Wrath Death Knight Talent Calculator
Click talents in the Blood, Frost & Unholy trees to plan your WotLK Death Knight. You have 71 points at level 80; the planner checks tier and prerequisite rules, shows the level your build needs and gives you a link to share it.
Blood
0 ptsFrost
0 ptsUnholy
0 ptsClick a talent to add a point, right-click (or Shift-click) to remove one. Hover for details.Tap a talent to see it, then use + and − to add or remove points.
WotLK Death Knight talent trees
In Wrath of the Lich King a Death Knight has 71 talent points at level 80, spread over three trees: Blood (28 talents), Frost (29 talents), Unholy (31 talents). The deepest talent in each tree needs 50 points in that tree, so a build can reach only one of Dancing Rune Weapon, Howling Blast, Summon Gargoyle.
The tables list every Death Knight talent with its tier, number of ranks and what each rank does. Values separated by a slash are rank 1 / rank 2 / and so on.
Blood · 28 talents, 75 points to learn them all
| Tier | Talent | Ranks | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (0 pts) | Butchery | 2 | When you kill an enemy that yields experience or honor, you gain 10 / 20 runic power, plus runic power over time in combat. |
| 1 (0 pts) | Subversion | 3 | Increases the critical strike chance of Blood Strike, Scourge Strike, Heart Strike and Obliterate by 3 / 6 / 9% and reduces their threat. |
| 1 (0 pts) | Blade Barrier | 5 | When your Blood Runes are on cooldown, you take 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5% less damage. |
| 2 (5 pts) | Bladed Armor | 5 | Increases your attack power by 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 for every 180 armor value you have. |
| 2 (5 pts) | Scent of Blood | 3 | After you dodge, parry or take direct damage, your next 1 / 2 / 3 melee hits generate 10 runic power. |
| 2 (5 pts) | Two-Handed Weapon Specialization | 2 | Increases damage dealt with two-handed melee weapons by 2 / 4%. |
| 3 (10 pts) | Rune Tap | 1 | Converts 1 Blood Rune into 10% of your maximum health. |
| 3 (10 pts) | Dark Conviction | 5 | Increases your critical strike chance with weapons and spells by 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5%. |
| 3 (10 pts) | Death Rune Mastery | 3 | Your Death Strike and Obliterate have a 33 / 66 / 100% chance to turn their Frost and Unholy Runes into Death Runes. |
| 4 (15 pts) | Improved Rune Tap | 3 | Increases the health restored by Rune Tap by 33 / 66 / 100% and lowers its cooldown. Requires Rune Tap. |
| 4 (15 pts) | Spell Deflection | 3 | Gives a chance equal to your parry chance to reduce spell damage taken by 15 / 30 / 45%. |
| 4 (15 pts) | Vendetta | 3 | Heals you for up to 2 / 4 / 6% of your maximum health when you kill a target that yields experience or honor. |
| 5 (20 pts) | Bloody Strikes | 3 | Increases the damage of Blood Strike and Heart Strike by 5 / 10 / 15% and of Blood Boil by 10 / 20 / 30%. |
| 5 (20 pts) | Veteran of the Third War | 3 | Increases your total Strength by 2 / 4 / 6%, Stamina by 1 / 2 / 3% and expertise by 2 / 4 / 6. |
| 5 (20 pts) | Mark of Blood | 1 | Places a Mark of Blood on an enemy; its attacks heal their target. |
| 6 (25 pts) | Bloody Vengeance | 3 | Your weapon and Blood spell crits increase your physical damage by 1 / 2 / 3%, stacking up to 3 times. |
| 6 (25 pts) | Abomination's Might | 2 | Your Blood Strike, Heart Strike and Death Strike crits raise your party's attack power by 10% and increase your Strength by 1 / 2%. |
| 7 (30 pts) | Bloodworms | 3 | Your weapon hits have a 3 / 6 / 9% chance to spawn bloodworms that heal you. |
| 7 (30 pts) | Hysteria | 1 | Induces a killing frenzy, increasing physical damage by 20% for 30 sec but draining health. Requires Bloody Vengeance. |
