Just like some others, what got me into the Warcraft franchise was WC3. It was our family’s first own PC game, in fact(my family got a PC fairly late).
The two of my favourite hero units were definitely DH and DK with perhaps Blademaster being the third.
Anyway, to the actual topic. In WC3 DK was actually -the fastest- hero unit. While the DK’s base speed was ‘average’ the unholy aura made them the fastest. To me, this was a huge part of the DK fantasy. They were also one of the few heroes who fought mounted, another huge part of the DK fantasy, imo. The latter was completely lost during the transition to WoW.
In Classic, the first time we encounter a fairly ‘traditional’ DK is when we fight Baron Rivendare in Stratholme. He fights on a mount! Now, it begs the question why he’d be on a mount inside a ziggurat but that’s beside the point.
Come WotLK and we finally get to play DKs. At this point I did not mind them not necessarily being the fastest but in WotLK the mobility of the rogue and warrior wasn’t through the roof yet either. Couple that with the DK’s Unholy Stance which lowered the GCD as well as provided a constant 15% running speed increase it wasn’t that bad. The DKs were (un)intentionally very powerful in WotLK, and had a lot going for them.
However, as we moved past MoP the class fantasy of DK was also changed to fit a certain vision.
Nowadays each specalization has a certain flavour to it but they all have one thing in common - they are all agonizingly slow. THe blood DK also hits like a noodle which feels just wrong - your spec is literally called Blood and you’re wielding a big vicious looking axe or sword yet you hit for less than the guys with shields? Anyway, I digress.
What do you guys think, does being slow really fit the DK? Should some DK specs have more mobility, others less? Will the coming of WC3 reforged change anything now that we’ll have people playing the two games alongside each-other?
I kinda like them being slow. The idea that you’ve got this unstoppable monster chasing you in heavy armour just feels right. Being stalked by an undead that you can slow down but he’s gonna get you eventually.
It’s even reflected in the gameplay where DKs basically have a 40% speed boost on most classes since they have a 70% slow and can’t be slowed below 70% themselves.
‘‘You are as hard to stop as death itself’’
As for spec differences I feel that Blood and Frost should be the slow ones (bring back 2H Frost!) with Unholy being slightly faster but not too much so.
A lot of people keep calling DK “slow”, but that’s the wrong way to put it.
It is “slow AND methodical”
DK might look gross and messy in appearance, but it is actually a very “classy” type class where you have to use your spells with more thought and consideration than, let’s say Warrior. Which is why it “feels slow”.
Kinda agree with Necrofenix here. The movement speed of DKs if fine the way it is. Considering we have wraithwalk+DA for movement and asphyxiate+chains+grip for CC. As for my vision of a DK is more towards Arthas in the Halls of Reflection. I enjoy being a threatening presence that you don’t want to get close to.
Death knights should run passively fast being, what i understand, are tireless undead abominations that likely do not have to conserve their energy/strength but then should be actively slow given their weighty armor.
Agree with the above sentiment. I’d like to also add Death’s Advance. While the movement speed bonus isn’t huge, it helps get through annoying obstacles like Ring of Peace.
