The original death knights were created for Orgrim Doomhammer by Gul'dan as powerful soldiers of the Horde. Further empowered with magical energies culled from the slain necrolytes, the death knights wielded an arsenal of necromantic and elemental spells that mete out all but certain death to the enemies of the Horde. Assembled from the corpses of the Knights of Stormwind slain in the last battles of the First War, these abominations were then instilled with the ethereal essence of the Shadow Council now serve the Horde in a blasphemous state of eternal undeath. These soldiers of darkness were created by Gul'dan to replace the slaughtered Warlock clans. Teron Gorefiend, first of the death knights. Death knights are a melee class with an emphasis on causing diseases and using dark magic. Creation screen description Death knights are a hero class, which means they start at high level. A thousand atrocities are etched in the eyes of every death knight, and foes who gaze into them too long will feel the warmth pulled from their bodies, replaced with cold steel. Frost sharpens their strikes blood fortifies their bodies and undeath allows them to erupt in unholy rage in the heat of battle. One by one they trickled into the land of the living in search of a new purpose. After their vengeance was won, the death knights found themselves without a cause and without a home. When the Lich King’s control of his death knights was broken, his former champions sought revenge for the horrors committed under his command. Most important secondary attributes are usually Haste and Critical Strike, though certain specializations and rotations may favor Mastery. Primary death knight attributes are strength and stamina.
To prevent their enemies from fleeing their grasp, death knights must remain mindful of the power they call forth from runes, and pace their attacks appropriately. They drag foes into one-on-one conflicts, compelling them to focus their attacks away from weaker companions.
The requirement of already having a level 55+ character in order to create a death knight was lifted in patch 6.1.ĭeath knights engage their foes up-close, supplementing swings of their weapons with dark magic that renders enemies vulnerable or damages them with unholy power. Originally, only one death knight could be created per realm per account, but this restriction was lifted in patch 5.3. Each death knight begins at level 8 in a phased, instanced area known as Plaguelands: The Scarlet Enclave. Firstly introduced in Warcraft II, then as a hero unit in Warcraft III, the death knight is the first hero class of World of Warcraft, introduced in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion.
ĭeath knights, often abbreviated to DK, are melee fighters that wield dark magic and runeforged weapons. The Lich King's first words to a new death knight. I have granted you immortality so that you may herald in a new, dark age for the Scourge.” “All that I am: anger, cruelty, vengeance - I bestow upon you, my chosen knight.