EDIT

Please note that “Leveling at a Glance: X” posts were based off of Beta information and meant to be “at a glance” guidelines.  Since release I have gotten a chance to level up my DK and talk to other DK I know to be playing in Live.  I’ve since released this new post with corrected/updated specs for Unholy and Blood.  I’ve also made more of a point of saying that Frost and DW we’re only listed for those who just insisted on those specs.  They are not good for leveling.

 Death Knight specs for leveling up in WotLK

BLOOD

32/0/17  This is the spec you should have at level 58.

51/0/20  This should be the leveling spec finished at level 80.  This is a leveling spec, not an end game spec.

UNHOLY

0/0/49  This is the spec you should have at level 58.

18/0/51  This should be the leveling spec finished at level 80.  This is a leveling spec, not an end game spec.  (**You have 2 free points left to spend still)

EDIT

Heya guys!!   So with Lich King release coming up, DK’s are looking for Death Knight specs to level with.  Leveling at a Glance: Unholy is going to show you an efficient DK spec to start with and level to 80.  Here is a link to WoW Head’s Talent Calculator for Death Knights.

Now something most people forget is that a leveling spec looks Nothing like a PvP or PvE spec.  This is going to be all about how to most efficiently take advantage of increasing dps, while also decreasing downtime.  So sometimes great dps talents don’t net you real dps in a leveling environment, and at the same time some tanking talents become WIN WIN.

0/0/49 is the ideal spec to be by the end of the Death Knight starting zone if you choose to go Unholy spec.  Here are the why’s:

Tier 1 Unholy

• Viscious Strikes 2/2 - Plus crit chance and damage on 3 attacks you will constanly use while leveling is just a no brainer.  MOAR DPS = MOAR EXPZ!!!
• Morbidity 0/3 - Plus damage on only one ability (Death Coil) and a quicker CD on Death and Decay is lackluster.  You shouldn’t even need to pop DnD more than once per fight leveling, if at all.
• Anticipation 3/5 – While you’re not tanking, not taking damage means far less downtime.  Less downtime means more exp.

Tier 2 Unholy

• Epidemic 0/2 – While it’s one of the best PvE dps talents, most mobs will be dead before the diseases can run out.
• Virulence 2/3 – Plus hit on your spell like effects = moar dps!
• Unholy Command 0/2 – While Death Grip is by far one of our coolest spells…it just isn’t something making us kill faster or live longer.
• Ravenous Dead 3/3 – As Unholy soloing you should always have a ghoul up and alive.  Also, if you do things right, they will take a lot of damage for you.  Buffing them means less downtime and more dps.

Tier 3 Unholy

• Outbreak 0/3 – Pestilence and Blood Boil will not see that much actual use leveling, so as you only really get the gain on Plague Strike this talent becomes lackluster leveling.
• Necrosis 5/5 – Plus 10% damage on all white attacks, all the time = awesome for leveling.  No chance of not having enough time to fire this one off.  It always works.
• Corpse Explosion 0/0 – There is really no call for this ability leveling except for having some fun!! *evil grin*

Tier 4 Unholy

• On a Pale Horse 2/2 – Before you say something stupid that will make me slap you, this talent decreases downtime.  You get everywhere faster, which means you kill more things and get where you’re going faster.  This is one of the *GEMS* for leveling up as Unholy
• Blood Caked Blade 3/3 – Just like Necrosis, there is no chance of not having the time to fire this off.  Anything you can always rely on for dps is good.  Mobs will die quickly while leveling.
• Shadow of Death 1/1 – In and of itself this is a nice talent.  As you have to have it for Master of Ghouls, this is a must have.

Tier 5 Unholy

• Summon Gargoyle 0/1 – As before, you don’t have enough time to take advantage of this ability.  It’s sustained dps when you’re typically killing mobs so fast you can’t even get full rotations off.
• Impurity 5/5 – A major dps boost to all of your spell like abilities, this is a massive dps boost.
• Dirge Strike 2/2 – Long story short, more runic power to fire off abilities when you need to and/or to keep your ghoul healed while he is tanking is just amazing.

Tier 6 Unholy

• Magic Supression 0/5 – Arguably only useful for a raid tank or pvp spec to begin with, this will see no use in leveling.
• Reaping 3/3 – Death Runes = ZOMGPWNNEWBZLOL  Death Runes = IT on a stick guys.  Get this and you will love it.
• Master of Ghouls 1/1 – Hurray for a real pet bar!!  I’ll get into pet macros and the like down the road, but for now you can make your pet do what *you* want him to do!!  Your pet can dps and can tank (for leveling purposes).  This is one of the other shining *GEMS* for leveling as Unholy.

