Heya guys!!  Welcome to the T8 edition of Best in Slot Items for Death Knights!!  Today we’re gonna talk about the best Weapons for your 2Hand slot that you can get for your DK. 

Weapons are rated differently than armor, as the DPS and max damage range of the weapons matter far more.  Please refer to the Hit and Expertise Revisited post if you have any questions regarding Hit and Expertise caps, their value, and how to get there.

PLEASE read the notes at the bottom of the post.  The notes are important.

Blood - Top 10 Best in Slot Weapons

1. Voldrethar, Dark Blade of Oblivion  3211.184 APE (Hard)
2. Furious Gladiator’s Sunderer*  2844.774 APE
3. Dark Edge of Depravity  3118.143 APE (Hard)
4. Hammer of Crushing Whispers  3033.274 APE (Hard)
5. Aesir’s Edge  3021.824 APE (Hard)
6. Earthshaper  3007.764 APE
7. Worldcarver  3015.245 APE
8. Lotrafen, Spear of the Damned  2979.545 APE
9. Rune Edge  2951.855 APE
10. Betrayer of Humanity  2742.121 APE  

Blood APE Values for Tier Set Bonuses

• T7 2pc  60 APE
• T7 4pc  39 APE
• T8 2pc  83 APE
• T8 4pc  104 APE 

Frost - Top 10 Best in Slot Weapons

1. Voldrethar, Dark Blade of Oblivion  2992.744 APE (Hard)
2. Furious Gladiator’s Sunderer*  2723.694 APE
3. Dark Edge of Depravity  2945.033 APE (Hard)
4. Hammer of Crushing Whispers  2914.654 APE (Hard)
5. Earthshaper  2888.404 APE
6. Aesir’s Edge  2817.604 APE (Hard)
7. Worldcarver  2834.965 APE
8. Lotrafen, Spear of the Damned  2742.445 APE
9. Rune Edge  2725.165 APE
10. Betrayer of Humanity  2567.251 APE  

Frost APE Values for Tier Set Bonuses

• T7 2pc  73 APE
• T7 4pc  97 APE
• T8 2pc  150 APE
• T8 4pc  75 APE

 Unholy – Top 10 Best in Slot Weapons

1. Voldrethar, Dark Blade of Oblivion  2220.6868 APE (Hard)
2. Furious Gladiator’s Sunderer*  1964.0878 APE
3. Dark Edge of Depravity  2182.3921 APE (Hard)
4. Hammer of Crushing Whispers  2169.2078 APE (Hard)
5. Earthshaper  2139.2848 APE
6. Aesir’s Edge  2081.9788 APE (Hard)
7. Worldcarver  2121.3145 APE
8. Lotrafen, Spear of the Damned  1962.6105 APE
9. Rune Edge  1952.1415 APE
10. Betrayer of Humanity  1914.6877 APE  

Unholy APE Values for Tier Set Bonuses

• T7 2pc  78.3 APE
• T7 4pc  160.2 APE
• T8 2pc  37.92 APE
• T8 4pc  115.7 APE

Notations

• (Hard) – This comes from a boss on Hard mode.  This will not be easy to get.
• (Set) – Remember to account for the 2 and 4 Piece Set Bonuses.  This will adjust the ranking of this item.
• (Crafted) – This should be easier to attain if you have the gold and can find a crafter with the recipie.
• (Emblems) – This can only be purchased through Emblems at a vendor.

Notes on 2Hand Weapons for Death Knights:

1. All APE values are subjective at best for weapon comparison.  They can give you a rough estimation based upon the weapon DPS and the stats on how good a weapon is, but it does not take into account the weapon speed or the min/max damage values of the weapon.  As DK’s are heavily dependent on their weapon damage value for their DPS due to things like Strikes (instant cast attacks), APE can only be loosely followed.
2. Even though instant cast attacks (Strikes) have been normalized to a set weapon speed multiplier (3.3 for all 2H weapons), that multiplier is still applied to the min/max damage values of any given weapon.  This means that slower 2H weapons with higher min/max damage values will create more total DPS.
3. APE values are still listed for those curious, though the weapons are ranked by how good they are.  The weapons are NOT ranked by APE.
4. When comparing weapons, note that the APE values are not truly representative of gained APE with normal items.  APE for weapons is only useful in comparing one weapon to another.  While putting on a piece of armor might be like gaining 300 AP on your toon, putting on a weapon is *not* like gaining 2000 AP on your toon.
5. Any PvP weapon noted with a * can be replaced with any other PvP weapon of the same designation.  Ex:  Any “Hateful” weapon can be replaced with a different “Hateful” weapon.  If you don’t wish to use an Axe, you can use a Sword instead.
6. Most importantly, the actual DPS of a weapon is the “bottom line” when comparing which weapon to use.  The basic starting tiers of weapon damage in T7 content are 222 DPS, 203 DPS, and 186 DPS.  If you are comparing a weapon that is from a lower tier of damage, the higher tiered item will *ALWAYS* be a significant dps upgrade.  Meaning, if you found a 186 DPS weapon and a 203 DPS weapon with similar APE values I am telling you right now they are *NOWHERE* near equal.  The 203 DPS weapon is significantly better and is a major upgrade.  Whereas if you are comparing two weapons that are both 203 DPS, swapping from one to the other will have only a marginal effect upon your DPS at best.
7. I do not *ever* recommend trying to pick a weapon based off of the stats that it has.  This is paramount for you to understand!!  Pick the best weapon possible to go for, and then balance your hit and expertise out with armor/item and gem selections.  Weapon APE values are not the best form of comparison by any stretch of the word.  Picking the best possible weapon to shoot for, and then balancing your expertise and hit elsewhere is the best way to go.

