Frost Death Knight DPS Guide (Legion 7.3.5)

Welcome to our Frost Death Knight DPS guide for World of Warcraft Legion 7.3.5. Here, you will learn everything you need to know about playing a Frost Death Knight in a raid environment and in Mythic+ dungeons.

About Our Reviewer

This guide has been reviewed and approved by Ertrak, a top Frost Death Knight who raids in Azshari Vegans.

1. Class Overview

The Frost specialisation (which now only allows for dual-wielding One-Handed Weapons) provides reasonable single target and AoE DPS, and it seems to be on par with Unholy in terms of performance.

Its playstyle is straightforward, and its rotation is easy to learn and master.

2. Patch 7.3 Changes for Frost Death Knights

Several talents have been moved around between tiers.
Horn of Winter now has a 45-second cooldown, up from 30 seconds.
Volatile Shielding and Obliteration have been redesigned.

3. Patch 7.2.5 Changes for Frost Death Knights

Rime can now also be triggered by Frostscythe (with a 22.5% chance).
Two new legendary items, Soul of the Deathlord and Cold Heart, have been added.

4. Patch 7.2 Changes for Frost Death Knights

Artifact traits have been slightly reworked. After spending 35 points, you now open up a new path, made up of 5 new traits ( Ferocity of the Ebon Blade, Runefrost, Runic Chills, Thronebreaker, and Concordance of the Legionfall) and all traits with 3 ranks get an additional 4th rank that you can invest in.
The Perseverance of the Ebon Martyr legendary item was nerfed.

5. Frost Death Knight Strengths

Good sustained cleave damage
Very strong short burst AoE damage

6. Frost Death Knight Weaknesses

Lacks mobility, making it one of the slowest specs in the game
Nothing unique that it can bring to help the raid

7. Contents

To make it easy to navigate the guide, we have split it into 11 pages:

Easy Mode: TL;DR to own without reading much;
Spell Summary: see a summary of all your useful spells;
Builds and Talents: learn how to choose your talents;
Artifact Traits and Relics: discover how to level up your Artifact;
Netherlight Crucible Relic Paths: choose the right paths on your Netherlight Crucible;
Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities: master your rotation and your cooldowns;
Stat Priority: read up on the respective values of your statistics;
Gems, Enchants, and Consumables: choose the best gems, enchantments, etc.;
Macros and Addons: step up your game with useful macros and addons;
Gear, Legendaries, and Best in Slot: find the best gear you can wear;
Battle for Azeroth: learn how to play your class in Battle for Azeroth.