Tier 7 Unholy

• Desecration 2/5 – OK, so this one makes us sad in the pants.    We want this 5/5, but quite honestly I can’t justify giving up other talents to fill it out all the way.  Still a solid buy-in at only 2 points.
• Anti-Magic Zone 0/1 – You skipped Magic Supression so you can’t take this.
• Unholy Aura 2/2 – Remember what I said about On a Pale Horse?  *Raises his Pimp Slapping Hand*  OK, good…  This is even better as you’re on your feet far more than on your mount.

Tier 8 Unholy

• Night of the Dead 0/2 – I…uhm…I just don’t know what the hell Blizzard was thinking.  Army of the Dead isn’t even that good to begin with really.  As you shouldn’t be letting your ghoul die since you can heal him, this is a waste of points.
• Crypt Fever 3/3 – Oh yeah baby!!  A free disease that also makes your diseases do more dps!! Woot!!
• Bone Shield 1/1 – Arguably the most OP ability available to a DK.  The bones “tick off” periodically while taking damage (they can’t all get blown at once).  So if you take 3 hits within 2 seconds, you only lose 1 bone.  Meanwhile all incoming damage is reduced from all sources.  Also dots do not take away a bone.  Aka less downtime.

Tier 9 Unholy

• Wandering Plague 1/3 – You won’t always be fighting one mob, nor will there always be more than one.  So one point for some AoE dps when you need it is awesome, but I’m not sure it deserves more of an investment while leveling up.
• Ebon Plaguebringer 3/3 – Plus crit chance, still does the Ebon Plague effect, and +13% magic damage taken from all sources = PURE WIN!!!
• Scourge Strike 1/1 – Oh yes, now you’re bringing home the bacon!!!  Remember those Death Runes?  You’ll be feeding them to this bad boy right here!!

Tier 10 Unholy

• Rage of Rivendare 4/5 – A straight bonus to overall damage and expertise is just full of win.

Tier 11 Unholy

• Unholy Blight 0/1 – Not enough points yet, but you *need* this talent, zomg!!!

OK, so you’re level 58, out of the newbie zone, and leveling up.  What now?  Drop 1 point into Rage of Rivendare to complete it and then pick up Unholy Blight.  Now, you’re going to be dipping into the Blood tree.  20/0/51  

Tier 1 Blood

• Butchery 2/2 – Extra RP during combat and bonus when you get the killing blows (Bonechewer, I will explode you if you KS me one more time damnit!!) is honestly a no brainer.  You should be letting your ghoul take the brunt of the damage most of time so you can fuel your RP into Death Coils to heal him up.
• Subversion 0/3 – Less threat for letting the ghoul tank more is the only reason to consider taking this talent.  However I don’t think you need it.
• Blade Barrier 5/5 – You’ll learn to lead with Blood Strikes when you’re fighting multiple mobs, giving you an extra 10% parry is a massive boost in surviability.

Tier 2 Blood

• Bladed Armor 0/5 – A damn nice talent, but since you’re short on points and trying to make an efficienct leveling build, you need to leave this on the side.
• Scent of Blood 2/3 – This is your grab bag talent.  You could arguably take these points and throw them anywhere else if you’re doing fine on RP.  Think of them as gimme points.
• Two-Handed Weapon Specialization 2/2 – Last I checked (and please forgive me if this changed, I played in so many different Beta builds the versions blend together sometimes), this worked for not only white damage, but special abilities as well.  RAWRR!!!!!  Two Thumbs Up!!  No Bonechewer!  Where did you get those thumbs from anyway?!  You don’t know where they came from do you??

Tier 3 Blood

• Rune Tap 1/1 – It’s considered to be a pretty crappy talent, but for leveling it is the BOMB!!!  You now have 2 heals.  You can Death Strike and you can Rune Tap.  This is a *must* have.
• Dark Conviction 5/5 – Who doesn’t like to crit?
• Death Rune Mastery 0/3 – You will never use Obliterate, and you’ll never be using your Unholy or Frost runes for Blood to begin with.  This is a deep Blood talent.

Tier 4 Blood

• Improved Rune Tap 0/3 – It’s actually a nice talent and you could put one point in it from Scent of Blood, but you’re short on points really bad now.  No room for this one.
• Spell Deflection 0/3 – Spell damage will not be enough of a threat while leveling to justify this talent.
• Vendetta 3/3 – Healing after you kill something for free, instead of having to eat food = WIN.  Less downtime again = MOAR EXPZ!!!!

Well guys, I hope you found this helpful.  This was Leveling at a Glance: Unholy.  GL to you Unholy Death Knights out there.  Much love from SJ for Unholy destruction!!  Leveling at a Glance: Blood and Leveling at a Glance: Frost coming soon!!

Tags: Power Leveling