Are DeathKnights really dead?

[Buu]

Some of them are undead-- killed, reanimated.

Those that gave themselves willingly aren't traditionally undead (Think Arthas-- he never actually died, but he's as undead as it gets.)

I think Arthas is the only character that didn't pass the process of dying, hence generating all this discussion. But again, all the Lich Kings never gone through a proper death. Ner'zhul was ripped from his body, Arthas passed the proper process of creating a Lich, by using Frostmourn as phylactery, and then stopping his bodily functions slowly, and Bolvar was kept alive, even with his body whithering, by Alexstrasza fire.

The playable Death Knights, like all the Scourge and the Forsaken, are reanimated. Just roll a Death Knight and see the all process.

So, since the DKs of players are not candidates for the next Lich King, yes every one of them are reanimated corpses, but unlike forsaken and scourge, they appear to more like Arthas, and I can even say Gorefiend, and way more close to living being. For instance they don't have any reference about the lack of sensations Forsaken have.
Most of their senses appear to work as any living being work.

[Deleted]

I agree with him my self. Hans why my DK is undead in his RP.

Yes, it was more of a point if someone is doing a living Death Knight RP, it's doing it wrong.

[Deleted]

They're not dead. Just cold. Forever. Like Inuit. That's why they live in the North.

oh? i wasnt aware eastern plague lands is very nothern enviroment :P

[Solzan Nemesis]

Yes, it was more of a point if someone is doing a living Death Knight RP, it's doing it wrong.

Ah, ok. I see what you where doing.

[Deleted]

So, since the DKs of players are not candidates for the next Lich King, yes every one of them are reanimated corpses, but unlike forsaken and scourge, they appear to more like Arthas, and I can even say Gorefiend, and way more close to living being. For instance they don't have any reference about the lack of sensations Forsaken have.
Most of their senses appear to work as any living being work.

Most likely the bodies are reanimated when the process of decay is at its very beginning. Gorefiend is indeed example of that.

[Screwtape]

Why should the scourge use such magic? It goes against their entire belief.

You have found your way here, because you are among the few gifted with true vision in a world cursed with blindness.
You can see through the fog that hangs over this world like a shroud, and grasp where true power lies.
Fix your eyes upon your crude hands: the sinew, the soft meat, the dark blood coursing within.
It is a weakness; a crippling flaw.... A joke played by the Creators upon their own creations.
The sooner you come to accept your condition as a defect, the sooner you will find yourselves in a position to transcend it.

That part always made me hungry.

Also, what's the deal with Human Dks? Aren't they basically Forsaken?

[Stir]

The Forsaken have spent some time rotting before they were raised.
Death Knights were raised nearly immediately, or at least frozen or something.

A Death Knight is completely undead. There's no life in it other than what it can suck out of others by beating them with a spiky or bladed stick. The reason they can't be controlled as if they were Undead is: The whole event with Light's Hope Chapel changed them; the Light... Protects them. But that only goes for the Ebon Blade (and their undead associates).
Effectively: Ebon Blade Death Knights are undead... But not Scourge (anymore).

Edit: Some DK skins show (severe) deterioration in the facial features. Actually: All of them show some deterioration; some are just pretty bad.

[Deleted]

Or are they just brought back to life via necromantic magic to be living being again?

this is the best i could find ,first and greatest of these was the Lich King's chosen champion, Prince Arthas Menethil, once a mighty paladin of the Silver Hand, who sacrificed his soul to claim the runeblade Frostmourne in a desperate bid to save his people. The rest are primarily made up of other fallen paladins whose souls were twisted and bound to the will of the Frozen Throne

[Hctaz]

So death knights can be mind controlled actually. Think about the ones that you play as. They're clearly being controlled. Both Mograines that aren't pieces of poo (Renault >.>) fought in life against the scourge with all their might. But when they were turned into death knights they fought for the Lich King until set free at Light's Hope Chapel. So while the Lich King doesn't control them like the typical hive mind way that he controls the lesser scourge creatures, he does bend their will. One of his quotes from the Death Knight starting zone is "Your will is not your own." He flat out tells the death knights they no longer do what they want to. But they can't really be controlled by ordinary necromancers. The Forsaken (at least from what I can recall and disregarding Lylian Voss) haven't been able to be put back under the control of a necromancer since breaking free of the Lich King and so I would also assume Death Knights share that quality, if not even go above and beyond that since they aren't typical undead.

[TheWindWalker]

oh? i wasnt aware eastern plague lands is very nothern enviroment :P

The maps are all tilted 90 degrees. It's a shame, really.

