Are you sure about that? I just tested this on a target dummy and got almost 90 more damage with it equipped with no diseases on the target.

Just a quick comment: getting more than 8% hit as frost--on purpose--is dumb. Extra hit past 8% does help with IT but everything else that a 2H frost build would care about.

I'm not sure where this is coming from - did someone suggest that 2h frost builds would benefit from stacking hit past 8%?

Though these drop in Naxx, they're BOE so you could find them on the AH. They're best in slot for dw specs as I understand. Iron-Spring Jumpers

At a hefty price of course.

[Bonegrinder Breastplate] should also be included in your list. The lack of hit can be made up with gems, if you so choose.

Added both of those to the list, thanks for posting :-)

Emblems of Valor aren't really pre-raid gear.

I was curious why you put on trinkets with spellpower? I know the hit is good on them, but it doesn't seem like sacrificing the melee stats on them would be a worthwhile switch, given the fact their are melee alternatives listed.

Sentinel Huntress Bracers are BoE, so you can buy them with your raiding main for your DK alt.

Interesting, I hadn't noticed that. Thanks for the tip!

I don't quite know how you don't have Legplates of Bloody Reprisal - Item - World of Warcraft in here yet. Yes, the APen is not the best for DKs, but it has a large amount of strength, and is easily obtainable.

That was directed at Akuja's post where frost "needed" 350ish hit, I just forgot to hit the quick quote button.

I am wondering why [Dreadlord's Blade] is not in the list, for me it seems like an obvious 2H sword pre-raid if you want to be hit capped, plus it has more damage than the De-Ranged Waraxe.

Good enough.

Avool's Sword of Jin is another BOE, great for rich up and coming DW DKs.

Apparently item tags aren't working for it.

Expensive, but non-raiders don't have a lot of options, and this is one of the best ones. Added.

[Ancient Royal Legguards] are arguably better than all but the first two leggings on the list.

edit: normal pinnacle, so not a place you're likely to run more than once unfortunately :p

[Echoing Stompers] dropped for me in Heroic Utgarde Keep, though it's not the best stats, it sure is a plate DPS pair of boots.

Also got [Necklace of Arcane Spheres] from Heroic Violet Hold, which seems better than the last item on the list IMHO.

I think some of the things on your list should be cut.... Sorry if i seem like im hijacking your thread, but from all the DKs on my server i have set up a list of what pre-raid gear should be.

NOTE: I quoted and left was is nice in there. In the End there will Be "Dream Pre-Raid Gear" list. Second: II am not a fan of the DW DPS unless you have the gear for it, at this stage you don't.


2H weapons:
[Titansteel Destroyer] (crafted/boe)
[Colossal Skull-Clad Cleaver] (Heroic Loken, HoL, Axe)
[Runeblade of Demonstrable Power] (Ebon Blade Revered)



Back:
[Embrace of Sorrow] (normal HoS)
[Shroud of Reverberation] (Heroic HoL)

Chest:
[Heroes' Scourgeborne Battleplate] (80 badges)
[Bonegrinder Breastplate] (Heroic AK)
[Wing Commander's Breastplate] (Normal Oculus)

Feet:
[Death-Inured Sabatons] (Exalted with Ebon Blade)
[Iron-Spring Jumpers] (BoE drop in Naxx - check the AH)
[Spiked Titansteel Treads] (Crafted BoE)


Fingers:
[Mobius Band] (Heroic CoS)
[Ring of Scarlet Shadows] (Crafted BoE)
[Band of Frosted Thorns] (Heroic Nexus)
[Hemorrhaging Circle] (Heroic GD)
[Titanium Impact Band] (Crafted BoE)


Hands:
[Heroes' Scourgeborne Gauntlets] (60 badges)
[Gauntlets of Dragon Wrath] (Heroic Oculus)
[Gauntlets of The Culling] (Quest in CoS)


Head:
[Spiked Titansteel Helm] (Crafted BoE)

Legs:
[Staggering Legplates] (Heroic UK)
[Legplates of Bloody Reprisal] (Exalted with Wyrmrest - only good for Blood)

Neck:
[Pendant of the Outcast Hero] (25 badges)
[Gold Amulet of Kings] (Heroic UP)


Shoulder:
[Pauldrons of the Lightning Revenant] (Normal HoL)

Waist:
[Flame-Bathed Steel Girdle] (Heroic Nexus)

