by JameWhat is a Death Knight?
The Death Knight is the first hero class implemented in World of Warcraft, it will be available to players when the Wrath of the Lich King expansion goes live. Blizzard has announced that there will be one new hero class added to the game for every following expansion. They are a hybrid melee class, with a mix of melee abilities and spells. They can wear plate.
How do I become a Death Knight?
You first need a level 55+ character of any class on your account. This will unlock the Death Knight class for you and only on this account.
Do I lose my level 55+ character to convert it to a Death Knight?
No, you keep your old character. You simply have to create a new character and choose Death Knight as class.
What level does my Death Knight start at?
Level 55.
Do they have any talent points at the start?
They have no talent points at the start, but they acquire them through questing in their starting area. Once they are done with their starting area (around level 58), they will have as many talent points as any other class of that level.
Can I create several Death Knights?
Yes, but you can only create one Death Knight per server and only on a server where you already have a level 55+ character
Can I create a death knight on one realm and transfer it to another realm?
Yes, you will be able to transfer a death knight, using either a free character move or a paid character transfer. Normal fees still apply.
Can I create a death knight on one account and transfer it to a new account?
Death knights can be transferred with the same fees and restrictions as any other character.
Can I create a death knight on the opposite faction?
You will be able to create a death knight on the opposite faction provided that it is on a PvE realm. The standard restrictions for character creation apply for PvP realms.
Where do they start?
Death Knights start in Acherus: The Ebon Hold, a floating necropolis located over the Eastern Plaguelands. Only death knight characters will be able to go inside Acherus. From there, you will follow a series of quests, where you will learn how to use your abilities, gain talent points as quest rewards, and a full set of blue items.
Once they get out of their starting zone, can they go back?
They can always go back to Acherus: The Ebon Hold. They get a teleport to go there, with a 1 minute cooldown. That’s where Death Knights go to train their skills. However, they can’t go back to the zones where their first quest lines took place (Havenshire and New Avalon). It doesn’t matter though, as there’s nothing you need from there once you’ve finished your initial quest line.
Do they start with any equipment?
They start with a full set of green gear, you can see the list here. The first quests you do will reward you with a Runeblade, the Death Knight’s weapon of choice. At then end of their initial quest line, they will be level 58, have 49 talent points (just like any other class at this level), and a full set of high quality blue items, you can find the list here.
Do they start with any bags?
They start with 4 12-slot bags. I advise to mail them better bags as soon as possible.
Do they get a mount?
Yes, they are very lucky and get an epic mount for free after completing a few quests in their starting area. The mount gives a 100% speed increase, just like any other epic mount.
Do they get a flying mount?
Yes, but this one won’t be for free. It will cost the same price as for other classes. You’ll have to buy the Artisan Riding Skill (5000 Gold) and a flying mount (200 Gold). They will also be able to buy a Winged Steed of the Ebon Blade, a special mount only available to Death Knights. It will scale with your riding skill, which means that you won’t have to buy any other flying mount once you have this one. It will count as a 60% speed flying mount if you only have the Expert Riding skill (800 Gold), and that it will upgrade to a 280% speed mount once you purchase the Artisan Riding Skill (5000 Gold).
What races can be Death Knight?
All.
What is the best race for a Death Knight?
Alliance – Check Jame’s Death Knight Leveling Guide (Alliance) (Here)
Horde – Check Jame’s Death Knight Leveling Guide (Horde) (Here)
Will Death Knights be stronger than other classes?
At the moment, they are pretty strong. They can solo very well and are welcome in groups too, they can tank or dps. They are better than other classes in certain departments, like for example, they can take on casters like no other. Other than that, Blizzard will try to keep the classes balanced, so don’t expect your Death Knight to be invincible.
What weapons can Death Knight use?
Currently, Death knights can use:
- 1-handed swords
- 2-handed swords
- 1-handed axes
- 2-handed axes
- 1-handed maces (must be trained at a weapon master)
- 2-handed maces (must be trained at a weapon master)
- Polearms
They can NOT use:
- Shields
- Ranged Weapons – The ranged item slot will be filled by a relic, similar to what Druids, Paladins and Shamans get in this slot.
How do they tank without a shield?
High Armor and high avoidance.
They also get several talents which give them more avoidance, such as:
And some talents which help them mitigate damage, like:
What are their talent trees?
Blood, Frost and Unholy.
Blood: The Blood talent tree is focused on high single target damage and a lot of lifedrain abilities. It is very good for leveling, grinding, and also dps’ing in groups.
Frost: The Frost talent tree is a bit more focused on tanking, but still puts out very decent damage. It is not as self-sufficient as the other trees, because it lacks lifedrain talents.
Unholy: The Unholy Tree is focused on AoE damage, diseases and summoned creatures, such as ghouls and gargoyles. Currently, it does even more damage than the Blood tree, but doesn’t have as much lifedrain abilities. It’s an excellent tree to level and grind.
What is the best talent tree to level? And in what order should I place my talent points?
Alliance – Check Jame’s Death Knight Leveling Guide (Alliance) (Here)
Horde – Check Jame’s Death Knight Leveling Guide (Horde) (Here)
Meanwhile I suggest you follow the link below and read my article. It contains talent builds and also explains which DPS Cycles to use to do the most damage possible with your DK:
How does the Death Knight fight?
They don’t have mana or rage or energy. They have a new system. They use Runes and Runic Power.
They have 6 Runes — 2 Blood Runes / 2 Frost Runes / 2 Unholy Runes
The vast majority of their abilities cost a rune to be used. Some cost 2 or even 3 runes.
When used, a rune takes 10 seconds to refresh and be usable again.
When you use an ability that consumes runes, it generates Runic Power. Between 10 and 25 Runic Power per ability, depending on how many runes are consumed. You can also get extra runic power via certain talents.
Runic Power — Pretty much like the warrior rage bar, you start with zero runic power, and can have a maximum of 100. You can use runic power to cast abilities such as Death Coil.
Is spell power good for Death Knights?
No. Spell Power is useless for Death Knights. They need Attack Power instead, and preferably Strength, as it boosts their parry rating as well.
What is Runeforging?
Runeforging is a unique ability for the Death Knight class. It basically works like Enchanting, but only for weapons. The Death Knight can engrave his weapons with runes, which replace the traditional weapon enchantments. For example:
Rune of Razorice
Rune of the Fallen Crusader
This presents many advantages. Firstly, this saves a lot of money. Runeforging is free, you don’t have to level it, all you need to do is to learn each rune at your trainer (costs a few gold). Then you can engrave different runes on the same weapon as many times as you want. Secondly, the runes are a little better than normal enchantments.
Note: You can only have one rune engraved per weapon, and of course, you cannot also have a normal enchant on top of the rune.
When I get a good weapon with my Death Knight, do I have to engrave runes on it first to be able to use it?
No. You can use weapons normally just like any other class. Runeforging is optional, it’s exactly like enchanting your weapon with a normal enchant.
Is there a good leveling guide I can follow for my Death Knight?
Lucky you, yes there is!
Alliance – Check Jame’s Death Knight Leveling Guide (Alliance) (Here)
Horde – Check Jame’s Death Knight Leveling Guide (Horde) (Here)
If you have any other question, please leave a comment.
oppsopps double post