Alliance Death Knight Leveling Guide Lvl 55-61

Introduction

The aim of this guide is to help you level your Death Knight as fast as possible, while having as much fun as possible and doing as many quests as possible. Thanks to optimized quest circuits, you will get XP at a very high rate and never feel like you're running around too much. I will also recommend which talents to take, which gear upgrades to get and where to find them. I'll do my best to help you know your class better. As the Death Knight class is new and in constant evolution, I apologize in advance if some of the information I provide is outdated, and I kindly ask you to leave a comment if you find something that needs updating. I'll do my utmost to keep this guide as up-to-date as possible, until it reaches perfection.

• Don't waste your time trying to find groups for questing, you can solo everything that is described in this guide unless I say otherwise. Only group with someone when it's not gonna be a waste of time (e.g: meeting the person at the other end of the map to show him the way to where your quest is, that is a waste of time)
• Try to always log out in an inn or in one of the major cities when you take a break.
• If I don't mention a quest, 99% of the time it doesn't mean I forgot it, it means I consider it a waste of time, so don't take it thinking I forgot a quest here and there, I most likely didn't. Also don't abandon a quest unless I say you should.
• When I say you should bind somewhere (make an inn your home location), it's for a good reason, and it will save you much time. Don't change your home location unless I say so.

To get the most out of my guide, you should get an addon which displays coordinates, because I use them to describe locations in my guide (x,y). You can use any addon you like, but here's a very simple one I use.

Recommended

• DMiniCoords - A simple box which displays coordinates, left-click it to move it where you like.

Optional

Below is a list of other addons I use, this is 100% optional though, it's mostly for people who are curious to know which addons I use:

• Bartender4 - A great action bar addon.
• X-Perl UnitFrames - Very nice, highly customizable unit frames.
• Quartz - The best casting bar addon out there, imo.
• Scrolling Combat Text - I just don't like the default UI Floating Combat Text.
• Deathknight.info Runes - A cool addon to help you track your rune cooldowns.

Side Note: In case you don't know how to install add-ons, simply download an addon from one of the links above and unzip it. Then drag the unziped folder in your Addon folder (full path is c:Program FilesWorld of WarcraftInterfaceAddons). Then, restart World of Warcraft and it should be working.

If it isn't working, you might need to log out to your character selection screen and click on "Addons" in the lower-left corner. Tick the box that says "Load out of date Addons". Re-launch WoW.

If you can create a Death Knight, it means you already have another level 55+ character, so I'm assuming you got a little bit of gold aside and that you can do some shopping for your Death Knight. If you're broke, don't sweat it, everything listed below is optional, you'll just have an easier time if you buy it.

Start checking the auction house early and regularly to increase your chances of getting the listed items before it's time to use them in the guide.

Bags

Having a lot of bag space is really important. We will go for long xp circuits far from any vendor. You should try to get 18-slot bags, which can be bought from the AH for about 40g. If you can't afford it, then at least get 16-slot bags, they go for 7g at the AH.

Light's Hope Chapel Turn Ins

• 30 Crypt Fiend Part for [60] Cryptstalker Armor Doesn't Make Itself... - Needed at Level 59
• 30 Core Of Element for [60] The Elemental Equation - Needed at Level 59
• 30 Dark Iron Scrap for [60] Binding The Dreadnaught - Needed at Level 59
• 30 Savage Frond for [60] Savage Flora - Needed at Level 59

Aldor Turn ins

• 8 Dampscale Basilisk Eye for [65] Voren'thal's Visions - Needed at level 64

Where do I farm that?

Daemun's Farming Guide

Equipment

Check this shopping list for gear upgrades you can buy to help you level. It's 100% optional too of course, but I really recommend buying the Glyphs at least.

Death Knight Shopping List

I'll be recommending an Unholy build in my guide. I've done many tests during the beta and found out that I leveled faster with Unholy (Blood was pretty close though). It's up to you to follow my advice or not, spec blood if it fits your playstyle better.

