Blood Death Knight Talents

The War Within Pre-Patch

Talents in World of Warcraft define your character's gameplay. They offer active abilities for offense and defense, major cooldowns, or passive enhancements to your stats and spells. Here are the current Blood Death Knight talents for The War Within Pre-Patch.

Where to Find Talents

Talents can be found in the talent menu, which is accessible by pressing the N key (default) or by clicking the target icon in the micro menu:

Screenshot of the talents button in the micro menu

Class Talents

Class talents represent a common tree shared across all Death Knight specializations. These talents provide foundational skills and enhancements essential to the Death Knight class, offering a range of abilities that lay the groundwork for a Death Knight's overall capabilities.

Name	Cast	Effect
Icebound Fortitude	Instant - 2 Min Cooldown	Your blood freezes, granting immunity to Stun effects and reducing all damage you take by 30% for 8 sec.
Death Strike	Instant - Melee Range	Focuses dark power into a strike that deals 248 Physical damage and heals you for 25.00% of all damage taken in the last 5 sec, minimum 7.0% of maximum health.
Raise Dead	Instant - 30 Yd Range - 2 Min Cooldown	Raises a ghoul to fight by your side. You can have a maximum of one ghoul at a time. Lasts 1 min.
Runic Attenuation	Passive	Auto attacks have a chance to generate 3 Runic Power.
Improved Death Strike	Passive	Death Strike's cost is reduced by 10, and its healing is increased by 60%.
Cleaving Strikes	Passive	Scourge Strike additional enemies while you remain in Death and Decay. When leaving your Death and Decay you retain its bonus effects for 4 sec.
Mind Freeze	Instant - 15 Yd Range - 15 Sec Cooldown	Smash the target's mind with cold, interrupting spellcasting and preventing any spell in that school from being cast for 3 sec.
Blinding Sleet	Instant - 1 Min Cooldown	Targets in a cone in front of you are blinded, causing them to wander disoriented for 5 sec. Damage may cancel the effect. When Blinding Sleet ends, enemies are slowed by 50% for 6 sec.
Anti-Magic Barrier	Passive	Reduces the cooldown of Anti-Magic Shell by 20 sec and increases its duration and amount absorbed by 40%.
March of Darkness	Passive	Death's Advance grants an additional 25% movement speed over the first 3 sec.
Unholy Ground	Passive	Gain 5% Haste while you remain within your Death and Decay.
Control Undead	1.5 Sec Cast - 30 Yd Range	Dominates the target undead creature up to level 71, forcing it to do your bidding for 5 min.
Enfeeble	Passive	Your ghoul's attacks have a chance to apply Enfeeble, reducing the enemies movement speed by 30% and the damage they deal to you by 12% for 6 sec.
Sacrificial Pact	Instant - 2 Min Cooldown	Sacrifice your ghoul to deal 399 Shadow damage to all nearby enemies and heal for 25% of your maximum health. Deals reduced damage beyond 8 targets.
Coldthirst	Passive	Successfully interrupting an enemy with Mind Freeze grants 10 Runic Power and reduces its cooldown by 3 sec.
Proliferating Chill	Passive	Chains of Ice affects 1 additional nearby enemy.
Permafrost	Passive	Your auto attack damage grants you an absorb shield equal to 40% of the damage dealt.
Veteran of the Third War	Passive	Stamina increased by 20%.
Death Pact	Instant - 2 Min Cooldown	Create a death pact that heals you for 50% of your maximum health, but absorbs incoming healing equal to 30% of your max health for 15 sec.
Brittle	Passive	Your diseases have a chance to weaken your enemy causing your attacks against them to deal 6% increased damage for 5 sec.
Death's Reach	Passive	Increases the range of Death Grip by 10 yds. Killing an enemy that yields experience or honor resets the cooldown of Death Grip.
Icy Talons	Passive	Your Runic Power spending abilities increase your melee attack speed by 6% for 10 sec, stacking up to 3 times.
