How exactly is Arthas considered Undead?

[Tuvok]

Correct me if I'm wrong but Arthas didn't die before we killed him right? And I really am requesting correction from someone who has either read Rise of the Lich King, or knows from another source on this matter.

I've been wondering lately, last time I was at the Frozen Throne, about Arthas being classed as Undead. When did he die? As far as I remember, he never died during WC3. After the Frostmourne mission, you just picked up as a grey skinned Death knight in the undead campaign working for Tichondrius to recover some acolytes in some city (what was that city by the way?). If he never died there, and not in WoW until we killed him ourselves, how could he be considered undead, since he never died? Do you somehow die upon becoming a death knight? Just what the hell is going on there? Perhaps Ner'zhul's posession of his body caused it?

Just what state of life or death is/was Arthas actually in before we put an end to his life?

Edit: I suppose Frostmourne could be responsible, but I don't remember witnessing Arthas dying because of a direct influence of the weapon, as I never saw Arthas go through the process of death period.

[gunner_recall]

Funny thing about sitting around surrounded by the undead plague...


it tends to turn you into an undead.

[BoomkinPotPie]

Funny thing about sitting around surrounded by the undead plague...


it tends to turn you into an undead.

when did this happen? I've done WC3 reign of chaos and frozen throne havn't seen the part where he dies to the plague...

[Draenox]

He tore his own heart out, threw it into a deep cavern to forget about it.

No heart == Undead pretty much

[Droes]

He died when the Lich King pulled Arthas' heart out I guess.

[gunner_recall]

when did this happen? I've done WC3 reign of chaos and frozen throne havn't seen the part where he dies to the plague...

It was probably sometime during the 5 years he was sitting on the Frozen Throne.

[klheart]

well he technically never died formally, but his soul was taken so he was somewhat of a shell. However he was alive enough that his heart beat so he cut it out. Thats when i think he became truely "undead".

[Blaze611]

I think he slipped and fell down the stairs of the Frozen Throne.

[kortin]

He died when the Arthas pulled his own heart out I guess.

there ya go

[Baron Vetrith]

He's got a rare case of undeath. It's one of the powers of Frostmourne, allowing the user to live beyond their years and slowly turns them into everything an undead is, without actually killing them. Trust me, he was legitimately a zombie

[Punks]

But it is not like he is as bad as the rotting corpses that we call forsaken. Granted I don't think he could put on a tophat and cane and go for a stroll downtown.

But Yeah I guess he is no longer Human, but the Un-dead.

[Tuvok]

It was probably sometime during the 5 years he was sitting on the Frozen Throne.

That's quite a bit of speculation that while it may be supported by realism, doesn't seem to be actually confirmed anywhere, unless someone knows of an excerpt that tells of that death having took place.

He took out his heart, yes, I remember that quest. That's interesting though, clearly he can't live without it, but was he already considered undead before it?

[ralphie]

When he took Frostmourne.

[skrump]

Now ask yourselves this question.

If Arthas had not removed his own heart do you think he would of reclaimed his soul and survived once frostmourne had been shattered ?

[thoukaia]

http://www.wowwiki.com/Arthas_Menethil

Read the Trivia section, 2nd to last paragraph:

Although Arthas is marked as undead in various sources, it has been confimed by Chris Metzen and Alex Afrasiabi that actually he never died (at least prior to becoming the Lich King and removing his heart). His undead state in Warcraft III may have instead referred to the fact that Frostmourne had stolen his soul

[DerpderpHAMMA]

because...hes...dead?

describing why arthas is dead is like trying to define the word 'the'

[Tuvok]

He's got a rare case of undeath. It's one of the powers of Frostmourne, allowing the user to live beyond their years and slowly turns them into everything an undead is, without actually killing them. Trust me, he was legitimately a zombie

I suppose I shouldn't try to apply anything to do with the real world when thinking about this. I suppose the physical process of Arthas' descent into undeath was never fully documented outside of it being gradual and subtle, though I would wonder when the exact turning point was, the moment when he became by definition undead, and his heart did indeed stop beating. (That could even be the point where he ripped his own heart out, to snuff the last bit of life out of himself, and become fully undead).

[Alorae]

Arthas became undead when he donned the helm of domination, which kills anyone who wears it immediately because of the resulting surge of the lich king's power through them.

[Kitomi]

That's quite a bit of speculation that while it may be supported by realism, doesn't seem to be actually confirmed anywhere, unless someone knows of an excerpt that tells of that death having took place.

He took out his heart, yes, I remember that quest. That's interesting though, clearly he can't live without it, but was he already considered undead before it?

Nope, he was alive prior to the removal of his heart.

Ironic thing is he believe removing it would make him unstoppable, But infact had he not removed it we wouldn't have been able to use the Ashbringer on him.

Arthas became undead when he donned the helm of domination, which kills anyone who wears it immediately because of the resulting surge of the lich king's power through them.

No this is totally untrue, the helm Bond's it's wearer to the lich king (Ner'Zhul) as the final of the 3 pieces, It does not kill him.

[Eldar45]

Hes not undead in the classic definition. He was sort of like the Nazgul from the Lord of the Rings. Human kings who had never died, but were no longer alive. He skipped the "dieing" part and became for all intents and purposes, undead.