Lichborne: Icecrown 5-man gear for death knights
by Daniel Whitcomb 
Mar 23rd 2010 at 7:00PM
While we've all been waiting for Patch 3.3.3 to drop so we can decide if we're respeccing frost or not, It's become a pretty slow time in the death knight world. Debates continue on the best frost specs, whether Will of the Necropolis is worth getting now or even makes Blood the best tank spec, and so on and so forth, of course, so it's not completely quiet, but I've said my two cents on most of that before. It occurs to me, though, that I haven't really taken a good look at the Icecrown 5-mans for loot and opportunities for death knights. So for all my more casual and upcoming death knight friends, this one's for you.
As with similar loot guides, I'm going to shy away from covering loot that is not specifically itemized for death knights. That means that I will not be covering things that have attack power (with the exception of certain weapons), things that have shield block stats, or weapons that have quick attack speeds. There is, of course, a possibility that something that fulfills one of the three previous parameters will be an upgrade for you anyway, it is true, but between the new stat changes coming with Cataclysm and the fact you'll eventually upgrade a lot of this stuff with emblem gear, I feel it's best to focus on the stuff that has the biggest chance of keeping you well equipped for a while.
Forge of Souls
NormalLegplates of Frozen Granite drop off Bronjahm in Normal mode. A Beginning tank should definitely not underestimate the hit on these babies. If you're still learning how to keep a tank rotation going or just need to keep aggro against better equipped DPS, you'll want some extra +hit so you can hit with Dark Command when you lose aggro.
The Lost Reliquary Chestguard off Normal Devourer of Souls is certainly not a horrible choice for an up and coming death knight DPS. You always want to make sure you're hitting that 8% raid boss special attack hit rating cap to prepare yourself for raid gearing, and while the critical strike rating is not an amazing stat for some, it's still solid. This chestplate should do you nicely until you can grab an emblem chest piece.
The Minister's Number One Legplates off Normal Bronjahm are essentially the Lost Reliquary Chestguard in legs form. Again, they're a solid stopgap until you can grab some heroic legplates or emblem legplates.
Heroic
Black Spire Sabatons from the Heroic Devourer of Souls are a great pick for any casual death knight just because there's not really an emblem upgrade for them. You may very well be wearing these babies when you finally step foot in ICC. If there's one upgrade you may want to consider to these before you head to ICC, it's the crafted Spiked Deathdealers, which technically have a lower item level, but have 2 sockets.
Nighttime from Heroic Bronjahm is a very solid weapon choice for dual wielding death knights, if you're going that route this early on. If you've been trying to grab the Deathbringer from those weekly Onyxia PuGs and failing, this should do you good until you hit ICC.
Weeping Gauntlets from Heroic Bronjahm suffer from the haste issue. Haste is a 3rd or 4th tier stat for most death knight DPS specs these days, especially at low gear levels. These gauntlets will make a decent stop gap until you get your tier 9 gloves, but that's it.
Pauldrons of the Devourer from Heroic Devourer of Souls are pretty much in the same boat as the Weeping Gauntlets. They're not horrible, but replace them with tier 9 as soon as you have the emblems.
The Needle Encrusted Scorpion is the dark horse DPS drop. If you can't afford a Darkmoon Card: Greatness and you can't get into a Naxx pickup for the Grim Toll, this will tide you over until you can get some ICC trinket drops. Of course, if you need the hit and remember to use the use ability, Mark of Supremacy's better.
Pit of Saron
NormalScourgelord's Frigid Chestplate from Scourgelord Tyrannus serves as an excellent stop gap until you can grab the tier 9 chest from emblems. You'll get a blue socket, and some expertise to help you with threat and with getting parry-gibbed.
The Painfully Sharp Choker off Scourgelord Tyrannus is another drop you'll want to make a special effort to get. It'll actually beat out most other easily obtainable options for the casual death knight, including the Spiked Battleguard Choker if you don't need the hit.
The Bent Gold Belt off Ick is certainly decent enough for a casual death knight, but again, haste is currently pretty lackluster for death knight DPS. I'd recommend trying to upgrade to a Belt of the SInging Blade if you could use the hit, or even a Belt of the Titans if you can gather the materials for it.
The Skeleton Lord's Cranium from Scourgelord Tyrannus is a more than passable stop gap until you get the tier 9 helm, especially if you need the hit.
The Purloined Wedding Ring from Ick is a very nice find for a casual. The haste, again, is lower priority for a death knight, but it'll do fine for you otherwise. You may eventually want to replace it with a Bloodshed Band, or even a Runed Ring of the Kirin Tor if you have the extra gold.
Garfrost's Two-Ton Hammer from Forgemaster Garfrost is a very solid two-hander if you need an upgrade to your DPS. It'll serve you well until you can get a heroic replacement.
Heroic
Ick's Rotting Thumb is going to be a very solid choice for just about any pre-ICC tank. You may want to keep your stamina trinkets around for magic-heavy fights, but the thumb's great for avoiding blows on physical damage heavy bosses. Pair it with a Black Heart for maximum awesomeness.
