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Lichborne: Heroic dungeon gear for death knights

Daniel Whitcomb
Contributor
Updated ·10 min read
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Lichborne Heroic dungeon gear for death knights

Every week, WoW Insider brings you Lichborne for blood, frost, and unholy death knights. In the post-Cataclysm era, death knights are no longer the new kids on the block. Let's show the other classes how a hero class gets things done.

In the past, dungeons have been seen as a stepping stone to raids. If you stopped there, so be it, but the goal was generally to get past them and get on to bigger things. With challenge modes now in game, it may be that 5-man groups will be seen as a pinnacle of end game activity.

With that in mind, getting the good gear out of these dungeons may be more important than ever. This week, we'll take a look at heroic dungeon drops. For the most part, in comparing these pieces, we will be focused on getting parry and dodge for tanks, critical strike and haste for unholy and two-hand frost, and haste and mastery for dual wield frost. Note, of course, that you still want to get 7.5% hit and expertise each as DPS, so that may override other gear choices at time.

Note that Scenarios will also have a chance to drop an item level 463 item, so if you do Scenarios, keep an eye out for those. However, since they are all items with randomly generated prefixes, it's difficult to preview them in a gear list, so just know they exist.



Head

  • Meteoric Greathelm from the Trial of the King in Mogu'shan Palace features haste, critical strike, and an insane amount of strength on a gem bonus. This makes it a pretty decent DPS helm. If you get your hands on this, you'll probably want to socket in a Fierce Tiger Opal or Vermillion Onyx.

  • Sightfinder Helm is a DPS drop from Commander Vo'jak in Seige of Niuzao Temple. Unfortunately, with both mastery and critical strike rating, it's far from optimal for any death knight spec. Consider this a holdout until you can get the Meteoric Greathelm.

  • Helm of Rising Flame drops off Brother Korloff in Scarlet Monastery. It's your only tank helmet option in heroic dungeons, but don't get too concerned. Just reforge the hit to mastery, and you have a pretty decent helm.

Neck

  • Helios, Durand's Soul of Purity, is a DPS drop from the final encounter in Scarlet Monastery. With haste and hit rating, it is an absolutely amazing death knight DPS necklace, and certainly the best you'll get before raid drops.

  • Whirling Dervish Choker is a very nice haste and mastery neck that drops from the Trial of the King encounter in Mogu'shan Palace. That makes it very good for frost DPS, especially.

  • Cloudstrike Pendant drops from Gu Cloudstrike in Shado-Pan Monastery. With hit and critical strike, it's a fair to middling unholy DPS pendant.

  • Armsmaster's Sealed Locket drops from Armsmaster Harlan in Scarlet Halls. With mastery and parry, it's the perfect blood death knight neck.

  • Necklace of the Dark Blaze is the inferior tank drop, having only dodge and expertise.You'll get it from Lillian Voss in Scholomance.

Shoulders

  • Acid Scarred Spaulders drop off Striker Ga'dok in Gate of the Setting Sun. Hit and critical strike rating are fair to middling for death knight DPS, so you'll probably want to reforge the less desirable stat to haste.

  • Serpentstrike Shoulderpads drop from Liu Flameheart in Temple of the Jade Serpent. If you reforge the critical strike to haste, it probably edges out Acid Scarred Spaulders for dual wield DPS death knights who don't need the hit rating.

  • Spaulders of Immovable Stone drop from Wing Leader Ner'onok, and have dodge and parry rating. You will probably want to reforge dodge to mastery, but once you do that, these will be a very solid option for blood tanks.

  • Vigorsteel Spaulders drop from Darkmaster Gandling, and with parry and hit rating, are also pretty solid tank shoulders. Reforge the hit to mastery and you're good to go.

Back

  • Drape of the Screeching Swarm is a drop from Raigonn in Gate of the Setting Sun. Haste and hit as secondary stats means it is amazingly well set up for DPS death knights.

  • Cloak of Failing Will drops from the Sha of Doubt in Temple of the Jade Serpent. With critical strike and mastery, it's solidly mediocre for DPS death knights.