| 7 (30 pts) | Improved Blood Presence | 2 | While not in Blood Presence, you retain 2 / 4% healing from damage, and in Blood Presence healing received is increased. |
| 8 (35 pts) | Improved Death Strike | 2 | Increases the damage of Death Strike by 15 / 30% and its critical strike chance by 3 / 6%. |
| 8 (35 pts) | Sudden Doom | 3 | Your Blood Strike and Heart Strike have a 5 / 10 / 15% chance to launch a free Death Coil. |
| 8 (35 pts) | Vampiric Blood | 1 | Temporarily grants 15% of your maximum health and increases healing received by 35% for 10 sec. |
| 9 (40 pts) | Will of the Necropolis | 3 | Damage that takes you below 35% health is reduced by 5 / 10 / 15%. |
| 9 (40 pts) | Heart Strike | 1 | Instantly strike the target and its nearest ally, dealing extra damage for each disease on them. Requires Hysteria. |
| 9 (40 pts) | Might of Mograine | 3 | Increases the critical damage bonus of your Blood Boil, Blood Strike, Death Strike and Heart Strike by 15 / 30 / 45%. |
| 10 (45 pts) | Blood Gorged | 5 | When above 75% health, you deal 2 / 4 / 6 / 8 / 10% more damage and gain armor penetration. |
| 11 (50 pts) | Dancing Rune Weapon | 1 | Summons a second rune weapon that mirrors your attacks for 12 sec. Requires Blood Gorged. |
Frost · 29 talents, 77 points to learn them all
| Tier | Talent | Ranks | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (0 pts) | Improved Icy Touch | 3 | Increases the damage of Icy Touch by 5 / 10 / 15% and its slowing effect. |
| 1 (0 pts) | Runic Power Mastery | 2 | Increases your maximum runic power by 15 / 30. |
| 1 (0 pts) | Toughness | 5 | Increases your armor from items by 2 / 4 / 6 / 8 / 10% and reduces the duration of movement slowing effects. |
| 2 (5 pts) | Icy Reach | 2 | Increases the range of Icy Touch, Chains of Ice and Howling Blast by 5 / 10 yards. |
| 2 (5 pts) | Black Ice | 5 | Increases your Frost and Shadow damage by 2 / 4 / 6 / 8 / 10%. |
| 2 (5 pts) | Nerves of Cold Steel | 3 | Increases your chance to hit with one-handed weapons by 1 / 2 / 3% and your off-hand damage by 8 / 16 / 25%. |
| 3 (10 pts) | Icy Talons | 5 | Your Frost Fever increases the attack speed reduction on the target, and your Frost Fever applications raise your melee speed. |
| 3 (10 pts) | Lichborne | 1 | Become immune to Charm, Fear and Sleep for 10 sec. |
| 3 (10 pts) | Annihilation | 3 | Increases the critical strike chance of melee special abilities by 1 / 2 / 3% and lets Obliterate keep diseases sometimes. |
| 4 (15 pts) | Killing Machine | 5 | Your melee attacks have a chance to make your next Icy Touch, Howling Blast or Frost Strike a guaranteed crit. |
| 4 (15 pts) | Chill of the Grave | 2 | Your Chains of Ice, Howling Blast, Icy Touch and Obliterate generate 2.5 / 5 additional runic power. |
| 4 (15 pts) | Endless Winter | 2 | Increases your Strength by 2 / 4% and makes Mind Freeze cost less runic power. |
| 5 (20 pts) | Frigid Dreadplate | 3 | Reduces the chance you are hit by melee attacks by 1 / 2 / 3%. |
| 5 (20 pts) | Glacier Rot | 3 | Diseased enemies take 7 / 13 / 20% more damage from your Icy Touch, Howling Blast and Frost Strike. |
| 5 (20 pts) | Deathchill | 1 | Your next Icy Touch, Howling Blast, Frost Strike or Obliterate is a guaranteed crit. |
| 6 (25 pts) | Improved Icy Talons | 1 | Increases the melee haste of your party and raid by 20% while Icy Talons is active, and your haste by 5%. Requires Icy Talons. |
| 6 (25 pts) | Merciless Combat | 2 | Your Icy Touch, Howling Blast, Obliterate and Frost Strike deal 6 / 12% more damage to targets below 35% health. |
| 6 (25 pts) | Rime | 3 | Your Obliterate has a 5 / 10 / 15% chance to reset the cooldown of Howling Blast and make it free. |