Scourgelord Tyrannus seems to love dropping plate tank chests, and the Icebound Bronze Cuirass is definitely no slouch, especially since, again, the hit helps you keep aggro against all those tier 10 equipped DPS after their daily frost emblems. You'll eventually want to upgrade to tier 9, but this chest will serve you well until you have the badges.
Garfrost drops the Shoulderplates of Frozen Blood. These are very nicely itemized for tanking, especially thanks to the expertise that can sometimes be hard to find on lower level tanking gear. It's never bad a idea to clear dodges off the table at the least, so these shoulders will do you good. Tier 9 shoulders will probably eventually beat these out thanks to the set bonus and the extra gem slot, though.
The Tyrannical Beheader is the new goal for non-raiding two-hand DPS. To maximize your DPS or threat as a casual death knight, you'll probably want to grab this off Scourgelord Tyrannus as soon as possible, at least unless that pesky Battered Hilt drops for you.
The Frostwyrm Ribcage off Scourgelord Tyrannus is, again, cursed by haste. It's a good stop gap, but don't hesitate to leave it behind for tier 9 when you have the emblems to spare.
Malykriss Vambraces will serve you well headed into ICC, though if you really want to max your casual DPS gear set, get some Titanium Spikeguards made. They'll be a definite upgrade, especially once you factor in the socket.
Halls of Reflection
NormalAs far as tanking cloaks go, Eerie Runeblade Polisher, which can drop off either Falric or Marwyn, is tops. There's no real useless defensive stats on here, and it's a great upgrade over Platinum Mesh Cloak unless you really need that hit rating.
If you're dual wielding, take your pick from the Ghoulslicer from Falric or the Hate-Forged Cleaver from the Lich King. The Ghoulslicer arguably has slightly better stats for a death knight, but an Orc may want the Cleaver just for the axe racial thing.
If you're a proper 2-hand wielding death knight, Mourning Malice from the Lich King encounter should hold you over just fine until you can get that Tyrannical Beheader from the heroic Pit of Saron.
The Tapestry of the Frozen Throne from the Lich King encounter is another dark horse DPS option that is more or less going to beat out any option you can easily grab before Emblems of Frost or ICC as far as strength-bearing DPS cloaks go. Grab it and love it, you probably won't replace it until you drop the emblems for a Might of the Ocean Serpent if you're a true casual.
Heroic
The Fossilized Ammonite Choker from the Lich King encounter is easily the best tank necklace you'll find outside a raid. It'll carry you into ICC easily enough. Grab it and wear it if you can.
The Orca Hunter's Harpoon off Marwyn is itemized for Hunters and Druids, but if you're having no luck getting the Tyrannical Beheader, the harpoon makes a decent stop gap. Just remember, all that attack power will be turning into agility come patch 4.0.
The Lady's Promise is another perfect upgrade to the Purloined Wedding Ring, with stats even better suited for a death knight, and, of course, more of them. Pair it with a Bloodshed Band for a perfect pre-raid ring setup.
You'll definitely want to get your hands on the Grinning Skill Boots from the Lich King encounter for your DPS set. They're well itemized for death knight DPS, and you won't find any better plate dps boots outside a raid.
The Black Icicle from the Lich King encounter is the best death knight dual wielding weapon you'll get outside of a raid or a Battered Hilt, so be sure to pick one or two up if you're trying to dual wield outside of a raid - which, while unconventional, may be slightly less crazy with the upcoming patch.
Welcome to Lichborne, the weekly class column on the newest WoW class, the death knight, where we discuss PuG etiquette and Emblem of Triumph gear for the Death Knight tank, 5-man Crusader's Coliseum gear for tanks andDPS,andbasic Death Knight statistics and mechanics. You might also want to check all the other articles in our Death Knight category.Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Death Knight, (Death Knight) Lichborne
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
BiigD Mar 23rd 2010 7:28PM
Good guide! Shame it's a couple of months late to the party ;)
Noz. Mar 23rd 2010 7:31PM
Mr. Whitcomb. with all due respect, i must ask, Why 232 gear?
i know its important, but, in this times of confusion, i need to know what the best Frosty DPS Spec.
Most of the Frosty only blogs were wiped out by Unholy Dominance, i need some information Mr. Whitcomb, and please , give us info :)
Noz.
kangas Mar 23rd 2010 11:34PM
Hey, while your at it, can you write an article on this new "Death Knight" class that is being put in the game in the upcoming expansion "Wrath of the Lich King". I can't seem to find anything about it anywhere on the internet.
Danarok Mar 23rd 2010 7:38PM
Is it just me or does mousing over 'The Lady's Promise' provide a Wowhead popup for 'Orca Hunter's Harpoon'?
DarkFinch Mar 23rd 2010 8:21PM
I second this fine comment.
Vladeon Mar 23rd 2010 8:30PM
It seems as though it's been fixed.