Easy Mode⋙

8. ChangeLog

21 Jun. 2018 (Battle for Azeroth page): Updated the talent tree for recent Beta changes.
15 Jun. 2018 (Battle for Azeroth page): Updated the talent tree for the recent Beta changes.
14 Jun. 2018 (Battle for Azeroth page): Updated for the recent Beta changes.
11 Jun. 2018 (Battle for Azeroth page): Updated for the recent Beta changes.
11 Jun. 2018 (stats page): Removed Strength from stat priority.
11 Jun. 2018 (stats page): Fixed some confusing wording in the stat priority.
06 Jun. 2018 (gear page): Updated trinket and legendary item rankings.
06 Jun. 2018 (enchants page): Updated the recommended consumables.
06 Jun. 2018 (stats page): Updated stat priority.
06 Jun. 2018 (rotation page): Fixed a typo in the single target rotation.
04 Jun. 2018 (Battle for Azeroth page): Fixed a typo in the Azerite Traits section.
02 Jun. 2018 (Battle for Azeroth page): Expanded the Azerite Traits section.
31 May 2018 (Battle for Azeroth page): Page added.
25 May 2018 (Netherlight Crucible page): Updated tier 2 and 3 trait priorities.
25 May 2018 (rotation page): Updated single target rotation.
25 May 2018 (easy mode page): Updated stat priority and rotation.
25 May 2018 (enchants page): Updated gems and ring enchants to Haste.
25 May 2018 (artifact page): Updated relic priority.
25 May 2018 (stats page): Updated stat priority.
25 May 2018 (gear page): Updated trinket and legendary item rankings.
25 May 2018 (talents page): Made two small rewording edits to tier 3 and 7 talent discussions.
25 May 2018 (spells page): Made a few small tweaks, for clarity.
21 Jan. 2018 (rotation page): Updated a mention of Volatile Shielding that still referred to the way the talent used to work in the past.
18 Jan. 2018 (talents page): Updated tier 1 and tier 6 talent recommendations.
18 Jan. 2018 (easy mode page): Updated the page to reflect changes to tier 1 and 6 talent recommendations.
03 Dec. 2017 (enchants page): Replaced Ancient Healing Potion with Astral Healing Potion.
28 Nov. 2017 (easy mode page): Updated the page to reflect changes to talents and stat priority.
28 Nov. 2017 (gear page): Updated set bonus recommendations and trinket and legendary rankings.
28 Nov. 2017 (stats page): Updated stat priority.
28 Nov. 2017 (talents page): Updated the recommendations for most talent tiers.
28 Nov. 2017 (enchants page): Updated recommendations to account for Mastery now being the best secondary stat.
16 Sep. 2017 (Netherlight Crucible page): Added proper tier 2 trait rankings.
12 Sep. 2017 (Netherlight Crucible page): Added Netherlight Crucible page for Frost Death Knight.
05 Sep. 2017 (stats page): Updated the stat priority (Haste is now the best secondary stat).
05 Sep. 2017 (enchants page): Updated recommendations to account for Haste now being the best secondary stat.
01 Sep. 2017 (easy mode page): Updated page to reflect changes made to talents and rotation (adding Breath of Sindragosa viability, notably).
01 Sep. 2017 (rotation page): Updated AoE rotation to include Breath of Sindragosa.
01 Sep. 2017 (talents page): Updated tier 2 and 7 talent recommendations.
31 Aug. 2017 (rotation page): Removed an outdated mention regarding how Obliteration works.
28 Aug. 2017 (easy mode page): Updated page to reflect changes made to the rest of the guide (talents and rotation).
28 Aug. 2017 (enchants page): Added Lightforged Augment Rune and new 7.3 epic gems.
28 Aug. 2017 (talents page): Updated the page to account for the changes to talents that came with Patch 7.3.
28 Aug. 2017 (this page): Added summary of Patch 7.3 changes.
28 Aug. 2017 (rotation page): Updated rotation sections.
28 Aug. 2017 (stats page): No changes needed for Patch 7.3.
11 Aug. 2017 (stats page): Updated stat priority slightly.
11 Aug. 2017 (rotation page): Made a small tweak to the Breath of Sindragosa rotation to remove the mention of Hungering Rune Weapon.
11 Aug. 2017 (artifact page): Updated relic priority slightly.
11 Aug. 2017 (gear page): Updated legendary ranking and added a trinket list.
13 Jun. 2017 (talents page): Updated Tier 6 talent discussion to mention that Frostscythe can be taken if you have the new legendary ring, Soul of the Deathlord.
13 Jun. 2017 (enchants page): Page reviewed and deemed updated for 7.2.5.
13 Jun. 2017 (spells page): Updated Rime description to account for Patch 7.2.5 changes.
13 Jun. 2017 (stats page): Page reviewed and deemed updated for 7.2.5.
13 Jun. 2017 (this page): Added summary of Patch 7.2.5 changes.
