WoW, Casually: 7 reasons to make a Death Knight
by Robin Torres 
Dec 6th 2008 at 11:00AM
Many casual players have discovered the wonders of making a Death Knight since WotLK was released, but in case there are still some holdouts, here are some reasons why those of us with limited playtime should definitely give the class a try.
7. Gnomes.
Seriously. Widdle gnome Death Knights with pigtails destroying multiple mobs 10 times their size are worth the price of admission. The spousal unit and I went back to our neglected Alliance server just to make a gnome DK duo. Our guild there has long since dispersed and our friends are all on different servers, but who cares? It's all about fun and tiny agents of death = fun. Awww, dks in love.
6 more serious reasons for a casual player to make a Death Knight are after the break.
6. DKs make excellent alts.
Whether you use alts to maximize your rest (good idea), keep your WoW time fresh or escape from bad situations, it's good to have at least one playable alt around and Death Knights are an excellent choice. If you've been playing this game a while, you've probably done all the starting quests a few times and are tired of them. With a Death Knight, you hit the ground running at 55, the first three levels are done before you know it and you're ready to zip through the Burning Crusade.
5. DKs make excellent gatherers.Though they hinted a couple BlizzCons ago that Death Knights wouldn't have to go back to Elwynn Forest to kill wolves or pick flowers in order to level their professions, nothing like that was ever implemented. So, it doesn't matter what professions you choose, you have to start right along with the level 5 characters. That having been said, the fact that you get an epic mount for free (well, you steal it) really helps catch up to your level -- at least in the gathering professions. The cost of leveling the crafting professions is rather prohibitive, but gathering is a quick and easy thing to do which adds useful abilities, feeds your other crafters and can net you lots of extra cash on the AH. I particularly recommend Herbalism and Skinning. You get a free heal and a crit buff, they are the quickest of the three to level and you don't have to switch your minimap find function.
4. Death Knights are EZ mode.
Maybe you haven't read about the best builds/gear/techniques for playing your Death Knight, but for leveling purposes, you don't need to read a thing. Just pick the talents that seem fun and start mowing through your opponents. They are a bit overpowered while leveling, allowing you to solo even elite mobs above your level and defend yourself against the DK hating gankers (of which there are a few on PvP servers). They are also really good at fighting multiple mobs at a time, making questing that much faster.
3. Warlocks in plate.
This is kind of a repeat of number 4, but soloability is important to those of us whose schedules don't allow for much grouping. If you go Unholy spec, you get a pet ghoul that obeys your commands and is ready to fight whenever you are. Well... a couple seconds after you are... he has to crawl out of the ground first. With very little effort, dying is a rare event and everything short of instances can be done by the two of you.
2. Desecration.
Having arms pop up out of the ground while you fight is delightfully creepy goodness. Yes, I am biased toward the Unholy spec.
And the number one reason to make a Death Knight, whether casual or hardcore or anywhere inbetween:
1. The starting quests.
The lore, the instanced world, the quest chains, Arthas whispering in your ear -- the starting DK quests are sheer gaming pleasure. I have never had such a hard time reconciling my personal ethics with what I was doing in-game (yes I did things the hard way -- the light side -- in KotOR) and I loved every minute of it. Even if you abandon your DK right after your walk of shame to Thrall or King Varian Wrynn, the first three levels of being a Death Knight is worth spending a few of your play sessions.
WoW, Casually is a column for those of us who are playtime-challenged and proud Welfare Epic wearers. If you have questions or tips about how to get the most out of your limited playtime, please send them to Robin.Torres AT weblogsinc DOT com for a possible future column.Filed under: WoW, Casually, Analysis / Opinion, Leveling, Alts, Death Knight
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Alexisonfire Dec 6th 2008 11:09AM
Gnomes: They shouldn't be death knights.
I still fail to see why Blizz didn't just limit it to Dwarves, Humans, Draenei on Alliance and Orcs, Undead, Blood Elves on Horde. Would have made so much more sense imho.
MidgetAddict Dec 6th 2008 11:46AM
Blizzard actually commented on why gnomes are able to be DKs on the DVD with the collectors edition. They started with a logical argument like any person, even gnomes, are capable of falling to the whims of the awesome power of Arthas. The they went the "Plus look how cool and silly it looks!!!111loololoolo11lo1l!!L!OL
Eamara Dec 6th 2008 12:11PM
Because anyone can fall in battle and be ressurected against his or her will to serve the Lich King. That includes Gnomes, Tauren, and could even include Murlocs if the Lich King really wanted.
