Two-Hand Blood DPS spec update

First, a disclaimer/warning.
This article is labeled a "Nerdicle"
It is designed for raiding dps DKs that already know all the basics of raiding with their class. As such, the jargon contained herein may make your eyes bleed if you are a 'newb' to the class. By continuing this article, you waive all rights to prosecution of the author of this blog for any damages that you may incur.

I'll label all such articles (and the earlier 'Finding My Niche' series) as "Nerdicles" in the future.
Reader beware!


The basics and performance of the Blood approach to dps I've already covered in this post.

Today's update is to comment that I've tweaked my spec slightly. There continues to be an ongoing debate regarding the use of Glyph of Disease, but I've started using it.

I went ahead and spent my cache of Triumph badges to get the chest and legs to go with my shoulders and helm for the 4-piece set bonus (which allows diseases to crit).

I don't recommend the 'rolling diseases' spec unless you have the 4-piece T9 bonus, but once you do, it's probably worth it.

What is 'rolling diseases'?
The glyph of disease refreshes frost fever and blood plague on all targets, including the primary/first one. What you do is get all of your strength/ap buffs up to make your diseases as powerful as possible, and then apply your diseases.
Why roll diseases though?
Diseases with just 'regular' raid buffs typically tick for about 700 each in my gear. Diseases with Fallen Crusader, set bonuses, Sigil of Vigilance, Darkmoon Greatness and so on procced tick for ~1000 each! With the 4-piece bonus, my diseases crit about 30% of the time, for about 2000!
'Rolling diseases' allows you to keep that first heavily buffed disease set continue ticking throughout the fight, as long as you can use a pestilence to refresh before it runs out. In addition, it frees up frost and unholy runes for more Death Strikes.

In practice, there are several ways to do it and there isn't a consensus on how it works.
What I do is the following:
At the beginning of the fight I open with:
Icy Touch > Plague Strike > Death Strike > Heart Strike > Heart Strike
Hysteria > Summon Ghoul > Dancing Rune Weapon > Icy Touch > Plague Strike

What this does is allows you to get all your proc-based buffs up, then applies diseases (and a second set via DRW).  After that, just
Heart Strike > Heart Strike > Heart Strike > Heart Strike > Death Strike
Pestilence > HS > HS > DS > DS and so on.

Just refresh diseases with Pest within 3 seconds of them expiring, and HS and DS away! Death Coil when runic power is close to or at max.

-with the upgrade of the actual chest and leg items, along with the set bonus, I've seen a significant increase in dps, even before switching my spec back to epidemic.
-If you have the badges, I strongly recommend you get the 4-piece, even if it means using 232 gear (instead of the significantly better 245 ones). Don't worry about Trophies, save your dkp/ep/sk for an upgrade to the best possible weapon: the Justicebringer or Sharpened Obsidian Edged Blade are worth more than 3-4 major upgrades combined.