As I’ve probably mentioned before, I’ve been trying out a new guild on a new server. Single Abstract Noun is on the Argent Dawn servers in both Europe and US. It’s a guild for warcraft bloggers, the people who read them and anyone else involved in the community. It’s got a great feel, and provides a welcome alternative to running raids or heroics. The European branch is also on a roleplay server, making for entertaining results when PvE or PvP server players encounter roleplay for the first time.
I’d originally intended to roll (yet another) mage. I got a blood elf to level 10, but left it there as I’ve also got other mage projects that I’m working on. I was beginning to feel that I needed something different if I was going to make it challenging enough to be worthwhile.
So I rolled a Deathknight called Juplaar.
But there’s a problem. Melee classes and I don’t get on. I have tried – I have a rogue in the mid 50s and a warrior languishing in Hellfire Peninsula. By far my best attempt is my Protection/Retribution specced Paladin, who’s currently in the mid 70s. I’ve even tried feral druids without success. It’s worth pointing out that these characters only got as high as they did due to Refer-A-Friend boosts.
So far, it’s been a somewhat confusing experience. I’ve had real difficulty in choosing a simple talent spec or even working out which buttons to press – I just tend to mash things randomly and mobs fall over. I guess it’s like anything else – I’ll need to do some research, maybe find a “Deathknights for the Complete Idiot”.
Maybe I’m just being too picky – I want to understand how a class works, what mechanics constrain it and where the opportunities are. I don’t want to be handed a talent spec and a rotation and be told that they’re the best, because it doesn’t tell me why. It also means that I don’t get the picture of how itemisation fits in, how stats complement talent choices and how patches and changes will affect the class.
I’m going to keep with it, as I want to prove to myself that I can actually do this. I’m just expecting a bumpy ride along the way. Luckily the guild is fantastic in providing help and support.
Let’s see if I can get away from being a melee misfit.
Death Knights are tricky like that. I called them a faceroll class for the longest time because they truly are (though more so at low level than high). Apply face to keyboard > roll face left > roll face right > loot.
Strength is going to be your big stat for, well, ever. You want some Hit too, and Agility isn’t bad for the crit, but you’re all about bashing things in the face as hard as you can.
If you’re in the US version of SAN then I might drop in sometime this week on a DK and can give you some tips in game. I’m only really familiar with Frost Tanking/AoE grinding and Unholy DPS, but those are some of the best there is.
Thanks for the tips. I’m on the EU version of SAN, but a couple of them have been giving me a couple of pointers on class and spec.
I guess it’s the engineer in me – I want to know the how and why behind the do.
I understand the difficulty of going from range class to melee class. My main is a hunter, but more recently I’ve been playing my DK and I’ve been loving it. But sometimes switching back forth makes my brain hurt. I’ll find myself tempted to run into the fray with my hunter or step back and attempt to only deathcoil with my DK. I think I’m starting to get role switching down a little bit more. If you decide that you don’t like the DK then you should at least get through the beginner quests and get some professions to make quick money. I’ve done at least that on several servers. It’ll be your daddywarbucks for your toons.
Still its fun to explore a new role in the game.
I know what you mean about switching roles! There have been a couple of times where I’ve been on my priest and tried healing the twin valkyr to death. Normally I pull Grid up and put it almost in the centre of the screen in order to keep my mind focused.
I love the DK beginner quests, and I’ve just got through them on Juplaar. He’s now in Hellfire, and I’m hoping to do more work on him soon. You raise a good point though – a couple of gathering professions and he’d be rolling in gold!
The beauty I’ve found with the DK class is the ability to switch between an offensive gameplay and a defensive gameplay very quickly mid combat. Using a mixture of both your Runes and Runic Power to either dish out damage quickly, or holding it in reserve for s##t-hits-fan situations.
As said, unless you suddenly find yourself decked out in ICC plate as a Blood DK, Str will be your go-to stat.
If you can bear to level through Outland again you’ll find where the class really does feel heroic before Northrend catches up with you.
Best of luck with it!