13 Jun. 2017 (easy mode page): Page reviewed and deemed updated for 7.2.5.
13 Jun. 2017 (gear page): Updated legendary ranking (adding the two new legendary items) and added Tier 20 Set Bonus recommendations.
13 Jun. 2017 (rotation page): Updated Rime description to account for Patch 7.2.5 changes.
13 Jun. 2017 (artifact page): Page reviewed and deemed updated for 7.2.5.
22 May 2017 (gear page): Updated the legendary item ranking slightly.
22 May 2017 (artifact page): Added a mention to better give context to the relic priority.
24 Apr. 2017 (rotation page): Removed mentions of Machine Gun playstyle.
24 Apr. 2017 (talents page): Removed mentions of Machine Gun playstyle.
24 Apr. 2017 (stats page): Removed mentions of Machine Gun playstyle.
24 Apr. 2017 (enchants page): Removed mentions of Machine Gun playstyle.
24 Apr. 2017 (artifact page): Removed mention of Machine Gun playstyle and slightly updated relic priority.
24 Apr. 2017 (easy mode page): Removed mentions of Machine Gun playstyle.
28 Mar. 2017 (enchants page): Changed food recommendation to Lavish Suramar Feast.
27 Mar. 2017 (stats page): No changes needed for Patch 7.2.
27 Mar. 2017 (gear page): Updated legendary rankings to account for Patch 7.2 changes.
27 Mar. 2017 (artifact page): Added path for the Artifact traits added in Patch 7.2.
27 Mar. 2017 (rotation page): No changes needed for Patch 7.2.
27 Mar. 2017 (this page): Added summary of Patch 7.2 changes.
27 Mar. 2017 (talents page): No changes needed for Patch 7.2.
21 Feb. 2017 (talents page): Revamped most talent descriptions to account for Breath of Sindragosa now being the dominant playstyle.
21 Feb. 2017 (artifact page): Updated Relic priorities.
21 Feb. 2017 (rotation page): Updated the page to show the two viable playstyle (Breath of Sindragosa, the most prominent, and Machine Gun).
21 Feb. 2017 (easy mode page): Updated the page to account for the various updates made to the guide in other parts.
21 Feb. 2017 (stats page): Updated Breath of Sindragosa stat priority.
22 Jan. 2017 (gear page): Moved the legendary helm to the number one spot for legendary item ranking.
22 Jan. 2017 (talents page): Updated description of Volatile Shielding to account for the change in damage school.
21 Jan. 2017 (rotation page): Updated the Breath of Sindragosa rotation.
21 Jan. 2017 (talents page): Made a few small updates to some talent evaluations and updated the introductory text for the Breath of Sindragosa playstyle further. Also added checkmarks to talents viable in the Breath of Sindragosa build.
21 Jan. 2017 (enchants page): Updated neck enchant recommendation to only Mark of the Hidden Satyr, fixed an issue where we were recommending an Agility gem, and updated potion recommendations.
21 Jan. 2017 (gear page): Added trinket simulations and updated the text for Kil'jaeden's Burning Wish.
17 Jan. 2017 (artifact page): Added a mention of a different Relic priority if using Breath of Sindragosa as your tier 7 talent, and removed a mention of different Relic priorities for AoE damage.
17 Jan. 2017 (talents page): Reworded the introduction section for the Breath of Sindragosa build slightly, to confirm that it does indeed perform very well.
13 Jan. 2017 (easy mode page): Changed tier 6 Breath of Sindragosa talent recommendation to Gathering Storm.
13 Jan. 2017 (rotation page): Changed the text to reflect that the only recommended tier 6 talent for the Breath of Sindragosa playstyle is Gathering Storm.
13 Jan. 2017 (talents page): Changed tier 6 talent evaluation to Gather Storm only (for Breath of Sindragosa).
13 Jan. 2017 (gear page): Added a mention of Kil'jaeden's Burning Wish as well as a Tier 19 Set Bonus recommendation.
10 Jan. 2017 (gear page): Added mention of new legendary item and revised existing legendary recommendations slightly.
10 Jan. 2017 (enchants page): Added Breath of Sindragosa build mentions/recommendations.
10 Jan. 2017 (stats page): Added Breath of Sindragosa stat priority.
10 Jan. 2017 (rotation page): Added Breath of Sindragosa rotation.
10 Jan. 2017 (artifact page): Checked and confirmed for Patch 7.1.5.
10 Jan. 2017 (easy mode page): Added alternative recommendations for the Breath of Sindragosa build.
10 Jan. 2017 (this page): Added summary of Patch 7.1.5 changes.
10 Jan. 2017 (talents page): Added alternative talent choices to support Breath of Sindragosa build, and updated talent descriptions to account for Patch 7.1.5.
16 Dec. 2016 (easy mode page): Fixed an error referring to tier 7 talents being available at level 110, instead of 100.