Anti-Magic Zone	Instant - 30 Yd Range - 2 Min Cooldown	Places an Anti-Magic Zone that reduces spell damage taken by party or raid members by 20%. The Anti-Magic Zone lasts for 8 sec or until it absorbs 296,010 damage.
Unholy Bond	Passive	Increases the effectiveness of your Runeforge effects by 20%.
Ice Prison	Passive	Chains of Ice now also roots enemies for 4 sec but its cooldown is increased to 12 sec.
Gloom Ward	Passive	Absorbs are 15% more effective on you.
Asphyxiate	Instant - 20 Yd Range - 45 Sec Cooldown	Lifts the enemy target off the ground, crushing their throat with dark energy and stunning them for 5 sec.
Assimilation	Passive	The amount absorbed by Anti-Magic Zone is increased by 10% and its cooldown is reduced by 30 sec.
Wraith Walk	Channeled - 1 Min Cooldown	Embrace the power of the Shadowlands, removing all root effects and increasing your movement speed by 70% for 4 sec. Taking any action cancels the effect. While active, your movement speed cannot be reduced below 170%.
Grip of the Dead	Passive	Death and Decay reduces the movement speed of enemies within its area by 90%, decaying by 10% every sec.
Soul Reaper	Instant - Melee Range - 6 Sec Cooldown	Strike an enemy for 236 Shadowfrost damage and afflict the enemy with Soul Reaper. After 5 sec, if the target is below 35% health this effect will explode dealing an additional 1,093 Shadowfrost damage to the target. If the enemy that yields experience or honor dies while afflicted by Soul Reaper, gain Runic Corruption.
Suppression	Passive	Damage taken from area of effect attacks reduced by 3%. When suffering a loss of control effect, this bonus is increased by an additional 6% for 6 sec.
Blood Scent	Passive	Increases Leech by 3%.
Unholy Endurance	Passive	Increases Lichborne duration by 2 sec and while active damage taken is reduced by 15%.
Osmosis	Passive	Anti-Magic Shell increases healing received by 15%.
Insidious Chill	Passive	Your auto-attacks reduce the target's auto-attack speed by 5% for 30 sec, stacking up to 4 times.
Runic Protection	Passive	Your chance to be critically struck is reduced by 3% and your Armor is increased by 6%.
Blood Draw	Passive	When you fall below 30% health you drain 637 health from nearby enemies, the damage you take is reduced by 10% and your Death Strike cost is reduced by 10 for 8 sec. Can only occur every 2 min.
Rune Mastery	Passive	Consuming a Rune has a chance to increase your Strength by 6% for 8 sec.
Subduing Grasp	Passive	When you pull an enemy, the damage they deal to you is reduced by 6% for 6 sec.
Will of the Necropolis	Passive	Damage taken below 30% Health is reduced by 35%.
Null Magic	Passive	Magic damage taken is reduced by 8% and the duration of harmful Magic effects against you are reduced by 35%.
Unyielding Will	Passive	Anti-Magic Shell's cooldown is increased by 20 sec and it now also removes all harmful magic effects when activated.
Abomination Limb	Instant - 20 Yd Range - 2 Min Cooldown	Sprout an additional limb, dealing 2,000 Shadow damage over 12 sec to all nearby enemies. Deals reduced damage beyond 5 targets. Every 1 sec, an enemy is pulled to your location if they are further than 8 yds from you. The same enemy can only be pulled once every 4 sec.
Death's Echo	Passive	Death's Advance, Death and Decay, and Death Grip have 1 additional charge.
Vestigial Shell	Passive	Casting Anti-Magic Shell grants 2 nearby allies a Lesser Anti-Magic Shell that Absorbs up to 2,256 magic damage and reduces the duration of harmful Magic effects against them by 50%.

Specialization Talents

Specialization talents provide Blood Death Knights with unique abilities and enhancements tailored to their combat style. These talents differentiate Blood Death Knights from other Death Knight specializations, maximizing effectiveness in combat.

