Someone ever tries to kill you, you try to kill 'em right back!

This thread is about presenting a concise, yet comprehensive list of current DPS specs for end game raiding. The information is a collection of basic and advanced methods with a requirement of basic DK-101 to understand.


Blood DPS

Standard Blood - Dark Death
2H - Fallen Crusader
Meta - Chaotic Skyflare Diamond (* See additional notes)
51/0/20 - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent#jfVMVh0IcfofostZfzhhxc:IGLVm

Cycle:
IT - PS - HS - HS - DS - DC
DS - HS - HS - HS - HS - DCx

Presence: Blood

Glyphs:
* Death Strike
* Dark Death
* Dancing Rune Weapon

Additional Notes:
* One of the best times for DRW is immediately after your first set of runes, as most procs should be up. This includes the Sigil, 2pT9 and trinket procs. With these procs you should then apply Hysteria to yourself, drink a speed potion and use DRW.
* After the first set of runes is also an excellent time to cast Raise Dead, as the Ghoul will also benefit from your trinkets, potion and temporary raid buffs like Heroism.


Blood - GoDisease
2H - Fallen Crusader
Meta - Chaotic Skyflare Diamond (* See additional notes)
51/0/20 - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent#jfVMVh0IcfofostZfMbhxc:IGpVm

Priority System;

Diseases > HS > DS > Ghoul* > DC

*Obviously requires the Ghoul to be off cooldown and not currently out. Otherwise; ignore it.

Opening Cycle;
Following the Priority system layout. Once done, follow the Priority System listed above.

IT - PS - HS - HS - DS - Ghoul - DC or DRW*

* Please refer to using DRW in the additional notes section below.

Presence: Blood

Glyphs:
* Disease
* Death Strike
* Dancing Rune Weapon

Additional Notes;
* The aim of GoD is to apply then sustain them over the course of a fight with only a Blood/Death rune, this allows the cycle to add an additional Heart Strike per ~20 seconds.
* Unlike the normal Blood cycle, GoD uses a priority system to DPS. Simply run a mental checklist: Are diseases on the target? Heart Strike. Use Death Strike to convert any Frost and Unholy runes into additional Death Runes for more Heart Strikes. If you cannot do either, summon a Ghoul. If that is on cooldown, use Death Coil til you can Heart Strike again.
* One of the best times for DRW is immediately after your first set of runes, as most procs should be up. This includes the Sigil, 2pT9 and trinket procs. With these procs you should then apply Hysteria to yourself, drink a speed potion and use DRW, then follow the opening cycle: IT - PS - HS - HS - DS, then refer to the priority system making sure to keep those diseases going at their strongest. Of course, fights like XT and Yogg-saron, players will be better off saving those valuable cooldowns for 'weakened' phases to net an even greater DPS increase.
* It's ill-advised to cast Raise Dead at the very start of an encounter. Like DRW and even Gargoyle, the Ghoul takes a snapshot of your stats when it is summoned, meaning the optimal time to summon one is when you have as many procs and buffs active as possible, such times coincide well with the first use of DRW.

* Sigil order: Virulence > Vengeful Heart > Awareness.
* Stats order: Str > ArP > Crit/Haste
* Due a revision of Blood DPS stat weights, Chaotic Skyflare Diamonds are the superior Meta under certain circumstances. Those being the fulfillment of (1) +8 Str or ArP socket bonus and (1) +6 or a second +8 Str or ArP bonus. If those requirements cannot be met, Relentless Earthsiege is the better option.

Unholy
2H - Fallen Crusader
Meta - Chaotic Skyflare Diamond
17/0/54 [No Reaping] - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent#jfVMVZZfM0Ixcdg0zx0uIqo:sLbVm
14/0/57 [Reaping, advanced users] - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent#jfVMMZZfM0Ixcdg0ux0uIqo:sLbVm

17/0/54 [AoE-centric] - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent#jfVMVZZfMhIbcdg0zx0uIqo:spoVm

Cycle [Single Target]:
IT - PS - BS - BS - SS - DC - HoW
SS - [BS - BS*] - DC - SS - DCx

* Users of the Reaping build, replace the second set of Blood Strike with a Scourge Strike.

Priority System [AoE]:
Diseases > Death and Decay > Desolation > Blood Boil > Scourge Strike > Death Coil

Presence: Blood

Glyphs:
* Icy Touch
* Ghoul
* Dark Death

AoE Glyphs:
* Icy Touch
* Death and Decay
* Disease

Additional Notes;
* Reaping won't break even in DPS until you have at least 2pT10, and even then it won't be a guarantee. Most cases it's best to wait til you have 2pT10 in combination with a decent amount of other 264 level pieces of gear, especially pieces with ArP. The bonus is about buffing Scourge Strike after all.
* Due to how the new Scourge Strike works, a Blood sub-spec is superior to Frost, simply due to the fact SS double dips from most talents taken in Blood, opposed to only Black Ice in Frost.
* Gargoyle use; best time is after the first set of runes as most of your procs (set bonuses, sigils and trinkets) will be up. Use a speed potion before summoning and if Heroism/Bloodlust is being used wait for it to be active before summoning, as the construct takes a snapshot of your Attack Power and Haste when you summon it, buffs gained after summon have no effect.
* Str/Stam pet food works on your Ghoul and nets a sizable AP boost for your rotten friend. The Ghoul also borrows your hit rating for it's own hit and expertise. Assuming you're capped from hit rating alone, your Ghoul will never miss or be dodged. However racials like Heroic Presence will not boost the Ghoul's own expertise.

