Welcome to Epic Blood DPS guide for WotLK Classic! In this comprehensive guide, we'll cover everything you need to know to master the Blood DPS specialization. From choosing the right race and talents to perfecting your rotation and handling business, we've got you covered. Whether you're in a Horde or Alliance faction, we'll show you how to pump up your Blood DPS and prove your worth to the raid. So let's dive right in!

 

• Race
• Stat Priority
• Talents
• Frost Subspec
• Glyphs
• Professions
• Consumables
• Opener
• Rotation
• AOE
• Snapshotting
• Pestilence Trick
• Macros/WeakAuras
• BiS List Intro

 

 

↖ Race

For both Horde and Alliance factions, the top choices for Blood DPS are Troll and Orc for the Horde and Draenei or Human for the Alliance.

 

↖ Stat Priority

When it comes to stat priority, your focus should be on hit, aiming for 8-9% spell hit. The priority order is hit, strength, armour penetration (ArP), expertise, crit, and haste. As you progress through Icecrown Citadel and acquire epic gems, ArP becomes your second-best stat, reaching the hard cap of 1260 if you have the Blood Gorge talent. Expertise also increases in value, reaching its respective cap.

 

↖ Talents

In the Blood Tree, prioritize Butchery and Subversion for a 9% Heart Strike crit chance. Further, down the tree, take Bladed Armor for increased attack power from plate gear and Dark Conviction for a 5% crit chance. Invest in Death Rune Mastery, which turns Frost and Holy Runes into Death Runes, allowing you to cast Heart Strike more often. Progress down the tree to get Bloody Strikes for increased Heart Strike and Blood Boil damage. Blood Vengeance is a stacking buff that provides a 9% physical damage increase.

 

For the Unholy tree, take Vicious Strikes for increased attack power and Virulence for a 3% spell hit. Necrosis and Blood-Caked Blade further enhance your auto-attacks and Heart Strikes. Finish with Night of the Dead, providing survivability for your Guardian Ghoul.

 

↖ Frost Subspec

Consider using a Frost subspec for better AOE potential on five or more mobs. This setup is essential for certain bosses like Anub'arak, where you switch to Obliterate in Phase 3 to avoid griefing the raid with Death Strikes while Leeching Swarm is out.

 

↖ Glyphs

Your best major glyphs are Dancing Rune Weapon, Disease, and Death Strike. For minor glyphs, go with Blood Tap, Pestilence, and Raise Dead.

 

↖ Professions

Engineering is the best primary profession for Blood DPS, providing useful items like Hyperspeed Accelerators, Global Thermal Zapper Charges, and Nitro Boots. For secondary professions, Jewelcrafting is the optimal choice, but you can consider Blacksmithing when epic gems become available.

 

↖ Consumables

Use Endless Rage for flasks, Dragonfing Filet for food, and Speed Potions for your potions. For fights where pre-potting is challenging, consider using Indestructible Potions instead.

 

↖ Opener

Master two openers for Blood DPS: the standard opener and the double-disease opener. The standard opener uses Army of the Dead, Unholy Presence, and a specific sequence of abilities. The double-disease opener is similar but incorporates different abilities after Dancing Rune Weapon.

 

↖ Rotation

Maintain a simple priority-based rotation, using runes and abilities as they come off cooldown. Make sure to refresh diseases with Pestilence and use Death Coil when runes are on cooldown. Overcapping Runic Power occasionally is acceptable.

 

↖ AOE

For AOE rotation, spread diseases with Pestilence, generate Death Runes with Death Strike, and use Blood Boil on five or more mobs and Heart Strike on four or fewer. Utilize Dancing Rune Weapon during trash for maximum Blood Boil damage.

 

↖ Snapshotting

Understand the snapshotting mechanic, which allows you to cast abilities while your stats are at their maximum. Optimize this with trinket procs, buffs, and cooldowns for maximum damage output.

 

↖ Pestilence Trick

Exploit the Pestilence trick to apply Dancing Rune Weapon diseases without the need for Icy Touch or Plague Strike.

 

↖ Macros/WeakAuras

While Blood DPS doesn't require many macros or add-ons, use WeakAuras to keep track of your disease durations and trinket procs. Consider using a macro that casts all your cooldowns simultaneously.

 

↖ BiS List Intro

Prepare for different BiS (Best in Slot) lists for different phases. These lists prioritize gear for maximum performance based on your race, expertise, hit, and armour penetration caps.

 

Conclusion

We hope this guide has provided you with everything you need to dominate as a Blood DPS in WotLK Classic. Remember to adapt your gear and strategies based on what items you can obtain. Always strive for improvement, and feel free to join the Blood DPS Discord community for more resources and assistance. Happy raiding, and may your Blood DPS prove unstoppable!