Death Knights getting stripped down to the boring.

[Aldurok]

Anyways, I also strongly feel that Rune Strike should have its requirement lifted and be made into the Runic Power dump for Blood, and tweak it to make it more interesting that a regular old melee strike. For a long time I have been at odds with Blood using the same RP dump as Unholy when it really feels like it should have something more fitting to the spec.

Sorta agree here, except that I think they should keep the proc function but make it proc off direct damage, too, similar to Scent of Blood.

[Pallydra]

They should just make CE a spell all DKs get, but add a long cooldown to it.

From a PvP perspective we don't need another overly long CD, quite the opposite tbh.

[elseagoat]

Sorta agree here, except that I think they should keep the proc function but make it proc off direct damage, too, similar to Scent of Blood.

They could do something like this:

Rune Strike
40 RP
An instant attack that deals 100% weapon damage and increases your chance to parry the next melee attack made against you by 25% for 6 sec, stacking 3 times. Each time you are attacked in melee combat, one charge is consumed. If a successful parry is made while this effect is active, you will instantly strike the target for an additional 50% weapon damage, free of charge.

[Deleted]

25% Parry sounds OP. Plus it takes the fun out of having to actually watch for Rune Strike procs which will really show the difference between good Tanks and bad Tanks come Cataclysm. On the other hand the proc system is faulty with Runic Empowerment, if they don't implement some sort of way to track it they'll just force us to track it through Addons which is the opposite of their goals, since they keep wanting to enhance the Default UI.

[elseagoat]

25% Parry sounds OP. Plus it takes the fun out of having to actually watch for Rune Strike procs which will really show the difference between good Tanks and bad Tanks come Cataclysm. On the other hand the proc system is faulty with Runic Empowerment, if they don't implement some sort of way to track it they'll just force us to track it through Addons which is the opposite of their goals, since they keep wanting to enhance the Default UI.

Seeing as I'm no developer, I was more concerned with how the mechanic could work to make it a tanking RP dump. It would be impossible to keep Rune Strike as a proc and use it as an RP dump at the same time, because then you would have to have it proc each time you wanted to spend RP.

Rune Strike could be kept as-is however, and a new talented RP dump could be added. Possibly make Exsanguinate into an active rather than passive talent, that does instant unmitigated physical damage (basically a bleed effect that is not over-time) and give it some sort of tanking effect as well.

[Deleted]

As is you get enough Rune Strikes to fill most CDs between using Rune-Costing Abilities, so the design is fine. Whether or not we'll be using Death Coil (for Runic Empowerment) is still to be sorted out, but when you get 3 Rune Strike procs one right after the other and the GCD is the only thing in your way, you will not think that we need more Rune Strikes.

We're not onto fixed Rotations anymore, we've advanced, we're in the era of Priority Systems now. At least Blood + Frost DKs are, Unholy will probably be fixed, apart from Runic Empowerment Runes, those will always be RNG.

[elseagoat]

As is you get enough Rune Strikes to fill most CDs between using Rune-Costing Abilities, so the design is fine. Whether or not we'll be using Death Coil (for Runic Empowerment) is still to be sorted out, but when you get 3 Rune Strike procs one right after the other and the GCD is the only thing in your way, you will not think that we need more Rune Strikes.

We're not onto fixed Rotations anymore, we've advanced, we're in the era of Priority Systems now. At least Blood + Frost DKs are, Unholy will probably be fixed, apart from Runic Empowerment Runes, those will always be RNG.

I realize all of this. I wasn't trying to offer suggestions to increase Rune-Strike output, I was trying to offer suggestions to replace Death Coil with a more fitting-for-Blood RP dump.

[User Name]

All I heard was "Wah wah wah boo hoo we're not OP anymore"

begone troll!!

[BoxofRox]

Corpse Explosion was a fun toy to use on AoE trash packs, to piss off your guild when they try to take a screenshot of that new boss they downed, to humiliate that guy that was camping your alt for hours, or to finally FINALLY pull off a kill by lining up a pro Ghoul Stun + Explode + Quadriple Scourge Strike in a 30 minute arena match.

Quadriple... Quadruple or Triple...?

[Wingwraith]

25% Parry sounds OP. Plus it takes the fun out of having to actually watch for Rune Strike procs which will really show the difference between good Tanks and bad Tanks come Cataclysm. On the other hand the proc system is faulty with Runic Empowerment, if they don't implement some sort of way to track it they'll just force us to track it through Addons which is the opposite of their goals, since they keep wanting to enhance the Default UI.

I highly doubt their default UI enhancements will make proc watching addons obsolete. Unless of course they put their own in that can be moved, scaled, and otherwise customized. Even then, it would prob suck in some way and be disabled so we can continue to use NTK or whatever.

[kerwyn]

25% Parry sounds OP. Plus it takes the fun out of having to actually watch for Rune Strike procs which will really show the difference between good Tanks and bad Tanks come Cataclysm. On the other hand the proc system is faulty with Runic Empowerment, if they don't implement some sort of way to track it they'll just force us to track it through Addons which is the opposite of their goals, since they keep wanting to enhance the Default UI.

As long as the default rune display sucks there will always be addons used to track them.

[elseagoat]

Quadriple... Quadruple or Triple...?

A combination of both.

[VoltaireWrites]

we were never op. so go troll someone else

You better be kidding. We were arguably the most OP class in WoW history at WotLK release. But to Matran, we aren't OP at all on live anymore. Since 3.0 the DK has been made a support class. Reliable snares and DG into our warrior's bladestorm. woo!

edit:

The OP is complaining about DK's being underpowered and/or uninteresting. Underpowered? At the moment, it depends on your definition of balanced. Death Knight control of an Arena can be really spectacular. We can't DPS down and solo a healer very well on most occasions. But we can make sure our mage can line up all his burst whenever he needs to. Uninteresting? No way. Come Cata we will have the coolest ability in game imo, Dark Simulacrum. Along with Outbreak and Necrotic Strike AND Festering Strike? Boring? I say get a beta key.