Death Knight FAQ/Compiled Info

[Kadrix]

Figured I'd make this post to compile all of the answers to people's questions into 1 topic. Post away, and anyone feel free to contribute answers/suggest things to be added.

Q: How does Runic Power work?
A: Runic power works similar to a warrior's white attacks, except you generate runic power through use of specials. The amount you get varies depending on what ability you use. Some can be modified through talents to give you more on use, and some just give more than others.


Equipment
You start with an assortment of Green Plate Armor. No Trinkets and No Weapon. The quests that follow provide a full set of Blue Armor. A Blue Two Handed Sword. A Blue Relic. 2 Blue Rings. And 2 Blue Trinkets all by level 57.

Mount
One of the first quests available to you unlocks your 100% mount (yes at Level 55 - and the quest is extremely easy).

Runeforging
Essentially your first quests provides you with you first weapon and teaches you Runeforging. Runeforging is essentially enchanting your weapon. You can change your Rune whenever you like as long as you are at a rune forge. The Runes first available to you are:

Rune of Cinderglacier (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=53341)
Rune of Frostfever (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=53343)
Rune of Lichbane (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=53331)
Rune of Spellbreaking (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=53342)
Rune of Swordbreaking (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=53323)
Rune of the Fallen Crusader (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=53344)


Talent Points
You start with 0 talent points available. Talent points are awarded as you complete quests (1-2 a quest). Until you are caught up to your level.

Spells
You begin with 5 Spells:

Blood Presence (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=48266) (Stance)
Blood Strike (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=45902)
Death Grip (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=49576)
Plague Strike (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=45462)
Death Coil (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=47632)
Icy Touch (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=45477)


Skills
You start with all your skills at 270.

First Aid
Axes
Polearms
Swords
Two-Handed Axes
Two-Handed Swords
Unarmed
Defense (Duh)


Credit to Rapture for the info he posted in this thread (http://arenajunkies.com/showthread.php?t=33982)



List of DK Abilities

Blood:

Blood Presence (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=48266) (Stance)
Blood Strike (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=49930)
Pestilence (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=51429)
Blood Boil (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=49941)
Strangulate (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=49916)
Blood Tap (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=45529)
Death Pact (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=48743)



Frost:

Frost Presence (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=48263)(Stance)
Obliterate (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=51425)
Icy Touch (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=49909)
Mind Freeze (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=49912)
Icebound Fortitude (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=48792)
Chains of Ice (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=45524)



Unholy:

Unholy Presence (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=48265)(Stance)
Death Coil (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=49895)
Death and Decay (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=49938)
Plague Strike (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=49921)
Death Strike (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=49924)
Degeneration (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=49933)
Raise Dead (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=46584)
Death Grip (http://www.wowdb.com/spell.aspx?id=49575)


I won't bother listing any of the talents, as they can be found here (http://wotlk.wowhead.com/?talent=j).

[Kadrix]

Need input from other people please, haven't had much time to play beta as of late.

[Exiledshmoo]

Well the beta is so far behind the patches, that what works on this current beta build is not going to work at all once the next build goes through. So everything I address will be in regards to the upcoming patches as that is what is most up to date.

I do have a 66 Dk on the beta atm so I do have experience with the mechanics.

One of the first things to address is the experience required to level seems to have been drastically reduced. I have 6 70's on live, so I am no stranger to leveling. On beta its only 300k to level from 60-61. My DK is still in Terokar and I have only done about 30% of the quests there so far and I am already level 66. I did Ramps twice, Blood Furnace once, and no other instances.
On all of my previous characters, I would barely be 65 as I started Nagrand. So as you can tell, I am going to be 67 when I start questing Nagrand. As of last night when I dinged 66, I was at 21 hours 30 minutes played, so the leveling is much quicker.

For leveling purposes, I suggest going Blood. I will suggest a general spec, but its beta so things are going to change.

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/classes/deathknight/talents2.html?tal=23003205300331125101051313510000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000

Go something along those lines. If you plan on doing a lot of 5 man DK instance runs, get Blood Aura.

The reason for leveling as blood is the single target dps increases and the self healing. You will have high single target dps, and no down time due to the obscene self healing. As a DK, you are able to get away with soloing elites your level or large pulls (4+ mobs) by smart use of Death Strike. Death Strike costs 1 Frost and 1 Unholy and does 60% weapon damage and heals you for 100% of the damage dealt for each disease on the target, which will be 2. So you will be healing yourself for a little more than your auto attack.

As a DK, you will be using a rotation to get the most out of your runes. Now this rotation is not concrete, you can move and swap things around, and death rune procs also allow for altered rotations.
Kadrix - if you could link or define the core abilities in your OP, that would be great, as I will be referring to them in the rotations.
You start with BBUUFF
Icy Touch - BBUUF
Plague Strike - BBUF
Blood Strike or Heart strike - BUF
Blood strike or Heart Strike - UF
Obliterate or Death Strike - All runes used
At this point you will have around 50 runic power and be able to Death Coil.
Rinse and repeat.

