Ask a Beta Tester Anything - Death Knights

[Snes]

Can death knights train for polearms, fist weapons, 1-h maces, 2-h maces, staves, daggers?

[Oichi]

#1- Does blood boil require a disease on the target to produce the taunt effect? (I never would have imagined it did until I read a DK tank guide where the writer seemed to assume that it did)

#2- I'd like to know if the standard (as of know) tanking spec (blood till blade barrier, frost till frost aura) is capable of holding aggro, though I doubt this one will be answered any time soon.

Thanks for your time Oichi

Blood Boil's Taunt Effect - Blood Boil's taunt effect does indeed require a Disease to Burst on the target in order for the Taunt effect to function. This is often accomplished by using Death and Decay which will disease targets in 30 yards for a total effective duration of 14 seconds.

Aggro - The big question is, can a Death Knight hold aggro. Death Knight`s hold aggro through damage, and the massive amounts of parries means lots of fast attacks with a 2 hander to build threat. I can confirm even against people a level or two higher and with better gear them myself, when I specced to tank, I held aggro without issue.

[Verden Odela]

When does episode four of Tales of a DK come out? (Nice narrating btw)



Does the Death Knight get any trainable upgrades for his mount? Like a 240% speed one, or a flying.



What do you think are the must haves in the blood tree?

[Oichi]

oh got a question ... you get your mount by Q and it's a spell, however do DK's start with 0 riding skill (even if they do the Q for mount) thus making you learning all riding skills in order to get flyer/epic flyer ? thx in advance

Riding Skill - Death Knights begin with 1 in Riding. While I have not look into it myself, it does indeed seem as if Death Knights will need to go pay for their riding skill should they choose to Fly.

[Oichi]

so FD in Blood tree does inc ur str then?
or does it just up ur par by 20% of ur str?

Forceful Deflection Talent - This talent increases your Parry Rating by 20, plus an addition amount of parry rating equal to 20% of your current strength.

[Oichi]

Can death knights train for polearms, fist weapons, 1-h maces, 2-h maces, staves, daggers?

Death Knight Weapons - Death Knights can train and use 1 and 2 Handed Swords, Maces, Axes as well as Polearms. Death Knights can not use Daggers, Staves or Fist Weapons

[Snes]

Death Knight Weapons - Death Knights can train and use 1 and 2 Handed Swords, Maces, Axes as well as Polearms. Death Knights can not use Daggers, Staves or Fist Weapons

Thanks a bunch.

[Ryoten]

2 Questions for you.


1. Can you link any pictures of some of the starting 2 hander swords DK get? I saw a DK video of a BE with a sword that sorta looked like frostmorne.

2. I'm really concerned about how paladins are going to stack up against DK's. Have you fought any yet in world pvp as a DK?

[Oichi]

When does episode four of Tales of a DK come out? (Nice narrating btw)



Does the Death Knight get any trainable upgrades for his mount? Like a 240% speed one, or a flying.



What do you think are the must haves in the blood tree?

`Tales of a Death Knight 4` - It will be released "Soon". Probably in the next 2 days. I`m currently on the push to 80...

Upgrade to the Deathcharger - There are currently no trainable or purchaseable upgrades to the Death Knight mount, nor special Flying Mount.

"Must Haves" in the Blood Tree - Besides the Obvious... Vendetta and Blade Barrier. Everything else is pretty obvious.

[Edi]

Hi , thanks for this thread , it's really cool to read it ^^

I was interested in how will the "taunt" ability work , will it pull the mob to the DK or teleport it like it has been seen in less recent videos.. and also , how does it work in PvP , does it actually get a player near you and force him to attack you or the teleport component is only for mobs ?

[Shido]

speaking of weapons.

Can you put runes on any weapon dk can use?
Or are their speical weapons for dks to put runes on?

[Priya-tan]

When you create a DK, can you pick ANY race/sex? (obviously you can't make an alli DK if you have a horde on a pvp server and visa versa)

IE: Does the DK have to be the same race/sex as the 55+ character you have on the account already?

[Oichi]

2 Questions for you.


1. Can you link any pictures of some of the starting 2 hander swords DK get? I saw a DK video of a BE with a sword that sorta looked like frostmorne.

2. I'm really concerned about how paladins are going to stack up against DK's. Have you fought any yet in world pvp as a DK?

Pictures of Weapons - The best I can offer is the "Tales of a Death Knight" videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/0daNobunaga as I don`t take many screenshots...

Paladins vs Death Knights - This is really going to be the titanic battle of the classes. Paladins can cleanse the diseases Death Knights do, but doing so when the Death Knight is not a spec that takes advantage of them will be a waste of their mana. Death Knights regenerate health based on the damage they do, and they have 3 interupts and silences without their talented ones or weapon procs. (That would be Strangulate, Death Grip and Mind Freeze) I did fight a level 67 Paladin in Nagrand while I was leveling, and he really liked cleaning my diseases. We both lasted a remendous amount of time, but due to interupts, the paladin died there on the road outside the Laughing Skull Ruins.

