How It Feels
Unholy is the necromancer in plate. A ghoul never leaves your side, your plagues eat their way through packs of enemies, and with every strike more undead crawl out of the ground. You are not alone on the battlefield, you bring your own little army.
It feels dark and satisfying. Compared to Frost you have more to manage, but your power grows visibly: first one ghoul, then several, and at your strongest a whole army.
How Unholy Works
Unholy uses runes and Runic Power and combines them with minions and plagues:
- Apply plagues: Outbreak infects enemies with two plagues that deal damage over time. Death Coil extends them.
- Summon ghouls: Festering Strike prepares your weapon, and your next Scourge Strikes each summon a lesser ghoul. Scourge Strike also makes your plagues erupt again.
- Spend Runic Power: Death Coil is your ranged attack and spends Runic Power.
- Big moments: Dark Transformation turns your ghoul into a monstrosity, Apocalypse summons more ghouls, Army of the Dead brings a whole troop to the field.
Key Abilities
- Festering Strike: prepares your weapon so your next Scourge Strikes summon lesser ghouls.
- Scourge Strike: an unholy strike that makes your plagues deal damage again.
- Outbreak: infects an enemy with two plagues.
- Death Coil: a bolt of unholy energy that spends Runic Power.
- Dark Transformation: turns your ghoul into a much stronger monstrosity.
- Apocalypse: unholy damage and two extra ghouls.
- Army of the Dead: summons a whole army of lesser ghouls for a while.
Lore: The Plague of Lordaeron
Unholy is rooted in the darkest chapter of the Eastern Kingdoms. The necromancer Kel'Thuzad and his Cult of the Damned distributed plagued grain throughout Lordaeron on behalf of the Lich King. Those who died of it rose again as undead of the Scourge. That plague is the legacy an Unholy Death Knight wields as a weapon today.
The Knights of the Ebon Blade broke free of the Lich King but kept the art of necromancy. Their ghouls now fight Azeroth's enemies instead of serving the Scourge.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
- a very strong pet fantasy with a growing undead army,
- good against groups thanks to plagues,
- self-healing through Death Strike and plate armor,
- comfortable solo, because the ghoul keeps enemies busy.
Weaknesses
- more to manage than Frost,
- slower ramp-up until plagues and ghouls are in place,
- little mobility.
Who Is the Unholy Death Knight For?
A good fit if you …
- like commanding minions while still standing in melee yourself,
- love the dark necromancer fantasy,
- enjoy building up effects over time.
Probably not if you …
- want a fast, direct playstyle, in which case Frost is better,
- prefer commanding minions from a safe distance, for example as a Demonology Warlock.
Unholy, Frost or Blood?
Frost strikes fast and directly with icy weapons, Blood tanks with vampiric self-healing. Unholy is the path for everyone who wants to lead an army of the undead.
More about the class on the Death Knight in WoW Midnight page.
Images: © Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. Source: worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com