Depending on your spec and death rune procs, you can alter that rotation to your satisfaction. There are also talents that increase the duration of your diseases which allow for even more rotation alterations.

The gist of it is, put up diseases, use moves that do damage based on diseases, finish off runes via obliterate for damage or death strike for healing, use runic power.

Death grip is your taunt, its off the GCD, and generates runic power.

I have not been able to tank so no information on that really

[Mekila]

I just posted a tanking guide here:

http://www.arenajunkies.com/showthread.php?p=303175#post303175

[Kadrix]

If anyone has more information they would like added to the main post, please either send me a PM or post it here.

I've been spending very little time on beta atm, and I'm probably pretty far out of the loop on DK's.

[Drye]

what is the staring gear like?
is it useful to call a friend to push me through bloodfurnace etc for weapons? or gear?

[Arcturus]

The starting gear is really nice, then the DK quests that upgrade you to blues are even better... you won't need to do any hellfire instances to upgrade them.

[keLston]

DK weighs stats similar to pally?

[Drye]

ah ok thx. nontheless ill get me through the instsance 1 time for some nice quest exp

the stats weighs should be similar to all plate bearers.
so far str>crit>everything else.

how long does it take from 55-58,59 till outlands without the friend thing?

[Arcturus]

I went from 55-61 in 3 hours...and yes the DK stats are identical to those of plate wearers.

[Kadrix]

One of the biggest things for me was that the DK quests in Ebon Hold were actually really enjoyable to do.

[Arcturus]

Ok, as i'm doing all my pre-planning of getting my DK sorted for power-leveling professions/gear and what not, i'll share this...

Starting DK weapon -
http://wotlk.wowhead.com/?item=38707

is replaced by either of the two below, shortly after your DK is created -
http://wotlk.wowhead.com/?item=38633
http://wotlk.wowhead.com/?item=38632

Bar doing mid-level instances, the Ring of Blood chain, or being a level 65 Blacksmith, you won't replace either of those 60dps weapons before 68, where you head to Northrend.

One of the first quests available in Northrend is at the starting area, literally right outside the castle gate where you kill a few mobs to obtain -
http://wotlk.wowhead.com/?item=36883

There is an axe and mace version, but they require you to travel a bit further, and these 110dps greens beat all level 70 BoE epic items, apart from the Doomwalker drop. Personally i'll pick up the sword from the DK quest, as the hit rating is really nice while levelling (i remember having 4.65% hit at level 61), and picking up that quest sword so i don't have re-level weapon skill.

edit: on further research you can pick up the Halaa green sword at level 66 -
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=30597

[Mionee]

You could also farm/buy a blade of Misfortune : http://www.wowhead.com/?item=31134
45 crit rating is pretty lol at this level. You might as well prepare scrolls of Mongoose/Savagery enchants, they're so much better than Cinderglacier. Fallen crusader is better than enchants though, but you won't get it before hitting 70

[Krigare]

You could also farm/buy a blade of Misfortune : http://www.wowhead.com/?item=31134
45 crit rating is pretty lol at this level. You might as well prepare scrolls of Mongoose/Savagery enchants, they're so much better than Cinderglacier. Fallen crusader is better than enchants though, but you won't get it before hitting 70

Just checked AH...some guy has like 10 up for 250g each...the same guy. Fuck that.

edit: Even the blue leg armors are going for 200+

[Steamboat]

Just checked AH...some guy has like 10 up for 250g each...the same guy. Fuck that.

edit: Even the blue leg armors are going for 200+

im more worried about mount money
1k for flying training
1k for DK specific bird
5k for epic
1k for cold weather

8k is a lot of gold :/

[Krigare]

im more worried about mount money
1k for flying training
1k for DK specific bird
5k for epic
1k for cold weather

8k is a lot of gold :/

Well I'm at 11k atm so I'm not too worried but I'll be sad to go below 5k.

That is a lot of money but you don't need to buy any of those until its time to get cold weather and by then you should have a few more g's from leveling.

[Craton]

im more worried about mount money
1k for flying training
1k for DK specific bird
5k for epic
1k for cold weather

8k is a lot of gold :/

Not really. You make well over the price of cold weather just leveling 70-80, on top of the 1-2k from 60-70.

[Devias]

i know this isn't really basic, but i found this site that has a list of different sets of gear as soon as you hit 80 and where to get the pieces. the blue pvp gear might be better for arena though since none of these pieces have resil

http://www.afraidyet.net/forums/deathknights/77427-death-knight-pre-raid-dps-preparation.html#post107784