DK leveling spec

[Avatar Killer]

Vanilla release of wrath made DK leveling different than classic will be. I’ve read many different ideas of talent specs but everyone has their own views. I didn’t get to play the PTR but does anyone have and actual solid views on what would assist in making the leveling process as smooth as it should be?

[Freedom]

Back in WotLK I went DPS/Tank hybrid Blood with the Vendetta talent that heals you for ~6% of your HP every time you kill a target that grants honor/exp.

[Segus1992]

Back in WotLK I went DPS/Tank hybrid Blood with the Vendetta talent that heals you for ~6% of your HP every time you kill a target that grants honor/exp.

Generally this. The three specs are relatively close in terms of DPS while leveling for single target (Frost is a bit ahead, Unholy wins on AoE, Blood wins on sustain and 2 targets), and since sustain and 1-2 targets is most of leveling, Blood wins pretty hard. I'll probably go Blood until 44 points and then Frost until Endless Winter or similar.

[Avatar Killer]

This is what was thinking too. Several posts said blood dmg was too low and therefore slower but vendeta seemed too good to pass up tagged along with butchery seemed like basically constant RP and decent health without stopping. That in itself seemed faster than just killing and needing to recover.

[Freedom]

I think this is close to the build that I used, a bit on the tankier side: https://www.wowhead.com/wotlk/talent...00230223131051 I seem to remember the best way to level with this build was to "AoE quest", aka go to an area and work on a few quests at once and pull a lot of mobs. And you can always just AoE grind for exp if you hit a dead zone of no quests.

[Avatar Killer]

I think this is close to the build that I used, a bit on the tankier side: https://www.wowhead.com/wotlk/talent...00230223131051 I seem to remember the best way to level with this build was to "AoE quest", aka go to an area and work on a few quests at once and pull a lot of mobs. And you can always just AoE grind for exp if you hit a dead zone of no quests.

I read that imp blood presence was one of the worst talents in the blood tree. I thought it adds 5/10% to the 4% of the presence as opposed to healing for 5/10% of your dmg. Especially since it’s not the original release but patch 3.3.5.
I could be wrong but if that is the case that’s two points better put into another talent

[Nayami]

I will go Unholy and spam Death Strike with AoE pulls. DnD and DoTs with Wandering Plague (+ some nice crit value) will be really good for AoE pulls and you get good sustain too (Unholy Death Strike heals as much as Blood does with Improved Deathstrike since you have one more disease).

Will still keep Blood as an off-spec, but only for soloing elite quests (or perhaps dungeons). Unholy also gets +15% base move speed (imp. Unholy Presence works before you get the presence) and 20% mount speed.

This video has some good info about this build if you guys are interested (timestamped gameplay): https://youtu.be/B_qQEJ3hi_g?t=817

Hope it helps

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These are also some weps I plan to pick up early during WoTLK in case they help.

- Go to Borean Tundra
- Do up to this quest to get a decent starting wep if your current one is too bad https://www.wowhead.com/wotlk/quest=11797/the-siege
- Skip everything you can and start quest chain for https://www.wowhead.com/wotlk/item=3...f-frozen-death which should have you set till Lvl 74-75 (Note: Can do this at Lvl 68 in case you didn't manage to hit 70 by launch)
- Lvl 74 can get a small upgrade with https://www.wowhead.com/wotlk/quest=...-tangled-skein
- Lvl 75 you can to the WoTLK version of Ring of Blood https://www.wowhead.com/wotlk/item=4...e-raged-waraxe

[loanel]

Generally speaking i'd suggest going unholy. All three specs are good, however unholy wins in the aoe damage and tanking perspective, unholy easily has the best aoe threat out of all three specs - frost is too spiky and dependant on HB procs, blood only has blood boil and dnd. Additionally the thing that's rarely mentioned is Desecrate, that ability is absolutely bonkers for 5-mans if you're going for some aoe cleave comp (entire ground is filled with slows) and want to kite around slow fields.
Blood's advantage is the fact that it has more tank utility in the lower part of the tree (f.e will of the necropolis) and it buffs death strike self healing even more, but that ability is so strong on its own that it might even be overkill for tanking dungeons. Blood is also good if you want to attempt to solo elites, i'd say it can solo most elites with the exception of the ones that are clearly meant to be 5-manned in the open world.

[Skylarking]

and want to kite around slow fields.

ever since the boosting changes you can only kite for so long until they immune tho

[Hctaz]

I read that imp blood presence was one of the worst talents in the blood tree. I thought it adds 5/10% to the 4% of the presence as opposed to healing for 5/10% of your dmg. Especially since it’s not the original release but patch 3.3.5.
I could be wrong but if that is the case that’s two points better put into another talent

For level 58, I'd go with this for solo leveling if you prefer sustain. https://www.wowhead.com/wotlk/talent...30323102310134

[threads]

in outlands just go unholy and pull 6+ mobs and spread disease + DnD ez mode

[csguba]

Unholy is the fastest. Having the increased mount speed alone is massive nevermind the superior aoe.

[iridasi]

Firstly, the starting zone for DKs provides a decent amount of experience, so players may want to complete the zone's quests before moving on to other areas. Secondly, it's recommended to use a two-handed weapon as it provides higher damage output and can make the leveling process faster.

In terms of talent specs, it's important to focus on talents that increase damage output, survivability, and mobility. Some recommended talents include those that increase critical strike chance, reduce cooldowns, and provide self-healing or damage reduction abilities.

Additionally, it's a good idea to focus on questing rather than grinding, as questing provides more experience and rewards. It's also recommended to group up with other players for quests or dungeons to speed up the leveling process and make it more efficient.

Overall, there isn't a single "best" talent spec for leveling a DK in WotLK, as it can vary depending on individual playstyle and preferences. However, focusing on damage, survivability, and mobility talents, and prioritizing questing over grinding can help make the leveling process smoother and faster.

[Necropally]

I would recommend leveling in blood if you want to level fast tank usually have the fastest queue time

[Diatribe]

Blood is stupid fun leveling. All my DK's are Blood. Can jump in and out of instance groups for quick dungeon exp and there's no real hindrance in leveling speed (if anything, it's faster due to dungeons and mass aoe pulls for quest mobs in open world).