I'll say where and when to take each talent point during my guide, everytime you get them. But here's an overview:

• Talent Spec at level 58: 0/0/49
• Talent Spec at level 70: 6/0/55
• Talent Spec at level 80: 16/0/55

• Quests
• Items
• Locations
• Quest objectives to kill
• NPCs
• Class Specific Information
• Locs

Race selection

1. My first advice is, pick a race you like, style is important!
2. If you only care about fast leveling min/maxing, you can choose Human for the increased Sword Expertise or Draenei for the Increased Hit Rating. But ultimately, it's not a big difference and other racials are also good depending on the situation.

Let's get started!

So you just created your Death Knight and you are now in the Ebon Hold, with The Lich King standing right infront of you. The first thing you must do is type /laugh. Why? Because Death Knight laughs are awesome

Done? Good. Now let's get serious!

Get the quest [55] In Service Of The Lich King. I suggest to zoom out your minimap to the maximum, that way you'll see the yellow "?" from far away on your minimap.

Go northwest to Instructor Razuvious, turn in the quest and get the follow up [55] The Emblazoned Runeblade.

Now look for glowing weapon rack like the one in the picture below:

Right-click it to loot a Battle-worn Sword. Open your inventory and right-click the sword while standing next to a runeforge:

Go back to Instructor Razuvious, turn in the quest and get the follow up [55] Runeforging: Preparation For Battle.

Go to the nearest runeforge, open your spellbook and click on runeforging:

Engrave your weapon with a Rune of Cinderglacier.

Go back to Instructor Razuvious, turn in the quest and get the follow up [55] The Endless Hunger.

Now time for our first fight. It's pretty straight forward, use your attacks in this order:

If one of your abilities get dodged or misses, keep re-casting it until it works. Your target must always have both the Icy Touch and the Plague Strike disease on before you use Blood Strike on them, that way you get the maximum damage out of Blood Strike.

Go down in the pit, right-click an Acherus Soul Prison, wait for the Unworthy Initiate to become attackable and kill it.

Go back to Razuvious, turn in and get the follow up [55] The Eye Of Acherus.

Go to The Lich King, turn in and get the follow up [55] Death Comes From On High.

To the left and right of The Lich King you should find an Eye of Acherus Control Mechanism. Right-click it.

Your ability bar will be replaced by a new bar with the eye's abilities.

After a short trip down, you'll get control on the Eye of Acherus. First, rise higher in the air to be out of firing range of any scarlet mob and then use Ability #3 to become invisible.

After that, find the first location we're going to analyze: the New Avalon Forge.

Very easy to spot thanks to the red arrow floating over it.

Use Ability #2 and try to target as many scarlet npcs as you can. This will summon ghouls on each of them to distract them while you use Ability #1 to analyze the building.

When done, rise up in the air and go invisible again. If the Eye of Acherus is low on health, you can wait a little for his HPs to regen.

On to the next building, just south of the forge, you'll find The Scarlet Hold. Apply the same strategy.

Directly west you'll find the New Avalon Town Hall, analyze it:

Finally go directly south and you'll find the Chapel of the Crimson Flame:

Analyze it and the quest should be complete.

Use Ability #5 and you'll be back to your character. Turn in the quest, get the follow up [55] The Might of the Scourge.

A few paces behind The Lich King you'll find a glowing pink teleporter. Step on it and you'll be teleported to another floor.

Go northwest to Highlord Darion Mograine, turn in the quest and get the follow up [55] Report To Scourge Commander Thalanor.

Equip your new necklace: Bladed Ebon Amulet

Further southwest is another quest called [55] The Power of Blood, Frost and Unholy, complete it immediately.

Go back to the balcony (not the teleporter) and turn in the quest at Scourge Commander Thalanor. Get the follow up [55] The Scarlet Harvest.

Right-click one of the Scourge Gryphons and fly down to Death's Breach.

