Unholy Death Knight DPS Gear and Best in Slot — 12.0.5

With the release of Midnight, all items have been squished to a much more reasonable level, capping out at 289 ilvl in Season 1.

Upgrading gear in Midnight continues to use the Crest system which lets you increase the item level of gear along tracks that relate to where you obtained the item, which harder content dropping gear that can be upgraded to higher Item Levels. For more information, read up on our dedicated page on how the gearing system works and what has changed in the Midnight expansion.

OverallMythic+Raid

This list contains the highest DPS setup from all sources for Unholy Death Knight. Keep in mind that there are many other setups that perform within the margin of error. This list is not the end-all-be-all list where any item that is not listed is far behind this specific selection.

This list is by no means a replacement for simming yourself. Depending on your previous Great Vault choices and the gear you have available, your BiS gear might look different in some spots than the below list.

In some non-Tier slots, a max ilvl Craft can technically be optimal since you can customize the secondary stats to your liking. Your mileage here may vary.

FAQWhich Tier Set Pieces Do I Want?

In Midnight Season 1 as an Unholy Death Knight, you want Helmet, Chest, Gloves and Legs for your tier pieces. The tier shoulders have Haste Versatility which are our two worst stats.

Unholy Death Knight

1.1.

Overall Best in Slot

Relentless Rider's Crown Helm

Catalyst or Lightblinded Vanguard Empowered Rune of Avoidance

Relentless Rider's Bonegrasps Hands

Catalyst or Vorasius

Amulet of the Abyssal Hymn Neck

Midnight Falls

Hate-Tied Waistchain Waist

Crown of the Cosmos

Shoulderplates of Frozen Blood Shoulders

Pit of Saron Amirdrassil's Grace

Relentless Rider's Legguards Legs

Catalyst or Vaelgor and Ezzorak Forest Hunter's

Adherent's Silken Shroud Cloak

Crafted by Tailoring

Greaves of the Unformed Feet

Chimaerus Lynx's Dexterity

Relentless Rider's Cuirass Chest

Catalyst or Chimaerus Mark of the Worldsoul

Platinum Star Band Ring

Flawless Deadly Amethyst

Algeth'ar Academy Eyes of the Eagle

Shirt

Sin'dorei Band of Hope Ring

Flawless Deadly Amethyst

Belo'ren Eyes of the Eagle

Tabard

Light Company Guidon Trinket

Imperator Averzian

Spellbreaker's Bracers Bracers

Crafted by Blacksmithing

Gaze of the Alnseer Trinket

Chimaerus

Bellamy's Final Judgement Main Hand

Lightblinded Vanguard Rune of the Fallen Crusader

Off Hand

This list contains the highest DPS setup from all sources for Unholy Death Knight. Keep in mind that there are many other setups that perform within the margin of error. This list is not the end-all-be-all list where any item that is not listed is far behind this specific selection.

This list is by no means a replacement for simming yourself. Depending on your previous Great Vault choices and the gear you have available, your BiS gear might look different in some spots than the below list.

In some non-Tier slots, a max ilvl Craft can technically be optimal since you can customize the secondary stats to your liking. Your mileage here may vary.

TipsWhich Dungeons Should I Farm?

If you have limited time to play the game, we recommend to farm the following dungeons:

• Maisara Caverns: Your tied BiS 2H weapon drops from this dungeon.
• Pit of Saron: BiS shoulders and solid ring, weapon and belt.
• Algeth'ar Academy: BiS ring, solid weapon and the best M+ trinket.

Unholy Death Knight

1.2.

Best Mythic+ Gear

Relentless Rider's Crown Helm

Catalyst Empowered Rune of Avoidance

Relentless Rider's Bonegrasps Hands

Catalyst

Barbed Ymirheim Choker Neck

Pit of Saron

Relentless Rider's Chain Waist

Catalyst

Shoulderplates of Frozen Blood Shoulders

Pit of Saron Amirdrassil's Grace

Relentless Rider's Legguards Legs

Catalyst Forest Hunter's

Adherent's Silken Shroud Cloak

Crafted by Tailoring

Oathsworn Stompers Feet

Magister's Terrace Lynx's Dexterity

Relentless Rider's Cuirass Chest

Catalyst Mark of the Worldsoul

Platinum Star Band Ring

Flawless Deadly Amethyst

Algeth'ar Academy Eyes of the Eagle

Shirt

Occlusion of Void Ring

Flawless Deadly Amethyst

Nexus-Point Xenas Eyes of the Eagle

Tabard

Algeth'ar Puzzle Box Trinket

Algeth'ar Academy

Spellbreaker's Bracers Bracers

Crafted by Blacksmithing

Solarflare Prism Trinket

Skyreach

Liferipper's Cutlass Main Hand

Maisara Caverns Rune of the Fallen Crusader

Off Hand

This list contains the highest DPS setup from all sources for Unholy Death Knight. Keep in mind that there are many other setups that perform within the margin of error. This list is not the end-all-be-all list where any item that is not listed is far behind this specific selection.

