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: Blood 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.

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

Tier 1 Blood

• Butchery 0/2 – Straight up, not enough points just to gain some RP.
• Subversion 3/3 – Plus crit on our 2 big attacks ftw!!
• Blade Barrier 5/5 – You’ll always blow your Blood Runes.  More avoidance = less downtime.  An extra 10% parry is a massive boost in surviability.

Tier 2 Blood

• Bladed Armor 0/5 – You’re short on points and trying to make an efficienct leveling build, you need to leave this on the side really.  One point to move to the next tier.
• Scent of Blood 0/3 – This is not a good talent, as there is already an arguement to not take Butchery.
• 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 3/3 – Mandatory talent!  This is a deep Blood talent.

Tier 4 Blood

• Improved Rune Tap 0/3 – It’s actually a nice talent if you have Rune Tap, but you’re short on points so there is 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 1/3 – Healing after you kill something for free, instead of having to eat food = WIN.  Less downtime again = MOAR EXPZ!!!!  But we’re short on points, so 1 is all this one gets.

Tier 5 Blood

• Bloody Strikes 3/3 – Bonus damage on your Heart Strike = Bread and Butter babay!!!
• Veteran of the Third War 3/3 – A straight bonus to strength, stamina, and expertise”…can life get better?!  I submit that it cannot!!!”
• Mark of Blood 1/1 – Pull more than one mob, or a really nasty elite.  Place this on him or the add = WIN.  Nuff Said.

Tier 6 Blood

• Bloody Vengeance 3/3 – Not only does the name suit me well!!!  But aw heck, +9% dmg too!?  You shouldn’t have Blizz… *blush*
• Abomination’s Might 2/2 – +2% Str, and I get the silly buff that made every melee in WoW drool over an Enhancement Shaman…count me in!!

Tier 7 Blood

• Bloodworms 3/3 – If you’ve noticed a trend, Blood has lots of heals…  Not only is this some extra dps, but it’s moar healzz!!!  Less downtime ftw.
• Hysteria 1/1 – A phenomental ability that will allow you to destroy things.  /approved
• Blood Aura 0/2 – You’re soloing…remember?

Tier 8 Blood

• Sudden Doom 5/5 – Free DC’s = Pwnage.  Extra DPS, ghoul heals, and possible self-heals later on…all for free.  I’m down! 
• Vampiric Blood 0/0 – It’s nice…but between Vendetta, Blood Presence, Bloodworms, Rune Tap, and Death Strike…you should be covered on heals by now.

Tier 9 Blood

• Will of the Necropolis 0/3 – Tank/PvP talent with little to no use in leveling…
• Heart Strike 1/1 – Skipping this is like skipping Scourge Strike as Unholy, lol.  HS FTW!!
• Might of Mograine 3/3 – As HS and OB are your primary DPS abilities, and DS is your primary heal…

Tier 10 Blood

• Blood Gorged 4/5 – With tons of heals, staying over 75% for a straight up % damage increase is awesome!

Tier 11 Blood

• Dancing Rune Weapon 0/0 – Quite honestly, it’s not a good leveling tool at all.  However when you run into a really nasty fight, or have to drop some really difficult group quest or elite, you will be happy you picked this up later.

OK, so you’re level 58, out of the newbie zone, and leveling up.  What now?  Drop 1 point into Blood Gorged to complete it and then pick up Dancing Rune Weapon.  Drop one last point into Vendetta, and we’re off to Frost.  Now, you’re going to be dipping into the Frost tree.  52/19/0  Unholy is a weak addition.  Frost inscreases dps and Bloodworm procs with haste, gives you another “Oh !@#$” button with Lichborne (and a way to heal yourself with DC if you need to), and heightens your Obliterates to not kill your dots.  The only true strong point from Unholy is On a Pale Horse…  You can go Unholy 52/0/19 if you wish, but the synergy isn’t there for leveling purposes. 

Tier 1 Frost

• Improved Icy Touch 3/3 – Mob haste penalties = less downtime!
• Glacier Rot 0/2 – As you won’t get Howling Blast or Frost Strike…you do the math on this one.
• Toughness 5/5 – Broken record here…mitigation and avoidance = less downtime = moar expz!!!

Tier 2 Frost

• Icy Reach 2/2 – Erm…filler?  Having a 40 yard range instant cast pull ability however is damn nice!
• Black Ice 0/5 – We’re not Frosty!!  We’re Bloody!!
• Nerves of Cold Steel 0/3 – We’re not dual-wieldy either… o.o

Tier 3 Frost

• Icy Talons 5/5 – Haste isn’t our best stat…but it’s still noice!!
• Lichborne 1/1 – Oh !@#$ button…heal yourself with DC while this is up, avoid damage, and avoid status effects.  /approve
• Annihilation 3/3 – Plus 3% crit and 100% chance to not remove diseases when you use your Obliterate.  Considering that your dots are not trivial, this is very nice.

Well guys, I hope you found this helpful.  This was Leveling at a Glance: Blood.  GL to you Blood Death Knights out there.  Leveling at a Glance: Frost coming soon!!  And a surprise leveling spec…OF DOOM!!!!!

**Disclaimer**:  Unlike Leveling at a Glance: Unholy which was very straight forward in how it works, Blood varies up a little bit.  There are several ways you could change this spec for leveling purposes, which would yield close to the same results.  Such as dip into Unholy, spend more points into Blood, change out a few abilities, etc.  However, that being said, I still stand by this spec as being the most efficient for overall leveling purposes solo.

Tags: Power Leveling