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in: Death knights, Resource mechanics, Wrath of the Lich King
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Changes: Arclight Spanner

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m (clean up, Replaced: {{tooltip → {{{{{tpl|tooltip}}}, using AWB)
 
 
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{{for|rune lore|rune magic}}
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<onlyinclude>{{{{{tpl|tooltip}}}
  
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[[Image:Death Knight portrait with runes.png|thumb|The [[death knight]] character portrait, displaying his six runes. Shows empty [[runic power]] bar located below the [[health]] bar.]]
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|mode={{{mode|}}}
  
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|arg={{{arg|}}}
  
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|skill=Engineering (50)
  
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|sell={{cost||1|44}}
  
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|icon=INV_Misc_Wrench_01
  
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|quality=Common
  
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|slot=Main Hand
  
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|type=Miscellaneous
  
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|itemid=6219
  
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|ilvl=10
  
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|name=Arclight Spanner
  
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|speed=2.4
  
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|dps=4.38
  
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|dmg=7 - 14}}</onlyinclude>
  
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'''Arclight Spanner''' is a tool used by engineers to create various items. Listed as "Arc Spanner."
  
   
  +
The '''rune system''' is the resource system used by [[death knight]]s, much as [[mana]], [[energy]], or [[rage]] are used by other classes or [[focus]] is used by hunters and their pets. The death knight's rune system consists of two very distinct but complementary resources: [[runes]] and [[runic power]]. Some of the death knight's spells and abilities require spending runes; others require his or her having generated through battle a certain level of runic power. Every death knight who has not recently been in combat enters a fresh combat situation possessing six expendable runes but no runic power. Only by spending some of these runes (each of which regenerates after ten seconds) on battle spells may the death knight thereby acquire and incrementally build up for a short time runic power, which in turn he or she may draw on for other spells. The death knight's rune system thus combines characteristics of those classes relying for combat powers on depleting-but-renewable resources — such as mana (mages, warlocks) and energy (rogues) — with those classes relying for combat powers on resources generated solely through battle itself, such as rage (warriors).
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==Source==
  
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This item is crafted by [[Engineering|Engineers]] with a skill level of 50.
  
   
  ⚫
==Runes==
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The components are:
  
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The death knight has access to three different types of runes: [[Image:Blood.png]] Blood, [[Image:Frost.png]] Frost, and [[Image:Unholy.png]] Unholy.
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*6 {{loot|Common|Copper Bar}}s
  
   
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These three types of runes are also the names of the death knight's three respective [[Death knight talents|talent trees]].
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The [[schematic]] is learned from the engineering trainer.
  
   
  +
Before casting any spells, the death knight has three pairs, totaling six runes. Different abilities and spells consume different types and amounts of runes and, when used, will place the corresponding rune on a 10 second cooldown (9 seconds if in Unholy Presence). Some abilities are able to refresh certain runes; [[Empower Rune Weapon]] will refresh all of them. Only one rune of each kind can be on cooldown simultaneously (i.e. if you activate a blood rune when you already have one cooling down, the rune you just activated will wait until the first blood rune is finished before starting to cooldown).
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==Name==
  
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Interestingly, the item uses British English term ''spanner'' instead of American English term ''wrench''.
  
   
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There is also a fourth type of rune, which acts as any of the main rune types, the [[Image:Death.png]] Death Rune.
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==External links==
  
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<!-- Read http://www.wowwiki.com/WoWWiki:External_links before posting your links here.
  
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Links that do not conform to the rules will be DELETED.
  
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Repeat violations may result in a BAN.
  
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Have a nice day. :) -->
  
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{{elinks-item|6219}}
  
   
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The death rune can be created by using the skill [[Blood Tap]] or through talent specialization:
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[[Category:World of Warcraft engineering crafted items]]
  
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⚫
[[Category:World of Warcraft common items]]
  
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*With the Blood talent specialization, [[Blood Rites]] causes Death Strike and Obliterate to convert the runes they use into Death Runes when they activate.
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[[Category:World of Warcraft tool items]]
  
