What is the fastest way to level as a Death Knight?

[ExLancer]

What is the fastest way to level as a Death Knight? I'm 85 right now, and did it mostly as Frost. I'm just wondering if by chance one of the other specs is better. I just want the fastest way not the easiest.

[Itisamuh]

I always found blood to be the fastest, except in condensed areas such as caves where you pull a ton of weaker than average mobs together that die in a few hits. In those cases I switched to frost, for both howling blast and the death strike glyph heal spam.

[Zka]

My blood DK had same or higher DPS during leveling than my multidotting shadow priest. Plus it cannot die. Not like SPs die a lot...
So no idea how much faster/slower it is than frost, but I didn't find it slow.

edit: yes I have used dps gear but it's not easy to come by such gear as blood in MoP zones for obvious reason - quests hand out rewards for your current spec and I didn't feel like speccing dps at each turn in.

[Deleted]

Blood, with dps gear
Can easily take 5-8 mobs and walk out 100% health

[Darsithis]

Frost. Frost is still the fastest way. Why? Mobs aren't grouped up. If you want to grab piles of mobs, you spend more time doing that and slowly killing them with death strike and blood boil than I would killing them in 1's and 2's as frost. Just get Glyph of Dark Succor for free DS's and 20% heals on every mob you kill.

[cmoneyr]

Blood in Frost Presence with Death Siphon and Glyph of Dark Succor. Death strikes will give you 4 death runes which can be used on Death Siphon, Death Siphon heals you for near 50% of your health and does big damage until level 80 or so. Add in free Death Strikes from the glyph and you'll roll through everything.

[Regen]

What dar said. Frost imo. Sure blood is "undying" but without vengeance stacking up nicely it won't be useful ad you'd waste time trying to get to that point. Go frost and glyph dark succor.

[Nillo]

I tried frost for a while, but after being ganked a few times and realizing that you just can't pull more than 2 mobs with frost I stayed blood since it's way more comfortable.
+ AoE leveling
+ pretty much unkillable
- slightly lower single target damage

---------- Post added 2012-11-30 at 03:51 PM ----------

Blood in Frost Presence with Death Siphon and Glyph of Dark Succor. Death strikes will give you 4 death runes which can be used on Death Siphon, Death Siphon heals you for near 50% of your health and does big damage until level 80 or so. Add in free Death Strikes from the glyph and you'll roll through everything.

Considering the OP is lvl 85 using that strategy has lots and lots of flaws :
missing the damage reduction and mastery shield from blood presence
lower rune regen rate
Death Siphon is weaker in damage and healing than Death Strike unless you have massive AP/damage/healing buffs

[Regen]

Dark succor doesn't work in blood spec though...? Or is it blood presence?

[Nillo]

Dark succor doesn't work in blood spec though...? Or is it blood presence?

It's Blood Presence.

[Rotted]

I always found blood to be the fastest, except in condensed areas such as caves where you pull a ton of weaker than average mobs together that die in a few hits. In those cases I switched to frost, for both howling blast and the death strike glyph heal spam.

by the time he switch's spec all the time, they would of died,

I did my blood dk, well still doing hes 87 now, in 1/4 of the time I did my Fire mage or SP, at that point, pick up the quests, Mass pull mobs 6-9 at a time, outbreak pestiliance, Death Strike to keep a shield up, once those runes are depleted, Rune strike, rinse repeat packs die in about 10 -12 seconds

[cmoneyr]

Considering the OP is lvl 85 using that strategy has lots and lots of flaws :
missing the damage reduction and mastery shield from blood presence
lower rune regen rate
Death Siphon is weaker in damage and healing than Death Strike unless you have massive AP/damage/healing buffs

I probably should have read the part where he said he was 85. Yeah 85 and on I went Frost and didn't look back. From 60 to 80 it was incredible though, I've never felt more OP.

[Schizoide]

Frost. Frost is still the fastest way. Why? Mobs aren't grouped up. If you want to grab piles of mobs, you spend more time doing that and slowly killing them with death strike and blood boil than I would killing them in 1's and 2's as frost. Just get Glyph of Dark Succor for free DS's and 20% heals on every mob you kill.

Yep this is exactly correct. If mobs were all grouped up, blood would be great. But in most questing spots they aren't. So go frost, ideally DW frost (as you'll be frost striking more than obliterating), with the glyph of +5 yds death grip, death grip cd refresh on kill, and dark succor, and go to town. Also I suggest parking an alt at this spawn and putting windsong on it. It helps a lot. I leveled my DK first, but it's been amazing on my ret and warrior.

http://www.wowhead.com/item=86523/sw...eaver-of-karoz

[Totle]

For leveling Pandaria stuff? - Frost.

Blood - you'll never die, but you'll take a long time to kill things. And there are A LOT of things to kill before hitting 90.

[Playintrafic]

Blood is fine if you can AOE. I love to level blood because I can Pull all da mobs. Quest to kill 10 things? I will kill 10 things at one time....

[Un0]

2h Frost is by far the fastest while leveling.

[Schizoide]

No, DW is faster because you frost strike more than you obliterate. 2H frost was faster in 4.x due to the extra runic power generation, but that doesn't exist in 5.x.

That said, it's not a big deal and if you have a great 2hand weapon leveling as 2H frost is perfectly fine. Just not completely optimal.

[Deleted]

I lvled as DW frost with 2x hc souldrinkers, made me practically unkillable aswell, defo the best option if you have those weaps

[WillFeral]

Dual wield souldrinkers as frost. /thread

[Saphyron]

I lvl'ed as blood in dps gear. went really fast from 85-89. then it went meh fast but sadly faster than my shadow priest cause I can damage and heal at the same time.