This list is by no means a replacement for simming yourself. Depending on your previous Great Vault choices and the gear you have available, your BiS gear might look different in some spots than the below list.

In some non-Tier slots, a max ilvl Craft can technically be optimal since you can customize the secondary stats to your liking. Your mileage here may vary.

TipsWhich Raid-Items Do I Want Most?

If you need to submit a list of highly-important items to your raidleader, or simply want to focus on the most important bosses and items, we got you covered!

• Light Company Guidon: BiS on-use that is significantly better than any alternative. Drops from Imperator Averzian. who also drops our Tier-Set chest and our BiS Boots.
• Gaze of the Alnseer: BiS passive trinket that is significantly better than any alternative. Drops from Chimaerus.
• Bellamy's Final Judgement: BiS weapon that does have an equivalent option from Mythic+. Still a very strong upgrade in most cases. Dropped from Lightblinded Vanguard.
• Sin'dorei Band of Hope: BiS ring with Crit Mastery that will help you get to your perfect stat balance. Drops from Belo'ren.

Unholy Death Knight

1.3.

Best Raid Gear

Relentless Rider's Crown Helm

Catalyst or Lightblinded Vanguard Empowered Rune of Avoidance

Relentless Rider's Bonegrasps Hands

Catalyst or Vorasius

Amulet of the Abyssal Hymn Neck

Midnight Falls

Hate-Tied Waistchain Waist

Crown of the Cosmos

Light-Judged Spaulders Shoulders

Imperator Averzian Amirdrassil's Grace

Relentless Rider's Legguards Legs

Catalyst or Vaelgor and Ezzorak Forest Hunter's

Adherent's Silken Shroud Cloak

Crafted by Tailoring

Greaves of the Unformed Feet

Chimaerus Lynx's Dexterity

Relentless Rider's Cuirass Chest

Catalyst or Chimaerus Mark of the Worldsoul

Signet of the Starved Beast Ring

Flawless Deadly Amethyst

Vorasius Eyes of the Eagle

Shirt

Sin'dorei Band of Hope Ring

Flawless Deadly Amethyst

Belo'ren Eyes of the Eagle

Tabard

Light Company Guidon Trinket

Imperator Averzian

Spellbreaker's Bracers Bracers

Crafted by Blacksmithing

Gaze of the Alnseer Trinket

Chimaerus

Bellamy's Final Judgement Main Hand

Lightblinded Vanguard Rune of the Fallen Crusader

Off Hand

Itemization

Enchants and Stat Priority

Looking to optimize your character? Check out our Enchant and Stat Priority guides for more information!

EnchantsStats

Unholy Death Knight favours a combination of one active trinket and one passive trinket. For active trinkets, Light Company Guidon is by far our best option with great synergy with our 1.5 minute Cooldowns. It does grant Haste which is not considered a great stat, but there are no other 1.5 minute cooldown trinkets with stat effects. Our second-best option is Algeth'ar Puzzle Box which unfortunately comes with a 2 minute cooldown, significantly reducing its power for us.

For passive trinkets, Gaze of the Alnseer is our best option. It is followed by a large number of good options like Radiant Plume, Heart of Ancient Hunger and Darkmoon Sigil: Hunt.

Aim to pick up one trinket from each of these categories as a pair:

Unholy Death Knight Trinkets

On-Use - Light Company Guidon or, alternatively, Algeth'ar Puzzle Box
Passive - Gaze of the Alnseer or, alternatively, Radiant Plume

There are quite a few other valuable trinkets out there, so make sure to click on our ranking chart to see if they are worth equipping.

Click for Unholy Death Knight Trinket Rankings

Ranking	Trinkets
S Tier	Light Company Guidon - Click for Details Best on-use by far which synergises nicely with our 1.5 minute cooldowns. It does grant Haste which is not considered a good stat. However, there are no alternative 1.5 minute cooldown trinkets that provide on-use stat effects. Gaze of the Alnseer
A Tier	Algeth'ar Puzzle Box - Click for Details Second-best one-use trinket. The stat effect is really strong, giving us our best stat in the form of Mastery. The only reason why this trinket is not our BiS is because of its 2 minute cooldown, desyncing it from our main 1.5 minute burst. Radiant Plume/ Umbral Plume Heart of Ancient Hunger Solarflare Prism Darkmoon Sigil: Hunt
B Tier	Heart of Wind Darkmoon Dominion: Blood Vessel of Tortured Souls
C Tier	Lost Idol of the Hash'ey Darkmoon Dominion: Void Dragon Games Equipment Magister's Alchemist Stone Kroluk's Warbanner
D Tier	Undreamt God's Oozing Vestige Latch's Crooked Hook Mark of Light Crucible of Erratic Energies Void Stalker's Contract Darkmoon Dominion: Rot

Midnight's patch 12.0.5 introduces two new, yet familiar systems:

• Nebulous Voidcore allows you to target loot from specific bosses or dungeons. Using it guarantees a drop from that source, though the exact item is still random. However, once you’ve obtained an item this way, future uses will prioritize items you haven’t collected yet from that pool.
• Ascendant Voidcore enhances Hero- and Myth-track gear that has already reached its maximum item level, as well as fully upgraded Radiance-Crafted items. It provides an extra power boost similar to past Turbo Boost upgrades, but can only be applied to weapons and trinkets.

