So with the upcoming expansion of War Within we are getting a new allied race known as “The Earthen” that will be able to become death knights. A race that comes after the events of Shadowlands and the destruction of the helm of domination and the distinct lack of any Val’kyr. So I propose an few idea’s as to how we get death knight’s moving forward lore wise.
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The Ebon Blade now recruit directly from the shadowlands. With this idea After the events of SL Darian Morgaine took to heart his fathers wisdom of letting those who earned there rest stay that way. By now recruiting those who were wiling to rejoin the living through the shadow lands, this then allows those who have found rest to be given the choice that many death knights were not given. And so the hero’s who died on azeroth are granted the choice to rejoin the living and serve in death, much a kin to the champions of Maldraxis.
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Bolvar, though lacking the helm of domination has found the few remaining Val’kyr and convince them to help raise champions to the cause of defending Azeroth with Helya gone they once again lack a sort of leadership and so now do what they have always done best, raising the dead to fight for the living.
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Being the nature of Bolvar’s undeath to be unique, and now far from the helm of domination, has started to discover a new sort of death knight ability’s that take a nod towards the nature of fire and life magic. While not being bound with the light, this new sort of undeath brings about amazing powers that allow Bolvar to still raise death knights by a new form of life binding necromancy. also perhaps some new death knight eye effects
These are just some ideas, but I’m curious to see what you all think. 
When it comes to death knight and future playable races, I figured the following options were on the cards:
- A new generation of Death Knights, them raised with a preexisting agreement between the player and who raised them. For example the Knights of the Ebon Blade raising new members, such as Dracthyr should they gain the Death Knight class.
- The player is raised as a Death Knight against their will, breaks freed, kills their resurrector, and then returns to their people. For example, one of the unnamed Scourge Warlords tries to bolster their forces with new recruits only for things to go sideways.
- Lore-wise they have a different origin. For example Death Knight Worgen were Worgen that served Arugal, while Death Knight goblins were members of the Steamwheedle Cartel. So Earthen Death Knights could lore-wise be from Northrend or something.
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I suspect we’ll see a 5th generation come about when we have the next world ending threat arise.
Draginflight has tended to focus on local problems—dragon isles issues. Sure, some problems that find their origins on the Dragon Isles could have developed into much larger issues with more global implications, but, on the whole, the current expansion’s issues are—so far—local.
I’m talking a threat that’s more on the scale and seriousness seen in Legion. Legion started with both the Horde and Alliance failing—being utterly decimated at the Broken Shore. The Order Halls had no choice but to fill the defence void the two major factions left behind; hence the necessity for growth.
In other words, the necessity for growth has to be at a point at which it’s either grow or face annihilation. Just imagine how effective a Dracthyr death knight would be. Soldiers like that would be invaluable when the odds are stacked against you.
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I do wonder how that would work though. I assume the Domination magic used to raise them would override their draconic abilities. Or at least dampen them to a significant degree
Does anyone else think that Death Knight players should have their own unique /silly emotes?
The jokes would have to be Death Knight centric, instead of race. Similar to Demon Hunters.
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They’d probably do it if they didn’t need to get every single member of each race/gender to do it… and track down a lot of the older voice actors which go uncredited in the game.
Was easy with the DHs, they only needed to get 4 different voice actors.
They could pull any sort of stunt they want really. For example, they could go “Actually one piece of the Helm did not get used to make the Crown of Wills—We reforged it into the Signet Ring of the Ebon Highlord. The ring has the power to infuse a body with domination magic and raise it as a Deathknight”
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That’s not a bad idea actually. Kind of a shame they did away with the Lich King though. It was such a cool concept.
There is a more fundamental cosmology question for me, though. How can an inorganic Titan construct have a soul? I mean, they are not technically alive, so they cannot really be made undead…
I think it’s tricky due to death knights seemingly being some pretty high level necromancy.
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I would assume the Death Knights would get all new voice actors to record both old and new lines.
I’d actually like that a lot tbh.
The old voice method of just taking the regular old voicelines and putting a filter over it doesn’t age all too well comparatively to DHs.
Would love to see an entirely new voiceset for them.
That would be the safe bet on Earthen Death Knights especially with the Frostborn so close in appearance. 
Now that I think about it, it would make sense to do a complete overhaul of all Death Knight emotes if they brought in new voice actors to do the lines.
The /lol, the /cry, the whole 9 yards.
If they don’t make Dracthyr death-knights into just flat out mini, bipedal dracolitches then they’ve fundamentally misunderstood the dragon fantasy once again.
I think you might be mistaken being flesh and blood with being alive. Keep in mind that the magic of the Titans is way above what is available to the factions, so it’s very possible their creations have souls.