DPS DeathKnights

After talking with Domenika earlier this week, I decided to make this post with some info for dps-ing as a Deathknight:

DK Resource System

Resources are what you use to power your special attacks, Deathknights have a dual resource system, consisting of
a) a steady resource streams made up by runes (your runes refresh once every 10 sec)
b) a spike resource stream that starts empty not unlike a warrior's rage bar -> this is called runic power

Due to the way the rune-cost of abilities works it's best to think of them in terms of Blood runes vs Unholy/Frost pairs(this is thrue for every spec and for both tanks and dps). Which gives you 2 UF-pairs and 2 blood runes every 10 sec ( so using them is good for 4 global cooldowns or 6 sec, giving your the 4 remaining seconds to use your runic power)

For frost

Use your abilities according to the following priority list (i.e. use the highest number in list that's open to you at every particular global cooldown):
1) Use Killing Machine proc -> use frost strike (40 runic power needed)
2) Keep Diseases up (open with icy touch+plague strike to get them up, keep em up with Pestilence and glyph of disease so you don have to waste your UF-pairs on it)
3) Obliterate (this is your unholy/frost pair use, annihilation talent in 3th tier of frost keeps it from consuming your diseases)
4) Blood strike (uses your blood runes in as far as not needed for pestilence to keep diseases up)
5) Frost strike (your runic dump, use when above 80 as you always want 40 runic power available to use your killing machine proc when it happens)
6) Rime Proc's clearcast -> get a free Howling Blast in
7) Horn of Winter when can't do anything else

when translated to using your resources this means:
- Use of Unholy/Frost rune pairs: initial activation of diseases through Icy Touch+Plaguestrike, and after that they're used by Obliterate
- Blood Runes: Pestilence to keep diseases up, Blood strike otherwise
- Runic Power: Frost strike (preferably as Killing Machine Procs, so keep runic power over 40 if possible)
(- Howling Blast when free due to Rime proc)

Frost Dual-Wields, and according to theory crafting you want 2 slow one-handers for big dps (according to ensidia Unless your 1.6 weapon has 100 DPS more than your 2.6 weapon you should just give it a spot in your bank.)

Stats you should go for (through gems/enchants) are: Hit till 5% > Expertise to soft-cap > Strength > ArP > Haste > Crit > Agility > Hit (past 5%)
NOTE: you aim for 5% hit instead of 8% as you get 3% from nerves of cold steel talent

For Unholy

Unholy has a set rotation covering 2 runy cycles (so 20 sec) that goes like this:

First 2 global cooldowns: apply diseases -> Icy Touch + Plaguestrike (1 UF-pair)
3th cooldown: Blood strike to put up desolation (blood rune)
3th cooldown: Scourge strike (2nd UF-pair)
4th cooldown: Blood Strike (2nd blood rune)
last 2 cooldowns before runes refresh: death coil/horn of winter (runic power) or use cooldown ability

1st cooldown: Scourge Strike
2nd cooldown: Blood Strike
3th cooldown: Scourge Strike
4th cooldown: Blood Strike
remaining cooldowns before runes referesh: deathcoil, or if needed horn of winter (runic power) or use cooldown ability

Resource wise this means:
- if diseases are up use Scourge strike to use your UF-pairs, if not go for a Icy Touch+Plague Strike combo
- Use Blood Strike for your blood rune uses
- Use Deathcoil as your runic power dump

Stats you should go for (through gems/enchants): Hit (until 8%) > Strength > ArP > Haste > Crit > Expertise > Agility > Spell Hit (above 8% melee, below 11% spell)

Sources:
Ensidia's DPS Guide for DK for the dps info
DK Tanking guide containing best explanation of the DK Resource system I've seen sofar

I bow before you Bari - thank you!!

bump added unholy info