Will Undead Warriors become Death Knights?

[nobbie]

As I'm currently playing an Undead Warrior as main character, I'm wondering which Hero Class he'll become past level 60 when those class upgrades are implemented:

Will Undead Warriors become Death Knights?

I'm also curious what you - especially the long-time WarCraft players here - think what the Hero Classes for all other current classes or race/class combos will be.

Time for collecting some interesting speculations :D

[Kevin]

As I'm currently playing an Undead Warrior as main character, I'm wondering which Hero Class he'll become past level 60 when those class upgrades are implemented:

Will Undead Warriors become Death Knights?

I'm also curious what you - especially the long-time WarCraft players here - think what the Hero Classes for all other current classes or race/class combos will be.

Time for collecting some interesting speculations :D
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As I recall Death Knights were undead paladins. Warrior are more akin to footmen and grunts. Death Knights were a very weak melee class and strong casters (mage equivalents) so I just don't see the warrior going that route at all.

[Quark]

As I recall Death Knights were undead paladins.  Warrior are more akin to footmen and grunts.  Death Knights were a very weak melee class and strong casters (mage equivalents) so I just don't see the warrior going that route at all.
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Death Knights from War2 and War3 were different.

War2:

These soldiers of darkness were created by Gul'dan to replace the slaughtered Warlock clans. Assembled from the corpses of the Knights of Azeroth slain in the last battles of the First War, these abominations were then instilled with the ethereal essence of the Shadow Council. Further empowered with magical energies culled from the slain Necrolytes, the Death Knights wield an arsenal of necromantic and elemental spells that mete out all but certain death to the enemies of the Horde.

The Necrolytes were killed when Orgrim Doomhammer took over the clans, and Gul'dan essentially made them stronger. So they're really just mounted versions of the original Warcraft Horde's caster unit.

War3:

Death Knights were once virtuous defenders of Humanity. However, once the Paladin ranks were disbanded by the failing Alliance, many of these holy warriors traveled to the quarantined lands to ease the suffering of those left within the plague-ridden colonies. Though the Paladins were immune to disease of any kind, they were persecuted by the general populace who believed that they had been infected by the foul plague. A small band of Paladins, embittered by society's cruelty, traveled north to find the plague's source. These renegade Paladins succumbed to bitter hatred over the course of their grueling quest. When they finally reached Ner'zhul's icy fortress in Northrend they had become dark and brooding. The Lich King offered them untold power in exchange for their services and loyalty. The weary, vengeful warriors accepted his dark pact, and although they retained their humanity, their twisted souls were bound to his evil will for all time. Bestowed with black, vampiric Runeblades and shadowy steeds, Death Knights serve as the Scourge's mightiest generals.

One of the hero units for the Undead, Death Knights are much more melee based in War3. They're not even technically undead, they're just messed up humans.

[Kevin]

Death Knights from War2 and War3 were different.

War2:
The Necrolytes were killed when Orgrim Doomhammer took over the clans, and Gul'dan essentially made them stronger.  So they're really just mounted versions of the original Warcraft Horde's caster unit.

War3:
One of the hero units for the Undead, Death Knights are much more melee based in War3.  They're not even technically undead, they're just messed up humans.
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See my memory is foggy. My reply combined them both. The corrupted paladins from War3 and the caster units from War2. :)

Either way I still don't see an undead warrior becoming a death knight.

[savaughn]

Either way I still don't see an undead warrior becoming a death knight.
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Be cool as heck if Human Paladins could though.

Wonder if they could force you over to the horde side if you did it....

[Cryptic]

That would be the coolest option - level 60 Paladins would have a heroic quest. They would be faced with a conscious climactic choice at the end, something dramatic. (For example, having to choose to save a loved one by allying with evil, or letting that person die for the greater good.) Depending on this choice, they would either become Exemplars for the Alliance, or Death Knights for the Horde. It would be a nice idea to let people switch sides if they wanted to. :)

Something similar could be implemented for the Shaman as well, if they wanted to "become one with the Light." They could stay in the Horde and be Spirit Walkers, or become Enlightened for the Alliance. Don't you want to see Tauren prophets strolling around in Stormwind?

[Lord BEEF]

Death Knights in their current existance are servants to the Lich King and the scourge. You can't be a death knight without serving the scourge.

