Having trouble tanking as Frost

[Ryoten]

I'm having one hell of a time keeping aggro on me. I usually open every encounter with D&D then IT>PS>Pest>HB>FS>FS but the problem is the CD's are killing me, often after IT>PS>Pest part of my rotation im waiting for runes to finish CD.


Just in case it matters, here is my armory http://www.wowarmory.com/character-s...romath&n=Rykin

[Zelven]

While my DK only has about 23 hours /played at 80, I've already raid defense capped him as tanking frost. It's an enjoyable experience.

Firstly, I rarely use Plague Strike when I'm fighting AoE groups. I just don't make good enough use of it to warrant the skill. Generally, instead, I start out the fight much like you: DnD, Icy Touch, Pest. However, use Blood Tap and use a Howling Blast (with Deathchill if it's up). I find it to be a nice way to produce as much AoE threat as possible. I do use Plague Strike (and don't use DnD) when it comes to single target only (bosses, for instance) to assist in more strike damage.

Perhaps that might help?

The cooldowns can be killer at times, but I find it nice to just use Frost Strike or Rune Strike whenever the runes are on cooldown. Seems to make it "less of a wait" to me.

[Lysah]

You could stand to trade in some defense rating for avoidance, threat, or stamina. Also, if you're not running with a frost DPS DK, go for imp icy talons as well.

I found to rarely be "waiting" between using runes and RP, rotations through keeping up diseases and using HB or OB while keeping blood runes on cooldown didn't leave many extra seconds, the runic power built up from using runes is almost more than spamming frost strike (when runes are down) can handle, there have been times where my runic power was wasted. Opening fights with DnD > diseases > deathchilled HB is a great way to lay down a ton of threat on a group. Other than that, when it comes to multiple mobs, you'll lose out to an unholy spec, but it shouldn't be unmanageable.

[Ryoten]

Well, what exactly helps you generate more threat from gear? Is it hit rating? I say this because frost is alot of spell dmg and there is not +AP to SP talent.

[Montoya]

Well, what exactly helps you generate more threat from gear? Is it hit rating? I say this because frost is alot of spell dmg and there is not +AP to SP talent.

No, but there is a large coefficient from AP to augment spell's damage.

[Coca]

My rotation on trash is: DnD>IT>Pest>BT>HB. After that I just keep doing IT when needed, Pest on blood runes and HB/OB when ever I got the runes. I have Runes Strike in macro to all my buttons so it goes off automatically and I dump my rp with Frost Strikes.

[hnd]

Are you having issues with single or aoe? You might want to also do a lot more research on dks, and tanking in general to help you out.

[taek]

Your threat issues should be easily fixed, you're making the two most common mistakes with Frost:

1. Rotation: Coca's rotation is the max AE threat rotation. DnD->IT->Pest->BT + Howling Blast. You want both DnD & HB as your opening moves. As a frost DK, either for tanking or DPS, i recommend ignoring Plague Strike altogether.

2. Going down the Unholy Tree instead of Blood: i see DKs with Unholy spec talents like morbidity and epidemic, instead of Bladed Armor and 2H Spec. Assuming 27k armor, you gain 750 AP from bladed armor. That's the value of 375 strength points. Nothing in Unholy is going to net you anything remotely as useful for threat generation.

[Stieger23]

This is a repost from a buried thread, but since it's pretty much the same question it gets the same answer.

Alright, here's my opening.

Step 1: Make a macro:

#showtooltip Pestilence(rankwhatever)
/cast blood tap
/cast Pestilence(rankwhatever)
/script UIErrorsFrame:Clear()

Step 2: Make another macro:

#showtooltip Howling Blast(rank 6)
/cast Deathchill
/cast howling blast(rank 6)
/script UIErrorsFrame:Clear()

Step 3:

Make sure you have the right spec. Do you have morbidity (optional)? Do you have bladed armor? Do you have killing machine?

Step 4:

Death and Decay>IT>pest(with Blood tap macro)>HB (with deathchill)

You should win threat easily on aoe pulls. Easily.

[Utal]

Roll your head along your skills. not hard..do enough Damage and your Armour and stuff will stop you dying.

[Stieger23]

Roll your head along your skills. not hard..do enough Damage and your Armour and stuff will stop you dying.

Clearly you think everything is as easy as DPSing. AOE tanking, while not actually hard, does require some technique or your melee dps will retard-kill themselves with multi-target attacks before you've set up threat on everything. And then they'll probably piss and moan. To save yourself from having to listen to degenerate moron dps, don't just faceroll... do it right.

[Razamataz]

As mentioned before, try to fit Bladed Armor into your spec. I don't think any DK tank should ever pass this talent up.

Also, looking at your armory, you could use some gear upgrades. Threat will come to you naturally if you raid and replace pieces regularly.

[Avadon]

If it's a short fight, DnD, IT, Pest, Tap, HB isn't a bad idea if you really need the snap agro that badly, but if it's that short of an aoe pull, you can bet the mobs are easy enough that your trigger happy hunters, locks and mages can afford to be a little less aggressive on their aoe.

If it's a long fight, your rotation will vary depending on how many, if any, points you have in Morbidity.

If you wanted to you could probably hold agro just fine with only a single DnD to start with. Would go like this.

Target main, DnD, PS and IT, Pest, HB, target secondary, Pest, target main, HB, Pest, HB, target secondary, Pest, etc etc.
Yes, Pestilence does less damage than Blood Boil, but if you keep jumping it back and forth among the mobs, you never have to refresh your diseases, which means more HBs which means more aoe tps. You'd be dumping your rp on rune strikes on the primary target and frost strikes if you have an excess.

Personally my rotation is much different. I'm 10/51/11, I have 3/3 Morbidity, 2/2 Epidemic, and 1/1 Corpse Explosion (glyphed). My rotation is DnD, IT, PS, Pest, HB, Pest off secondary, DnD, HB, Pest off primary, HB, Pest off secondary, DnD, etc. This allows me to keep my diseases up on all targets at all times without ever having to refresh, lets me spam DnD ever 15 seconds, and lets me continue spamming HB as well. Although I'm rune striking to maintain solid threat on the primary target, I'm also keeping enough for a CE if something is close to dying. 40 rp for 1400 aoe damage is amazing, especially if the glyph procs and you get 2 of those 1400 damage blasts for the price of one.

Also, if you're having trouble holding aoe threat as frost, make sure you're at least 4/5 in Killing Machine. When aoe tanking, over 1/2 of my HBs crit on every target because of KM procs, it makes a huge difference in aoe tps. This is also why not having to refresh diseases (IT pointedly) and not using frost strike as an agro dump are so important, because if you did, IT or FS would eat KM procs.. by avoiding both of them in aoe situations, it ensures all your procs are being used where they're used best: HB.