Warcraft Class: Death Knight

Death knights are a highly versatile tanking / melee DPS class with a bag of really cool tricks up their sleeve. Here's a crash course in what it takes to play them as well as some nifty perks:

1. The Death Knight class is unlockable by players with a character over level 55. Limit 1 per server.

2. Death Knight home base is Acherus: The Ebon Hold above Light's Hope Chapel in the Eastern Plaguelands.

3. Death Knights start at level 55 with a set of spells and abilities and uncommon gear. By the time you exit the hold, you character should have a set of rare gear and be ready to go to Outland.

4. Death Knights draw power not from mana, but from a system of runes. Combining blood, frost, and unholy runes to power abilities also builds up runic power which can be used for certain spells and abilities.

5. Death Knights have access to Runeforging, a class specific style of enchanting that can be used to self-enchant weaponry. This does not stack with other weapon effects, but serves as a set of free enchanting options.

6. Death Knights get a free mount (Deathcharger) after successful completion of several quests. They later get access to a DK-only flying mount that can be bought for a few hundred gold and the right rep with Knights of the Ebon Blade.

7. You'll be treated like an outcast in the capitol cities until you repair your reputation with them.

8. Death knights can summon ghouls and fellow players who have fallen in battle.

9. Army of the Dead will become your new favorite ability.

10. Path of Frost is incredibly handy.

General
• Death Strike 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.

• Blood Presence now provides an armor bonus of 55%, up from 30%.

• Death Knight pets now properly inherit their master's crit and spell penetration stats.

Blood
• Blade Barrier has been redesigned. It now passively reduces damage taken.

• Bone Shield now has 6 charges, up from 4.

• Veteran of the Third War now reduces the cooldown of Outbreak by 30 seconds.

Unholy
• Unholy Might now increases Strength by 25%, up from 20%.

• The gargoyle called by Summon Gargoyle should exclusively use its ranged attack regardless of range to the target.

Full Patch Notes    //    PTR Patch Notes

Blood is the tanking spec of the tree and it's all about striking hard and living. Death Strike will actually heal you in a fight, helping to take pressure off the healers. On top of that, a good blood DK is nearly unkillable because of certain technique combos and a high dodge rating.

DK tanks have been popular for a while now, ever since Wrath came out and they've remained on or near the top since Cataclysm broke the world. If you're serious about building a new tank, take a good long look at this spec.

Frost is all about hitting power and speed. It's a melee DPS class with a few cool tricks like Obliterate, Blood of the North (converts unholy runes to death runes for more utility), and Howling Blast. Like a mage, you can slow enemies down, letting them take damage from plagues, and then move int to deliver the death blow.

You also get On a Pale Horse, a really nice talent that allows the frost DK to ride their mount a few percent faster than anyone else in-game. Combine that with Unholy Presence and you move and strike faster than any other class, handy for both material gathering runs and combat.

Unholy is all about plagues and diseases. Like warlock curses and DOTs, plagues have a similar effect and the bonus is you can apply them through strikes and abilities that can affect entire crowds of enemies. You strike fast, then sit back and watch your opponents wither.

Unholy's next trick is that you can have a ghoul as a pet. Not some 30 second summon, a semi-permanent pet similar to a warlock demon, but without the abilities. Very useful for getting into and out of fights.

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------------[ Expansions ]------------

The Burning Crusade  -  Wrath of The Lich King  -  Cataclysm  -  Mists of Pandaria

------------[ Classes ]------------

Death Knight - Druid  -  Hunter  -  Mage  -  Monk  -  Paladin

Priest  -  Rogue  -  Shaman  -  Warlock  -  Warrior

------------[ Primary Professions ]------------

Alchemy  -  Blacksmithing  -  Enchanting  -  Engineering  -  Herbalism

Inscription  -  Jewelcrafting  -  Leatherworking  -  Mining  -  Skinning  -  Tailoring

------------[ Secondary Professions ]------------

Archaeology  -  Cooking  -  First Aid  -  Fishing