They'd have to change that if they were to make it a hero class option.

[Zarathustra]

Night Elf Druid: Keeper of the Grove. This one would be tough to implement as far as the form change goes (lots of new art for the armors), but I could see Blizzard adding some antlers and maybe a gnarled plant-like hand to an existing character. Another possibility would be a Druid of the Claw for those who have chosen to specialize in Feral Combat. Granted, the DotC isn't a Hero in WC3, but it would fit nicely. This would provide for two possible paths a Druid could follow when it comes to "epic" levels.

Orc Warrior: Blademaster. I'd just love to see that ingame. The end.

Tauren Warrior: Totemic. I could see creating a Tauren just to be able to beat enemies down with a totem.

Undead Mage: Lich. Pretty simple there. Perhaps it would require a focus in the cold talents, unless it is assumed that a lich outside of the control of the Scourge would have more freedom in casting.

[oldmandennis]

Yes, the death knights from War 3 would count the Forsaken as their most bitter rivals. It leads me to one of my complaints with the game(or perhaps a direction they could take WOW2): lack of factions.

<pie in the sky>

I think they could have done a lot more with the factions, and made a lot more of them. An epic quest to become a Death Knight and join the scourge is one cool idea. It would be neat if there was some incentive for Tauren druids and shamen to declare all out war on all goblins for their mining operations, but be able to make common cause with Night Elf Druids. Warlocks should be able to activly assist the Burning Legion. Paladins should be able to join the scarlet crusade, and maybe allow Tauren to join their extermination of the Scourge and the Forsaken.

All of these factions and many more could be connected in a complex web, where an orc assisting the Venture Mineing Co could become so unpopular with the Cenarious Circle that Tauren druids could attack him on sight. Such an orc would probably be safe in Ogrimar, the gaurds there would defend him against an over zelous druid, but going to TB might become a dicy proposition for him.

This would multiply replayability, because there would be a near infinate number of faction choices for alts to make.

<pie a la mode in the sky>

To extend the extra factionalism to the point where you definatly need WOW2, you make nearly the entire map, or at least all of the borders into battlegrounds. For example, you could make the STM into Venture territory, and put a battleground between Tauren and Venture inbetween. A battle ground between the Cenarious Circle and Venture could be located between STM and Ashenvale. If you were a druid trying to quest in the STM, you'd better make sure your side is doing well enough to hold a graveyard, or else adventuring would be very difficult. Finally, it would be a balance nightmare, but it would really make it into WARcraft if sucessfully completing STM quests and holding stratiegic points in the STM somehow made the Tauren and the Circle stronger.

</pie a la mode in the sky>

</pie in the sky>

Sorry for the thread jacking.

Orc Hunter > Beastmaster
Orc Shamen > Farseer
Troll Shamen > Shadow Hunter
NE Rogue > Warden
NE Hunter > Ranger (or Dark Ranger, if you allow faction switching)
NE Warrior > Demon Hunter
NE Hunter or Priest > Priestess of the Moon (she plays more like a Hunter, but we already have something for the hunters)
Tauren Warrior > Cheaften
Dwarf Warrior > Mountain King
Human Mage > Archmage or Sorceress

One problem with the idea of transforming lvl 60 chars into WC3 heros is the imbalance between gnomes and night elves, for example. The other problem is the wailing and gnashing of teeth from all the people who have spent their time making odd toons like dwarven priests.

[lemekim]

Upcoming hero classes? I hope by "On the Horizon" you don't expect them soon! With current development speeds, I would expect a year or two before we see anything =\

[nobbie]

As I recall Death Knights were undead paladins.&nbsp; Warrior are more akin to footmen and grunts.&nbsp; Death Knights were a very weak melee class and strong casters (mage equivalents) so I just don't see the warrior going that route at all.
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Yes, I know that Death Knights are corrupted Paladins, i.e. Prince Arthas. On the other hand, I can't imagine what other Hero Class Undead Warriors could be, unless Blizzard would implement a new option/game feature that others here have mentioned already: The opportunity to change factions with a game character!