Things to remember

1. Please see my “Best in Slot Items” (BISI) page for a comprehensive list of all BISI items.
2. THIS DOES NOT ADD IN SET BONUSES!!!  At the end of each Spec’s section, there is a listing of the APE values of the set bonuses.  When you attain a bonus you can then add in that APE to item values.  Remember it is not a bonus per each Tier item.  For example if you got 5 pieces of T8 Unholy you would add a total of 153.62 APE to your toon, and no more.
3. These items are weighted using a system commonly refered to as APE, or Attack Power Equivalency.  This uses mathematical formulas, and often times simulators, to determine how much each attribute contributes to your dps.  It equates item stat values into a numeric value that equals 1 Attack Power, or 1 AP.
4. APE means exactly what it says, this item has an equivalent value of x AP.  So if it says 1 is 519 APE and 2 is 492 APE, swapping from 2 to 1 would be like gaining 27 Attack Power.
5. Take everything here with a grain of salt.  Short of running a simulator, it’s nearly impossible to know what the best stats are for any one character.  APE changes as your stats change.  As one stat goes up, its value to your dps goes down.  Meanwhile other stats’ values will go up in value.  This however is a good baseline, assuming you have the equivalent best in slot items and have kept your stats balanced while gearing out.
6. Keep in mind  that my information could be wrong.  But even if it is, it is most likely the closest source of information to the actual truth about DK APE values available.
7. Agility adds armor, so if you have the Bladed Armor talent this can be adding AP as well as Melee Crit %.
8. Hit and Expertise can be capped.  You do not want more than you can actually use.  Items with a stat that you’ve exceeded the cap are not worth their “true” value anymore because you’re not getting all of the benefit.
9. 262.32 Hit Rating is equal to 8% Melee Hit (this is the Melee Hit cap).
10. 445.91 Hit Rating is equal to 17% Spell Hit (this is the Spell Hit cap).  The spell hit cap is 288.53 rating or 17% if you have 3/3 Virulence and Misery debuff up.
11. 213.2 Expertise Rating is equal to 26 Expertise (this is the Expertise cap).  172.2 expertise rating  (21 skill) will hit the cap when talented.
12. Your stats need to be balanced.  If you pick gear that always has +Strength on them, then you’re going to be screwed. These items are balanced around the concept that you do not overstack certain stats.  Aka, 4% hit and 3000 AP is bad.  But so is 15% hit and 1500 AP.  Sticking with these item lists will usually avoid that however.
13. If you don’t agree you should seriously take a moment to stop and think about what factual data you have to back up that feeling.  Often times the number crunchers out there find things that look wrong to the average person.
14. When gemming gear most of the time you will ignore the slot colors.  Only pay attention to slot colors when trying to meet a metagem requirement if you need to.  Otherwise every gem slot should be either +Strength, +Expertise, or +Hit.  These numbers assume you are using Rare gems available to any player.
15. For more information on the Expertise and Hit caps you should read here: Hit and Expertise Revisited.

-Suffer Well Brothers and Sisters.

Tags: Best in Slot Items

Heya guys!!  Welcome to the T8 edition of Best in Slot Items for Death Knights!!  Today we’re gonna talk about the best Sigils for your ranged/misc slot that you can get for your DK. 

Unlike the majority of the BISI posts, sigils are broken up by spec since hit/expertise has no relevance here.  Please refer to the Hit and Expertise Revisited post if you have any questions regarding Hit and Expertise caps, their value, and how to get there.

PLEASE read the notes at the bottom of the post.  The notes are important.

