Okay, now remember, this is just my personal opinion on the matter. I have tried a frost tanking build, a few different blood tanking builds, and found them all useful. However, last night, after some thought and some research, I decided it was time to switch to an Unholy spec. Now, I tried unholy before, but I had specced into master of ghouls, and it made me feel like a hunter. I had to take a long shower after that.
I like Death and Decay, and the extra damage from that, and Desecration, seem like they will help me build some AoE threat, which for some reason, perhaps because I'm brand new at tanking, I was having trouble with as a blood tank.
Opinions, criticisms, and suggestions are all welcome, encouraged, and asked for. Don't hesitate to break my little heart, but so far this spec seems to work, although I haven't run an instance yet.
http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Muradin&n=Vyrae
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Unholy is a very great spec for DPS, PVP and tanking. Death & Decay is a very valuble tanking tool because it generates a high amount of threat, so your thoughts are correct.
From what I've seen, Desecration is nice not just for the damage boost, but also for the slowing effect it produces...great for keeping mobs from bolting through you after trigger happy dps. The one thing that I noticed is that if you don't have 5/5 into Desecration, you might as well not have it at all. Even with 4/5, the proc rate seemed abysmally low and I only use Plague Strike to refresh diseases on my target, so it's not something I'm prepared to waste a rune trying to refresh if Desecration doesn't proc.
My DK is only 72 and a lot of my feel for tanking as a DK comes from my experience tanking on my paladin. I tanked reg Nexus at 71 with a slightly over level group and after a couple of warnings to sloppy dps to not go bawls out off the pull, I held threat just fine as an Unholy spec tank (I use a tanking build with the 5/5/5 avoidance/mitigation talents). I was running between 1k-1.8k tps...hovering to the higher end most of the time...which is adequate for my level. Give me 8 more levels and the associated gear and I'm sure everything will scale nicely.
There are only 2 things a tank has to look for in terms of their build: are they building enough threat, and are they surviving the beating? From what I've seen with DK tanks, threat is more a question of rotation than it is one of build, and survival up to a point has more to do with gear than it has to do with talents beyond the basics. The healer in the group I ran Nexus with commented on my tanking...they just had to throw in the shot about Frost being the DK tank spec, but the only people who died on the run was the mage who nuked a secondary target before I had built any threat on it at all. Go figure. Where was my taunt button again? Hmmm....
My DK is only 72 and a lot of my feel for tanking as a DK comes from my experience tanking on my paladin. I tanked reg Nexus at 71 with a slightly over level group and after a couple of warnings to sloppy dps to not go bawls out off the pull, I held threat just fine as an Unholy spec tank (I use a tanking build with the 5/5/5 avoidance/mitigation talents). I was running between 1k-1.8k tps...hovering to the higher end most of the time...which is adequate for my level. Give me 8 more levels and the associated gear and I'm sure everything will scale nicely.
There are only 2 things a tank has to look for in terms of their build: are they building enough threat, and are they surviving the beating? From what I've seen with DK tanks, threat is more a question of rotation than it is one of build, and survival up to a point has more to do with gear than it has to do with talents beyond the basics. The healer in the group I ran Nexus with commented on my tanking...they just had to throw in the shot about Frost being the DK tank spec, but the only people who died on the run was the mage who nuked a secondary target before I had built any threat on it at all. Go figure. Where was my taunt button again? Hmmm....
Yeah, a friend of mine tried to argue that Blood and Unholy were DPS only and that Frost was the only tanking spec. Then again, he also said that if a DK was tank specced, they should expect lousy dps like other tank classes. I admit, I couldn't help it, I lol'd at him. Right now, my DPS isn't great, level 75 and averaging around 700 (I'm not sure how that compares to others), but it gets the job done, and I'm learning as I go, and having fun with it!
crazyrick wrote:
Yeah, a friend of mine tried to argue that Blood and Unholy were DPS only and that Frost was the only tanking spec. Then again, he also said that if a DK was tank specced, they should expect lousy dps like other tank classes. I admit, I couldn't help it, I lol'd at him. Right now, my DPS isn't great, level 75 and averaging around 700 (I'm not sure how that compares to others), but it gets the job done, and I'm learning as I go, and having fun with it!
Someone told one of the DK tanks in my guild he couldn't tank the heroic daily because he didn't have a shield...I offered to tank with my shield-carrying shaman.
Unholy is a good tanking spec, a little less amazing than it used to be with the bone shield super nerf, but it's still pretty decent. One thing you need to watch for however, especially since you said you're taking desecration, are the times when you have to move mobs. For instance, say you're tanking adds or something and you need to group them up in a different place so that your dps can AoE them down. Well desecration slows things movements, which can actually make your job harder. That's the reason most unholy tank builds I've used and guild DK tanks have used, don't actually include desecration. You don't need the 5% damage buff (it's just threat anyway) and half the time you have to be moving on bosses so it won't apply anyway.
