Blood Death Knight leveling guide
Blood is by far the strongest way to level a Death Knight on your own. You start at level 55 in Acherus and reach Northrend around 68, and from there Heart Strike, Death Strike and Blood Presence let you pull several enemies at once and heal through the damage. Rune Tap, Vampiric Blood and Dancing Rune Weapon get you through the tough fights, and you can tank any dungeon along the way.
Strengths and weaknesses
- Blood Presence, Death Strike and Rune Tap heal you with almost every fight.
- Heart Strike, Blood Boil and Death and Decay hit several enemies at once.
- You can tank dungeons without changing talents.
- Less burst than Frost or Unholy against a single strong enemy.
Talents by level
At level 70
- In Blood: Butchery 2/2, Blade Barrier 5/5, Bladed Armor 5/5, Two-Handed Weapon Specialization 2/2, Rune Tap, Dark Conviction 5/5, Death Rune Mastery 3/3, Improved Rune Tap 3/3 and Vendetta 3/3.
- Bloody Strikes 3/3, Veteran of the Third War 3/3, Abomination’s Might 2/2, Unholy Frenzy, Improved Death Strike 2/2, Vampiric Blood, Heart Strike and Might of Mograine 3/3.
- Blood Gorged 5/5 and Dancing Rune Weapon, for 51 points. In Frost: Improved Icy Touch 3/3, Toughness 2/5 and Black Ice 5/5.
Level 71 to 80
- Icy Talons 5/5 and Endless Winter 2/2.
- Toughness 5/5, for 20 points in Frost.
Rotation
One enemy
- Blood Presence, then Icy Touch and Plague Strike for both diseases.
- Heart Strike with your Blood Runes, and Death Strike with Frost and Unholy Runes to heal.
- Death Coil with Runic Power, and Dancing Rune Weapon on a strong enemy.
Groups of enemies
- Death Grip one enemy to you, then Icy Touch and Plague Strike, and Pestilence to spread both diseases.
- Death and Decay and Blood Boil on the group, and Heart Strike to hit two enemies at once.
Staying alive
- Death Strike and Rune Tap when your health drops, and Vampiric Blood for a big fight.
- Icebound Fortitude against heavy hits, and Anti-Magic Shell against spells.
- Death Pact with your ghoul as an emergency heal, and Empower Rune Weapon from level 75 to get all runes back.
Leveling route
| Level | Alliance | Horde |
|---|---|---|
| 70-72 | Borean Tundra (Valiance Keep), Howling Fjord (Valgarde) | Borean Tundra (Warsong Hold), Howling Fjord (Vengeance Landing) |
| 72-74 | Dragonblight (Wintergarde Keep) | Dragonblight (Agmar’s Hammer) |
| 74-75 | Grizzly Hills (Amberpine Lodge) | Grizzly Hills (Conquest Hold) |
| 75-76 | Zul’Drak (Zim’Torga) | Zul’Drak (Zim’Torga) |
| 76-78 | Sholazar Basin (Nesingwary Base Camp) | Sholazar Basin (Nesingwary Base Camp) |
| 78-80 | The Storm Peaks (K3), Icecrown (Argent Vanguard) | The Storm Peaks (K3), Icecrown (Argent Vanguard) |
Dungeons worth the detour: Utgarde Keep and The Nexus from level 70, Azjol-Nerub and Ahn’kahet: The Old Kingdom around 72, and Drak’Tharon Keep and The Violet Hold from 74.
Stats, weapons and tradeskills
- Strength first, then Hit, Expertise, Armor Penetration and Crit.
- The slowest two-handed weapon with the highest damage you can find.
- Enchants: Rune of the Fallen Crusader on the weapon, Crusher on the gloves and Greater Assault on the bracers.
- Tradeskills: Mining with Blacksmithing for plate gear and extra sockets, or Jewelcrafting for strong gems.