| 7 (30 pts) | Chilblains | 3 | Your Frost Fever has a chance to reduce the target's movement speed by 15 / 30 / 50%. |
| 7 (30 pts) | Hungering Cold | 1 | Purges the earth around you, freezing nearby enemies for 10 sec. |
| 7 (30 pts) | Improved Frost Presence | 2 | While not in Frost Presence, you keep 4 / 8% Stamina, and in Frost Presence damage taken is reduced. |
| 8 (35 pts) | Threat of Thassarian | 3 | When dual wielding, your Death Strike, Obliterate, Plague Strike, Rune Strike, Blood Strike and Frost Strike have a 30 / 60 / 100% chance to also hit with your off-hand. |
| 8 (35 pts) | Blood of the North | 3 | Increases the damage of Blood Strike and Frost Strike by 3 / 6 / 10% and turns used Blood Runes into Death Runes. |
| 8 (35 pts) | Unbreakable Armor | 1 | Increases your armor by 25% and your Strength by 20% for 20 sec. |
| 9 (40 pts) | Acclimation | 3 | When hit by a spell, you have a 10 / 20 / 30% chance to increase your resistance to that school. |
| 9 (40 pts) | Frost Strike | 1 | Instantly strike the enemy with your weapon, dealing 60% weapon damage plus Frost damage. |
| 9 (40 pts) | Guile of Gorefiend | 3 | Increases the critical damage of Blood Strike, Frost Strike, Howling Blast and Obliterate and the duration of Icebound Fortitude. |
| 10 (45 pts) | Tundra Stalker | 5 | Increases your damage against targets with Frost Fever by 3 / 6 / 9 / 12 / 15% and your expertise. |
| 11 (50 pts) | Howling Blast | 1 | Blast the target with frigid wind, dealing Frost damage to it and nearby enemies. Requires Tundra Stalker. |
Unholy · 31 talents, 79 points to learn them all
| Tier | Talent | Ranks | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (0 pts) | Vicious Strikes | 2 | Increases the critical strike chance of Plague Strike, Scourge Strike and Death Strike by 3 / 6% and their critical damage. |
| 1 (0 pts) | Virulence | 3 | Increases your chance to hit with spells by 1 / 2 / 3% and reduces the chance your diseases are cured. |
| 1 (0 pts) | Anticipation | 5 | Increases your dodge chance by 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5%. |
| 2 (5 pts) | Epidemic | 2 | Increases the duration of Blood Plague and Frost Fever by 3 / 6 sec. |
| 2 (5 pts) | Morbidity | 3 | Increases the damage and healing of Death Coil by 5 / 10 / 15% and reduces the cooldown of Death and Decay. |
| 2 (5 pts) | Unholy Command | 2 | Reduces the cooldown of Death Grip by 5 / 10 sec and refreshes it after killing a target. |
| 2 (5 pts) | Ravenous Dead | 3 | Increases your Strength by 1 / 2 / 3% and the Strength and Stamina your ghoul receives from you. |
| 3 (10 pts) | Outbreak | 3 | Increases the damage of Plague Strike by 10 / 20 / 30% and of Scourge Strike by 7 / 13 / 20%. |
| 3 (10 pts) | Necrosis | 5 | Your auto attacks deal an extra 4 / 8 / 12 / 16 / 20% Shadow damage. |
| 3 (10 pts) | Corpse Explosion | 1 | Causes a corpse to explode, dealing Shadow damage to nearby enemies. |
| 4 (15 pts) | On a Pale Horse | 2 | Reduces the duration of stun and fear effects on you by 10 / 20% and increases your mounted speed. |
| 4 (15 pts) | Blood-Caked Blade | 3 | Your auto attacks have a 10 / 20 / 30% chance to cause a Blood-Caked Strike for extra damage per disease. |
| 4 (15 pts) | Night of the Dead | 2 | Reduces the cooldown of Raise Dead and Army of the Dead and the damage your pets take from area attacks. |
| 5 (20 pts) | Unholy Blight | 1 | Your Death Coil also infects the target with Unholy Blight, dealing Shadow damage over time. |
| 5 (20 pts) | Impurity | 5 | Your spells gain an extra 4 / 8 / 12 / 16 / 20% of your attack power. |
| 5 (20 pts) | Dirge | 2 | Your Death Strike, Obliterate, Plague Strike and Scourge Strike generate 2.5 / 5 more runic power. |
