Cataclysm Classic Blood Death Knight Spell Summary

Blood has been made stronger in Cataclysm due to the addition of new abilities and slight reworks on existing ones. Knowing how to best utilize these spells will allow you nearly unmatched survivability and some of the highest single-target threat in the game.

Blood is widely acknowledged as the strongest tank throughout Cataclysm, and while it plays similarly to previous expansions, it is crucial to have a thorough understanding of how abilities work to be able to maximize your potential to mitigate incoming damage, but also deal as much damage as possible to generate adequate amounts of threat.

• Heart Strike — an instant cast melee attack that deals physical damage based on your weapon damage. It also hits two additional targets dealing 25% less damage for each target struck. The damage from this ability is increased by 15% for each disease active on the primary target. This will act as your primary spender of Blood Runes.
• Rune Strike — an instant melee attack that deals damage based off of your weapon damage and Attack Power. This ability is only usable in Blood Presence within 10 seconds of either Parrying or Dodging an attack. This ability cannot be Blocked, Dodged, or Parried.
• Icy Touch — an instant cast ranged attack that deals Frost damage based off of your Attack Power and applies the Frost Fever debuff to the target.
• Plague Strike — an instant cast melee attack deals Shadow damage based off of your Attack Power and weapon damage. This also applies the Blood Plague debuff to the target.
• Outbreak — instantly applies Blood Plague and Frost Fever to your current target.
• Death Coil — is an instant cast, ranged attack that deals Shadow damage based off of your Attack Power.
• Death and Decay — summons a patch of corrupted ground dealing Shadow damage based off of your Attack Power.
• Blood Strike — is an instant cast melee attack that deals physical damage based off of your weapon damage and Attack Power. This ability deals 12.5% more damage for each disease you currently have active on the target.
• Death Strike — is an instant cast melee attack that deals physical damage. Death Strike also heals for 20% of the damage you have sustained in the previous five seconds with a minimum of at least 7% of your maximum health. This ability will act as your primary spender of Unholy and Frost Runes.
• Blood Boil — is an instant cast AoE in a small range around the Death Knight that deals Shadow damage. This ability deals extra damage to targets effected by diseases.
• Pestilence — is an instant attack that spreads the diseases on your current target to any nearby enemies.

Blood Death Knight has a wide array of cooldowns that will bolster your ability to survive incoming damage in a way that no other tank can match. Due to the amount of cooldowns it is crucial to know exactly how they function so you can best determine which cooldown should be used to handle the incoming damage.

• Rune Tap — a 30 second cooldown that instantly converts one of your Blood runes into a 10% maximum health heal. This effect can have its cooldown instantly reset if you find yourself reduced below 30% health and your Will of the Necropolis procs.
• Dancing Rune Weapon — a 90 second cooldown ability that instantly summons a rune weapon that will replicate your attacks for 12 seconds. It also grants an additional 20% Parry Rating while active, so consider pairing with Army of the Dead in a high damage situation where you do not need the added threat.
• Anti-Magic Shell — a 45 second cooldown buff that absorbs 75% of the damage dealt by harmful Magic spells and makes you immune to Magic effects for its five second duration or until 50% of the Death Knights health is taken in Magic damage.
• Army of the Dead — summons a horde of ghouls to attack any nearby enemies. While channeling Army of the Dead you will not be able to Dodge or Parry but you will take reduced damage equal to the combined total of your Parry and Dodge percentage.
• Dark Simulacrum — applies a debuff to an enemy that allows the Death Knight to duplicate the next spell cast by the enemy. This ability has some very powerful situational uses in PvE so always try to be aware of what spells can be Dark Simulacrum'd.
• Blood Tap — a one-minute cooldown that instantly converts a Blood Rune to a Death Rune. This ability also instantly refreshes the Rune so it is best utilized when your Blood Runes are already on cooldown.
• Icebound Fortitude — is a three-minute cooldown reduces all incoming damage.
• Raise Ally — a ten-minute cooldown that instantly resurrects a dead party/raid member. This will return them to life at 20% health and 20% mana so make sure to use this during a period of low incoming damage.
• Death Grip — a 35-second cooldown that instantly pulls the target to the Death Knight and taunts the target for three seconds. This can be used as an impromptu interrupt as well but always be aware of the fact you will have threat on the target for at least three seconds.
• Strangulate — a two-minute cooldown that silences the target for five seconds. This can also be used as an interrupt for targets that are immune to silencing effects.
• Empower Rune Weapon — a five-minute cooldown that instantly resets the cooldown of all of your Runes and grants you twenty five Runic Power. This ability is best used in a situation where you desperately need to cast a Death Strike or you find yourself without any Runes available.

In addition to the many rotational abilities and cooldowns you find yourself using Death Knight has been given a number of utility based tools that you will find yourself using, including the iconic Death Grip.

• Chains of Ice — slows the target by 60% for eight seconds and afflicts the target with Frost Fever.
• Mind Freeze — is a ten-second cooldown short ranged interrupt that allows you to disrupt spell casting. Having the ability to interrupt is incredibly powerful especially in emergency situations and smaller group size content.
• Death Pact — instantly sacrifices your ghoul healing you for 25% of your maximum health. You may not have your ghoul active when attempting to use this ability so be aware of your Raise Dead cooldown when considering using this ability.
• Horn of Winter — an instant cast spell that generates 10 Runic Power and increases the Strength and Agility of all nearby party/raid members.
• Raise Dead — summons a ghoul that will fight by your side for one minute.
• Death Gate — opens a gate that allows the Death Knight to teleport back to Ebon Hold.

One of the most iconic parts of the Death Knight toolkit is the different Presences. While greatly simplified in the Cataclysm expansion it is still important to know what Presence you should be in for each situation. You can only have one Presence active at any given time.

• Blood Presence — increases your Stamina by 8%, the armor contribution of your gear by 55%, and all incoming damage taken is reduced by 8%. This your default presence as Blood as the increased threat generation, damage reduction and increased Armor value are just far too valuable compared to the purely damage based increases found in the other two available presences.
• Unholy Presence — increases your attack speed and Rune regeneration rate by 10% and movement speed by 15% as well as reducing the global cooldown on your abilities by 0.5 seconds.
• Frost Presence — damage and Runic Power generation by 10%.

Death Knight has the ability to enchant their weapons with powerful Runeforges that grant bonuses unique to the Death Knight. These take the place of traditional weapon enchants.

• Rune of Lichbane — your weapons deal 2% extra weapon damage as Fire damage or 4% against Undead enemies.
• Rune of Razorice — your weapons deal 2% extra weapon damage as Frost damage and increase the targets vulnerability to Frost Damage.
• Rune of Spellbreaking — your one-handed weapons reduce incoming Spell damage by 2% and reduce the duration of silencing effects by 50%.
• Rune of Spellshattering — your two-handed weapons reducing incoming Spell damage by 4% and reduce the duration of silencing effects by 50%.
• Rune of Swordbreaking — your one-handed weapons increase your parry rating by 2% and reduce the duration of disarming effects by 60%.
• Rune of Swordshattering — your two-handed weapons increase your parry rating by 4% and reduce the duration of disarming effects by 60%.
• Rune of the Fallen Crusader — your weapon has a chance to heal you for 3% of your total health and increase your Strength by 15% for fifteen seconds.
• Rune of the Nerubian Carapace — your one-handed weapons increase your armor by 2% and your total Stamina by 1%.
• Rune of the Stoneskin Gargoyle — your two-handed weapons increase your armor by 4% and your total Stamina by 2%. This will be your default choice as a Blood Death Knight