Name	Cast	Effect
Heart Strike	Instant - Melee Range	Instantly strike the target and 1 other nearby enemy, causing 249 Physical damage, and reducing enemies' movement speed by 20% for 8 sec.
Marrowrend	Instant - Melee Range	Smash the target, dealing 339 Physical damage and generating 3 charges of Bone Shield. cffffffffBone Shield Surrounds you with a barrier of whirling bones, increasing Armor by 916. Each melee attack against you consumes a charge. Lasts 30 sec or until all charges are consumed.
Blood Boil	Instant	Deals 296 Shadow damage and infects all enemies within 10 yds with Blood Plague. cffffffffBlood Plague A shadowy disease that drains 374 health from the target over 24 sec.
Vampiric Blood	Instant - 1.5 Min Cooldown	Embrace your undeath, increasing your maximum health by 30% and increasing all healing and absorbs received by 30% for 10 sec.
Bone Collector	Passive	When you would pull an enemy generate 1 charge of Bone Shield. cffffffffBone Shield Surrounds you with a barrier of whirling bones, increasing Armor by 916. Each melee attack against you consumes a charge. Lasts 30 sec or until all charges are consumed.
Ossuary	Passive	While you have at least 5 Bone Shield charges, the cost of Death Strike is reduced by 5 Runic Power. Additionally, your maximum Runic Power is increased by 10.
Improved Vampiric Blood	Passive	Vampiric Blood's healing and absorb amount is increased by 10% and duration by 4 sec.
Improved Heart Strike	Passive	Heart Strike damage increased by 30%.
Ossified Vitriol	Passive	When you lose a Bone Shield charge the damage of your next Marrowrend is increased by 15%, stacking up to 75%.
Leeching Strike	Passive	Heart Strike heals you for 0.25% health for each enemy hit while affected by Blood Plague.
Heartbreaker	Passive	Heart Strike generates 2 additional Runic Power per target hit.
Foul Bulwark	Passive	Each charge of Bone Shield increases your maximum health by 1%.
Dancing Rune Weapon	Instant - 30 Yd Range - 2 Min Cooldown	Summons a rune weapon for 8 sec that mirrors your melee attacks and bolsters your defenses. While active, you gain 35% parry chance.
Hemostasis	Passive	Each enemy hit by Blood Boil increases the damage and healing done by your next Death Strike by 8%, stacking up to 5 times.
Perseverance of the Ebon Blade	Passive	When Crimson Scourge is consumed, you gain 6% Versatility for 6 sec.
Relish in Blood	Passive	While Crimson Scourge is active, your next Death and Decay heals you for 159 health per Bone Shield charge and you immediately gain 10 Runic Power.
Gorefiend's Grasp	Instant - 30 Yd Range - 2 Min Cooldown	Shadowy tendrils coil around all enemies within 15 yards of a hostile or friendly target, pulling them to the target's location.
Improved Bone Shield	Passive	Bone Shield increases your Haste by 10%.
Insatiable Blade	Passive	Dancing Rune Weapon generates 5 Bone Shield charges. When a charge of Bone Shield is consumed, the cooldown of Dancing Rune Weapon is reduced by 5 sec.
Rune Tap	Instant - 1.5 Sec Cooldown	Reduces all damage taken by 20% for 4 sec.
Rapid Decomposition	Passive	Your Blood Plague and Death and Decay deal damage 15% more often. Additionally, your Blood Plague leeches 50% more Health.
Blood Tap	Instant	Consume the essence around you to generate 1 Rune. Recharge time reduced by 2 sec whenever a Bone Shield charge is consumed.
Tightening Grasp	Passive	Gorefiend's Grasp cooldown is reduced by 30 sec and it now also Silences enemies for 3 sec.
Reinforced Bones	Passive	Increases Armor gained from Bone Shield by 10% and it can stack 2 additional times.
Everlasting Bond	Passive	Summons 1 additional copy of Dancing Rune Weapon and increases its duration by 6 sec.