Zummers Dec 6th 2008 12:40PM
A murloc death knight? I think we the next impossible raid boss!
kabshiel Dec 6th 2008 12:53PM
Lorewise, the vast majority of DKs should be Forsaken and Blood Elves, since Silvermoon and Lordaeron were wiped out by the Scourge.
Next would come Stormwind Humans, Dwarves, Night Elves, Orcs, Tauren, and Trolls, since those races had a decent amount of contact with the Scourge during the Third War, particularly at the Battle of Mount Hyjal.
Third would come Gnomes, because they didn't participate in the Third War.
And finally, far below everybody else, would be the Draenei, since they didn't even arrive on Azeroth until a year or two ago.
Juneau Dec 6th 2008 1:04PM
I agree personally, but it makes sense lore-wise.
offday Dec 6th 2008 2:05PM
Well imho, your honest opinion sucks.
gnomes: don't like em, don't make one and stfu.
Aerei Dec 6th 2008 3:32PM
All I'm gonna say is that Darkrider Arly is my favourite death knight NPC.
Grubba Dec 6th 2008 6:31PM
"Lorewise, the vast majority of DKs should be Forsaken and Blood Elves, since Silvermoon and Lordaeron were wiped out by the Scourge."
Lordaeron was populated by Humans, not Forsaken, when it was annihilated by the Scourge. Thus, technically, the vast majority should be Humans and Blood Elves.
The Forsaken did not exist until the end of WC3's battle with Arthas, so they would only have been capable of being turned into Death Knights since that time, and Arthas had not been doing much, lore-wise, between retreating to the Frozen Throne and before the events of the Death Knight introductory quest line begin.
Jessierockeron Dec 7th 2008 6:06AM
Honestly, I would never make a gnome char but I don't disrespect people that choose to.
But I still have to agree with you on the gnome DK thing, #7 on the list seems more like a reason not to make a Dk.
Pyornthe Dec 6th 2008 11:13AM
Personally, I just like the idea that I can make a Blood Elf death knight and look like a High Elf. Alas, if only I could ally with the Alliance.
Laynne Dec 6th 2008 11:22AM
Death Knights are so much fun. Unholy is awesome. Once I get bored with my main I'll have to play mine more.
I completely agree with number 1. Everyone should make dk, even just to see those quests. They're so much fun part of me wanted to stay evil and work with the Lich King...
Rynnix Dec 6th 2008 11:26AM
My only question is this: if you roll a gnome DK can you grab one of the colts from the paddock instead of a horse for the Epic mount?
That would be worth the price of admission right there.
Mcdreamy Dec 6th 2008 11:58AM
Yes. In fact, when I rolled my tauren DK I made sure to steal the tiny pony for Grand Theft Palomino.
Be sure to get your screenshots also.
csarcops Dec 6th 2008 11:48AM
I have a gnome DK and I stole a colt, thought it was more appropriate. All the death-horses turn out the same size though, so it doesn't really matter. Good idea though. :)
Ametrine Dec 6th 2008 3:30PM
You can, but, unfortunately, the size of the horse you steal doesn't affect the size of the deathcharger you get...
Trilynne Dec 6th 2008 4:03PM
Yes, yes you can. And I did. It was SO FUNNY, especially since my fiance was playing a male Draenei, and he grabbed a normal sized horse, and the size comparison was AWESOME.
Buuut your epic mount is the same size as everyone elses'. Except you, as a gnome, can't see over the horse's head. LOL
Kokka Dec 6th 2008 9:14PM
Dwarves, Humans ans Elves, not Draeneï, should have been more appropriate for the Alliance part. But since it's a game of many flavors for many type of players... why not allowing them all to play any characters and classes ? Thank you Blizzard.
Ilnara Dec 6th 2008 11:34AM
I think the main gripe is that, Blizz has specifically created 'lore' around certain Races and what their classes can consist of,
yet when it comes to Gnomes, who according to their very Race description "Hate & reject all things demonic" yet they are Warlocks and Deathknights.. well, it doesn't quite make sense to have 'lore rules' for some races, yet seemingly ignore a lore rule that is plain as day when it comes to Gnomes.
For instance, Night Elves claim to 'reject arcane magics' and they do, as exampled by the fact that no Night Elf can be a member of the magus. (One of the primary reasons I wanted to play WoW was the prospect of Elven mages - which I played in pen and paper D&D, yet, there was not that option till BC and the Blood Elves.)
Shivers Dec 6th 2008 11:24AM
Absolutely agree with reason #1. In all honesty I wasn't at all interested in the Death Knight class until a guild mate of mine absolutely insisted that I roll one just to go through the starting area, and it is exactly how you describe it. Kudos to Blizz for the DK quest chain.