[Stir]

So death knights can be mind controlled actually. Think about the ones that you play as. They're clearly being controlled. Both Mograines that aren't pieces of poo (Renault >.>) fought in life against the scourge with all their might. But when they were turned into death knights they fought for the Lich King until set free at Light's Hope Chapel. So while the Lich King doesn't control them like the typical hive mind way that he controls the lesser scourge creatures, he does bend their will. One of his quotes from the Death Knight starting zone is "Your will is not your own." He flat out tells the death knights they no longer do what they want to. But they can't really be controlled by ordinary necromancers. The Forsaken (at least from what I can recall and disregarding Lylian Voss) haven't been able to be put back under the control of a necromancer since breaking free of the Lich King and so I would also assume Death Knights share that quality, if not even go above and beyond that since they aren't typical undead.

As I mentioned earlier: They wére controlled when they were still Scourge. Light's Hope Chapel changed that.

[Boogums]

They're not dead or alive, they're undead.

---------- Post added 2013-01-01 at 09:23 PM ----------

That part always made me hungry.

Also, what's the deal with Human Dks? Aren't they basically Forsaken?

No, the Forsaken are a faction of undead that were able to resist Arthas' control when he was weakened, they are who serve Sylvanas. You can be raised from the dead and not look like a zombie.

[Justignoreme]

I say it depends on the skin u use for your DK. If you use the one that looks like a normal (insert race) aside from glowing blue eyes, sure. If you use the skins with grey, frozen white, or ghostly green skin, sunken in features, you definitely look like an animated corpse.

[Boogums]

I say it depends on the skin u use for your DK. If you use the one that looks like a normal (insert race) aside from glowing blue eyes, sure. If you use the skins with grey, frozen white, or ghostly green skin, sunken in features, you definitely look like an animated corpse.

It doesn't matter what you look like, you're undead.

[Aurabolt]

...Kinda makes you wonder if a Death Knight can get pregnant XD


Also, one thing I noticed no one's mentioned yet is that one scene where Instructor Razuvious and two necromancers are necro-rezzing corpses in Acherus and the related quest to slaughter an unworthy initiate. For those who need the refresher, Razuvious is selectively necro-rezzing corpses--presumably Argent Dawn--for absorbtion into the Scourge War Machine. Since it's not Arthas doing the rezzing it would appear the necro-rez is flawed since half the time the subject demonstrates either memory of pain or memory of free will. Said subjects are instantly granted their second death >.>;

The related quest has you killing one said person allowed to live for you to kill--likely to help rid you of whatever sense of morals you might still have (as is butchering civillians wasn't enough).

[Justignoreme]

It doesn't matter what you look like, you're undead.

the question wasn't are they undead it was "are they dead". You can become a DK and not die, as people have shown with Arthas and others who took on the role by choice, not by force. It's just flavour; personally I prefer the more "animated corpse" look than being a normal (race) with glowing eyes.

[Stir]

the question wasn't are they undead it was "are they dead". You can become a DK and not die, as people have shown with Arthas and others who took on the role by choice, not by force. It's just flavour; personally I prefer the more "animated corpse" look than being a normal (race) with glowing eyes.

You mean you can become a Death Knight without being raised from the dead.
Arthas was most definitely dead when his transformation was complete. You can become a death knight without dying first, but in the process, you're losing your life anyway. Well; in the Azeroth lore, of course. I mean: Let's not all try to become undead, please. That'd be messy, and create quite the media hype.

[Boogums]

the question wasn't are they undead it was "are they dead". You can become a DK and not die, as people have shown with Arthas and others who took on the role by choice, not by force. It's just flavour; personally I prefer the more "animated corpse" look than being a normal (race) with glowing eyes.

No, you can't become a Death Knight without dying. There are Death Knights that may not have been killed, like Arthas, but he became undead after he became a Death Knight.

PC Death Knights can. not. become Death Knights without dying. If the question is "are they dead?" then the answer is "no."

---------- Post added 2013-01-01 at 09:38 PM ----------

You mean you can become a Death Knight without being raised from the dead.
Arthas was most definitely dead when his transformation was complete. You can become a death knight without dying first, but in the process, you're losing your life anyway. Well; in the Azeroth lore, of course. I mean: Let's not all try to become undead, please. That'd be messy, and create quite the media hype.

Here's a man (woman) who knows what's up.

[Deleted]

They died once, so they are undead, but they got immediately rezzed before their bodies started to decay. Why would the Lich King want his elite to rot?

[Giants41]

I always thought they at one time died and Arthas simply raised them from the dead so they are alive again but not the same as they were. This is actually really starting to confuse me so i'm going to stop my theory here.