Blood - Best in Slot Sigils

1. Sigil of the Vengeful Heart - This is the strongest sigil for Blood.
2. Sigil of Awareness - The second best sigil, only costs 25 Emblem of Valor.
3. Sigil of the Dark Rider - Your default sigil from leveling up, this is a satisfatory hold over item until you can purchase a SoA.

Frost - Best in Slot Sigils

1. Sigil of the Vengeful Heart - This is the strongest sigil for Frost by a massive margin.
2. Sigil of Awareness - The second best sigil, only costs 25 Emblem of Valor.
3. Sigil of the Frozen Conscience - Generally speaking, this is an extremely easy to attain Sigil with little to no effort.

Unholy – Best in Slot Sigils

1. Sigil of Awareness - The best sigil, only costs 25 Emblem of Valor.
2. Sigil of Arthritic Binding - Basically the weaker version of SoA, this is an extremely easy to attain Sigil with little to no effort.

Notes on Sigils:

1. There are very very very few Sigils in existence, and as such there is not an extensive list of them available.  Generally speaking there is one to three good ones for any given spec for a DK, and out of those at least one of them is very easy to attain.
2. Sigils are unique in that you compare them more by the DPS gains they can bring to the table, rather than by APE.
3. Sigils are compared by the relevant spec that you will be using, and not by anything else.  Your spec will determine your rotation and ability usage, which will in return determine which Sigils are actually useful.
4. If Sigil of the Dark Rider is listed, it is the last one mentioned because every single DK in the game gets this Sigil.
5. If a Sigil is listed that can be purchase from the Venture Co. in Grizzly Hills, it is the last possible Sigil listed.  These Sigils can be acquired solo in the process of less than an hour.  They are entirely too easy to gain to consider listing Sigils of lesser value.

Things to remember

1. Please see my “Best in Slot Items” (BISI) page for a comprehensive list of all BISI items.
2. THIS DOES NOT ADD IN SET BONUSES!!!  At the end of each Spec’s section, there is a listing of the APE values of the set bonuses.  When you attain a bonus you can then add in that APE to item values.  Remember it is not a bonus per each Tier item.  For example if you got 5 pieces of T8 Unholy you would add a total of 153.62 APE to your toon, and no more.
3. These items are weighted using a system commonly refered to as APE, or Attack Power Equivalency.  This uses mathematical formulas, and often times simulators, to determine how much each attribute contributes to your dps.  It equates item stat values into a numeric value that equals 1 Attack Power, or 1 AP.
4. APE means exactly what it says, this item has an equivalent value of x AP.  So if it says 1 is 519 APE and 2 is 492 APE, swapping from 2 to 1 would be like gaining 27 Attack Power.
5. Take everything here with a grain of salt.  Short of running a simulator, it’s nearly impossible to know what the best stats are for any one character.  APE changes as your stats change.  As one stat goes up, its value to your dps goes down.  Meanwhile other stats’ values will go up in value.  This however is a good baseline, assuming you have the equivalent best in slot items and have kept your stats balanced while gearing out.
6. Keep in mind  that my information could be wrong.  But even if it is, it is most likely the closest source of information to the actual truth about DK APE values available.
7. Agility adds armor, so if you have the Bladed Armor talent this can be adding AP as well as Melee Crit %.
8. Hit and Expertise can be capped.  You do not want more than you can actually use.  Items with a stat that you’ve exceeded the cap are not worth their “true” value anymore because you’re not getting all of the benefit.
9. 262.32 Hit Rating is equal to 8% Melee Hit (this is the Melee Hit cap).
10. 445.91 Hit Rating is equal to 17% Spell Hit (this is the Spell Hit cap).  The spell hit cap is 288.53 rating or 17% if you have 3/3 Virulence and Misery debuff up.
11. 213.2 Expertise Rating is equal to 26 Expertise (this is the Expertise cap).  172.2 expertise rating  (21 skill) will hit the cap when talented.
12. Your stats need to be balanced.  If you pick gear that always has +Strength on them, then you’re going to be screwed. These items are balanced around the concept that you do not overstack certain stats.  Aka, 4% hit and 3000 AP is bad.  But so is 15% hit and 1500 AP.  Sticking with these item lists will usually avoid that however.
13. If you don’t agree you should seriously take a moment to stop and think about what factual data you have to back up that feeling.  Often times the number crunchers out there find things that look wrong to the average person.
14. When gemming gear most of the time you will ignore the slot colors.  Only pay attention to slot colors when trying to meet a metagem requirement if you need to.  Otherwise every gem slot should be either +Strength, +Expertise, or +Hit.  These numbers assume you are using Rare gems available to any player.
15. For more information on the Expertise and Hit caps you should read here: Hit and Expertise Revisited.

-Suffer Well Brothers and Sisters.

Tags: Best in Slot Items