The most evil class lorewise

[Aucald]

Definitely Death Knights. While others are still living beings, DKs are twisted undead abominations stripped off of any positive traits they might have possessed in life. And it doesn't matter if they became like that by choice or not, they are what they are. Sylvanas also wanted a clean death once, that doesn't excuse her current character in any way.

Not necessarily - while Death Knights are indeed twisted by undeath and the Necromantic power that shaped them, they're still capable of feeling positive emotions and having positive traits. Thassarian, for example, still feels love for his sister Leryssa and actively rescues her in the Borean Tundra questline. Dagnar Stonebrow and Minerva Ravensorrow both feel companionship and loyalty toward the fallen Margrave Dhakar - upbraiding Baron Sliver for his aloofness. Undeath has a tendency to darken a person, but if the person in question was honorable and good in life they tend to remain so in undeath for the most part (so long as their will is their own). If someone was a scoundrel in life then undeath just makes them worse.

[Weeps]

What's evil about wanting power?

The ends to obtain it

[micwini]

Tampering with the dead surpasses all other classes' villainous use of perverted magic. Voted DK (IMO)

[jackofwind]

Tampering with the dead surpasses all other classes' villainous use of perverted magic. Voted DK (IMO)

Warlocks tampered with the dead before Death Knights ever existed. In fact, Warlocks created the first Death Knights.

There is a stunning lack of lore knowledge in this thread.

[Hawkknight97]

Death Knights. Including the First Generation Ones. Those kinds of Knights were really powerful and bit kind of scary to look at if you saw their face without the hood.

[Thrif]

Warlocks are pretty much the epitomes of evil, they're specialized in things like enslavement and corrupting or draining your soul.

[Deleted]

I'd say Warlock, quite obviously. Their revel in the pain, suffering and torture of other beings, tormenting their very souls -- and they made that career choice willingly, unlike Death Knights who were raised into undeath and corrupted against their will.

Demon Hunters are ruthless, but mostly they only hurt those who deserve it most of all (demons). Shadow priests... well, they are merely wielding the shadow as a weapon, a means to an end. Whether their goals are good or not is another question.

How the hell are rogues not in this discussion yet?

- Chemical warfare with poisons/toxins/etc.
- literal backstabbing
- they also rob their victims
- their lair is literally hidden in the sewers

At least Alliance rogues are supposed to be more like spies and secret agents than actual thugs.

[Felixon]

Well,actually I'm quite surprised about the results. If it weren't for the Chronicles Vol.1, I wouldn't be surprised at all,but since we know,that the ultimate evil in the universe is not fel,but the shadow/void and the biggest jerks are the Void Gods,well...Kinda think,that shadow wielding priests are being treated nicely,despite the forces the wield.
Personally,I wouldn't say,that warlocks (at least playable ones), are not that evil - yes,they use curses,yes,they can drain their enemy souls and shatter them,but is it truly more evil than actually breaking the minds of your enemies,turning them into lifeless husks or brutally destroying them physically and raising them to serve at your side as a minion? Ofc,if we start to look at the lore figures,such as Gul'dan and KJ,it's hands down clear who is the jerk.But the topic is more complex than that - which school of magic is more evil,not which class has more evil characters. For me,all of that OG and the Twilight Hammer's stuff with it's endless infiltrators (such as Benedictus) seems more evil,cause,well,warlocks usually act outright,while shadow priests are tended to pretend to be the good guys,while dreaming of the Hour of Twilight becoming true. Shadow priests are capable of easily manipulate their targets and do their bidding,nor warlocks,nor the DK's can do such thing with the living being.

[Venziir]

Warlocks then Death Knights. DK's were also created by Warlocks (Gorefiend was the first dk created by Gul'Dan IIRC)
Demon Hunters are just fanatics against the legion, no real evil. Shadow Priests are dodgy because are they actually sane? Or are they just old gods tools.

Those are not the type of DK's that the players are though.

[Ron Burgundy]

Why aren't paladins and priest on the list?


Think outside the box bro

[Dreyen]

I'd say warlock. Death knights had the choice forced upon them, and most of the atrocities have been at the order of Bolvar.

Warlocks chose willingly to walk that path, i don't know much about the lore of "good" warlocks though, but i figure theyd be the worse.

