So this... "Festering strike" I hear of... what rune(s) does it take to use?

[BTF777]

Some blue post about a beta patch said DKs got a new ability called "Festering strike" , or something like that? What rune(s) is it to use?

Cause I'd be pretty glad if it was blood runes cause blood strike is shit

[Wingwraith]

1 blood 1 frost and activates death runes

[BTF777]

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiceeeeeeeeeeee

[Elovan]

It's too be used in conjunction with Scourge Strike for Unholy since Scourge Strike now only uses one unholy rune, doesn't have much use for Blood or Frost.

[Aldurok]

Frost maybe not (at least not in PVE), but Blood can use the 1 Unholy rune DnD with it to keep FU pairs.

[Shelly]

It's too be used in conjunction with Scourge Strike for Unholy since Scourge Strike now only uses one unholy rune, doesn't have much use for Blood or Frost.

While I agree that unholy gets the most leverage out of it, I think it's meant to be used with all specs. Also I believe that the 2-rune abilities are now supposed to be considerably harder hitting than your single rune abilities.

The big question though is where will it fit into the rotation of Frost and Blood?

[Organoth]

The big question though is where will it fit into the rotation of Frost and Blood?

Not Blood at least because we will still use Death Strike for our 2 Rune ability (Forst and Unholy) to proc Death Runes. Yes DnD is getting dropped to one Unholy Rune but it will no longer be necessary to maintain large AoE threat. Blood Boil has been fixed to be more useful and usable more often thanks to Scarlet Fever (extra diease proc'd from Blood Boil) and Crimson Scourge (40% extra damage and makes Blood Boil cost no Rune when u use Plague Strike). The extra diease from Scarlet Fever is a double win for Death Strike as it means extra heals.

[Shelly]

Not Blood at least because we will still use Death Strike for our 2 Rune ability (Forst and Unholy) to proc Death Runes. Yes DnD is getting dropped to one Unholy Rune but it will no longer be necessary to maintain large AoE threat. Blood Boil has been fixed to be more useful and usable more often thanks to Scarlet Fever (extra diease proc'd from Blood Boil) and Crimson Scourge (40% extra damage and makes Blood Boil cost no Rune when u use Plague Strike). The extra diease from Scarlet Fever is a double win for Death Strike as it means extra heals.

Festering Strike also will produce death runes for you, and if it hits harder than death strike I can see using it on many fights provided you don't need the self-healing.

[Aldurok]

Not Blood at least because we will still use Death Strike for our 2 Rune ability (Forst and Unholy) to proc Death Runes. Yes DnD is getting dropped to one Unholy Rune but it will no longer be necessary to maintain large AoE threat. Blood Boil has been fixed to be more useful and usable more often thanks to Scarlet Fever (extra diease proc'd from Blood Boil) and Crimson Scourge (40% extra damage and makes Blood Boil cost no Rune when u use Plague Strike). The extra diease from Scarlet Fever is a double win for Death Strike as it means extra heals.

I think we need to start prefacing every new thread on DK forums: "Scarlet Fever counts as a PHYSICAL debuff, not a disease"

DnD is not just for AoE. Right now in live it's the best threat per rune ability we have, single target or aoe. If it maintains high threat, it can be worth throwing in on single target.

With Epidemic, 2 festering strikes gives diseases 1 minute durations. Outbreak has 1 minute cooldown. Applying diseases with Outbreak lets you get more threat with a DS instead of IT+PS.

[Ikkatsu]

Festering Strike also will produce death runes for you, and if it hits harder than death strike I can see using it on many fights provided you don't need the self-healing.

We will most definately require Death Strike and its Self-Healing, unless we over-gear an encounter.

This is due to us having the lowest form of Mitigation compared to all other tanks.

[Foibles]

We will most definately require Death Strike and its Self-Healing, unless we over-gear an encounter.

This is due to us having the lowest form of Mitigation compared to all other tanks.

It's not like we're taking 30% more damage than them. It's probably more like 2-3%

[Ikkatsu]

It's not like we're taking 30% more damage than them. It's probably more like 2-3%

2% may not sound like much per hit, but over the course of an extended fight it all adds up.