Dan Mar 23rd 2010 7:39PM
No love for Rimefang's Claw? Best Frost DW tanking one-hander for the off hand you'll find in the 5-mans.
Vladeon Mar 23rd 2010 7:49PM
From what I understand, having a fast one-hander is actually really bad for Frost DK tanking. You'll get better damage, and therefore more threat, from two slow one handers. And since there aren't any slow one-hander tanking weapons, the nighttime axes are actually pretty decent for DW tanking.
brownyboi Mar 23rd 2010 8:45PM
Slow offhand is desirable for for DW Death Knights - what you think you are? A rogue?
Seriously though, the way Threat of Thassarian works, you want a slow offhand to maximise the damage that you get from its bonus damage.
I made the mistake of picking up a fast 245 axe from ToC25 and using it as an offhand weapon to replace one of my two Nightimes. I should have known better, but I was lured away by the higher item level.
By the time I'd realised my mistake, I discovered that I'd already vendored one of those lovely axes...
Oops.
Fensome Mar 23rd 2010 8:47PM
Whenever I see a DK frost tank dual-wielding a pair of Rimefang's it makes me cringe. They should always be using SLOW weapons either as tank or dps, it gimps your threat and your damage, the tanking stats on them in no way compensate for the loss of threat yet it's pretty much the commonest mistake I ever see. You don't exactly see Blood and Unholy tanks using 2-handers with tank stats on them :P
Narshe Mar 23rd 2010 9:02PM
I agree 100%, anyone saying your threat is gimped using two 1.7 weapons obviously hasnt tried them out. Please go equip them and tank something and tell me your threat is any different that using two 2.6 speed weapons.
brownyboi Mar 24th 2010 6:51AM
Urgh... It's not necessarily the weapon speed in and of itself but rather the damage per swing that they do.
Take 2 weapons of the same iLevel and therefore usually the same DPS (not always true, to be fair) - the slower weapon will do more damage per swing and therefore more damage/threat from ToT.
And people wonder why we DKs get a reputation for being idiots...
Rob47 Mar 24th 2010 7:31AM
The general thought is use the slow weps for the opening of the fight and when heroism is used then throw on 2 tank weps when the boss enrages or begins to flurry. As for me i'm not happy about my favourite tree becoming crap for 2h which is how I want to play.
vel Mar 23rd 2010 7:40PM
"whether Will of the Necropolis is worth getting now or even makes Blood the best tank spec"
Are you serious? Will of the Necropolis was always a top talent as its 5%-precondition saved its internal cooldown for the big hits you wanted the extra protection against. With the removal of the cd it has become a flat 15% EH increase. It is (and actually has been) a no-brainer to take. Also, Blood has been the number one spec for serious dk tanking since beginning of ulduar - any ground gained by frost as its competitor (it's close enough in performance right now to be considered if you enjoy the style) is lost by the change to WotN. Also, ICC5 loot? Patch 3.3 hit three months ago, that might have been interesting back then.
I always feel a little disappointed after reading your lichborne colum, it seems as if dk is not your main class. Sorry to sound so negative, but, well...
Vladeon Mar 23rd 2010 7:47PM
As an up-and-coming DK dps, I liked this guide. It's better to look at this guide then to look at all the loot from each of the bosses and cherry-pick the ones that I need to look at. On a fairly unrelated note. I've downed Scourgelord Tyrannus 13 times and still no Tyrannical Beheader. My DK's name is Loperamide if you want to take a look. I'm stuck using a Hunter weapon (that still gives me pretty good dps most times) until this drops. What a twist of fate, eh? Also, I can't ever seem to get into a group for H HoR that can down the instance, so I've killed Falric maybe 3 or 4 times (I can't check because armory is down for some reason) and only escaped the Lich King once. it's really annoying.
str8key2 Mar 23rd 2010 7:58PM
That's some pretty cool tank gear, i might have to go run through those to replace my 200 blues/epics
Ryan Hinch Mar 23rd 2010 9:01PM
The DPS gear could use some changes to even out the difference between better Tank gear and DPS gear. If you dpsed with the tank gear it seems you would actually do more damage with aoe's and strikes than if you were wearing dps gear
Eonik Mar 23rd 2010 9:26PM
Great column but.... really? 5man ICC guide? Well hello there last patch! Sorry I feel asleep. None the less, good read.
Mike Mar 23rd 2010 9:37PM
Personally, Mr. Whitcomb, I feel your "Lichborne" is headed in the wrong direction, anyone with half a brain can understand what stats are good for them, why not an article on Unholy DPS with a frost sub-spec (instead of blood) now that 3.3.3 is out? If you don't know what stats should be on your gear by the time you are level 80, why are you playing a DK? I enjoy reading your other posts, but these "oh, look what drops here" posts are pointless.
wilki24 Mar 24th 2010 1:30AM
I disagree. I just recently started gearing up my DK, and just last week was looking for an article just like this.