* Sigil order: Virulence > Vengeful Heart > Awareness.
* Stats order: Str > Crit > ArP > Haste

ToT Frost
Dual Wield - Fallen Crusader / Razorice
Meta - Relentless Earthsiege Diamond
0/53/18 - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent#jZG0exAbczf0chzAofM0hxc:aksVm
15/53/3 [AoE] - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent#jfV0VZG0exAbczf0chzAoc:aksVm

Priority System [Single Target]:
Diseases > Frost Strike w/ KM > Obliterate > Blood Strike > Frost Strike > Howling Blast w/ Freezing Fog.

Priority system [AoE]:
Diseases > Howling Blast > Obliterate > Blood Boil > Frost Strike

Presence: Blood

Glyphs;
* Obliterate
* Frost Strike
* Icy Touch

Additional Notes;
* The 15/53/3 build is designed to increase the damage of your diseases and Howling Blast, making it great for AoE encounters where Necrosis and Blood-caked Blade will have lessened effect.
* Killing Machine's optimal use is best saved for Freezing Fog procs, but it's perfectly fine to be used on Frost Strike if it fills an empty GCD, or stops you capping your Runic Power.
* While Frost Strike is listed low on the priority, you should always be looking for places where it can fit in. Frost Strike should be used to fill empty global cooldown gaps. A good player of the system will learn to gel Frost Strike in with the other abilities. You'll know you're doing well when you're barely even Runic capped with all your GCDs accounted for.
* It would be prudent to use Fallen Crusader on your offhand for fights that involve a large amount of rapid target switching, like Yogg-saron and Freya.

* Sigil order: Virulence > Awareness > Vengeful Heart. SoAwareness can be better for Frost while you're in a Tier 8 or lower level of gear.
* Stats order: Str > ArP > Crit > Haste.
* Weapons: Slow / Slow. ToT still factors your base offhand damage for the second strike, thus making a slower weapon for the OH mandatory.

Stats and Caps.

Hit: 32.79 = 1% hit (Melee).
The cap varies with the type of attack used (numbers are rounded up);

2H Yellow/White: 8% - 262 rating (7% - 230)
DW Yellow: 5% - 164 rating (4% - 132)
DW White: 24%

* The bracketed numbers are for Draenei and players partied with a Draenei.

Spell hit: 26.23 = 1% hit (Spells).
17% is the hard cap for spells, this can be lowered with 3 points in Virulence (3%) and either Improved Faerie Fire or Misery (3%) to 11%.

Spells cap: 17% - 446 rating (16% - 420)
Spells w/ Virulence: 14% - 368 (13% - 341)
Virulence + Misery/iFF: 11% - 289 (10% - 263)

* The bracketed numbers are for Draenei and players partied with a Draenei.

Critical Strike: 45.91 = 1% critical strike (Both spells and melee)

Armor Penetration: 13.99 = -1% target armor.
ArP applies to abilities and attacks that deal Physical damage.
Due to how Necrosis works, ArP will boost Necrosis damage; as it's based off the damage of the auto-attack.

Haste: 25.21 = 1% haste (Spells & melee).
Haste does a couple of things;

* Increases the frequency of auto-attacks.
* Due to this increase in auto-attacks, PPM of effects like Killing Machine and Fallen Crusader will increase.
* Decreases the global cooldown resulting from spell casts (Blood and Frost presence only)

Expertise: 8.19 = 1 Expertise.
4 Expertise (32.79 rating) = 1% decreased chance for your attacks to be dodged or parried. Being behind the target will negate the target's chance to parry. From a DPS standpoint, 26 Expertise is the 'cap'.

Dodge cap: 26 Expertise (214 rating)
Parry cap: 56 Expertise (460)

Each talent tree has one expertise increasing talent;
Blood dodge cap: 164 rating (20 Expertise)
Frost/Unholy cap: 173 (21)

Specific races have expertise racial traits which lower the rating requirements further.

Human (+3 Swords and Maces);
Blood dodge cap: 140 (17)
Frost/Unholy cap: 148 (18)

Orcs (+5 Axes) & Dwarves (+5 Maces)
Blood dodge cap: 123 (15)
Frost/Unholy cap: 132 (16)

Stat Weights

The numbers generated here were done with gear from the top tier of progression raiding. Meaning for those in gear 1 or 2 tiers below, these numbers won't be as accurate, but rough estimates.


Blood

Stats
AP - 1.00
Str - 2.98
Agi - 1.71
Crit - 2.33
Has - 1.65
ArP - 2.92
Exp - 2.86
Hit - 3.09
SpHit - 1.08
WDPS - 9.84

Set Bonuses
2pT9 - 151.67
4pT9 - 296.67
2pT10 - 328.33
4pT10 - 431.67


Unholy

Stats
AP - 1.00
Str - 3.01
Agi - 1.36
Crit - 2.00
Has - 1.42
ArP - 2.23
Exp - 1.08
Hit - 3.13
SpHit - 1.32
WDPS - 7.67

Set Bonuses
2pT9 - 150.00
4pT9 - 409.67
2pT10 - 335.00
4pT10 - 428.33


Frost

Stats
AP - 1.00
Str - 2.65
Agi - 1.45
Crit - 1.90
Has - 1.18
ArP - 2.28
Exp - 2.57
Hit - 3.05
SpHit - 1.88
Post SpHit - 0.91
WDPS - 6.75

Set bonuses
2pT9 - 121.05
4pT9 - 223.68
2pT10 - 306.58
4pT10 - 386.84

(Reserved)

bump

Including Hit/expertise rating caps for each spec might be helpful as well.

When I got 2h Frost I use the following rotation,

Start
IT - BS - OB -OB

IT - BS - OB - IT - IT
Repeat

You get better use out of the rime procs and weaving FS is easier.


Great concise list though. GJ

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Q u o t e:
All the stuff she said

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Add in other basics (JC/BS best professions) and other general info like gem for STR hit rating caps etc.

Also why did you guys leave Illi?