11 Dec. 2016 (spells page): Page added.
11 Dec. 2016 (rotation page): Fixed a typo in the rotation section and one in the Cooldown Usage section.
11 Dec. 2016 (easy mode page): Added easy mode page.
03 Nov. 2016 (this page): Updated the page a bit to account for buffs to Frost resulting in it no longer being behind Unholy in performance.
31 Oct. 2016 (gear page): Added a mention explaining the lack of a Best in Slot section.
31 Oct. 2016 (enchants page): Added a mention of how the stat breakpoints will affect your gearing.
31 Oct. 2016 (stats page): Updated the stat priority including breakpoints.
28 Oct. 2016 (gear page): Updated legendary item ranking.
28 Oct. 2016 (rotation page): Amended the Obliterate line in the single target priority to include one with and one without a Killing Machine proc.
27 Oct. 2016 (enchants page): Updated the recommendations to account for Versatility now being the preferred secondary stat.
27 Oct. 2016 (talents page): Updated tier 6 and 7 talent recommendations to account for a non machine gun playstyle now also being viable.
27 Oct. 2016 (rotation page): Added the Runic Attenuation + Obliteration rotation to the guide.
27 Oct. 2016 (artifact page): Updated Relic priority.
27 Oct. 2016 (stats page): Updated the stat priority (Versatility is now the best secondary stat).
24 Oct. 2016 (talents page): Updated the description of Frozen Pulse to account for patch 7.1 changes.
05 Oct. 2016 (rotation page): Split the rotation into single target and AoE.
05 Oct. 2016 (artifact page): Updated the Relic priority slightly.
05 Oct. 2016 (talents page): Updated the tier 3 talent discussion to state that Avalanche is best for raiding, while Icecap is recommended for Mythic+ dungeons.
05 Oct. 2016 (stats page): Updated the stat priority considerably (Haste is now the best secondary stat, without any soft cap).
05 Oct. 2016 (enchants page): Updated the recommendations to account for Haste now being the single preferred secondary stat.
26 Sep. 2016 (rotation page): Improved the single target rotation.
25 Sep. 2016 (rotation page): Removed the non-machine gun rotations.
25 Sep. 2016 (enchants page): Updated neck enchant recommendations and removed mentions of a ratio between Critical Strike and Haste.
25 Sep. 2016 (stats page): Updated the stat priority considerably.
25 Sep. 2016 (gear page): Tweaked the legendary recommendations somewhat.
25 Sep. 2016 (talents page): Further updated the page to account for the prevalence of the Machine Gun rotation.
24 Sep. 2016 (rotation page): Updated the guide to reflect that the machine gun rotation is currently recommended in all situations.
24 Sep. 2016 (talents page): Added a mention of taking Icy Talons for the Machine Gun rotation.
20 Sep. 2016 (enchants page): Added Potion of the Old War as a recommended potion, alongside Potion of Deadly Grace.
29 Aug. 2016 (talents page): Updated for Legion's launch.
29 Aug. 2016 (rotation page): Updated for Legion's launch.
29 Aug. 2016 (artifact page): Added.
29 Aug. 2016 (enchants page): Updated for Legion's launch.
29 Aug. 2016 (gear page): Updated for Legion's launch.
29 Aug. 2016 (this page): Updated for Legion's launch.
29 Aug. 2016 (stats page): Updated for Legion's launch.
22 Jul. 2016 (this page): Added Strengths and Weaknesses.
22 Jul. 2016 (rotation page): Several updates.
- Tweaked the Frostscythe line in the Machine Gun rotation.
- Removed mentions of Rime procs from all rotations except single target one, since not using Obliterate means you will never have them.
22 Jul. 2016 (gear page): Revamped the trinket and set bonus recommendations.
21 Jul. 2016 (talents page): Updated tier 1 and 2 talent discussions.
21 Jul. 2016 (rotation page): Added machine gun rotation to the guide.
19 Jul. 2016 (talents page): Changed the evaluation of Icy Talons to include the possible situation where Murderous Efficiency results in you having too many resources, in which case Icy Talons could be a viable replacement.
18 Jul. 2016 (addons page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
18 Jul. 2016 (rotation page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
18 Jul. 2016 (this page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
18 Jul. 2016 (talents page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
18 Jul. 2016 (stats page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
18 Jul. 2016 (gear page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
18 Jul. 2016 (enchants page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.