Wrist:

[Vengeance Bindings] (Crafted BoE. Really, these are so cheap to make that there's no point in the rest of this list..)
[Cast Iron Shackles] (Normal and Heroic VH)


Sigil:
[Sigil of the Frozen Conscience] (For Frost)
[Sigil of Arthritic Binding] (For Unholy)
[Sigil of Haunted Dreams] (Blood)

Trinket:
[Darkmoon Card: Greatness] (For the rich and powerful, this is the best. Nobles deck. The agility card wouldn't be too bad either.)
[Mirror of Truth] (40 badges. Quite a good trinket, will last a while)
[Sphere of Red Dragon's Blood] and if you are short on hit
[Incisor Fragment] (Blood if u dont need Hit, Heroic DTK)



Dream List (Unholy Spec):
Head:
[Spiked Titansteel Helm] (Crafted BoE)
Neck:
[Pendant of the Outcast Hero] (25 badges)
Shoulder:
[Pauldrons of the Lightning Revenant] (Normal HoL)
Back:
[Embrace of Sorrow] (normal HoS)
Chest:
[Heroes' Scourgeborne Battleplate] (80 badges)
Wrist:
[Vengeance Bindings] (Crafted BoE. Really, these are so cheap to make that there's no point in the rest of this list..)
Hands:
[Heroes' Scourgeborne Gauntlets] (60 badges)
Waist:
[Flame-Bathed Steel Girdle] (Heroic Nexus)
Legs:
[Staggering Legplates] (Heroic UK)
Feet:
[Death-Inured Sabatons] (Exalted with Ebon Blade)
Rings:
[Band of Frosted Thorns] (Heroic Nexus)
[Mobius Band] (Heroic CoS)
Trinkets(Realistic for the Avg Person):
[Mirror of Truth] (40 badges. Quite a good trinket, will last a while)
[Sphere of Red Dragon's Blood] and if you are short on hit
Weapon & Sigial:
[Titansteel Destroyer] (crafted/boe)
[Sigil of Arthritic Binding] (For Unholy)

This Gear Gemmed right will be enough to put you at 309 hit. Depending on your spec you will need this much hit (if not more) This hit will put you at hit cap for instant strikes (Oblit,HS,BS,SS)

hope this helps people =)

I think [Cloak of Bloodied Waters] is better than [Embrace of Sorrow] for pre-raid gear. I'd like to nominate [Anvil of Titans] and [Darkmoon Card: Death] as good starter trinkets.

As a tank (a guildless one) I'm rapidly reaching exalted reputation with a lot of factions, but my dps gear is in an underwhelming state.. Would be a terribad idea to fill gear gaps with some epic leather reputation rewards to put together a starting dps gear so I can join those raiding pugs that often are in need of dps?

I know agility doesn't give spell crit and to overcome that I was thinking to use a blood spec which is less realiant on spells and is heavy on phisycal damage (that armor penetration and haste would actually help a little for heart strikes and obliterates).

I understand that for some slots I would be better wearing a blue plate piece instead of an epic leather one, but often it comes down to "can I fill that slot with a non tanking piece?"

That's because you don't really understand what the list is for. People trying to scrape together gear as fast as they can do not need a 'dream set', they need an extensive list of things that 'will do for now'. I also don't particularly care what style of dps you're a 'fan of' - that's their decision, and there's no reason not to support it. DW can put out respectable numbers even in blues, though they're not in the lead at the moment (they were when I wrote the list originally).

If you want me to change any of the listed gear in the post at the top (the one people read), feel free to mention the specific changes (not more than 3-4 at a time though please), and I'll go in and edit them in.

Agreed on the first, and DMC is definitely good now (and I hope everyone picked their up before they doubled in price).

Edit: I seem to already have Blood Waters above Embrace on the list. I don't think The anvil is particularly appropriate, as there are quest rewards that provide more dps (unless you can time a gargoyle for the proc, I'm not sure about that case). Or is the wowhead listing for the anvil wrong?

If you end up wearing a lot of leather, definitely go with Blood. It's not a terrible idea, it's a good way to get the stats up for the short-term (though some tanking items are better for dps than their leather siblings). Use the wowhead blood dps weights if you want to compare multiple items, they're reasonable weights. (I haven't followed blood dps though, you'll need to check out a couple of those threads to see what the real weights should be). Sadly though, haste is terrible for any 2h spec.