if both Unholy and/or all Death runes are up. Use DnD whenever posible instead of SS as it does more damage.
- Festering Strike – if both pairs of Blood and Frost runes are up.
- Death Coil on Sudden Doom proc or if about to go over runic power max.
- Death and Decay / Scourge Strike
- Festering Strike
- Death Coil
- Horn of Winter
AoE Rotation (Frost Presence):
- Diseases up and spread to everything with Pestilence.
- Dark Transformation Active
- Death and Decay
- Scourge Strike – if both Unholy and/or all Death runes are up.
- Blood Boil + Icy Touch if BB and FF runes up.
- Death Coil on Sudden Doom proc or if about to go over runic power max.
- Scourge Strike
- Blood Boil + Icy Touch
- Death Coil
- Horn of Winter
Updates
Jan 05 – Added new glyph suggestions and a new updated leveling build.
Level 85 Death Knight (8/1/32) (Link)
Unholy (32 Points)
Virulence – Rank 3/3
Increases your chance to hit with your spells by 9%. Spells are all Death Knight abilities that are not direct weapon strikes.Epidemic – Rank 3/3
Increases the duration of Blood Plague and Frost Fever by 12 sec.Desecration – Rank 1/2
Your Plague Strikes and Scourge Strikes defile the ground within 7 yards of your target. Enemies in the area are slowed by 25% while standing on the unholy ground. Lasts 20 sec.Morbidity – Rank 3/3
Increases the damage and healing of Death Coil by 15% and Death and Decay by 30%.Runic Corruption – Rank 2/2
Reduces the cost of your Death Coil by 6, and causes your Runic Empowerment ability to no longer refresh a depleted rune, but instead to increase your rune regeneration rate by 100% for 3 sec.Unholy Frenzy – Rank 1/1
Induces a friendly unit into a killing frenzy for 30 sec. The target is Enraged, which increases their melee and ranged haste by 20%, but causes them to lose health equal to 2% of their maximum health every 3 sec.Contagion – Rank 2/2
Increases the damage of your diseases spread via Pestilence by 100%.Shadow Infusion – Rank 3/3
When you cast Death Coil, you have a 100% chance to empower your active Ghoul, increasing its damage dealt by 10% for 30 sec. Stacks up to 5 times.Magic Suppression – Rank 1/3
Increases the spell damage absorption of your Anti-Magic Shell by an additional 8%, and causes damage absorbed by Anti-Magic Shell to energize the Death Knight with runic power.Rage of Rivendare – Rank 3/3
Increases the damage of your Plague Strike, Scourge Strike, and Festering Strike abilities by 45%.Unholy Blight – Rank 1/1
Causes the victims of your Death Coil to be surrounded by a vile swarm of unholy insects, taking 10% of the damage done by the Death Coil over 10 sec, and preventing any diseases on the victim from being dispelled.Improved Unholy Presence – Rank 2/2
Grants you an additional 5% haste while in Unholy Presence. In addition, while in Blood Presence or Frost Presence, you retain 15% increased movement speed from Unholy Presence.Dark Transformation – Rank 1/1
Consume 5 charges of Shadow Infusion on your Ghoul to transform it into a powerful undead monstrosity for 30 sec. The Ghoul’s abilities are empowered and take on new functions while the transformation is active.Ebon Plaguebringer – Rank 2/2
Your Plague Strike, Icy Touch, Chains of Ice, and Outbreak abilities also infect their target with Ebon Plague, which increases damage taken from your diseases by 30% and all magic damage taken by an additional 8%.Sudden Doom – Rank 3/3
Your auto attacks have a 15% chance to make your next Death Coil cost no runic power.Summon Gargoyle – Rank 1/1
A Gargoyle flies into the area and bombards the target with Nature damage modified by the Death Knight’s attack power. Persists for 30 sec.
Blood (8 Points)
Butchery – Rank 2/2
Whenever you kill an enemy that grants experience or honor, you generate up to 20 runic power. In addition, you generate 2 runic power per 5 sec while in combat.Bladed Armor – Rank 3/3
Increases your attack power by 6 for every 180 armor value you have.Scent of Blood – Rank 3/3
You have a 15% chance after dodging, parrying or taking direct damage to gain the Scent of Blood effect, causing your next 3 melee hits to generate 10 runic power.
Frost (1 point)
Runic Power Mastery – Rank 1/3
Increases your maximum Runic Power by 10.
Glyphs
Glyph of Raise Dead (Prime Glyph)
Your Ghoul receives an additional 40% of your Strength and 40% of your Stamina.Glyph of Death Coil (Prime Glyph)
Increases the damage or healing done by Death Coil by 15%.Glyph of Scourge Strike (Prime Glyph)
Increases the Shadow damage portion of your Scourge Strike by 30%.Glyph of Pestilence (Major Glyph)
Increases the radius of your Pestilence effect by 5 yards.Glyph of Blood Boil (Major Glyph)
Increases the radius of your Blood Boil ability by 50%.Glyph of Anti-Magic Shell (Major Glyph)
Increases the duration of your Anti-Magic Shell by 2 sec.Glyph of Horn of Winter (Minor Glyph)
Increases the duration of your Horn of Winter ability by 1 min.Glyph of Raise Ally (Minor Glyph)
Increases the health of your Risen Ally by 25% and its run speed by 15%.Glyph of Resilient Grip (Minor Glyph)
When your Death Grip ability fails because its target is immune, its cooldown is reset.
Do You Want To Level Faster Like The Pros?
If you are having trouble leveling or need to level faster in WoW Cataclysm I highly suggest you check out Zygor’s Leveling Guide. It has the perfect leveling path that gets you to 85 faster and easier than any other way. No matter what level you are, you load the guide and it points with an arrow to the direction of each monster, quest giver, trainer etc. Its pretty crazy. It also has an in game box that tells you exactly what to do, like kill 5 boars, run west 10 miles, etc. If you dont have this in game add on guide, honestly, you are missing out. You can find out more here or check out the Zygor Cataclysm Leveling Guide Review.
didnt liked much the talent build;
Scent of Blood — doesnt add significantly rp at high levels (unless you get threat from mobs, thats not a thing to look for !)
Improved Blood Tap — adds a scourge strike, or ther magic for each 30seconds. is that a LOT of dps ??
Butchery — 2rp each 5 seconds = 1 death coil each 85; when killing bosses you get NO other bonus… should’t we focus on boss killing ? omg even worst than blood tap !
I know, there is nothing good at the frost tree, but ther is still the unholy tree ! I know there is no more good stuff dwn there, but think of it : each talent un this tree = +5% dps from diseases
think of it. calculate a bit. you’ll find out that im not mistaken
Improved Blood Tap: actually adds only one more each 60seconds… even, even worst
This build has been updated with the most popular leveling build
Why is Horn of Winter always last in your rotation? Shouldnt it always be the first thing you do before entering combat since it gives RP and increases strength? Additionally, how is it that DT is second in rotation when you have to proc that ability? Its kinda difficult to have that up without proc at the beginning of battle.