Blood DPS Revisited

Yesterday afternoon, I spent a good amount of time catching up with DK dps spec's; both current and PTR configurations. I've been playing unholy 12/05/59 with the same set-up for so long, I wanted to revisit blood 51/0/20 to see how it compared. I deleted my tank spec for the time being, glyphed for blood, and headed into Naxx 25 with the El Veritas crowd.

The overall boost to damage with blood is awesome. Veteran of the Third War added about 100 Str, which translates into a sizable AP boost--and +400 to overall damage. The stat increase alone was enough to make me swoon...now to put it to use.

Starting in Arachnid Quarter, dps on Anub was ok. I ended up in top spot just a couple hundred dps above everyone else. Not too bad. Faerlina was a tough battle, ended up in the top 3 for overall dmg, but was about 4th in actual dps. We AoE'd all the adds achievement style, and even with Heart Strike's free cleave, I just couldnt cut it.


When I changed back to unholy, the next couple of fights I out dps'd the group by 1000. /0.o

Now, I've seen the WWS stats and spreadsheets to know that blood has awesome potential. I just don't think that its my style anymore...


Cool Downs

CD management for blood kinda sucks. With unholy, my ghoul is up 100% of the time, and can live through just about anything. Gargoyle is a button press, and requires no effort, really. Diseases refresh with Glyph of Scourge Strike, so the only real boost that needs managing is bone-shield.

Blood, on the other hand, requires more...you have to self cast hysteria, then DRW (and if they're macro'd together, you have to make sure that theyre both off CD), and these are short lived, so in between popping these CD's, you have a short term ghoul to mess with. The CD's are so short, that half the fight is popping CD's--and then DRW requires that you are constantly attacking; its not free dps like gargoyle is.

Sooooo.....

No matter how simple the rotation is, this DK will take diseases anyday. CD management in blood just seems a bit too messy for me--especially on fights that are movement intensive. I'm just too unholy at heart to want to switch. =)