Death Knights to get a major update in WoW The War Within, cutting down on 'resource flooding'

WoW The War Within’s developers are promising some big changes for Death Knights. Even in the Alpha, there are quite a few updates to the class to cut some of the problems it currently has. This includes resource flooding and an overall lack of variety in certain specializations. The problem of complexity also has come up, and there will be some changes in that department too.

It’s worth pointing out that Blizzard hasn’t given specific changes that Death Knights can expect in WoW The War Within. That said, they’ve given clear targets that they want to address, and Death Knight mains will want to know what lies in store for players this year.

Death Knight class changes to expect in WoW The War Within

Death Knight is a fun class, but it can be mighty restrictive, and lack variety in its current form (Image via Blizzard)

Changes at a glance

The lack of variety in Blood DK builds will be addressed
Resource flooding in all three builds is a major target
Lowering the number of throughput nodes in the DK tree - or making them easier to pick up in a build
In Frost, the focus is on the Breath of Sindragosa ability
Unholy DKs will have “fewer plates to spin” to be optimal

A recent feedback post on the Blizzard forums featured Community Manager Kaivax highlighting upcoming Death Knight changes in WoW The War Within. Several classes will see updates, but this class might be among the ones that need it the most. As a long-time Death Knight player myself, the targeted goals the developers have in mind are ones I could see improving the class a great deal.

One of the most important changes that the developers have in mind for Death Knights in WoW The War Within is resource flooding - all specs (Blood, Unholy, Frost) have a problem with this at some level or another. While the Alpha is currently live, the news post from Blizzard stated they are still ways off from implementing updates like these to the class.

Another point of contention is the major DPS throughput nodes on the Death Knight trees. The developers don’t want to remove these major DPS options for Death Knights, but instead, make them easier to access or make them feel more natural. The goal is to make the class feel fluid, to feel like it makes sense.

These talent trees will likely see significant changes (Image via Blizzard)

Most of the great Death Knight abilities sit at the bottom of the talent tree, and if you want them all, you have to do a significant amount of fiddling around. It doesn’t feel good, and that’s one thing that they plan on changing.

When it comes to Blood Death Knights, WoW The War Within developers are looking at changes that will give the build more flexibility. Some of the important abilities in this specialization will be changed into non-talent spells to help make it a more flexible, enjoyable way to play.

For Frost Death Knights, the changes will primarily be aimed at the contentious Sindragosa’s Breath ability. The goal in this case is to remove the focus on building around this ability and give them other options. It’s not fun when you have to build around one important ability to be relevant.

Finally, Unholy Death Knights are set to become a bit less complex, as a part of their WoW The War Within changes. Several important abilities will be adjusted in some manner: Gargoyle, Sudden Doom, Festering Wounds, and Vile Contagion. It will be very interesting to see what happens in this build. While I love Unholy, the rotation is very specific, and failing at it even a little can hurt your DPS severely.

The developers haven’t given anything concrete yet, but there are so many changes and updates coming to WoW The War Within - for Death Knights and other classes, too. The game will also see several important quality-of-life changes, like the new Warband system.