WOD: DPS Rotations - Death Knight

The Death Knight class has two DPS specs: Frost and Unholy. In this post you will learn about the Single target rotation and the AoE rotation for the both specs. You will also find the spell priority for the specs. If you think that this post was useful or you want us to add something to the rotation, please write in the comments below. 

Frost  
Single target rotation:
You need to maintain diseases on your target all times. 
Use Outbreak to apply diseases. Howling Blast will automatically apply and refresh Frost Fever, so the only disease you need to keep up is Blood Plague. Simply use Plague Strike with an Unholy rune or Outbreak whenever Blood Plague needs to be refreshed at <= 9 sec remaining.

For both dual-wield and two-hand weapon, your highest priority is to use Soul Reaper on cooldown against targets below 35% health.
For Dual-wield:
For the dual-wield rotation you will have to consume Killing Machine procs with Frost Strike and then use Frost Strike to dump excess Runic Power. 
After this, watch for Rime procs and consume them with Howling Blast. 

Next, dump your Frost and Death runes with Howling Blast and your Unholy runes with Obliterate.
For Two-hand:
For the two-hand rotation you will have to consume Killing Machine procs with Obliterate. 

After this, use Obliterate when your Runes are full and can no longer regenerate. Frost Strike is then used to dump excess Runig Power and Rime procs are used for Howling Blast.

AoE Rotation:
The AoE rotation is very simple:

You will have to use Blood Boil to quickly spread your diseases. After that, maintain Death and Decay with Unholy runes. Dump your Death and Frost runes with Howling Blast. Dump excess Runic Power with Frost Strike and excess Unholy runes with Plague Strike. Continue to watch for and consume Killing Machine and Rime procs.

Unholy  
Single target rotation:
The highest priority should be to keep both diseases active on your target all times. Apply them with Outbreak and refresh them with Plague Strike as needed when they have <= 9 sec remaining. You do not need to use Icy Touch as Ebon Plaguebringer allows Plague Strike to apply Frost Fever. Also, because Festering Strike extends disease duration, often times Outbreak will be off cooldown when your diseases expire.

The next priority is to use Dark Transformation immediately when it's available. After that, keep Death and Decay down and Scourge Strike with your Unholy and Death Runes. Use Death Coil whenever your Runes are depleted, to consume Sudden Doom procs, or to prevent hitting the Runic Power cap.


Use Festering Strike when you are sitting on Blood and Frost Runes. When your target reaches 35% health, you should prioritize Soul Reaper above everything except for maintaining your diseases.

AoE Rotation:
The AoE rotation is quite simple - the AoE rotation basically follows the single target rotation. The only difference is to use Blood Boil with your Blood Runes while maintaining Death and Decay.