  • Soulrender Greatcloak comes off of Thalnos the Soulrender. This is another tank item with dodge and parry rating, which is going to mean you have another candidate for reforge dodge to mastery.

  • Phantasmal Drape comes from Jandice Barov. It's not amazing for death knight tanks, as dodge and hit are one of the less inspiring stat combinations you can get.

Chest

  • Wise Mari in Temple of the Jade Serpent drops the Riverbed Chestguard. Haste and critical strike are a nice combination for two-hand DPS.

  • Hateshatter Chestplate drops from Taran Zhu in Shado-Pan Monastery. It features mastery and expertise rating.

  • Canine Commander's Breastplate drops from Houndmaster Braun in Scarlet Halls. A balance of dodge and parry ratings makes a perfect candidate for a quick mastery reforge.

  • Breastplate of Wracking Souls comes from Instructor Chillheart in Scholomance. You'll want to reforge the expertise to mastery.

Wrist

  • Bracers of the Fallen Crusader come from Thalnos the Soulrender in Scarlet Monastery. Haste and critical strike rating make them solid for two-hand DPS.

  • Commanding Bracers drop from Houndmaster Braun in Scarlet Halls. Hit and critical strike rating features on these. On either DPS bracer option, dual wield DPS is probably looking at reforging critical strike to haste.

  • Bubble-Breaker Bracers come from Hoptallus in Stormstout Brewery. Dodge and parry makes this a relative solid tank piece. Reforge the dodge to mastery.

  • Ri'mok's Shattered Scale drops from Commander Ri'mok is Gate of the Shattered Sun. It's a tank wrist piece that features dodge and expertise. It's not exactly optimal for death knight tanks, alas, but it's probably an upgrade over your average quest or normal dungeon drop.

Hand

  • Dark Blaze Gauntlets have haste and critical strike rating. Once again, 2-hand DPS should love these. Dual wield DPS will want to reforge the critical strike rating. Lillian Voss drops these in Scholomance.

  • Hive Protector's Gauntlets drop from Raigonn in Gate of the Setting Sun, and with both hit and mastery, they're passable for both tanks and DPS. Tanks can reforge the hit into parry rating, while DPS can reforge whatever stat they need least into haste.

  • Gauntlets of Resolute Fury come from Shado-Pan Monastery's Master Snowdrift. With dodge and mastery, they offer a bit more protection than Hive Protector's Gauntlets. Just be sure to reforge the dodge to parry rating.

  • Tanks can also grab Axebreaker Gauntlets from Xin the Weaponmaster in Mogu'shan Palace, which feature hit and parry rating. Overall, the other options are probably better for tanks, but if you get these, they'll hold you over just fine. Be sure to reforge hit rating to mastery if needed.


Waist

  • Grenadier's Belt from Saboteur Kip'tilak in Gate of the Setting Sun offers a great option for unholy DPS, with haste and critical strike. Frost DPS will probably want to reforge the critical strike rating.

  • Binding of Broken Dreams comes from the Sha of Doubt in Temple of the Jade Serpent. Unfortunately, they have critical strike and mastery, making them bottom of the barrel for DPS death knights.

  • Sparkbreath Girdle comes from Gu Cloudstrike in Shado-Pan Monastery. Dodge and parry rating makes for the better tank option from heroic dungeons right now.

  • Girdle of Imminent Resurrection, despite the awesome name, suffers from having dodge and expertise as secondary stats. It's second rate as far as tank belt choices go.

Legs

  • Pyretic Legguards are your DPS choice. Critical strike and haste rating appear on these, which drop from Flameweaver Koegler in Scarlet Halls.

  • Sap-Encrusted Legplates, despite sounding gross, are pretty solid for death knight tanks, with dodge and parry rating. You know the drill by now with reforging to mastery. Get them from Vizier Jin'bak in Seige in Niuzao Temple.

Feet

  • Spike-Soled Stompers drop from the Sha of Violence in Shado-Pan Monastery. Haste and mastery makes them tailored for dual wield DPS.

