WotLK Classic Unholy Death Knight Stat Priority
On this page, you will find out the optimal PvE stat priority for your Unholy Death Knight in WotLK Classic. We first present the stat priority, before delving into more complex explanations.
Stat Priority for Unholy Death Knight
- Hit to cap;
- Strength;
- Haste;
- Armor Penetration;
- Critical Strike;
- Expertise;
Stats Explained for Frost Death Knight DPS
Hit
Hit Rating is crucial as the largest limitation on Unholy Death Knight's damage is Rune cooldowns, so it is important to make sure you are getting the most out of each Rune spent which means ensuring that each attack hits. Hit Cap for 2h Unholy is 8%.
Strength
Strength is the best pure DPS stat for Death Knight as it increases Attack Power and Critical Strike. You also rarely have to sacrifice Strength for another stat are you often have to do with secondary stats.
Haste
Haste not only increases your personal attack speed but summoned minions such as
your Ghoul and Gargoyle gain 100% of the benefit from your Haste rating. Your
permanent Ghoul will dynamically update to benefit from your current Haste,
but your Summon Gargoyle and
Army of the Dead ghouls will snapshot
the Haste value you have active when summoning them, so make sure to take
advantage of any temporary Haste buffs before summoning them.
Armor Penetration
Armor Penetration increases the Physical damage you deal to targets up until a cap that will not be realistically obtainable until Icecrown Citadel. A large majority of Unholy's abilities deal Physical damage and benefit greatly from the reduced Armor you will be attacking thanks to the Armor Penetration stat.
Critical Strike
Unholy greatly benefits from Critical Strike rating as you have so many small
instances of damage going out thanks to effects such as Wandering Plague
and
Necrosis.
Changelog
- 18 Jan. 2023: Reviewed for Phase 2 release ahead of Ulduar raid release.
- 23 Aug. 2022: Page added.
This guide has been written by Sellin, a former top 10 US raider 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.
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