Having taken a Death Knight through the initial Ebon Hold quests, I can only echo Eurogamer's
gushing thoughts on the experience. This is unquestionably the finest work the WoW team has done to date, and reflects all of the lessons - both technical and creative - Blizzard has learned since the game first launched some four years ago. The new phasing technology allows for a true sense of world and narrative progression without the drawbacks traditionally associated with instancing.
Particular highlights of the Death Knight experience for me:
- The Lich King's initial speech.
- Slaughtering an "unworthy" Death Knight to claim your Rune Blade.
- Stealing, slaughtering, and raising from the dead a Horse to serve as your mount. The sound made by the steed is chilling, very reminiscent of the Ringwraiths in LOTR.
- Thassarian! (connects to an Alliance quest chain in Borean Tundra, where you assist his sister in looking for him.)
- Flying the Ebon Gryphons in battle against the Scarlet Crusade.
- Torturing the New Avalon soldiers for information about the Scarlet Dawn.
- Killing random peasants who flee and beg for their lives.
- Reading the scraps of parchment dropped by said peasants which together constitute a fairly blatant mockery of institutionalised religion.
- Killing a friend who reminds you of your past life.
- The Battle Maidens/Valkyries who resurrect you upon death.
- The Battle of Light's Hope Chapel. (incl. The Ashbringer!)
- Horde/Alliance NPCs insulting, spitting, and throwing fruit at you as you pass.
- The Death Gate, whose awesome and persistent graphic is pure wank, serving only to announce that a Death Knight wuz here.
- Death Grip. There's a real Vader feel to this thing, I feel like making a macro for it, something like:
/cast Death Grip
/em finds your lack of faith disturbing
Mechanically the class is rather complex, certainly moreso than other WoW classes, I'm still getting the hang of it. As Frost at 58, my general attack sequence against three mobs looks something like this:
Icy Touch to apply Frost Fever, Chillblains, and Icy Talons. (cost: 1 Frost)
Plague Strike to apply Blood Plague. (cost: 1 Unholy)
Pestilence to spread Frost Fever/Blood Plague to other targets.
Howling Blast on all targets. (cost: 1 Frost 1 Unholy)
Blood Boil to cause diseases to erupt.
Blood Strike. (cost: 1 Blood)
Death Coil. (cost: 40 RP)
Frost Strike. (cost: 10 RP)
.. and from there I get all confused as RP values wander all over the places and runes start coming off cooldown at different times and diseases start expiring.
I'm not sure I'll stick with the class, mostly for thematic reasons. I like Blood with its vampirism, Frost is mechanically interesting with its hybrid melee/caster tools, and I like the general aesthetic, but Unholy with its necromancy theme does nothing for me. A fallen hero atoning for past misdeeds with the only tools at his/her disposal is all well and good, but I've no interest in diseases, raising ghouls/zombies and the like.
Might add some thoughts on the rest of the expansion later, I think I've written enough for now.