  • Anchoring Sabatons drop from Wing Leader Ner'onok in Seige of Niuzao Temple. Expertise and critical strike rating feature here.

  • Wraithplate Treads are your best bet for tank boots, with both parry and mastery rating. Jandice Barov drops them.

  • Stonestep Boots, which drop in Temple of the Jade Serpent, have dodge and hit rating, making them another somewhat less desirable tank drop.

Rings

  • Firefinger Ring drops from Brother Korloff in Scarlet Monastery. It has haste and mastery, so dual wield frost DPS will want to pick it up.

  • Blade Trap Signet drops from Xin the Weaponmaster in Mogu'shan Palace. It's a DPS ring that features critical strike and expertise ratings, making it a fair to middling ring for two-hand DPS and a bit more inferior for dual wield DPS.

  • Lime-Rimmed Signet comes from Yan-Zhu in Stormstout Brewery. It has parry and mastery, so it's an excellent tanking ring.

  • Crystallized Droplet is, alas, a pretty inferior ring for tank DPS, with dodge and hit rating. Wise Mari in Temple of the Jade Serpent drops it.

Trinkets

  • Carbonic Carbuncle has a bunch of strength and a critical strike proc, which makes it a decent DPS trinket. It drops from Yan-Zhu in Stormstout Brewery.

  • Lessons of the Darkmaster has expertise and a chance to proc a nice chunk of strength. If you're a DPS death knight not currently doing raids, you probably want it. It drops from the expected boss in Scholomance.

  • Heart of Fire drops from Master Snowdrift in Shado-Pan Monastery. It has mastery and a chance to proc dodge. Dodge is unfortunately, the least desirable of the 3 main defensive secondary stats for blood tanks, but that mastery should be worth it until you can get better from a raid.

  • Gekkan in Mogu'shan Palace drops the Iron Protector Talisman. It's a stamina trinket with a chance to proc dodge.

Two-hand weapons

  • Mogu'Dar, Blade of the Thousand Slaves, is an epic item level sword that will be a definite pick up for any two-hander wielding death knight who doesn't plan to raid any time soon. Even raiders might want this weapon as a stepping stone until they can get a raid zone upgrade. It is still worst in item level than normal raid drops, but it's close to the best you'll get before then. It drops from Xin the Weaponmaster in Mogu'Shan Palace

  • Warmace of Taran Zhu has mastery and critical strike and drops from the boss it's named for in Shado-Pan Monastery

  • Lightbreaker Greatsword features mastery and expertise, and drops from Commander Durand in Scarlet Monastery.

  • The Gleaming Ravager drops from Armsmaster Harlan in Scarlet Halls, and with critical strike and haste, is a very solid Two-hand DPS weapon.

  • Mograine's Immaculate Might drops from Flamemaster Koegler in Scarlet Halls, and features haste and mastery.

  • Gravetouch Greatsword comes from Instructor Chillheart in Scholomance, and has hit and critical strike rating.

  • Goresoaked Headreaper comes from Rattlegore in Scholomance has critical strike rating and expertise.

  • Amber Flammard of Klaxxi'vess can be purchased at Exalted with the Klaxxi if all else fails. Luckily, it's very well itemized for two-hand death knight DPS.

One-hand weapons

  • Inelava, Spirit of Inebriation drops from Yan-Zhu in Stormstout, and with hit and mastery rating, is an amazing epic weapon for dual wield death knights.

  • Ook's Hozen Slicer comes from Ook-Ook in Stormstout Brewery, and with mastery and expertise, is a solid choice.

  • Dubious Handaxe comes from Sha of Doubt in Temple of the Jade Serpent comes with critical strike and expertise.

  • Amber Espada of Klaxxi'vess can be purchased at Exalted with the Klaxxi if you have no drop luck, and features mastery and critical strike.

Learn the ropes of endgame play with WoW Insider's DK 101 guide. Make yourself invaluable to your raid group with Mind Freeze and other interrupts, gear up with pre-heroic DPS gear or pre-heroic tank gear, and plot your path to tier 11/valor point DPS gear.