Let's just say, for example, Boss #1 melee hits for 30,000 after mitigation by a Warrior which will mean a Death Knight will take 30,600 damage.

Lets now say the boss hits at a speed of 2.0 and the fight is 5 minutes long.

This means that the Warrior takes a total of 4,500,000 damage over the course of the fight and the Death Knight takes a total of 4,590,000 damage over the course of the fight.

A Death Knight taking an additional 90k damage compared to a Warrior over a 5 minute fight does, imo, warrant the use of Death Strike.

And that was based JUST on standard Melee Hits, you still need to add in the special abilities and any "Continous Raid Damage".

[Pope]

The extra diease from Scarlet Fever is a double win for Death Strike as it means extra heals.

Scarlet Fever is no disease. It's just a debuff that provides 10% reduced damage.

[Foibles]

2% may not sound like much per hit, but over the course of an extended fight it all adds up.

Let's just say, for example, Boss #1 melee hits for 30,000 after mitigation by a Warrior which will mean a Death Knight will take 30,600 damage.

Lets now say the boss hits at a speed of 2.0 and the fight is 5 minutes long.

This means that the Warrior takes a total of 4,500,000 damage over the course of the fight and the Death Knight takes a total of 4,590,000 damage over the course of the fight.

A Death Knight taking an additional 90k damage compared to a Warrior over a 5 minute fight does, imo, warrant the use of Death Strike.

And that was based JUST on standard Melee Hits, you still need to add in the special abilities and any "Continous Raid Damage".

We're going to have at least 100k as starter tanks. 90k is nothing. Besides, we are going to be healing for 20%/17.5% of our health at least once a rotation, AND adding a 17.5k absorb shield.

[Ikkatsu]

We're going to have at least 100k as starter tanks. 90k is nothing.

Sigh.

It was an example.

Im pretty sure bosses are going to hit harder than 30k as well, and it was JUST based on Melee Hits.

Did you just skip to the end and click post?

[Brince]

While I agree that unholy gets the most leverage out of it, I think it's meant to be used with all specs. Also I believe that the 2-rune abilities are now supposed to be considerably harder hitting than your single rune abilities.

The big question though is where will it fit into the rotation of Frost and Blood?

No using festering strike will only gimp your main attacks (obliterate, death strike) so, even if it's very good, is useless if you're not unholy.

[Foibles]

Sigh.

It was an example.

Im pretty sure bosses are going to hit harder than 30k as well.

Did you just skip to the end and click post?

Do you consider all variables? We take slightly more damage, but heal huge chunks of our health, AND add an absorb shield.

[Ikkatsu]

Do you consider all variables? We take slightly more damage, but heal huge chunks of our health, AND add an absorb shield.

...

My god, did you not even read the context of my original post?

The reason im talking about us taking more damage is BECAUSE we heal ourselves WITH Death Strike.

Earlier on in the thread, Shelly said Death Strike might no longer be required, which is what my counter-response regarding lower mitigation was about and that we WOULD need Death Strike.

Fucking read an entire thread before posting mindless drivel, Jesus Christ.

[Mixelphlick]

Yeah the absorb sheild is going to either make our mitigation better, even or (and this is worse from a design perspective) as its our mastery it will ramp up as gear/mastery level do making us still slightly worse early in the xpac but ridiculous and possibly requiring a nerf late in the xpac. All of those predictions are depending on its specific scaling overall though.

[Sy]

i think the difference in mitigation compared to warriors (for example) might be more about 5-10%. but still, there will sure be situations and fights were doing extra dmg is better than taking less.
the question is though: what will do more dmg (with all effects on rotation, diseases, ect) - ds+hs or fs+ps/ns?

edit:

Yeah the absorb sheild is going to either make our mitigation better, even or (and this is worse from a design perspective) as its our mastery it will ramp up as gear/mastery level do making us still slightly worse early in the xpac but ridiculous and possibly requiring a nerf late in the xpac. All of those predictions are depending on its specific scaling overall though.

the boni of the other tanking classes reduce their damage taken too. so death knights won't increase their survival potential more trough mastery rating than, for example, warriors.
so bosses in added raid dungeons will be designed with all mastery rating in mind and all tanks taking less dmg.