| 6 (25 pts) | Desecration | 2 | Your Plague Strike and Scourge Strike desecrate the ground, slowing enemies within it. |
| 6 (25 pts) | Magic Suppression | 3 | Reduces all spell damage taken by 2 / 4 / 6% and increases the effect of Anti-Magic Shell. |
| 6 (25 pts) | Reaping | 3 | Your Blood Strike and Pestilence have a 33 / 66 / 100% chance to turn used Blood Runes into Death Runes. |
| 7 (30 pts) | Master of Ghouls | 1 | Reduces the cooldown of Raise Dead and makes your ghoul a permanent pet. |
| 7 (30 pts) | Desolation | 5 | Your Blood Strike increases your damage by 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5% for 20 sec. |
| 7 (30 pts) | Anti-Magic Zone | 1 | Places a zone that reduces spell damage taken by party and raid members inside it by 75%. Requires Magic Suppression. |
| 8 (35 pts) | Improved Unholy Presence | 2 | While not in Unholy Presence, you keep 8 / 15% movement speed, and Unholy Presence lowers your rune cooldown. |
| 8 (35 pts) | Ghoul Frenzy | 1 | Grants your ghoul 25% haste and heals it over 30 sec. Requires Master of Ghouls. |
| 8 (35 pts) | Crypt Fever | 3 | Your diseases also cause Crypt Fever, increasing disease damage taken by the target by 10 / 20 / 30%. |
| 8 (35 pts) | Bone Shield | 1 | Surrounds you with spinning bones that reduce damage taken by 20% and increase your damage by 2%. |
| 9 (40 pts) | Wandering Plague | 3 | When your diseases deal damage, you have a chance to deal the damage to all nearby enemies. |
| 9 (40 pts) | Ebon Plaguebringer | 3 | Crypt Fever becomes Ebon Plague, which also increases magic damage taken by 13%, and your crit chance rises. Requires Crypt Fever. |
| 9 (40 pts) | Scourge Strike | 1 | An unholy strike that deals 50% weapon damage plus Shadow damage for each of your diseases on the target. |
| 10 (45 pts) | Rage of Rivendare | 5 | Increases your damage against targets with Blood Plague by 2 / 4 / 6 / 8 / 10% and your expertise. |
| 11 (50 pts) | Summon Gargoyle | 1 | Summons a Gargoyle that attacks the target with Nature damage for 30 sec. Requires Rage of Rivendare. |
Planning a WotLK Death Knight build
Many builds put 51 points or more into one tree to reach its deepest talent, then spend the remaining 20 points on the strongest talents near the top of a second tree. Points in the first few tiers are cheap and often give flat bonuses, so "dipping" into another tree is usually better than spreading points evenly.
If you are levelling, check the required level in the summary bar: it tells you the level at which the build is complete (your number of points plus 9). Use Copy build link to save the build, and plan a second one for another role or your dual spec.
Other WotLK classes
Frequently asked questions
How many talent points does a Wrath Death Knight have?
A level 80 Death Knight in Wrath of the Lich King has 71 talent points: the first at level 10 and one more each level after that. Death Knights start at level 55 and receive their earlier points through the starting quests in Acherus.
What are the Death Knight talent trees in Wrath of the Lich King?
The Death Knight has three trees: Blood, Frost and Unholy. The deepest talent of each is Dancing Rune Weapon (Blood), Howling Blast (Frost) and Summon Gargoyle (Unholy), and each needs 50 points spent in its tree first.
Can a Death Knight take two 51-point talents?
No. Reaching a 51-point talent uses 51 of your 71 points, which leaves 20 for the other two trees. That is why most WotLK builds are one deep tree plus a few useful talents from a second tree.
How do I share my WotLK Death Knight build?
Click "Copy build link" above the trees. The link stores every point you spent, so it opens the same build for anyone. Your last Death Knight build is also kept in your browser.