Just how "dead" are DKs?

[Harmonic]

life-death limbo state, neither fully alive nor dead.

Just want to point this out but isn't that exactly how you'd describe undeath?

From my point of views, all Death Knights are just as dead as the forsaken.

That's a pretty unsubstansiated statement, though. You can be paralyzed, brain-dead, and so on without being actually dead, and in WoW you can be fully capabable while also being dead at the same time. So really, without something saying "Oh they they are definately dead", which Blizz dances around and seems to let the players decide for themselves, it's a pretty brass statement to try to push on everyone else.

Granted, if you wanna be dead, cool. But if other DK's wish to be alive, I really don't see the huge deal with it. What does it hinder or add to or from a character?

[Harmonic]

And, to try to put an end to this with a double post...

The death knights of the Second War were powerful undead necromancers created by Gul'dan to replace the warlocks slaughtered by Orgrim Doomhammer. The first and most prominent of the death knights was Teron Gorefiend.

A new order of death knights emerged during the Third War, in service to the Lich King. They were created from living and undead humans (and occasionally other races) who had been granted unholy runeblades, and most were former paladins who had forsaken the Holy Light.

In World of Warcraft, the death knight is the first of the hero classes, see Death Knight (hero class).

This was taken from here.

First gen, were indeed dead. SECOND gen was a mix of undead and alive Death Knights... including Arthas, who wasn't dead either.

However, with the third gen, it seems to be up to interpritation. It seems that Blizz favors the idea of a mixture of alive and dead deathknights, and I think that's where it should be left at.

[Caediath]

The Intro says otherwise. "You paid for it, with your life."

[Nostra]

Huh, I guess people could say that they mean it metaphorically, though it does seem like you actually have to die to become one.

[Nostra]

Huh, I guess people could say that they mean it metaphorically, though it does seem like you actually have to die to become one.

[Kaghuros]

The beginning quests do have you bear witness to meatwagons full of corpses being sifted through and raised into Knights, which would corroborate that.

[Kaghuros]

The beginning quests do have you bear witness to meatwagons full of corpses being sifted through and raised into Knights, which would corroborate that.

[PiesOfNub]

From what I've read, the process of actually turning someone into a Death Knight doesn't require the To-Be DK to actually be dead. Hell, someone could become a Death Knight while awake and living! It was just easier to use the corpses of the dead as possible Death Knights. I assume that only Liches (And the Lich King) retain the power to turn one into a Death Knight, and would rather their prey to be somewhat dead OR unable to fight back.

So, it'd be possible for someone to become a Death Knight while in a coma, and still technically "be alive".

[PiesOfNub]

From what I've read, the process of actually turning someone into a Death Knight doesn't require the To-Be DK to actually be dead. Hell, someone could become a Death Knight while awake and living! It was just easier to use the corpses of the dead as possible Death Knights. I assume that only Liches (And the Lich King) retain the power to turn one into a Death Knight, and would rather their prey to be somewhat dead OR unable to fight back.

So, it'd be possible for someone to become a Death Knight while in a coma, and still technically "be alive".

[Nostra]

Hmmm. Maybe we've forgotten something then, where did you read it?

[Nostra]

Hmmm. Maybe we've forgotten something then, where did you read it?

[PiesOfNub]

I forgot where, actually!

/target head
/bonk

EDIT: I've reasoned that if they actual ritual is anything like the second-gen DK one, my theory should work.

[PiesOfNub]

I forgot where, actually!

/target head
/bonk

EDIT: I've reasoned that if they actual ritual is anything like the second-gen DK one, my theory should work.

[Nostra]

Well, seeing how they do uses corpses and you see them getting raised with necromantic magic I'd think death is really something that is needed, unless they take willing people from say, the Cult of the Damned. So to me it seems more that if the "squire" is unwilling, they kill him/her and then raise it, if they have a willing victim they might be able to make them into death knights without killing.

Though living members of the Cult is probably more valuabe than another soldier in the ranks, especially when they can fill those ranks with the dead.

[Nostra]

Well, seeing how they do uses corpses and you see them getting raised with necromantic magic I'd think death is really something that is needed, unless they take willing people from say, the Cult of the Damned. So to me it seems more that if the "squire" is unwilling, they kill him/her and then raise it, if they have a willing victim they might be able to make them into death knights without killing.

Though living members of the Cult is probably more valuabe than another soldier in the ranks, especially when they can fill those ranks with the dead.