Rotation & Cooldowns (5.3)
Maintaining a proper Rotation and using the right Cooldowns is essential to maximizing your Frost Death Knight. Use this guide to optimize your single target and AoE rotations while learning how to get the most out of your cooldowns.
Single Target Rotation
Presence: Frost Presence (2H and DW)
DW Priority: Execute the following priority for DW DPS.
- Frost Fever Blood Plague Maintain at all times.
- Frost Strike with Killing Machine or if RP will cap.
- Soul Reaper Frost on target below 35% Health.
- Howling Blast with Rime or to refresh Frost Fever
- Frost Strike to dump RP.
- Obliterate with >= 1 Unholy Runes.
- Howling Blast to dump Frost and Unholy runes.
2H Priority: Execute the following priority for 2H DPS.
- Frost Fever Blood Plague Maintain at all times.
- Soul Reaper Frost on target below 35% Health.
- Howling Blast with Rime or to refresh Frost Fever
- Obliterate with Killing Machine.
- Frost Strike with 0 Frost Runes or to dump RP.
- Obliterate with 2 Blood, Frost, or Unholy Runes.
Your highest priority should be to keep both diseases active on your target all times. Use Outbreak to apply diseases. Howling Blast will automatically apply and refresh Frost Fever, so the only disease you need to keep up is Blood Plague. Simply use Plague Strike or Outbreak whenever Blood Plague needs to be refreshed at < 3 sec remaining.
Consuming your Rime and Killing Machine procs are your next priority. For DW, Killing Machine + Frost Strike has a higher priority than Rime + Howling Blast. As 2H, Rime + Howling Blast has a higher priority than Killing Machine + Obliterate. Keep your Runic Power from capping by weaving in Frost Strike as needed. When your target reaches 35% Health, you should prioritize Soul Reaper Frost above everything except for maintaining your diseases as 2H and just below Killing Machine procs for DW.
Rune Regeneration Talents: DW Frost DPS uses Blood Tap to generate Death Runes. Blood Tap should be controlled manually so you can use Blood Tap when it best fits into your rotation for an additional Howling Blast or Soul Reaper Frost. 2H Frost uses Runic Empowerment which provides passive Rune regeneration and does not need to be managed.
AoE Rotation
Combine Outbreak + Pestilence to spread diseases. Use Howling Blast with Frost and Death Runes. Keep Death And Decay down and Frost Strike when you are close to capping Runic Power.
2H Frost DPS is able to “game” Runic Empowerment to force optimal Rune refreshes during AoE. Only use Death And Decay when all Frost and Death runes are on CD and you are unable to Frost Strike. Do not consume any other Unholy Runes. By doing this, you will always get Frost or Death Runes returned to be used on Howling Blast spam. DW Frost should just continue to use Blood Tap for additional Howling Blast.
Effective Cooldowns
These effective cooldowns are available if you chose them in your talent build.
- Blood Tap Use as directed in the single target and AoE DPS sections (DW only).
- Plague Leech Use just before Outbreak is available for an extra Death Rune.
- Deaths Advance Use to close gaps to targets or to get out of the fire.
These are effective cooldowns to try and incorporate into most all encounters.
- Army of The Dead Use pre-pull as part of your opener.
- Empower Rune Weapon Use on cooldown to burn through extra Runes.
- Horn of Winter Use as a filler to generate Runic Power.
- Outbreak Use to quickly apply your diseases and to refresh Blood Plague.
- Pillar of Frost Use on every cooldown. Combine with Raise Dead.
- Raise Dead Use on every cooldown. Combine with Pillar of Frost.