Go a few paces south and turn in the quest at Prince Valanor, get the follow up [55] If Chaos Drives, Let Suffering Hold The Reins.

3 other quests should have appeared on your minimap now, get them all.

First thing, we're gonna look around the camp for Death Knight Initiates:

Right-click them, challenge them to a duel and defeat them. You can also challenge other players, but that's more difficult. Repeat this 5 times. Use the food you have in your inventory if you're low HP after a duel.

When done, go turn in [55] Death's Challenge. You'll get one talent point to spend as a reward. We'll only put our points in the Unholy tree for now.

Time to kill stuff, finally!

1. Go south down the path and then southeast towards the yellow "!" on your minimap while killing everything on the way and also picking up Saronite Arrows.

When you get to the yellow "!", you'll be infront of a mailbox with a scroll on top.

Right-click the scroll and complete the quest. You can then open the mailbox and get a book from it. It's just lore though, you can read it if you want. I personally read it quickly and destroyed it, it can't be sold.

After that go back to killing stuff and looting Sardonite Arrows until you finish both quests.

2. Once done, go to the stables, which are located on the northeastern part of the field.

Go to the nearest horse you can find and right-click it to mount it, then go back to Death's Breach, you can use the horse's Ability #2 to gallop.

3. Go to Salanar the Horseman, he stands right in the middle of Death's Breach, then use the horse's Ability #1 to deliver it to Salanar.

Turn in [55] Grand Theft Palomino and get the follow up [55] Into the Realm of Shadows.

You'll be in the shadow world after accepting this quest. Go down back in the fields and look for a Dark Rider of Acherus, kill it and then right-click his horse.

Ride back to Death's Breach and once there, use Ability #1, Horseman's Call. A few seconds later you'll be back in the normal world.

Click on the "Leave Vehicle" button, go to Salanar the Horseman and turn in the quest.

You can now summon your own Deathcharger. To do that, open the character window ("c" key), go to the Pets tab, drag the Acherus Deathcharger icon on a free action bar slot. Click it and voila!

Turn in:

• [55] If Chaos Drives, Let Suffering Hold The Reins
• [55] Tonight We Dine in Havenshire

It doesn't matter which cloak you pick, I personally like the one with frost resistance, because it fits the rest of the equipment better.

Get the quest [55] Gothik the Harvester from Prince Valanar. Go to Gothik the Harvester and turn in the quest, get the follow up [55] The Gift That Keeps On Giving.

You should be level 56. Equip your newly acquired items:

Cloak: Shroud of the North Wind
Relic: Sigil of the Dark Rider
Ring: Valanar's Signet Ring

• 1 in Morbidity
• 2 in Vicious Strikes
• 2 in Epidemic

Level 56

1. This time go down the path north then east and enter the Havenshire Mine (58,31).

Search your inventory for the Gift of the Havester and put it on a hotbar.

Use the Gift of the Harvester on Scarlet Miners. Repeat this step until you have 5 ghouls under your control.

Go back to Gothik the Harvester, turn in the quest and get the follow up [55] An Attack Of Opportunity.

Equip your new trinket: Soul Harvester's Charm

2. Go to Prince Valanar, turn in the quest and get the follow up [55] Massacre at Light's Point. Now comes a fun quest, I suggest reading the rest of point 2. before proceeding.

Outside of Havenshire Mine you'll find an Inconspicuous Mine Car.

When you right-click it, you'll be taken to a ship and will be facing 3 Scarlet Cannons.

If you right-click one of them, you'll take control of it and will this window will appear instead of your hotbars:

Ability #1 is your main ability, chain use it to kill as many Scarlet NPCs as you can. To aim, hold your mouse right-click button and move your mouse.

Ability #2 is to protect you. Whenever a few Scarlet NPCs make it close to you, use ability #2 to repell them.

Ability #5 is to escape. Use it once you've killed 100 Scarlet Defenders.

==TIP== Aim for the bridge leading to the ship every 2 or 3 shot to prevent them to get to you. If they do, there's still Ability #2 anyway.

