Welcome to Skill Capped’s Guide on the Best Gear & Stats for Unholy Death Knights in Cataclysm
All sections for Unholy Death Knight PvP have been divided into corresponding sections for the most optimal race, talents, glyphs, gear, professions and macros. This will help you have a good understanding on Unholy Death Knight in PvP for Cataclysm and the strengths and weaknesses associated with this specialization. This section will go into more depth on the best PvP gear and stats that are available for Unholy Death Knight in Cataclysm Season 9.
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Table of Contents
This section will cover your pre-BiS gear, which will not include any Conquest or Raid specific items. Use the gear provided below to have a competitive advantage against your enemies before stepping into rated PvP content.
Pre-BiS Unholy Death Knight PvP Gear
Main Pieces
- Head: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Dreadplate Helm
- Shoulders: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Dreadplate Shoulders
- Chest: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Dreadplate Chestpiece
- Gloves: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Dreadplate Gauntlets
- Legs: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Dreadplate Legguards
Off-Pieces
- Back: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Cloak of Alacrity
- Belt: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Girdle of Cruelty
- Bracers: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Armplates of Alacrity
- Boots: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Warboots of Alacrity
Jewelry
- Neck: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Choker of Accuracy
- Ring 1: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Signet of Accuracy
- Ring 2: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Signet of Cruelty
Weapons
- Main Hand: Whitefin Axe
- Relic: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Relic of Conquest
Trinkets
- Trinket 1: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Insignia of Victory or Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Medallion of Tenacity if not human.
- Trinket 2: Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Badge of Victory
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Most of the gear that is BiS for Cataclysm Season 9 will come from PvP. This section will cover all specific pieces from PvP that will put you in a competitive playing-field against other players in arena.
BiS Unholy Death Knight PvP Gear
Main Pieces
- Head: Vicious Gladiator’s Dreadplate Helm
- Shoulders: Vicious Gladiator’s Dreadplate Shoulders
- Chest: Vicious Gladiator’s Dreadplate Chestpiece
- Gloves: Vicious Gladiator’s Dreadplate Gauntlets
- Legs: Vicious Gladiator’s Dreadplate Legguards
Off-Pieces
- Back: Vicious Gladiator’s Cloak of Alacrity
- Belt: Vicious Gladiator’s Girdle of Triumph
- Bracers: Vicious Gladiator’s Armplates of Alacrity
- Boots: Vicious Gladiator’s Warboots of Alacrity
Jewelry
- Neck: Vicious Gladiator’s Choker of Accuracy
- Ring 1: Vicious Gladiator’s Signet of Cruelty
- Ring 2: Vicious Gladiator’s Signet of Accuracy
Weapons
- Main Hand: Vicious Gladiator’s Decapitator, Vicious Gladiator’s Bonegrinder, or Vicious Gladiator’s Greatsword
- Relic: Vicious Gladiator’s Relic of Conquest
Trinkets
- Trinket 1: Vicious Gladiator’s Insignia of Victory or Vicious Gladiator’s Medallion of Tenacity if not human.
- Trinket 2: Vicious Gladiator’s Badge of Victory
Unholy Death Knight Stat Priority
5% Hit Rating > Spell Penetration (195) > Strength > Haste > Mastery / Critical Strike
Prioritize 5% Hit Rating first before focusing on your primary and secondary stats. This makes sure that none of your abilities miss while attacking your opponent. Then, focus on receiving 195 Spell Penetration. This will guarantee that your spells will not miss, which include spells such as Death Grip, Strangulate, and Icy Touch. For Death Knights, if the ability does not include “Strike”, it will be affected by the amount of Spell Penetration you have.
After making sure you reach Hit Cap and Spell Penetration, focus on getting the most amount of Strength possible, followed by Haste. There is no specific breakpoint for secondary stats, but make sure to stack this secondary as high as possible after prioritizing all stats beforehand.
For additional secondary stats, you have variability in what you decide to choose. More Mastery gives more sustained damage whereas more Critical Strike gives higher burst, especially from Summon Gargoyle. Since Season 9 is the first season out of the Cataclysm PvP Seasons, players will have lower health pools, making burst windows more deadly, therefore Critical Strike may be more preferable. In later seasons, it would be best to chose Mastery since arena games will be more prolonged.