Cataclysm Classic Frost Death Knight Guide
Welcome to our Frost Death Knight guide for Cataclysm Classic, tailored for PvE content. Here, you will learn how all you need to know to play Frost Death Knight proficiently. Click the links below to navigate the guide or read this page for a short introduction.
Frost Death Knight Guide for Cataclysm Classic
This page contains all relevant information needed for Frost Death Knight before the release of Cataclysm Classic. Be sure to check back as we get closer to the release date, as this page will be updated with the latest information as it becomes available.
Is Frost Death Knight Viable in Cataclysm Classic?
Yes! Frost Death Knight has one of the most interactive rotations of any Melee
DPS with a constantly updating priority system. Mastering this will lead to some of the
highest DPS of any Melee DPS in Cataclysm. Frost Death Knight also provides important
buffs and debuffs in the form of Improved Icy Talons,
Brittle Bones and even
the ability to instantly resurrect a fallen ally in combat with the
Raise Ally ability.
Some of the highest two-target cleave damage in the entire game thanks to
Howling Blast.
Provides the
Improved Icy Talons and
Brittle Bones raid buff and debuff, making them incredibly useful in a 10-man raid.
Powerful personal defensive cooldowns.
Best multi-target kiting in the game thanks to
Chilblains.
Death Grip allows for easy repositioning of mobs, especially casters.
Extremely immobile and vulnerable to slows/stuns after cooldowns are expended.
Heavily dependent on generation of Runic Power.
Very gear dependent, falls behind other classes when fully equipped.
Best Races for Frost Death Knight
As Horde, the default choice will be Orc; due to the strength of their racial abilities Blood Fury which
greatly increases your Attack Power. Frost puts a massive emphasis on doing large sums of damage during
short windows due procs like
Killing Machine so any additional Attack Power that can be stacked ontop
of these buffs is quite powerful.
As Alliance, the default choice will be Worgen; Death Knights can struggle with mobility
so the Darkflight ability can provide some incredibly useful movement speed as well
as gaining a small bit of Critical Strike rating from
Viciousness.
Best Professions for Frost Death Knight
Cataclysm does a much better job of balancing professions leading to each profession to give an average increase of about 80 stats. With that in mind there are still some decisions to be made when it comes to which Profession to choose as there are still options that may be better for your class.
Best Professions for Frost Death Knight
Engineering — Engineering remains king largely due to
Synapse Springs which synergizes incredibly with any kind of damage increase like
Pillar of Frost.
Grounded Plasma Shield adds another solid defensive cooldown to help you mitigate incoming damage and allows you to use your
Anti-Magic Shell to focus on maximizing the Runic Power generation portion of it.
Nitro Boosts also grants a ton of movement speed which is incredibly important as a Death Knight with otherwise limited mobility options.
Blacksmithing — Lets you add an extra socket to both your Gloves and Bracers thanks to
Socket Gloves and
Socket Bracer. As a Death Knight Strength is incredibly valuable compared to secondary stats and these bonus sockets only become more valuable as the expansion progresses onward and Epic Gems are introduced.
Death Knight Addons and Macros
Addons and Macros can greatly improve your quality of life during Cataclysm. Listed below are some of our recommendations on Addons and Macros to help get the most out of your time playing the game.
Changelog
- 13 Feb. 2025 (pre-raid gear page): Updated for Dragonsoul.
- 12 Feb. 2025 (enchants page): Updated for Epic Gems.
- 10 Feb. 2025 (gear page): Updated for Dragonsoul.
- 02 Nov. 2024 (pre-raid gear page): Updated for Firelands.
- 13 Oct. 2024 (gear page): Updated for Firelands.
- 17 Sep. 2024 (pre-raid gear page): Reviewed for Phase 3.
- 17 Sep. 2024 (gear page): Reviewed for Phase 3.
- 17 Sep. 2024 (spells page): Reviewed for Phase 3.
- 17 Sep. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for Phase 3.
- 30 Jul. 2024 (gear page): Reviewed for Phase 2.
- 27 Jul. 2024 (pre-raid gear page): Reviewed and Updated for ZG/ZA release.
- 20 May 2024 (this page): Updated for Phase 1 release.
- 08 May 2024 (spells page): Added page.
More Cataclysm Death Knight Guides
More Cataclysm Spec Guides from Other Classes
This guide has been written by Sellin, a former top 10 US raider and current season and several time Gladiator, long time WoW Player and passionate about all things Warcraft and Theorycrafting. You can follow him on Twitter and watch him on Twitch.
- New Cataclysm Classic Valor Cap Set to Week 2 Due to Bug
- Season of Discovery Naxxramas Soft Reset Issue Fix and Warning
- Cataclysm Classic: Hour of Twilight Is Now Live!
- Currency Conversions, New Caps and Ways of Acquiring Them Coming With Hour of Twilight Patch
- Season of Discovery Hotfixes: February 14th
- Auction House Update and Countdown Phase in Cataclysm Classic: February 17th
- Classic Hardcore, Era, and Anniversary Realm Black Lotus Respawn Rate Increase
- Massive Nerf Coming to Firelands With Release of Hour of Twilight