Is being undead a requirement for being a new DK?

[ravenmoon]

I never thought about it, but can only undead characters be DKs ? Is that the only way to use the death magic?

New allied races dont have undead appearances, I havent done their starting area, are they undead or living and granted the power by the new Lich King.

Do we even know if this is possible? Or rather shouldnt this be possible? Wasnt Arthas still alive when he became a death knight, proving that given the right power, you can be a living DK which might explain why allied race DKs dont have undead appearances. Unless they just killed themselves

[Ryonas]

I.......HUH?!?!?! Lol...the word "DEATH" is literally part of the class name. All DEATH Knights have been raised from the DEAD, yes.

[valax]

I never thought about it, but can only undead characters be DKs ? Is that the only way to use the death magic?

New allied races dont have undead appearances, I havent done their starting area, are they undead or living and granted the power by the new Lich King.

Do we even know if this is possible? Or rather shouldnt this be possible? Wasnt Arthas still alive when he became a death knight, proving that given the right power, you can be a living DK which might explain why allied race DKs dont have undead appearances. Unless they just killed themselves

short answer: yes
long answer : yes it is

[Raugnaut]

Technically, all DKs are in a state of undeath. However, compared to, say, Forsaken which are in a heavily decayed state of death, Death Knights are kinda freshly dead, without any rot. Skin's cold and all, but you aren't going to smell decomposition from a DK.

[Kyphael]

That's why Necromancers are better. Same powers while being alive.

[TheRevenantHero]

The only biologically alive Death Knights were second generation and it required the power of Frostmourne. Every other type of DK is undead.

[Hobbidaggy]

They are fresh corpses 90% of the time that no longer decay. Forsaken DKs are a special 10% which who the hell knows if they decay anymore (as regular forsaken are decaying daily) I guess they wouldn’t be but you also were kind of a servant to the lich king as a member of the scourge still and broke free and then joined the forsaken.

[Syegfryed]

The only biologically alive Death Knights were second generation and it required the power of Frostmourne. Every other type of DK is undead.

pretty sure they transform into DK alive, but when the transition is done you are undead, not alive anymore

[Piamonte]

death knights are dead, but you dont need to be dead to use death magic, the necromancers from the cult of the damned are proof of that.

[TheRevenantHero]

pretty sure they transform into DK alive, but when the transition is done you are undead, not alive anymore

The second generation death knights were soldiers who gave themselves willingly and were imbued with necromantic power by Frostmourne. They were biologically alive but they had vampiric runeblades they had to feed every day.

[willtron]

They are fresh corpses 90% of the time that no longer decay. Forsaken DKs are a special 10% which who the hell knows if they decay anymore (as regular forsaken are decaying daily) I guess they wouldn’t be but you also were kind of a servant to the lich king as a member of the scourge still and broke free and then joined the forsaken.

Forsaken DKs lorewise I've always thought are fucking shit at being alive. Canonically, they died twice. You were a shit human, a shit undead and now third times the charm as a Death Knight. At some point you'd have thought someone would've questioned it and just let the cunt stay dead

[Arikara]

Arthas never actually died, but Frostmourne claimed his soul even before Muradin's body hit the floor

He's a special snowflake, though. Every other death knight was dead and then raised.

[javierdsv]

short answer: yes
long answer : yes it is

We need a thumbs up button in these forums for posts like yours.

[Syegfryed]

The second generation death knights were soldiers who gave themselves willingly and were imbued with necromantic power by Frostmourne. They were biologically alive but they had vampiric runeblades they had to feed every day.

yes, they were alive, but when they turn into Death knights they became undead, we play with then as the scourge hero units in wc3

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Forsaken DKs lorewise I've always thought are fucking shit at being alive. Canonically, they died twice. You were a shit human, a shit undead and now third times the charm as a Death Knight. At some point you'd have thought someone would've questioned it and just let the cunt stay dead

yep but prob the undead looks more close to the concept of "death knight", like, they indeed look death, just not conserved

with the new options forsaken dk will be rly cool

[ravenmoon]

The only biologically alive Death Knights were second generation and it required the power of Frostmourne. Every other type of DK is undead.

Ah, see, there are instances of biologically alive death knights, isn't that what Arthas was? So could the new allied race DKs also be that in theory? They don't need to be undead, do they, technically speaking.

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Arthas never actually died, but Frostmourne claimed his soul even before Muradin's body hit the floor

He's a special snowflake, though. Every other death knight was dead and then raised.

But he proves there is precedence if you have a unique power source or a lich king is involved.

Can I theorise that undeath was only necessary so that the Lich King could totally control the DK, but in essence it isn't actually mandatory to being a DK. A Lich King can make/train you alive - it's not like living people can't wield dark powers and magics of death.

[Kithelle]

That's why Necromancers are better. Same powers while being alive.

Yeah but then you wont have the cool glowy blue eyes or immortality!

[mickybrighteyes]

Yeah but then you wont have the cool glowy blue eyes or immortality!

technically Necromancers have the capacity for being immortal. Just not easy peasy immortal like a lich or typical undead... more like jump through some hoops every couple decades or so. But undeath usually has too many other benefits, like no more pointless distractions like eating or the bathroom.

[ravenmoon]

I think Necromancesr can only get supposed immortality by their ultimate levelling up as Lichs. For them ofc this is the highest honour, and they also show you can wield death powers being fully alive - they just desire to be undead, perhaps some sort of bargain with shadowlands for more power. MEanwhile I stand by what I said earlier, i.e. suspecting that being a DK doesn't require undeath, Arthas used undeath to control his soldiers absolutely, as he cannot while they are alive, but like he became a death knight alive, so can anyone with a teacher like a Lich King.

[Vakna]

Technically, all DKs are in a state of undeath. However, compared to, say, Forsaken which are in a heavily decayed state of death, Death Knights are kinda freshly dead, without any rot. Skin's cold and all, but you aren't going to smell decomposition from a DK.

Many of them were dead far longer than the Forsaken were, they are just held together with much stronger magic.

[StillMcfuu]

Forsaken DKs lorewise I've always thought are fucking shit at being alive. Canonically, they died twice. You were a shit human, a shit undead and now third times the charm as a Death Knight. At some point you'd have thought someone would've questioned it and just let the cunt stay dead

Are "Forsaken" DKs even technically Lore?

The original DK starting zone occurs nearly the same time the Forsaken are being established. The point of the Forsaken were they are shambling monstrosities that regained their facilities, but they had been in various states of decay. DKs on the other hand are freshly turned for the most part, becoming the DK is what makes you undead.