3. You should be more than ready now, go right-click the Inconspicuous Mine Car and have fun!

4. Go back to Prince Valanar, turn in [55] Massacre at Light's Point, get the follow up [55] Victory At Death's Breach!

Right-click on a Scourge Gryphon to fly back to Acherus.

Go to Highlord Darion Mograine, turn in and get the follow up [55] The Will Of The Lich King.

Equip your new items:

• Bracers: Plated Saronite Bracers
• Legplates: Engraved Saronite Legplates

• 2 points in Ravenous Dead
• 2 points in Necrosis

Go to Lord Thorval (in the room just northwest of Mograine) and train your new skills:

Pestilence, Death Strike and Raise Dead.

Go back to the Balcony and take a Gryphon ride down. Go to Prince Valanar, he's at a new location closer to the cliff.

Turn in and get the follow up [55] The Crypt of Remembrance.

Go sell and repair at Hargus the Gimp (53,35), a few steps infront of Prince Valanar . Also buy some Corpse Dust from him (about 5), this will allow you to summon a ghoul even when there's no corpse available.

1. Mount up, ride south/southeast to Noth the Plaguebringer (56,52). Take his quest [55] The Plaguebringer's Request.

2. You should see a yellow "?" on your minimap southwest of where you are. Go there, enter the Crypt of Rememberance (54,58) and turn in the quest.

Get [55] Nowhere To Run And Nowhere To Hide and [55] Lambs To The Slaughter.

3. Get out of the crypt and go southeast to New Avalon.

Kill everything on your way from now on. On your left-hand side after entering you should see a big building, the New Avalon Inn (58,65).

Go inside and go down to the basement cellar where you'll find an Empty Cauldron, loot it.

4. Northeast of the inn you'll find the New Avalon Forge (61,61).

Enter the building and loot an Iron Chain.

5. Mount up and ride southwest to the New Avalon Town Hall, a big building with a clock tower (53,71).

Go inside the Town Hall, kill Mayor Quimby and loot the New Avalon Registry.

Now just go out and kill stuff until you finish [55] Lambs to the Slaughter. You'll find all the Citizens you need right outside the town hall (have some fun with pestilence).

Mount up and ride out of New Avalon.

First stop by Noth the Plaguebringer, turn in and get the follow up [55] Noth's Special Brew.

Go to the cauldron next to him and turn in the quest to get 5 of those cool potions. Feel free to overuse them, we'll get a lot more later on. You should put them on a hotbar, ready for use, just in case (but to tell you the truth, you won't be needing them much unless you're suicidal ).

Go to the Crypt of Rememberance and turn in both quests, get the follow up [55] How To Win Friends And Influence Enemies

Equip your new items:

• Girdle: The Plaguebringer's Girdle
• Greaves: Greaves of the Slaughter

1. Go back in New Avalon, to the Scarlet Hold, it's that big casern on the east side of New Avalon. When there, open the Ornately Jeweled Box in your inventory and equip the two One-Handed Swords. Then just start attacking people in there until one of them tells you what you want to know.

2. Go back to the Crypt of Rememberance, turn in and get the follow up [55] Behind Scarlet Lines.

Equip your new ring (instead of the green one of course): Keleseth's Signet Ring

3. Get out, mount up and ride a long way south to the Scarlet Tavern (56,80). Go to the upper floor and turn in, get the follow up [55] The Path Of The Righteous Crusader. Also get the other quest [55] Brothers in Death and get out of this building.

4. Ride northeast to the Scarlet Hold. Clear the way up to the upper floor and go to the central main room.

On a table there you'll find the New Avalon Patrol Schedule.

Loot it.

After that, go down all the way to the cellar basement, where you will find Koltira Deathweaver. Turn in your quest, but before you get the follow up, read the next few lines.