[Oichi]

Hi , thanks for this thread , it's really cool to read it ^^

I was interested in how will the "taunt" ability work , will it pull the mob to the DK or teleport it like it has been seen in less recent videos.. and also , how does it work in PvP , does it actually get a player near you and force him to attack you or the teleport component is only for mobs ?

Death Grip Taunt and PvP - Death Grip does not teleport anymore, it lifts the mob or player from the ground and yanks them to you... whether you be straight up, or down a cliff... or in the middle of the air falling. It bring them to where you were standing (or falling) when you cast the spell, give or take a foot or two infront of you. This means that if you use it while running, you will have outdistanced melee range as it takes a split second for them to fly through the air. Unfortunately in PvP it does not force people to attack the Death Knight. You can actually see Death Grip at work in the last few seconds of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjCVN0Eo9Sw

[Oichi]

speaking of weapons.

Can you put runes on any weapon dk can use?
Or are their speical weapons for dks to put runes on?

Weapons and Runes - Any weapon a Death Knight picks up automatically is inscribed with the 3 types of runes needed to use his abilities. Blood, Frost and Unholy, 2 of each. However, Death Knights recieve a special skill called "Runeforging". This allows the Death Knights to pick from a list of (currently) 6 special Death Knight-only enchants they can place on their weapon. These "Runeforged Enchants" do NOT stack with regular enchanting enchants, but do stack with temporary weapon buffs. These Runeforged Enchants are permanent until changed, so a Death Knight can have an entire bag full of Runeforged weapons and swap as he wishes. You can only do Runeforging at Runeforges... which only exist inside Ebon Hold, the home city of the Death Knights, a floating Military Necropolis in the Eastern Plaguelands.

[Wardley]

Can you just clarify the starting 'instance'?

Is it solo play or group play? If group play, how do you join other players - just hang around and hope some more start a DK at the same time?

Can you stay in EPL doing quests until lvl 60 and are the 'old' quests in EPL (and WPL) still available?

[Oichi]

When you create a DK, can you pick ANY race/sex? (obviously you can't make an alli DK if you have a horde on a pvp server and visa versa)

IE: Does the DK have to be the same race/sex as the 55+ character you have on the account already?

Death Knight Races - Death Knights may be any race and sex. And before anyone begins commenting on that... the reason behind the "Allowing" all races to be Death Knights, is that it WASN'T THE CHARACTER'S DECISION TO BECOME A DEATH KNIGHT. According to the lore and the intro video for Death Knights, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ogurf...eature=related ...the character was actually KILLED and raised to be a Death Knight against their will. Even during the starting quests you find out that your character was actually once a hero of your faction and race, but that their memory has been erased, and there's a nice little story revealed in the starter quests... but I won't spoil that.

[Priya-tan]

Death Knight Races - Death Knights may be any race and sex. And before anyone begins commenting on that... the reason behind the "Allowing" all races to be Death Knights, is that it WASN'T THE CHARACTER'S DECISION TO BECOME A DEATH KNIGHT. According to the lore and the intro video for Death Knights, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ogurf...eature=related ...the character was actually KILLED and raised to be a Death Knight against their will. Even during the starting quests you find out that your character was actually once a hero of your faction and race, but that their memory has been erased, and there's a nice little story revealed in the starter quests... but I won't spoil that.

Sweet, thanks!

As much as I love my little Tauren female, I really wanted to make a DK of a different race =) Thanks for posting this thread, it was very kind of you to let us ask you all these questions!

[Oichi]

Can you just clarify the starting 'instance'?

Is it solo play or group play? If group play, how do you join other players - just hang around and hope some more start a DK at the same time?

Can you stay in EPL doing quests until lvl 60 and are the 'old' quests in EPL (and WPL) still available?

Death Knight Starting "Instance" - See the "Tales of a Death Knight" videos for an accurate showing of this all but... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ogurf...eature=related ...when you create a Death Knight you do not appear in the "Real" game... you appear in an instance that holds about 40 people each, new ones spawning when needed for bursts of characters. The instance holds both Alliance and Horde, but is a Sanctuary Zone... the Will of the Lich King prevents you from PvPing, save dueling. The instance is a copy of the new section of the Eastern Plaguelands, which has been added to the old world as well. You progress through the starter quests, and while I won't spoil everything that my videos do, the whole layout changes, the instance evolves around you and things change. The whole thing can be done solo... but is more fun done as a group with friends. There is /say but there is NO, repeat NO General Chat... I am thankful for not having to listen to Barren's General chat while beginning my Death Knight. When you complete the starter quests, you will enter the real world infront of Light's Hope Chapel, and Ebon Hold will be your Hearth Point.

[Oichi]

I remember reading that DK's could choose which combination of runes they wanted, has this now chnaged to a default of 2 of each?

Customizing Death Knight Ability Runes - Currently no Death Knight has discovered how to do this... chances are, this ability has been removed. However, with the abilities available... it would be a HARD decision on which runes to cut... maybe swap 1 Frost Rune for 1 Blood Rune... that`s it. It appears Blizzard has changed their mind on that customization... but honestly, with the abilities Death Knights have to refresh and transmute for short times 1 or more of their runes to Universal runes that function as any kind of rune... Rune Customization is a relatively minor thing.