Death Knight

Death knights fight up close, adding dark magic to their weapon swings to weaken enemies or hit them with unholy power. They pull foes into one-on-one fights so the enemy ignores weaker allies, and they must pace their attacks around the runes they spend. In-game lore makes them the Knights of the Ebon Blade, former servants of the Lich King.

They were the first hero class: the term means a class with its own play style that starts at a higher level with matching gear, not a stronger class. Death knights tank without a shield, relying on high armor, dodge and parry, and they also have several tools against magic.

Many abilities spend one or more runes. A spent rune takes 10 seconds to come back, and only two runes recharge at the same time no matter how many you used. Spending runes builds Runic Power, usually 10 per rune, which then pays for other abilities at a fixed cost; Death Coil, for example, always costs 30.

Runeforging is a death knight-only skill that adds a permanent rune to a weapon at a Runeforge. A weapon can carry a runeforge or an Enchanting enchant, not both, and a rune can only be swapped for another, never simply removed. Runes include Razorice, the Fallen Crusader, the Stoneskin Gargoyle, Unending Thirst, Sanguination, the Apocalypse, Hysteria and Spellwarding.

Their hero talent trees are Deathbringer (Blood and Frost), Rider of the Apocalypse (Frost and Unholy) and San'layn (Blood and Unholy). See also Specializations.

Death knights of the original races begin at level 8 in Acherus: The Ebon Hold, above the Eastern Plaguelands, with a full set of Uncommon plate and their own quest chain in the Scarlet Enclave. Pandaren and allied race death knights begin at level 10 in Icecrown instead.