Koltira will create an anti-magic barrier, you must fight inside it as much as possible to reduce the damage you'll take from the acolytes. You can pull them inside with Death Grip as well. After about 2 minutes, High Inquisitor Valroth will come. Pull him inside the barrier with Death Grip and kill him. Mission accomplished. Don't forget you have potions if things go wrong.

You're more than ready now, so get the follow up [55] Bloody Breakout and protect Koltira. It doesn't matter if you die, you'll get resurected, but Koltira must survive.

Once Valroth is dead, his remains will appear on the floor:

Right-click them to loot Valroth's Head.

5. Go back to the Scarlet Tavern. Turn in both quests, get the follow up [55] A Cry For Vengeance!

Equip your new items:

• Gauntlets: Bloodbane's Gauntlets of Command
• Breastplate: Saronite War Plate

You should be level 57 by now.

Level 57

1. Go southwest to the Chapel of the Crimson Flame (53,81). Find Knight Commander Plaguefist, turn in and get the follow up [55] A Special Surprise

Go inside the long house and find the NPC corresponding to your race. (If you're human, find the human Ellen Stanbridge. If you are Gnome, find the gnome Goby Blastenheimer, etc.)

Watch that NPC make his speech and you'll have to kill it at the end. Put your ghoul on passive mode, because you won't get the kill credit if the ghoul does more damage than you.

Go back to Knight Commander Plaguefist, turn in and get the follow up [55] A Sort of Homecoming.

2. Go back to the Scarlet Tavern, turn in [55] A Sort of Homecoming and get [55] Ambush at the Overlook.

Equip your new trinket (instead of the Insignia of the Scourge): Signet of the Dark Brotherhood

3. Mount up and ride east to the Scarlet Overlook (62,77).

Find a clear spot near the path.

Look for a Makeshift Cover in your inventory

Right-click it, the Scarlet Courrier will appear, kill it and loot everything he has.

Go back to the Scarlet Tavern, turn in and get [55] A Meeting With Fate.

4. You should now be disguised as a Scarlet Courrier. Get out, mount up and ride to the Scarlet Overlook.

This time take the path south leading down to King's Harbor, where you will find High General Abbendis (65,84).

Turn in and get [55] The Scarlet Onslaught Emerges.

5. Go back to the Scarlet Tavern, turn in the quest, but before your get the follow up, read the following paragraph.

==Optional== Before going back to turn in this quest, I recommend killing some more Scarlet NPCs to get Crusader Skulls, which we you can turn in at the cauldron for extra health potions. 20 Crusader Skulls = 5 Potions, and you can carry a maximum of 20 potions. I personally farm 60 Skulls, and then I get out of this place with 20 Potions (including the 5 we got from quest earlier). The fastest way to get skulls is to kill the citizens outside of the town hall, it's even easier if you put your ghoul on aggressive mode. However those don't give exp, so you might want to kill other things, it will just take longer. After you have 60 skulls be sure to go back to the cauldron to turn in and get your 20 Potions *BEFORE* going back to the Scarlet Tavern. If you return to Acherus without turning the skulls in there is no way to turn them in later.

Got your 20 potions? Let's move on then, go back to the Scarlet Tavern.

Get the follow up [55] Scarlet Armies Approach... Orbaz Bloodbane will then open a portal for you, take it and you'll be back in Acherus.

Go to Highlord Darion Mograine, turn in and get [55] The Scarlet Apocalypse.

Equip your new pauldrons: Blood-soaked Saronite Plated Spaulders

Don't worry about talents for now, we are not gonna fight for a while.

Go see your trainer, buy Frost Presence and Mind Freeze. Don't waste money on the rest, Rune of Spellbreaking/Shattering is not useful to us at this point. Of course, if you're rich, feel free to buy those skills anyway.

Take a gryphon ride back to Death's Breach. Go talk to The Lich King, get the follow up [55] An End to All Things.

Look in your inventory for a Horn of the Frostbrood.