This would be indeed a great new game feature. A Human or maybe even a Dwarven Paladin should have, after a certain (high) level, the option to follow a long and difficult, special class quest like "Path of the Forsaken". Once he has solved the quest series, he'll become a member of the Forsaken under Banshee Queen Sylvanas. Like in WarCraft, that quest series could start with the killing of an important member (NPC) of the own faction.

A nice side effect of the "change factions" option would be that you mustn't play 2 characters (1 Alliance + 1 Horde) to travel (safely) throughout all areas of Azeroth. When you start out as Human or Dwarven Paladin, you can safely travel through all Alliance regions first, and when you get "bored" because you have seen and solved everything on the Alliance side, you simply follow that special class quest called "Path of the Forsaken" and become an Undead "Death Knight" which allows you to travel safely through all Horde locations and solve the Horde quests.

There's also some nice playground on the graphical side here. The Paladin's graphics could change over time the further he proceeds on the "Path of the Forsaken". He starts as a "fresh" looking Human (or Dwarf), then gets grey hair and pale skin until he'll eventually look like a rotten Undead. Just like Prince Arthas in the WarCraft series. Or, imagine a rotten Undead Dwarven "Death Knight" with foul flesh, grey hair and beard, pale skin and EVIL eyes! :D

[nobbie]

Yes, the death knights from War 3 would count the Forsaken as their most bitter rivals.&nbsp; It leads me to one of my complaints with the game(or perhaps a direction they could take WOW2): lack of factions.

<pie in the sky>

I think they could have done a lot more with the factions, and made a lot more of them.&nbsp; An epic quest to become a Death Knight and join the scourge is one cool idea.&nbsp; It would be neat if there was some incentive for Tauren druids and shamen to declare all out war on all goblins for their mining operations, but be able to make common cause with Night Elf Druids.&nbsp; Warlocks should be able to activly assist the Burning Legion.&nbsp; Paladins should be able to join the scarlet crusade, and maybe allow Tauren to join their extermination of the Scourge and the Forsaken.

All of these factions and many more could be connected in a complex web, where an orc assisting the Venture Mineing Co could become so unpopular with the Cenarious Circle that Tauren druids could attack him on sight.&nbsp; Such an orc would probably be safe in Ogrimar,&nbsp; the gaurds there would defend him against an over zelous druid, but going to TB might become a dicy proposition for him.

This would multiply replayability, because there would be a near infinate number of faction choices for alts to make.

<pie a la mode in the sky>

To extend the extra factionalism to the point where you definatly need WOW2, you make nearly the entire map, or at least all of the borders into battlegrounds.&nbsp; For example, you could make the STM into Venture territory, and put a battleground between Tauren and Venture inbetween.&nbsp; A battle ground between the Cenarious Circle and Venture could be located between STM and Ashenvale.&nbsp; If you were a druid trying to quest in the STM, you'd better make sure your side is doing well enough to hold a graveyard, or else adventuring would be very difficult.&nbsp; Finally, it would be a balance nightmare, but it would really make it into WARcraft if sucessfully completing STM quests and holding stratiegic points in the STM somehow made the Tauren and the Circle stronger.

</pie a la mode in the sky>

</pie in the sky>
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Very nice ideas, oldmandennis :)

[Xanthix]

I agree with lemekim that it will be a LONG time before we even see plans and ideas for hero classes. They may end up in an expansion pack for all we know.

As for all the speculations, it seems like most of it involves taking the hero units from WCIII and figuring out what race/class combos they'd work with. But I don't think that's how Blizzard would do it. By my count there are 40 different race/class combinations. Maybe some of those could be combined, but there would still be a huge number of hero "classes" to implement. And I can't see Blizzard implementing 30+ new classes with new graphics and abilities and exclusive items.

Wouldn't it make more sense for either each race or each class to have an available hero option? It makes sense to me that Blizzard might not use the existing hero ideas from WCIII and instead make new hero types that aren't limited to one class, race, and play style. Maybe each race can have a hero type, and each class can - then you'd get to pick to be the Orc hero type or the Shaman hero type, etc.

Anyway, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Blizz won't spill any details because it's all so subject to change.

[Rinnhart]

Be cool as heck if Human Paladins could though.

Wonder if they could force you over to the horde side if you did it....
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Would be an interesting way to address concerns regarding shaman/paladin raid rolls/contributions.