You don’t need a tanking build until you are level 80 and looking at tanking heroics and raids. The only reason to go with a tank build before level 80 is because you want to level up doing almost nothing but instance runs.
The instances we run while leveling up are designed for leveling gear and specs for all classes. Shadow priests can heal and fury warriors can tank. The same goes for death knights of all builds. Frost Presence turned on is really the only mandate. Tank gear certainly helps and I do advocate getting some, but it can be done in leveling gear as well. Don’t gimp your leveling for extra threat generation and damage mitigation you just do not need.
If you are serious about tanking then you want to go Frost or Unholy. Blood just doesn’t have the same quality mitigation talents, limited AoE capabilities, and its self healing is mostly useless with a healer around.
Unholy is probably going to be weaker as a tank build than Frost. It can equal frost, but only by keeping Bone Shield up for at least 20 seconds, which isn’t going to happen without a lot of avoidance gear.
That being said it is perfectly viable for a main tank build. It is great for AoE tanking, you can protect others from caster damage, and grant a raid wide run speed buff (which is huge for melee DPS). Crowd control needs to be done at range, sheep and other CC near you has a high risk of breaking with your play style. Gather it all up and piss it all off, that’s what this build does well.
Rotation
PS -> IT -> BS -> SS -> UB
BS -> SS -> SS -> DC*
Open with DD at or right after the pull, then fall into your rotation. Repeating DD is only valid is AoE situations.
In AoE situations replace the first BS with Pestilence. You will get fewer SS out but do more damage and threat overall.
*Continue to cast DC until you can’t.
Glyphs
[Glyph of Dark Command]
[Glyph of Icebound Fortitude]
[Glyph of Bone Shield]
[Glyph of Pestilence]
[Glyph of Horn of Winter]
[Glyph of Raise Dead]
Rotation Short Names
PS = Plague Strike
IT = Icy Touch
BS = Blood Strike
DD = Death and Decay
SS = Scourge Strike
DC = Death Coil
UB = Unholy Blight
OB = Obliterate
HB = Howling Blast
FS = Frost Strike
by Zakilams, on December 7 2008 @ 6:49 pm
Great guide But if you want a unholy tanking build for leveling/ tanking i would suggest tanking a look at me on armory. Icecrown and my guild is spartans. Great guides for everything here ty
Total Comment by Zakilams: 1
by Kuroi, on December 11 2008 @ 11:58 pm
WOW… MISINFORMATION BULSHIT GUIDE
23 points in Frost. Then stop. Frigid Deathplate is about as far as I am willing to go as unholy. Its also NEEDED for Bone shield.
Ill say it again…
Frigid Deathplate = Needed for Bone shield.
I Lol’d at bone shield comment… Bone shield is very capable of lasting more then 20 seconds…Up to a 50-60 actually… YOU FAILED IN YOUR GUIDE BY NOT SPECING 23 POINTS into frost and getting “Frigid Deathplate” which HELPS bones shield stay up longer. SO OF COURSE ITS NOT GOING TO LAST 20 seconds.
Idiot
Stop misinforming people and do some research.
Anyone reading this “guide” should check out a real guide located here:
http://wotlkwiki.info/forum/showthread.php?t=97
Sorry but this pissed me off and I am PMSing…
Total Comment by Kuroi: 1