DH, i just leveled one and i couldnt feel that much "evil" from them, they are driven by their purpose to deal with the legion

Shadowpriests are more masochists than anything, unlike warlocks, they arent required to drain life and souls to get their job done, they just channel the power of the void.

[Azelas]

Death Knights.

They literally go into the Paladin HQ and murder everything in their wake in hopes of resurrecting Tyrion from the dead to turn him into a Horseman.

[Schattenlied]

After the shit they pulled in their order hall campaign in Legion... Murdering Paladins (their allies), butchering the Red Dragonflight (also their allies), definitely the fucking Death Knights... After the shit they pulled, they should be purged from the face of Azeroth, they have proven that they cannot be trusted.

[Nnyco]

warlocks literally just do random bulltshitery to get more powerful with reckless abadon so ye, they are #1

Every argument saying that DKs aren't really bad, they were just forced to do bad shit, died in Legion when the DKs willingly attacked both the Silver Hand and the Red Dragonflight (who they might've also massacred a decent portion of, depending on whether that part turns out to be canon).

Warlocks' magic might be based on some pretty evil stuff too, but at least they generally turn their attention towards other evil-doers, unlike DKs who just go around killing everything that stands in their way.

too be fair, dks wanted to save the world with the powers both were just hiding away, i would be suprised if tirion would not agree to become a dk to defeat the legion

[Schattenlied]

Death knights had the choice forced upon them, and most of the atrocities have been at the order of Bolvar.

"I was just following orders" has never been an acceptable excuse, they should have known better, the "Deathlord" especially, they should have known to tell Bolvar to fuck off, and went to their respective faction leaders, and the other Order hall leaders, and told them that Bolvar had lost his fucking mind and needed to be put down.

They could have stopped the invasion of Lights Hope, and the slaughter of the Red Dragons, the betrayal of their allies from happening, they chose instead to participate in those betrayals, and for that they share equal responsibility for those atrocities. They should be put to death for it, just like the one giving the orders. I find it absolutely absurd that they suffered no repercussions for their actions in Legion.

- - - Updated - - -

too be fair, dks wanted to save the world with the powers both were just hiding away

They were hiding those "powers" for a reason.

i would be suprised if tirion would not agree to become a dk to defeat the legion

The spirits of those interred at Lights Hope are what drove the Death Knights out... Tirion was one of them, if he wanted to be a Death Knight, he would be.

[sam86]

death knights are not willingly evil, so u can't relaly count them in general, they didn't choose to be that way
demon hunters are not even evil in first place, using a gun doesn't make u a killer
'shadow priest' is a branch of priesthood, yeah they walk in madness but they are ppl who picked priesthood in first place, one of most holiest classes u can be
warlocks are just flat out evil, they embrace darkness willingly and use chaos and demons, they are just on 'our side' most of time but they don't hide how corrupted they are, in fact can u name a single strong good warlock ?

[nothingsjim]

Warlock is suppose to be the most evil, but it's not shown in game (At least, not player Warlock, Gul'dan is another story) due to...IDK, Blizzard want to keep the game rated T?

[yetgdhfgh]

Warlocks clearly choose there powers while DKs have it thrust upon them.

Though i would never call any class evil because its what you do with the power that decides if you are evil or good.

[sam86]

Every argument saying that DKs aren't really bad, they were just forced to do bad shit, died in Legion when the DKs willingly attacked both the Silver Hand and the Red Dragonflight (who they might've also massacred a decent portion of, depending on whether that part turns out to be canon).

Warlocks' magic might be based on some pretty evil stuff too, but at least they generally turn their attention towards other evil-doers, unlike DKs who just go around killing everything that stands in their way.

while dks did evil no question, it is the question of why did he become a dk
u don't choose to be evil dk willingly, while on reverse every warlock walked that path willingly, and usually to be evil, that's the only difference that tipped warlock over dk for me, they willingly became evil

[Schattenlied]

death knights are not willingly evil, so u can't relaly count them in general, they didn't choose to be that way

Yes they are. They didn't choose to be made into death Knights, but they have their own minds and are in control of themselves now... Any actions they have made post breaking away from Arthas' control are choices THEY made. They chose to be evil, as their Order Hall campaign clearly shows... No one is forcing them to do these things.

Being the class, warlock or DK, whatever, doesn't make them evil, what they choose to do with that power after the fact is what makes them evil, and by that metric, Death Knights are undoubtedly in the lead for most evil class.