Voracious	Passive	Death Strike's healing is increased by 15% and grants you 12% Leech for 8 sec.
Coagulopathy	Passive	Enemies affected by Blood Plague take 5% increased damage from you and Death Strike increases the damage of your Blood Plague by 25% for 8 sec, stacking up to 5 times.
Bloodworms	Passive	Your auto attacks have a chance to summon a Bloodworm. Bloodworms deal minor damage to your target for 15 sec and then burst, healing you for 15% of your missing health. If you drop below 50% health, your Bloodworms will immediately burst and heal you.
Blood Feast	Passive	Anti-Magic Shell heals you for 100% of the damage it absorbs.
Mark of Blood	Instant - 15 Yd Range - 6 Sec Cooldown	Places a Mark of Blood on an enemy for 15 sec. The enemy's damaging auto attacks will also heal their victim for 3% of the victim's maximum health.
Tombstone	Instant - 1 Min Cooldown	Consume up to 5 Bone Shield charges. For each charge consumed, you gain 6 Runic Power and absorb damage equal to 6% of your maximum health for 8 sec.
Blooddrinker	Channeled - 30 Yd Range - 30 Sec Cooldown	Drains 1,357 health from the target over 2.7 sec. The damage they deal to you is reduced by 15% for the duration and 5 sec after channeling it fully. You can move, parry, dodge, and use defensive abilities while channeling this ability. enerates 20 additional Runic Power over the duration.
Consumption	Instant - Melee Range - 30 Sec Cooldown	Strikes all enemies in front of you with a hungering attack that deals 417 Physical damage and heals you for 150% of that damage. Deals reduced damage beyond 8 targets. Causes your Blood Plague damage to occur 30% more quickly for 6 sec. enerates 2 Runes.
Bloodied Blade	Passive	Parrying an attack grants you a charge of Bloodied Blade, increasing your Strength by 0.5%, up to 4.0% for 15 sec. At 8 stacks, your next parry consumes all charges to unleash a Heart Strike at 200% effectiveness, and increases your Strength by 10% for 6 sec.
Sanguine Ground	Passive	You deal 6% more damage and receive 5% more healing while standing in your Death and Decay.
Shattering Bone	Passive	When Bone Shield is consumed it shatters dealing 36 Shadow damage to nearby enemies. This damage is tripled while you are within your Death and Decay.
Heartrend	Passive	Heart Strike has a chance to increase the damage of your next Death Strike by 20%.
Carnage	Passive	Blooddrinker and Consumption now contribute to your Mastery: Blood Shield. Each time an enemy strikes your Blood Shield, the cooldowns of Blooddrinker and Consumption have a chance to be reset.
Iron Heart	Passive	Blood Shield's duration is increased by 2 sec and it absorbs 20% more damage.
Red Thirst	Passive	Reduces the cooldown on Vampiric Blood by 2.0 sec per 10 Runic Power spent.
Bonestorm	Instant - 1 Min Cooldown	Consume up to 5 Bone Shield charges to create a whirl of bone and gore that batters all nearby enemies, dealing 151 Shadow damage every 1 sec, and healing you for 2% of your maximum health every time it deals damage (up to 10%). Deals reduced damage beyond 8 targets. Lasts 2 sec per Bone Shield charge spent and rapidly regenerates a Bone Shield every 1 sec.
Purgatory	Passive	An unholy pact that prevents fatal damage, instead absorbing incoming healing equal to the damage prevented, lasting 3 sec. If any healing absorption remains when this effect expires, you will die. This effect may only occur every 4 min.
Bloodshot	Passive	While Blood Shield is active, you deal 25% increased Physical damage.
Umbilicus Eternus	Passive	After Vampiric Blood expires, you absorb damage equal to 5 times the damage your Blood Plague dealt during Vampiric Blood.