Right-click it. You'll climb on a Frostwyrm and your action bars will be replaced by this:

• Ability #1 is your attack. It's just like with the canon we used before, aim by holding your mouse right-cilck button.
• Ability #2 is to refill the Wyrm's mana. Should you need to do that, go find a lone Scarlet Defender and use it on him (have to be within 15 yards range).

You need to kill 150 Scarlet Soldiers (a piece of cake) and to destroy 10 Ballistas. The ballistas are a little more tricky, because their javelins kinda hurt so you must dodge them.

It's quite straight forward though, you simply have to strafe to the left or to the right every time after you shoot, and the javelin will miss you. Like on the screenshot below:

Basically it goes like this: Shoot --> Strafe left --> Shoot --> Strafe Right --> Repeat till ballista is destroyed.

For the 150 Scarlet Soldiers, go behind the walls of New Avalon, you'll find big packs of them.

When done with that, fly back to The Lich King.

Click on the "Leave Vehicle" button and turn in the quest, get the follow up [55] The Lich King's Command.

Equip your new helm: Greathelm of the Scourge Champion

1. Mount up, go northwest through a tunnel, you'll then be in the Noxious Glade (Eastern Plaguelands).

2. Go west and take the path going down at (40,20), all the way to Browman Mill, where you'll find Scourge Commander Thalanor (34,30). Turn in and get the follow up [55] The Light of Dawn.

Now all you have to do is take part in a cool event, follow Highlord Darion Mograine and fight with him. You don't actually have to fight, but I recommend doing it for fun, because you get a buff which makes you almost invincible and also makes you hit like a truck. Don't be too reckless though, only attack the Defenders of the Light there, avoid the named NPCs such as Korfax, Duke Zverenhoff, etc.

At the end of the script, you can turn in your quest at Highlord Darion Mograine. Choose Sword or Axe, it doesn't matter (pick the Sword if your race is human though).

Get the follow up [55] Taking Back Acherus.

Open your spell book and cast Death Gate (Unholy). Click the gate to be teleported back to Acherus. I suggest not lingering here too long, because the script will reset soon and all those imba argent dawn NPCs will soon be back to agressive mode and make quick work of you

After teleporting, turn in your quest and get the follow up [55] The Battle For The Ebon Hold.

Equip your new weapon if you haven't done that already.

Take the pink teleporter up, kill 10 Scourge and help killing Patchwerk.

Take the teleporter back, turn in the quest at Mograine and get the follow up [55] Where Kings Walk.

Behind Mograine to the right you should see a portal to Stormwind, take it.

In Stormwind, run (yes, you can't use your mount here for now) to King Varian Wrynn in Stormwind Keep:

Turn in the quest.

Get the quest [62] The First and the Last from King Varian Wrynn.

1. Get out of Stormwind Keep, mount up (yes now you can!)

Find Mathias Shaw in the Old Town, he's on the first floor of the big building named SI:7.

Turn in the quest [62] The First and the last, get the follow up, turn it in and get the follow up [62] Flint Shadowmore.

2. Visit the auction house, put stuff on sale. Also get some better bags, because the 12-slot bags are gonna be a bother in the long run. However, if you're low on cash, you must at least keep 3gold 50silver to buy your new skills.

3. Go to the inn and make Stormwind your home location.

You should be level 58 by now.

Level 58

Death Gate back to Acherus. Visit one of the trainers, get Blood Boil and Chains of Ice.

Take the pink teleporter up. Go to a runeforge and engrave a Rune of Cinderglacier to your weapon. Also buy some Corpse Dust while you're here.

Take the teleporter back down. Go on the balcony and take a flight path to Chillwind Camp, Western Plaguelands.

Get [52] Clear the Way from Commander Ashlam Valorfist(the quest won't appear over his head, so just find him).
Complete the quest Argent Dawn Commission at Argent Officer Pureheart, you will receive a trinket.
When you kill undeads while wearing this trinket, you can collect Scourgestones from their bodies. Turning in these Scourgestones at Argent Officer Pureheart gets you reputation increases with the Argent Dawn and a toke