For my opinion, Runeforging is outdated, by a long shot.
There’s so many options, but only 2 or 3 are viable, i’ve played DK since Wotlk launch, and maybe 90% of the time, i’ve used Fallen Crusader. And personally, it’s getting boring.
I like the idea of Rune of Apocalypse, but the debuffs are so weak and how it works is just awful, they dont last long to be useful in any situtation.
Example, i would change RoA like this
Unholy only.
War - Increase damage of your PETS by 5%
Famine - Increase damage dealt by your diseases 5%(Does not stack with Pestilence)
Death - You leech 5% damage you deal with auto attacks.
Pestilence - Increase the shadow damage taken by you 10% (does not stack with Famine).
And when you get all 4 debuffs, your rune consumes the debuffs and summon a undead pet to fight for you for 20s dealing 120% of your Ghouls damage.
OR when you get 4 debuffs, your rune consumes the debuffs and add a Soul Reaper to your target, that triggers regardless of targets HP. Each debuff last 20 seconds, but are refreshed when bursting a festering wound. But the trigger would be around 20-25% of auto attacks, not of your pets.
Rune of Stoneskin Gargoyle renamed to Rune of Vampire
Only for blood.
Increase armor and leech by 15% and all stats by 5% (Leech reduced to 7.5% in pvp).
New: Rune of Frozen Wastes
Only for frost
Obliterate and Frost Strike have a chance trigger each other with 12% damage (Obl triggers frost strike and vise versa) as frost damage (Doesnt award or consume Runic Power when triggered).
And i would nerf Rune of Fallen crusader to make it par with other runes, or just delete it.
Heal you for 2% and increase total strength by 10%.
These are just samples what I’ve been thinking. I cant be only who thinks that using only Fallen Crusader or/and razorice is getting kind of boring after so many years.
I like the fantasy you’re expressing, especially the UH one. For me the fundamental problem with Runeforging is that it’s reduced to being a passive enchant.
All the changes you’ve mentioned could be simply a talent. What does it add to being a free class specific enchant? (minus some gold savings…)
The lore so far clearly has shown to use that “Mourne Blades” or other runic empowered weapons are meant to be a really strong aspect of death knight lore. Death Knights wield exclusively rune blades (knight is nothing without a its blade and the blade is nothing without its wielder type of idea).
Yet it’s simply an enchant?
How could we get Runeforging, and the general idea of wielding a runic blade a more interactive and present aspect of our gameplay? Maybe we could be activating different runes as part of our rotation as CDs? Could they rework Runes and Runic Power to relate more to our weapon as opposed to just a builder/spender resource?
With Evokers having a charging system for their Fire Breath, could we get something similar? We have some cool animation as we activate more and more runes, unleashing powerful abilities and devastating buffs (no evoker pun intended). Or is it a system that works a bit like the Anvil trinket, where the more the fight goes, the more runes we activate and making us increasingly more lethal.
I do echo your sentiment, I’d add the whole bloody class needs some sort of rework. Just something that will make the class feel as cool and and scary as it’s meant to be lore wise.
I’d like it if they removed the current version and almost made it like a gem/artifact system. Like 6 runes you can choose from. Like 2 utility, 2 dps and 2 defensive. Utility could be extra charges on grip and chains. Dps could be strength bonuses and extra plague damage. Defensive could be extra healing in death strike or leech etc but there should be about ten runes per slot type. Could even have a spec/class mega gem like an additional talent point, summon an extra ghoul permanently, increase obliterate crit damage. All the gems are available to every spec except the meta gem. But let them be stackable or mix and match per gem type.
But that’s the problem though, Fallen Crusader is just a very good enchant. It could either A: become a central passive talent and free up the runeforging slot for something else, B: make a lot more situational better runeforges or C: completely overhaul the entire system to something like what Shiverghast, or myself mentioned (or any other idea to be honest)
You know, I quite enjoyed that idea. Plays into the fantasy I was talking about earlier quite nicely, that DKs wield specific rune forged blades. Your idea allows for that expression through customizing your weapon essentially.
If they implement that in talent tree they would have to nerf overall strenght of dk or they would be op asf.
So theres no point of doing anything.
From pvp perspective unholy dk is completly fine.
Only dh will give you hard time other classes are joke compared to the unholy.
Unholy just need these pvp changes in to the pve to feel nice.
Frost is really bad designed and its worse and worse with every new update.
Whats better situational than fallen crusader strenght?
Just I sed pvp changes need to be implemented in to the pve nerfed pet dmg buffed dk dmg so you can feel your hits with pets in pve you feel like you dont do anything.
How so? If it has the same proc rate how does that get affected?
I omit commenting on pvp side of things as I don’t pvp at all at the moment.
Balance can be found for the loss or alteration of this buff, that’s not the end of the world. Generally, the less rng in any aspect of the game the better if you ask me. Rune of the fallen crusader does have a decent up time, I don’t see how it would affect the overall power if it works exactly the same way but triggered through an enchant or a talent.
We’re just thinking of ideas on how could this aspect of the class be more interesting and in line with the fantasy it’s meant to express.