Death Knight tanking thoughts (as of 4.0.6)

[Vitandus]

Blood Death Knight tanks put out the lowest DPS of the tanks. They don't have the shield or massive Vengeance of Warriors and Paladins. They don't have the sheer raw output of a Feral Druid. So why play a Blood Death Knight? Flexibility when it comes to survivability.

One of the biggest complaints about Death Knight tanking is how many cooldowns and abilities they have. That is a strength, not a weakness. We have Icebound Fortitude, Vampiric Embrace, Rune Tap, and Death Pact for defensive cooldowns. We have Death Strike, Heart Strike, Rune Strike, Plague Strike, and Icy Touch as line abilities. You'll use nearly all of them in a standard boss fight. Knowing when to use them is the trick.

Abilities:

When to use your cooldowns:

Stats:

As with all tanks, Stamina is critical. Dodge and Parry are likewise important. Unlike with our DPS builds, Mastery for a Blood Death Knight is amazing. This is why mastery is so important for a Blood Death Knight.


(More to come later)