Seasonal Mechanics

Voidforge and Voidcores

Check our our guide on the Voidforge to learn how to acquire this powerful upgrades!

Go to Guide

Getting a guaranteed piece of loot from a specific dungeon or boss is very useful. In general, we recommend using these for raid encounters as you can obtain higher ilvl pieces that way. We recommend using them on the following bosses (if you do not have the item specified already). Always simulate yourself to find the best possible choice given your character's gear and stats!

• Imperator Averzian for Light Company Guidon.
• Chimaerus for Gaze of the Alnseer.
• Lightblinded Vanguard for Bellamy's Final Judgement.
• Belo'ren for Sin'dorei Band of Hope.

Prioritising the item upgrade is relatively simple, start with your weapon and then follow-up with your trinkets.

Professions are a great way to gear up with your optimal secondary stats, as adding special items to the crafting process lets you pick and choose the exact secondary stats you want.

For more information about crafting gear you can visit our Professions page.

Deciding what to craft is a difficult task. Our BiS crafted items are Cloak and Wrists, both with Crit Mastery and Arcanoweave Lining. However, crafting a 2H weapon early is often by far the largest upgrade possible and a significantly more efficient spend of your crests. It also sits only 0.5% behind the BiS setup. We generally recommend crafting a 2H weapon unless you have looted a strong 2H already.

Unholy Death Knight Crafted Gear Priority

• Blood Knight's Mercy with Darkmoon Sigil: Hunt
• Spellbreaker's Bracers with Arcanoweave Lining
• Any item you do not have on Myth track yet.

For more information about crafting gear you can visit our Professions page.

Up to two of your crafted items can be Embellished. This is a similar concept as Unique-Equipped, as you can only wear two items that have the Embellished status. Some crafted items, many of which have powerful procs or beneficial effects by default, are considered Embellished. You can also add Embellishments from a variety of professions to any crafted item, adding the effect to this item either when creating it or at a later stage.

As there is a lot of competition for Embellishments, you will have to pick and choose the two strongest ones for your overall DPS output. Most of them provide very similar DPS benefits, even if the effects are entirely different. The two best choices for this are:

• For Raid: Arcanoweave Lining on crafted Wrists and a crafted Cloak.
• For Mythic+: Arcanoweave Lining on crafted Wrists and a crafted Cloak.

A strong alternative is to run Darkmoon Sigil: Hunt on a crafted 2H weapon. This setup is 0.5% behind the BiS setup but provides a significant amount of early power. We recommending to sim yourself to get a better understanding of the choices relevant for your specific character.

You can add sockets to Helmets, Belts, and Bracers with the Radiant Jewelbinder consumable that you can get if you do not select any of the choices in your Great Vault. Not picking a choice will grant you tokens, six of which can be traded in for the Radiant Jewelbinder item that allows you to add a socket to the above piece of gear, if you acquired them in Season 1.

Myth Dawncrest is a currency you can use to upgrade your gear. Each piece comes in a specific leveling track where it can be upgrade to a specific max level. If you see an item with Myth 3/6, it means that it can be upgrade a total of 3 times to reach Myth 6/6. Since crests are limited each week and upgrading different items costs the same amount of crests regardless, you will want to prioritize your usage of them on items you plan on not replacing anytime soon, or that offer the biggest benefits.

Unholy Death Knight Crest Upgrade Priority

Weapon ➜ Trinkets ➜ Helmet/Chest/Legs ➜ Shoulders/Gloves/Belt/Boots

These are simply the items that tend to be the best to upgrade. Do not follow the priority blindly as there are cases where you would want to upgrade something else first. Always sim yourself to figure out what it your current best option.

Throughout this page and elsewhere in our guide, we regularly refer to the importance of simming yourself on Raidbots. This is because every character is unique, and each gear piece you have access to can change what is best right now for you.

While we do offer recommendations for gear and trinkets, these are not complete replacements for simming yourself. The only way to truly optimize your character to that degree is by making use of the tools available!

Optimization

Simulations and Tools

For further reading on how to truly maximize your character's potential, check out our guide on Raidbots!

Go to Guide

Bicepspump

Guide Author

Follow Bicepspump

This guide has been written by Bicepspump, a semi-hardcore player raiding with Pixelbased Lifeforms on Kazzak. He is heavily involved in the DK DPS theorycrafting community, testing hyoptheses and investigating the correct priority to use. He produces guide content on YouTube and frequently streams on Twitch.