Death Knight

Death Knight

Races

In Wrath of the Lich King, the Death Knight is available to all ten races: the Human, the Dwarf, the Gnome, the Night Elf and the Draenei for the Alliance, and the Orc, the Undead, the Tauren, the Troll and the Blood Elf for the Horde. To create one, you must already have a level 55 character on the realm.

Alliance

The Human masters swords and maces.

• Sword Specialization: increases expertise with one- and two-handed swords by 3.
• The Human Spirit: increases Spirit by 3%.
• Diplomacy: increases reputation gains by 10%.
• Perception: increases stealth detection.
• Every Man for Himself: removes all movement-impairing effects and all effects that cause loss of control of your character.
• Mace Specialization: increases expertise with one- and two-handed maces by 3.

The Dwarf combines toughness and Frost resistance.

• Find Treasure: shows nearby treasure on the minimap.
• Stoneform: removes all poison, disease and bleed effects, and increases armor by 10% for 8 seconds.
• Gun Specialization: increases critical strike chance with guns by 1%.
• Frost Resistance: reduces the chance to be hit by Frost spells by 2%.
• Mace Specialization: increases expertise with one- and two-handed maces by 5.

The Gnome can break free from immobilization and slows.

• Escape Artist: frees you from immobilization and movement slowing effects.
• Expansive Mind: increases Intellect by 5%.
• Arcane Resistance: reduces the chance to be hit by Arcane spells by 2%.
• Engineering Specialization: increases Engineering skill by 15.

The Night Elf combines stealth and agility.

• Shadowmeld: lets you hide while standing still, even in combat.
• Quickness: reduces the chance to be hit by melee and ranged attacks by 2%.
• Nature Resistance: reduces the chance to be hit by Nature spells by 2%.
• Wisp Spirit: increases movement speed by 75% after death.

The Draenei improves their group's chance to hit.

• Gift of the Naaru: heals the target over 15 seconds.
• Heroic Presence: increases chance to hit with spells and attacks by 1% for you and your party.
• Gemcutting: increases Jewelcrafting skill by 5.
• Shadow Resistance: reduces the chance to be hit by Shadow spells by 2%.

Horde

The Orc increases their attack power and suffers shorter stuns.

• Blood Fury: increases attack power, or spell power depending on the class, for 15 seconds.
• Hardiness: reduces the duration of stun effects by 15%.
• Axe Specialization: increases expertise with fist weapons and one- and two-handed axes by 5.
• Command: increases the damage dealt by your pet by 5%.

The Undead breaks free from control effects and resists Shadow.

• Will of the Forsaken: removes charm, fear and sleep effects.
• Cannibalize: lets you devour a humanoid or undead corpse to regenerate 7% of your health every 2 seconds for 10 seconds.
• Underwater Breathing: lets you hold your breath 233% longer underwater.
• Shadow Resistance: reduces the chance to be hit by Shadow spells by 2%.

The Tauren favors toughness and close-range control.

• War Stomp: stuns up to 5 nearby enemies.
• Endurance: increases maximum health by 5%.
• Nature Resistance: reduces the chance to be hit by Nature spells by 2%.
• Cultivation: increases Herbalism skill by 15.

The Troll speeds up their attacks and recovers health faster.

• Berserking: increases attack and casting speed by 20% for 10 seconds.
• Regeneration: increases health regeneration by 10%, and 10% of this regeneration continues during combat.
• Beast Slaying: increases damage dealt to beasts by 5%.
• Throwing Specialization: increases critical strike chance with throwing weapons by 1%.
• Bow Specialization: increases critical strike chance with bows by 1%.
• Da Voodoo Shuffle: reduces the duration of movement-impairing effects by 15%.

The Blood Elf has an area silence.

• Arcane Torrent: silences enemies within 8 yards for 2 seconds and restores mana, Energy or Runic Power.
• Arcane Affinity: increases Enchanting skill by 10.
• Magic Resistance: reduces the chance to be hit by spells by 2%.

Which race should you choose for each specialization?

Blood

The Tauren benefits from Endurance, which increases maximum health, and the Dwarf can protect themselves from bleeds, poisons and diseases with Stoneform.

Frost

The Human benefits from Sword Specialization and Mace Specialization. On the Horde side, the Orc benefits from Axe Specialization and Blood Fury, and the Troll can speed up their attacks with Berserking.

Unholy

The Orc also benefits from Command, which increases the ghoul's damage. In PvP, the Undead can break free of charm, fear and sleep effects with Will of the Forsaken.

Which one to choose?

No race is mandatory to play a Death Knight. The choice depends above all on your faction, then on your specialization.