In the new expansion for World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, you will be able to play as a hero class that is undoubtedly one of the best WoW characters to play. With a combination of melee combat and spellcasting abilities, Death Knights will make a formidable addition to WoW’s already impressive roster of characters. Blizzard Entertainment has even upped the ante with Death Knights, wanting to really set them apart from the other classes. One of the ways they made Death Knights different is by giving them a different resource system, the Death Knight rune system. The system is totally different from the mana, rage, and energy systems of other classes and is only applied or can be used by Death Knights. Although not much is known about the rune system and information about it can change at any time before the game is finally released, below are some of the things we know about the rune system.

The runes:

The key elements of the death knight rune system are the runes. There are three types of runes, each corresponding to each of the talent trees or progression of talents available to Death Knights. The runes are as follows:

Blood

Frost

Impious

Runes have 2 main types for each, so Death Knights have a total of 6 runes. Runes can be used in combination, and the abilities and spells used by Death Knights will consume the powers of the runes. A 10 second countdown will then follow. However, remember that some abilities can be used to immediately upgrade some runes.

A fourth main rune type is also available for the Death Knight. Known as the Death Rune, this one is special in that it can be created using Blood Tap or through Death Rune Mastery or even through the Blood of the North talent.

The runic power of a Death Knight:

This brief look at the death knight rune system will not be complete without telling you about the runic power of death knights. If you know Warrior’s Rage, it’s the same as Death Knight’s Runic Power. The more the Death Knight uses his runes, the more the Runic Power gauge fills up. There are special abilities, spells or abilities that can only be done using Runic Power. When not used, the runic power will decrease over time. Also remember that the more runic power you use for a spell, for example, the more powerful it will be and vice versa.

This ends my review of what is already known about the death knight rune system. Knowing the Death Knight’s melee and throwing abilities, they are likely to become the most sought after characters in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. From now on, you’d better plan your game so that you can reach level 55 first before other players and get a Death Knight. Good luck!