How come Death Knights aren't rotting? (2024)

Compared to the Forsaken, a human Death Knight, for example, isn't rotting even though both are technically undead humans. I'm under the assumption that Death Knights are imbued with stronger/more necromatic energies when they are raised that keeps them in better condition. But I've never seen an official/canon reason.

Any ideas?

Pretty much this.

Originally Posted by ThePallyRanger

Compared to the Forsaken, a human Death Knight, for example, isn't rotting even though both are technically undead humans. I'm under the assumption that Death Knights are imbued with stronger/more necromatic energies when they are raised that keeps them in better condition. But I've never seen an official/canon reason.

Any ideas?

If you are talking about the playable death knight class yeah the main reason they are not rotting because they retained their humanity from the Lich king's power.

I think Death knights technically aren't really dead bodies, but warriors / heroes that were infused with the Lich King's powers. At the beginning of the death knight quest line you'll see carts of dead humanoids, while the player hero is alive in front of the carts, before being given robes and sent to meet the Lich King. I imagine all the prisoners were infused with the Lich King's power and that those that survive become death knight acolytes.

Edit: The players are the above case, but there can be cases where the Lich King's power keeps the body fresh even after death, like most of the npc DKs. Hard to explain this other than just saying the valkyr's magical work again.

If u read the story about Sylvanas obtaining the Valkyr's power after the fall of the lich king (prelude to cata), a valkyr sacrifices herself on the formation of their pact to prolong her body. So I imagine the npc DKs would eventually rot unless they are the type that are 'still alive'.

DKs were probably resurrected immediately after they were fallen in combat, while forsaken could have nearly any timeline when they were brought back.

Originally Posted by Typhoria

DKs were probably resurrected immediately after they were fallen in combat, while forsaken could have nearly any timeline when they were brought back.

Given that we see candidates on piles of corpses, it wouldnt be that immediately.

Infused by unholy magic
Frigid with frost
Or drinking blood life essence preserves them

Forskaen x class are literal corpses just ressed

Originally Posted by Velshin

If you are talking about the playable death knight class yeah the main reason they are not rotting because they retained their humanity from the Lich king's power.

What I mean is if you take an undead/forsaken human, and you take a human death knight, even though both are humans resurrected by the Lich King, the latter still looks exactly like a human, while the former is in terrible shape. Not just humans though, but Death Knights of every other race look the same as though they were alive, the only difference is glowing eyes and hair/skin color.- - - Updated - - -

Originally Posted by Typhoria

DKs were probably resurrected immediately after they were fallen in combat, while forsaken could have nearly any timeline when they were brought back.

Trollbane, Nazgrim, Whitemane, etc.

The second generation of Scourge Death Knights (those that are playable) were meant to be the elite warriors of the Scourge - the Necromantic processes that bring them about strengthen or otherwise enhance their bodies tremendously, and since decay would hinder this strength it would also need to be arrested. The vast majority of the Scourge were simply ghouls raised by the Plague of Undeath, a more or less passive affliction that killed its victims and then made them undead, binding their wills to the Lich King's superior will. They continued to degrade (albeit slowly) as the Plague was designed to raise the undead en masse, mostly as shock troops or cannon fodder. The Death Knights were lieutenants and generals - great care was taken with enhancing them, and they benefit from extended viability and a near-living state of undeath.

Noth and Heigan talk about the Death Knight creation process during the Death Knight starting scenario, and there are other in-game references that talk about it as well.

- - - Updated - - -

Originally Posted by ThePallyRanger

Trollbane, Nazgrim, Whitemane, etc.

Trollbane, Nazgrim, and Whitemane (as well as Darion later on) are special cases - they were raised specifically by the Deathlord to become Horsem*n, and granted even further power than a typical Death Knight. Whitemane herself was a spirit when she was raised, and Trollbane's corpse would've long since rotted into nothing but a skeleton. The Necromantic power of the Deathlord, with the help of the new Lich King, was apparently sufficient to recreate bodies from base matter - shaping an entirely new undead vessel based on the original's appearance for them to inhabit. It's not yet known what the ramifications of this feat of Necromancy will be.

Because DKs are infused with runic magic, and some never even died to become what they are.

Originally Posted by Dastreus

Because DKs are infused with runic magic, and some never even died to become what they are.

The second generation of Scourge Death Knights are all uniformly undead - raised from the corpses of Horde and Alliance heroes of the Third War and other conflicts. The first generation actually are culled from the living, mostly powerful knights and a few fallen-away Paladins who pledged their souls in service to the Lich King in exchange for immortality through undeath.

Death Knights have been infused with much stronger necromantic magic than your avarage undead, it is also kind of explained in the recent Nathanos short story. They do not rot and are their bodies are stornger than they were alive.

The reason forsaken dks looks so shabby is just that: they are forsaken, it's not like blizzard could have made a unique model just for them.

it is explained in nathanos short story, the process of creating a death knight is a special ritual done by the lich King, what probably happens is that the effect of decay energies on the death knight´s body is somehow stopped

It's simple really. Deathknights are a much more complex undead then a Ghoul.

It's nothing new in fantasy most have lesser and greater undead, Warcraft is no exception.

Originally Posted by Aucald

The second generation of Scourge Death Knights are all uniformly undead - raised from the corpses of Horde and Alliance heroes of the Third War and other conflicts. The first generation actually are culled from the living, mostly powerful knights and a few fallen-away Paladins who pledged their souls in service to the Lich King in exchange for immortality through undeath.

Correct, but your generations are wrong.

First generation are dead knights possessed by the spirits of orc warlocks.

Second generation are fallen paladins and heroes damaged by death knights that then fell to corruption (redpath.)

Third generation is what we are which is fallen heroes after the events of WC3:TFT. Culled from the battlefield and given unlife in the service of the Lich King.

A lot of DKs were just regular living people infused with dark energy, the prime example being Drakuru waaaay back in wrath.

It's easier to think that their bodies are just really good wax dolls made of magic.

Originally Posted by Shelly

Correct, but your generations are wrong.

First generation are dead knights possessed by the spirits of orc warlocks.

Second generation are fallen paladins and heroes damaged by death knights that then fell to corruption (redpath.)

Third generation is what we are which is fallen heroes after the events of WC3:TFT. Culled from the battlefield and given unlife in the service of the Lich King.

I was referring specifically to Scourge Death Knights, of which there are only two recognized generations. I didn't want to muddy the waters with Gul'dan's OG Death Knights as they're kind of a different animal altogether being more undead casters than melee fighters and having a different methodology of creation. But if you were just talking about Death Knights through history it would be correct to say there are three distinct versions of them.

DKs, Sylvanas and now Nathanos are essentially superior undead compared to the playable Forsaken.

This is one of the reasons why I feel the Forsaken are such a meh race to begin with. It pretty much screams "inferior" and "pathetic" every way you look at it. Only way to fix this mess is to add an Allied Race of Nathanos-like undead humans.

Originally Posted by deviantcultist

DKs, Sylvanas and now Nathanos are essentially superior undead compared to the playable Forsaken.

This is one of the reasons why I feel the Forsaken are such a meh race to begin with. It pretty much screams "inferior" and "pathetic" every way you look at it. Only way to fix this mess is to add an Allied Race of Nathanos-like undead humans.

the forsaken being in a bad position is part of their identity, they have these rotten and ugly bodies and they are doomed to live in that state for ever until the pieces of their body finally start to fall apart. This is not a mess but rather an intended decision from blizzard part.

Also an allied race of "nathanos-like undead humans" goes against the lore