Thanks, Dilbrt. If I were to get rid of desecration, where would you suggest I put the 5 points?
if you spec into desecration, you get very little for tanking, compared to the 5 points that could have been put elsewhere.
Also, in an 'optimal' rotation desecration has only a 60% uptime. On top of that, tanking is hardly an optimal rotation.
Plus lets look at the naxx fights.
Anubrekhan, lots of movement, maexxna possible movement, heigen lots of movement, instructor razuvious dont get to tank, 4 horsemen lots of movement, grob lots, thaddius lots.
Basically about 1/2 of the content doesn't even let you take full advantage of desecration, making it kinda crappy for a 5 point investment. Take the 5 points you would put in there and get bladed armor or something that scales better and is up full time.
Also, in an 'optimal' rotation desecration has only a 60% uptime. On top of that, tanking is hardly an optimal rotation.
Plus lets look at the naxx fights.
Anubrekhan, lots of movement, maexxna possible movement, heigen lots of movement, instructor razuvious dont get to tank, 4 horsemen lots of movement, grob lots, thaddius lots.
Basically about 1/2 of the content doesn't even let you take full advantage of desecration, making it kinda crappy for a 5 point investment. Take the 5 points you would put in there and get bladed armor or something that scales better and is up full time.
Quote:
if you spec into desecration, you get very little for tanking, compared to the 5 points that could have been put elsewhere.
Also, in an 'optimal' rotation desecration has only a 60% uptime. On top of that, tanking is hardly an optimal rotation.
Plus lets look at the naxx fights.
Also, in an 'optimal' rotation desecration has only a 60% uptime. On top of that, tanking is hardly an optimal rotation.
Plus lets look at the naxx fights.
OP is currently far from raiding. As long as you spend the majority of your time doing 5-mans, the 5 points in Desecration are well spent. AOE threat is key to how instances are run these days, and Desecration helps big time.
Once raiding becomes a priority, you end up getting much more out of the frost tree anyway.
crazyrick wrote:
Thanks, Dilbrt. If I were to get rid of desecration, where would you suggest I put the 5 points?
I have all sorts of different specs bookmarked. My UH tanking spec.
This Thread makes me want to go back to Unholy :P
This thread is making me want to try unholy! lol Every dk in my guild is blood. Don't know if I could get the whole aoe thing down. Did the beginning quests as unholy and I guess I switched specs to soon and didn't give it a chance. I may go back. o.o
I enjoy Unholy and Blood equally, but Unholy seems to be best for when I tank. Unholy Blight, Pestilence, and Death and Decay all make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. That and I'm getting better at tanking (even though I'm still an utter newbie), I just have issues keeping aggro when level 80 DPS are throwing everything they've got at the mobs. When I was playing DPS on my hunter, or my druid, I knew to watch my aggro! What is wrong with people? Haha.
I've changed my spec around so many times in the last few days, I think I finally found something I like.
http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Muradin&n=Vyrae
I've changed my spec around so many times in the last few days, I think I finally found something I like.
http://www.wowarmory.com/character-sheet.xml?r=Muradin&n=Vyrae
Dilbrt, I had a look at your UH tanking build and I noticed you have 2/2 Glacier Rot for 10% more damage from Icy touch, Howling Blast and Frost Strike.
Since we don't have Howling Blast or Frost Strike, wouldn't 2/5 Black Ice for 12% more Frost damage be better? Or is there something I'm missing?
Since we don't have Howling Blast or Frost Strike, wouldn't 2/5 Black Ice for 12% more Frost damage be better? Or is there something I'm missing?
I probably didn't put a whole lot of thought into it honestly, you might be right it might do slightly more. Hmmm maybe this could apply to my current dps spec as well. Rate up, I like people pointing out stuff like this to me.
I'm playing unholy as of well right now in windowed mode. Soloing my undead. Man he's cool looking. Anyways. Practicing on the elites in Tyr's Hand right now were I soloed my main dk except he's blood. Couple of questions. The talent necrosis. Is it needed as I only have 2 points into it. Going with a 13/0/55 build. Thought about taking those 2 points and puting them into Virulence. Here's what I'm workin with: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=jZZfM0IbfkGcq0csub
Also is there a reliable way to Aoe even though I don't have D&D yet. I usually just use my mount and round up about 4 or 5 then go into my rotation with pestilence and BB. But end the fight with only 30% health. These are not elites I'm trying this on. I'm trying them on the skeletons in Wester Plagues. One more thing. I don't use scourge strike very much. I end up using death for the healing to keep me capped off. Can an unholy build live without SS?
Also is there a reliable way to Aoe even though I don't have D&D yet. I usually just use my mount and round up about 4 or 5 then go into my rotation with pestilence and BB. But end the fight with only 30% health. These are not elites I'm trying this on. I'm trying them on the skeletons in Wester Plagues. One more thing. I don't use scourge strike very much. I end up using death for the healing to keep me capped off. Can an unholy build live without SS?
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