World of Warcraft has a vast array of cool undead enemies that would be perfect for Death Knights to “tame” or control. The goal is to make Unholy Death Knights feel more necromantic, embodying the essence of a necromancer.
- Unholy Cemetery Concept
- Instead of a traditional “Pet Stable,” Death Knights could have an “Unholy Cemetery” where they store the corpses/spirits they plan to raise/control.
- Improving All Will Serve
- I suggest raising an additional permanent ghoul or magus to enhance the necromantic theme.
- Raising Humanoids as Pets
- Imagine being able to kill any humanoid enemy and raise it as a pet.
- These raised pets could have a transparent effect similar to the existing ‘Raise Dead’ spell or a distinctive blue, wispy tint.
Improving Control Undead
The current Control Undead spell is problematic for Unholy, the spec focused on raising the undead, as it replaces your ghoul and prevents it from benefiting from Dark Transformation.
- Suggested Improvements:
- Make Dark Transformation work on both the Death Knight and the ghoul to avoid heavy DPS loss.
- Add a wisp aura effect to non-ghoul controlled undead so they can benefit from Dark Transformation and players know their undead pet is benefitting from DT.
- Alternatively, move all of Dark Transformation’s functionalities to the Death Knight, empowering them instead. This could transform the Death Knight into a Lich for its duration, using the Kel’Thuzad model.
Raising Dead Players and Other Enemies
Allowing the ability to raise dead players would be cool as well.
- Historical Reference:
- Back in Legion, the Affliction Warlock artifact weapon left behind spirits of slain enemies.
- Blizzard could use this same mechanic for not just players but for any enemy, increasing the pool of undead a Death Knight could control and, in doing so, reduce the overlap between Hunters raising undead beasts and Death Knights.
- Permanent Pets
- Death Knights could have up to two permanent pets at all times.
- Currently, this is possible, but the undead archer is quite underwhelming. (I’m sorry little buddy, but you’re no Legolas)
Necromancer Class Feasibility
- It doesn’t feel like we’re ever getting a true necromancer class since Death Knights exist.
- Shadowlands would have been the perfect time to introduce one if Blizzard had intended to.
- Let’s make Unholy Death Knights the best Necromancer it can be with just a few minor tweaks.
- Army of the Dead would raise undead from your Unholy Cemetery. Imagine raising an army of undead in a battleground composed of enemies from the last battleground you fought. It would be so sick. Granted, you would still have to cast Control Undead on the corpse, so whether or not a player lets you fully cast the spell is on them.
This feature would not only enhance the fantasy of being a Death Knight but also provide a unique and engaging gameplay mechanic, differentiating them from other pet classes while staying true to their dark, necromantic roots.