Focuses dark power into a strike that deals (46.43% of Attack power) Physical damage and heals you for 25.00% of all damage taken in the last 5 sec, minimum 7.0% of maximum health.
Focuses dark power into a strike with both weapons, that deals a total of (76.3% of Attack power) + (29.835% of Attack power) Physical damage and heals you for 25.00% of all damage taken in the last 5 sec, minimum 7.0% of maximum health.
Death Strike is a death knight talent. It is a deadly attack that deals weapon damage and heals the death knight for at least 10% of maximum health. It is automatically learned for Blood death knights.
Other specs use Death Strike to heal when necessary and not as part of their usual damage rotations (e.g. if the healer is out of mana and cannot keep you up). Its main purpose is to heal, not to deal damage.
While tanking, if it is possible to stand idle for a few seconds without losing aggro, it may be best to wait until you take damage before using Death Strike; this will make the heal worthwhile, and spare your healer(s) some time and mana.
Patch changes[]
Patch 10.0.5 (2023-01-24): Healing is no longer reduced in PvP combat (was reduced by 25%).
Hotfix (2022-12-05):Death Strike's healing increased based on recent damage is reduced by 50% if the damage was dealt by players or their pets.
Patch 10.0.0 (2022-10-25): Now a row 1 class talent (was a level 8 ability).
Patch 9.1.0 (2021-06-29): Death Strike's heal is now reduced to 75% effectiveness in PvP Combat (was 50%).
Death Strike now heals for 19% (Blood)/30% (Frost, Unholy) of damage taken when engaged in combat with enemy players (was 25% (Blood)/40% (Frost, Unholy)).
Death Strike now heals for a minimum of 3.5% (Blood)/5% (Frost, Unholy) of maximum health when engaged in combat with enemy players (was 7% (Blood)/10% (Frost, Unholy)).
Patch 8.1.0 (2018-12-11): Rank 2 now reduces the cost of Death Strike by 10 and increases its healing by 60% (was 40%).
Patch 8.0.1 (2018-07-17): Healing from damage taken in last 5 sec increased to 25% (was 20%) and minimum amount healed reduced to 7% of maximum health (was 10%).
Patch 7.2.5 (2017-06-13): Death Strike damage increased by 10%.
Hotfix (2017-04-26):Fixed an issue where Death Strike could heal for more than its intended amount in PvP combat.
Hotfix (2016-09-23):Death Strike (Blood) now factors in 50% of recent damage taken from players when determining it's healing amount (previously, it ignored damage taken from players).
Hotfix (2016-07-22):Death Strike is now calculated at 45 Runic Power for purposes of abilities that base their functionality off of Runic Power spent.
Old: Focuses dark power into a strike that deals 135% Physical damage and heals you for X. The Runes spent on this ability will become Death Runes when they activate. Death Runes count as any type of Rune.
Hotfix (2015-03-18):Reverted hotfix from March 11.
Hotfix (2015-03-11):Fixed a situation where Blood Tap Death Strike could interact incorrectly and allow Death Runes to become permanent.
Patch 6.0.2 (2014-10-14): Now causes healing that scales in effectiveness with attack power, instead of based on damage taken in the last 5 seconds. This healing is affected by [Resolve].
Hotfix (2013-10-23):Reduced Death Strike's healing by 50% for Blood Death Knights in Arenas.
Patch 5.1.0 (2012-11-27): Damage received from players (or player-controlled sources) no longer counts towards increasing the healing done by Death Strike.
Patch 5.0.4 (2012-08-28): Weapon damage increased from 150% to 235%. Can no longer be parried.
Patch 4.3.0 (2011-11-29): Now heals the death knight whether or not the attack misses, or is dodged/parried. As a result of this change, Death Strike no longer refunds its rune cost if it fails to hit the target, as the death knight will still receive the healing effect.
Patch 4.1.0 (2011-04-26): Death Strike self-healing no longer generates threat.
Hotfix (2010-11-24):Death Strike now properly heals for 20% of the damage taken within the last 5 seconds.
Patch 4.0.3a (2010-11-23): Now heals for 25% of damage taken in the last 5 seconds, down from 30%, and will heal for a minimum of 7% of maximum health, down from 10%.
Hotfix (2009-04-21):Death Strike will now heal the Death Knight for 5% of his or her maximum health per disease on the target, up to a maximum of 15%.
Hotfix (2009-04-17):The healing a Death Knight receives from damage done by Death Strike has been reduced.
Healing changed to 5% of maximum health + 5% per disease, up to a maximum of 15% with 2 or more diseases.
Patch 3.1.0 (2009-04-14): Increased damage to 75% of weapon damage (up from 60%), reduced healing by 20% to 80% of damage dealt + 40% per disease (down from 100% of damage dealt + 50% per disease).
[Death Striker].
[Bloodforged Armor], 
[Coagulopathy], 
[Improved Death Strike], 
[Ossuary], 
[Voracious]
[Mastery: Blood Shield] bonus.
