Blood Death Knight

During combat you are constantly making decisions for what to cast next. Knowing what to do and when is critical for being effective at tanking. This rotation guide should help give a basic understanding of what to do, what's most important, and how to prioritize Blood Death Knight abilities and cooldowns.

Tank Rotation

1. Death and Decay on cooldown
2. Abomination Limb and Empower Rune Weapon (with 1+ empty Rune and 3 missing Bone Shield charges)
3. Dancing Rune Weapon on cooldown (with less than 6-7 Bone Shield charges)
4. Tombstone with 6+ Bone Shield charges and 20+ seconds remaining on Dancing Rune Weapon cooldown
5. Death's Caress (outside Dancing Rune Weapon) or Marrowrend (during Dancing Rune Weapon) if Bone Shield is expiring.
6. Death Strike to prevent Runic Power cap (or when needing health)
7. Blood Boil if nearby enemies lack Blood Plague or if at 2 charges
8. Marrowrend with 6 or fewer Bone Shield stacks
9. Heart Strike with 3+ Runes
10. Blood Boil

In summary

• Use Death and Decay and Blood Boil to maintain aggro and AOE damage.
• Use Abomination Limb and Empower Rune Weapon for extra damage and resource generation.
• Prioritize using Tombstone with 6+ Bone Shield charges and 20+ seconds remaining on Dancing Rune Weapon cooldown.
• Use Death Strike to prevent Runic Power cap or when needing health.
• Use Heart Strike with 3+ Runes for single target damage.
• Use Anti-magic Shell, Vampiric Blood, Icebound Fortitude, Lichborne, and Dancing Rune Weapon as defensive cooldowns.

Important Cooldowns

• Anti-magic Shell (mitigate magic damage and generates Runic Power)
• Vampiric Blood (use for incoming high damage or when health is low)
• Icebound Fortitude (use when expecting high damage)
• Lichborne (use when expecting high damage)
• Dancing Rune Weapon (use at the start of fights and on cooldown)