Hero Talents

Hero talents allow for deeper customization of the Blood Death Knight class fantasy, further enhancing its combat effectiveness.

San'Layn

Name	Cast	Effect
Vampiric Strike	Passive	Your Death Coil and Death Strike have a 10% chance to make your next Scourge Strike become Vampiric Strike. Vampiric Strike heals you for 2% of your maximum health and grants you Essence of the Blood Queen, increasing your Haste by 1.0%, up to 5.0% for 20 sec.
Newly Turned	Passive	Raise Ally revives players at full health and grants you and your ally an absorb shield equal to 20% of your maximum health.
Vampiric Speed	Passive	Death's Advance and Wraith Walk movement speed bonuses are increased by 10%. Activating Death's Advance or Wraith Walk increases 4 nearby allies movement speed by 20% for 5 sec.
Blood-Soaked Ground	Passive	While you are within your Death and Decay, your physical damage taken is reduced by 5% and your chance to gain Vampiric Strike is increased by 5%.
Vampiric Aura	Passive	Your Leech is increased by 2%. While Lichborne is active, the Leech bonus of this effect is increased by 100%, and it affects 4 allies within 12 yds.
Bloody Fortitude	Passive	Icebound Fortitude reduces all damage you take by up to an additional 20% based on your missing health. Killing an enemy that yields experience or honor reduces the cooldown of Icebound Fortitude by 3 sec.
Infliction of Sorrow	Passive	When Vampiric Strike damages an enemy affected by your Virulent Plague, it extends the duration of the disease by 3 sec, and deals 10% of the remaining damage to the enemy. After Gift of the San'layn ends, your next Scourge Strike consumes the disease to deal 100% of their remaining damage to the target.
Frenzied Bloodthirst	Passive	Essence of the Blood Queen stacks 2 additional times and increases the damage of your Death Coil and Death Strike by 4% per stack.
The Blood is Life	Passive	Vampiric Strike has a chance to summon a Blood Beast to attack your enemy for 10 sec. Each time the Blood Beast attacks, it stores a portion of the damage dealt. When the Blood Beast dies, it explodes, dealing 50% of the damage accumulated to nearby enemies and healing the Death Knight for the same amount.
Visceral Strength	Passive	When Sudden Doom is consumed, you gain 6% Strength for 5 sec.
Incite Terror	Passive	Vampiric Strike and Scourge Strike cause your targets to take 1% increased Shadow damage, up to 5% for 15 sec. Vampiric Strike benefits from Incite Terror at 400% effectiveness.
Pact of the San'layn	Passive	You store 50% of all Shadow damage dealt into your Blood Beast to explode for additional damage when it expires.
Sanguine Scent	Passive	Your Death Coil and Death Strike have a 15% increased chance to trigger Vampiric Strike when damaging enemies below 35% health.
Gift of the San'layn	Passive	While Vampiric Blood or Dark Transformation is active you gain Gift of the San'layn. Gift of the San'layn increases the effectiveness of your Essence of the Blood Queen by 150%, and Vampiric Strike replaces your Scourge Strike for the duration.

