Reposting something I wrote on another forum, thought it might be generally useful theory.
I wanted to take the opportunity to try and clear up what I see as a misconception regarding DK Tanking weapon itemization, specifically that DPS weapons are for DPS and are laughably suitable for DK Tanks. I will happily debate that notion.
The reason for this is that DK Tanks use slow DPS weapons to tank. The short reasoning is simple: no shield, no tanking-specific DK weapons, and runeforging.
DKs can't use shields, so weapon itemization falls into two scenarios: 2-handed weapons (2H) or dual-wielding (DW).
In the DW case, the main-hand weapon needs to have a high damage range, as a DK's strikes are based on weapon damage rating and not DPS rating. Doing otherwise significantly affects DPS and threat generation (you can compensate threat by nerfing DPS with Icy Touch spam). The weapons that meet this criteria are slow dps one-handers. The last slow tanking weapon was from Naxx 25, Four Horsemen Broken Promise - a joke from Blizzard that they broke their promise not to make any more slow tanking weapons.
The off-hand weapon matters less as it's damage contribution to strikes is reduced by the DW penalty, so there is some trade off than can be made to choose either a fast tanking weapon for survivability stats, or a slow dps weapon for threat generation. (Lapsis carries 3 - a survivability off-hand, a threat off-hand, and a middle-ground [i232 version: i245 version only other of its kind] - decent threat, but tanking stats)
Thus, in the DW case, a DK tank needs to have a slow DPS weapon main hand, and it is advisable to have one for the off-hand, though some fights would call for a survivability off-hand.
For 2H tanking setups, the high damage/slow speed for strikes still applies, but like the DW case, there aren't weapons explicitly set up for DK tanking by having a stong STR/STAM component and secondary tanking stats. (Warriors and Pallys use shields, so they go for 1H tanking weapons, Druids generally use AGI-based 2H weapons for tanking - commonly found on polearms and staves) N.B. There's extensive theorycraft that suggests with high enough AGI that there are quite good AGI/STAM polearms for DKs
To balance the previously established need for DPS weapons for tanking, DKs are given a tool to make those DPS weapons carry tanking stats: Runeforging. For those that don't know the various runes available, there are two of considerable interest to tanks - Nerubian Carapace and Stoneskin Gargoyle.
What doesn't exist:
1H iLevel >= 232 Weapons with Dg, Parry, or Def and Speed > 2.0, no Int, non-Pvp
2H iLevel >= 232 Weapons with Dg, Parry, or Def, no Int, non PvP
TL;DR - DK Tanks use DPS weapons to tank _________________
"Uh, the magnum *is* my melee weapon"
"That tree just bitch-slapped a muthafucka" - Elder Catagia
"See, the problem is, when *I* run into ghosts, I'm all out of swords" - Mara
IMO, all weapons should be DPS weapons. All tanks should be able to use DPS weapons to tank. Your weapon should be your primary threat item, it should be itemized for threat while the rest of your gear is itemized for mitigation.
Fortunately that seems to be the road Blizzard is taking in Cataclysm... haven't seen a tank stat on a weapon yet. _________________ "Meg's mom went to the Dominican Republic last year. Does that count?" - Meg
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