Deathbringer

Name	Cast	Effect
Reaper's Mark	Instant - Melee Range - 45 Sec Cooldown	Viciously slice into the soul of your enemy, dealing 1,699 Shadowfrost damage and applying Reaper's Mark. Each time you deal Shadow or Frost damage, add a stack of Reaper's Mark. After 12 sec or reaching 40 stacks, the mark explodes, dealing 130 damage per stack. Reaper's Mark travels to an unmarked enemy nearby if the target dies, or explodes below 35% health when there are no enemies to travel to. This explosion cannot occur again on a target for 3 min.
Wave of Souls	Passive	Reaper's Mark sends forth bursts of Shadowfrost energy and back, dealing 527 Shadowfrost damage both ways to all enemies caught in its path. Wave of Souls critical strikes cause enemies to take 5% increased Shadowfrost damage for 15 sec, stacking up to 2 times, and it is always a critical strike on its way back.
Blood Fever	Passive	Your Frost Fever has a chance to deal 30% increased damage as Shadowfrost.
Bind in Darkness	Passive	Shadowfrost damage applies 2 stacks to Reaper's Mark and 4 stacks when it is a critical strike. Additionally, Rime empowered Howling Blast deals Shadowfrost damage.
Soul Rupture	Passive	When Reaper's Mark explodes, it deals 20% of the damage dealt damage to nearby enemies. Enemies hit by this effect deal 5% reduced physical damage to you for 10 sec.
Grim Reaper	Passive	Reaper's Mark explosion deals up to 30% increased damage based on your target's missing health, and applies Soul Reaper to targets below 35% health.
Pact of the Deathbringer	Passive	When you suffer a damaging effect equal to 25% of your maximum health, you instantly cast Death Pact at 50% effectiveness. May only occur every 2 min. When a Reaper's Mark explodes, the cooldowns of this effect and Death Pact are reduced by 5 sec.
Rune Carved Plates	Passive	Each Rune spent reduces the magic damage you take by 2% and each Rune generated reduces the physical damage you take by 2% for 5 sec, up to 5 times.
Swift End	Passive	Reaper's Mark's cost is reduced by 1 Rune and its cooldown is reduced by 15 sec.
Painful Death	Passive	Reaper's Mark deals 10% increased damage and Exterminate empowers an additional Obliterate, but now reduces its cost by 1 Rune. Additionally, Exterminate now has a 30% chance to apply Reaper's Mark.
Dark Talons	Passive	Consuming Killing Machine or Rime has a 25% chance to increase the maximum stacks of an active cy Talons by 1, up to 2 times. While Icy Talons is active, your Runic Power spending abilities also count as Shadowfrost damage.
Wither Away	Passive	Frost Fever deals its damage in half the duration and the second scythe of Exterminate applies Frost Fever.
Death's Messenger	Passive	Reduces the cooldowns of Lichborne and Raise Dead by 30 sec.
Expelling Shield	Passive	When an enemy deals direct damage to your Anti-Magic Shell, their cast speed is reduced by 10% for 6 sec.
Exterminate	Passive	After Reaper's Mark explodes, your next Obliterate costs no Rune and summons 2 scythes to strike your enemies. The first scythe strikes your target for 2,284 Shadowfrost damage and has a 20% chance to apply Reaper's Mark, the second scythe strikes all enemies around your target for 787 Shadowfrost damage. Deals reduced damage beyond 8 targets.

PvP Talents

PvP talents are tailored for player-versus-player combat scenarios. Activated in arenas, battlegrounds, and the open world with War Mode enabled, these talents optimize a Blood Death Knight 's performance in PvP encounters. They provide specialized enhancements that give players an edge in combat against other players.

Name	Cast	Effect
Rot and Wither		Your Death and Decay rots enemies each time it deals damage, absorbing healing equal to 100% of damage dealt.
Walking Dead		Your Death Grip causes the target to be unable to move faster than normal movement speed for 8 sec.
Strangulate		Shadowy tendrils constrict an enemy's throat, silencing them for 4 sec.
Last Dance		Reduces the cooldown of Dancing Rune Weapon by 50% and its duration by 25%.
Death Chain		Chains 3 enemies together, dealing 159.7 Shadow damage and causing 20% of all damage taken to also be received by the others in the chain. Lasts for 10 sec.
Murderous Intent		You focus the assault on this target, increasing their damage taken by 3% for 6 sec. Each unique player that attacks the target increases the damage taken by an additional 3%, stacking up to 5 times. Your melee attacks refresh the duration of Focused Assault.
Decomposing Aura		All enemies within 8 yards slowly decay, losing up to 3% of their max health every 2 sec. Max 5 stacks. Lasts 6 sec.
Dark Simulacrum		Places a dark ward on an enemy player that persists for 12 sec, triggering when the enemy next spends mana on a spell, and allowing the Death Knight to unleash an exact duplicate of that spell.
Bloodforged Armor		Death Strike reduces all Physical damage taken by 20% for 3 sec.
Spellwarden		Anti-Magic Shell is now usable on allies and its cooldown is reduced by 10 sec.