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*With the Frost talent specialization, [[Blood of the North]] causes Blood Stike and Pestilence to convert the runes they use into Death Runes when they activate.
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*With the Unholy talent specialization, [[Reaping]] causes Blood Stike, Pestilence and Festering Strike to convert the runes they use into Death Runes when they activate.
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Death runes will count as the runes they where converted from in regards to cooldown (a death rune converted from a frost rune will still cooldown as if it was a frost rune)
  +
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===Notes===
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*10-20 second cooldown on runes may sound like a lot, but remember that after you have used up all your original runes some of the ones you have already used may have reactivated, and that you will probably have accumulated quite a lot of runic power to spend while you wait for reactivation.
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*When a death rune temporarily replaces your frost, blood, or unholy runes it will be used as a last resort if no main rune is available for the ability you want to use. Death runes are not used in the order you receive them; death runes which replace blood runes will be used before death runes which replace frost or unholy runes, and death runes which replace unholy runes will be used before death runes which replace frost runes.
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==Runic power==
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Runic power is an extra resource that builds up as the death knight uses his or her abilities, displayed as an empty bar that fills up with a light sky blue color similar to [[rage]] under the death knight's [[health]] bar. Generally, offensive single rune abilities generate 10 runic power and offensive multi-rune abilities generate 15 runic power. Additionally, [[Empower Rune Weapon]], [[Horn of Winter]], and though its tooltip does not mention this, [[Blood Tap]], all generate runic power without costing runes. Talents can improve the runic power generation of some abilities and allow runic power to be generated in other ways. Death knights start with maximum 100 runic power but that can be increased up to 130 through [[Runic Power Mastery]]. As with rage, runic power gradually diminishes when not in combat.
  +
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It is possible for a death knight to generate a maximum of 45 runic power without any rune consumption: Blood Tap and Horn of Winter each generate 10, and Empower Rune Weapon generates 25, however, keep in mind that Horn of Winter is on the global cooldown, whereas Blood Tap and Empower Rune Weapon are not.
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==Rune abilities by cost==
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===Single rune abilities===
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{| class=darktable
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! Rune !! [[Image:Blood.png]] Blood || [[Image:Frost.png]] Frost || [[Image:Unholy.png]] Unholy
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|- valign="center"
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! Universal
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|
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*{{ability|Blood Boil}}
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*{{ability|Blood Strike}}
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*{{ability|Pestilence}}
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*{{ability|Strangulate}}
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|
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*{{ability|Chains of Ice}}
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*{{ability|Icy Touch}}
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*{{ability|Path of Frost}}
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|
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*{{ability|Death Gate}}
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*{{ability|Plague Strike}}
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*{{ability|Death and Decay}}
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*{{ability|Necrotic Strike}}
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|- valign="center"
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! Talented
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|
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*{{ability|Heart Strike}}
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*{{ability|Mark of Blood}}
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*{{ability|Rune Tap}}
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*{{ability|Vampiric Blood}}
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|
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*{{ability|Pillar of Frost}}
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*{{ability|Howling Blast}}
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|
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*{{ability|Bone Shield}}
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*{{ability|Anti-Magic Zone}}
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*{{ability|Dark Transformation}}
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*{{ability|Scourge Strike}}
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|}
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===Multi-rune abilities===
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{| class=darktable
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! Cost !!colspan=2| [[Image:Frost.png]] Frost + [[Image:Unholy.png]] Unholy || [[Image:Blood.png]] Blood + [[Image:Frost.png]] Frost + [[Image:Unholy.png]] Unholy
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|-
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! Talented !! No !! Yes !! No
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|- valign="center"
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!Abilities
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|
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*{{ability|Death Strike}}
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*{{ability|Obliterate}}
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|
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*{{ability|Howling Blast}} (Frost)
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*{{ability|Scourge Strike}} (Unholy)
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|
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*{{ability|Army of the Dead}}
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*{{ability|Death and Decay (death knight ability)|Death and Decay}}
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|}
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==Cataclysm changes==
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Cost changes to existing abilities:
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*Death and Decay: 1 Unholy
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*Howling Blast: 1 Frost
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*Scourge Strike: 1 Unholy
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New abilities:
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*{{ability|Necrotic Strike}}: 1 Unholy.
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*{{ability|Pillar of Frost}}: 1 Frost.
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*{{ability|Festering Strike}}: 1 Frost 1 Blood.
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==Runic power abilities==
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{| class=darktable
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! Untalented || Blood || Frost || Unholy
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|-
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|
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*{{ability|Anti-Magic Shell}}
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*{{ability|Death Coil (death knight ability)}}
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*{{ability|Death Pact}}
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*{{ability|Icebound Fortitude}}
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*{{ability|Mind Freeze}}
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*{{ability|Rune Strike}}
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|
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*{{ability|Dancing Rune Weapon}}
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|
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*{{ability|Frost Strike}}
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*{{ability|Hungering Cold}}
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|
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*{{ability|Corpse Explosion}}
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*{{ability|Summon Gargoyle}}
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|}
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==Origin and idea==
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Developers said at [[BlizzCon 2007]] that they didn't want the new class to use the traditional resource systems because they wanted the death knight to have a different style of play. They stated their intention was for the death knight to use a mixture of spells ''and'' melee in close combat. Because of this, a system that didn't specifically rely on either mana or rage was more appropriate.
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This is how the original icons looked: [[Image:Blood-old.gif]] [[Image:Frost-old.gif]] [[Image:Unholy-old.gif]]
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During the 2008 [[WWI]], it was noted that the original runes were replaced because they were too complex to show them refreshing inside the character's portrait bar.
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This is how the replacement icons looked: [[Image:Blood-temp.png]] [[Image:Frost-temp.png]] [[Image:Unholy-temp.png]] [[Image:Death-temp.png]]
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== Gallery ==
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<gallery>
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Runes1.jpg|An outdated [[death knight]] character portrait, displaying a combination of six runes and the currently accumulated runic power.
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Runes2.jpg|The three different (now obsolete) rune types as revealed at [[BlizzCon 2007]].
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Betaframe.jpg|The death knight character portrait as seen in the ''[[Wrath of the Lich King]]'' beta.
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</gallery>
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== Patch changes ==
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* {{patched|date=2009-06-02|bluenote=Runic Power costs will no longer be lowered by abilities intended to lower mana costs.|link=http://blue.mmo-champion.com/23/16474158165-recent-ingame-fixes--41609.html}}
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[[es:Sistema de runas]]
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[[Category:Death knights]]
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[[Category:Resource mechanics]]
  ⚫
[[Category:Wrath of the Lich King]]

Revision as of 21:20, 1 January 2011

For rune lore, see rune magic.
Death Knight portrait with runes

The death knight character portrait, displaying his six runes. Shows empty runic power bar located below the health bar.

The rune system is the resource system used by death knights, much as mana, energy, or rage are used by other classes or focus is used by hunters and their pets. The death knight's rune system consists of two very distinct but complementary resources: runes and runic power. Some of the death knight's spells and abilities require spending runes; others require his or her having generated through battle a certain level of runic power. Every death knight who has not recently been in combat enters a fresh combat situation possessing six expendable runes but no runic power. Only by spending some of these runes (each of which regenerates after ten seconds) on battle spells may the death knight thereby acquire and incrementally build up for a short time runic power, which in turn he or she may draw on for other spells. The death knight's rune system thus combines characteristics of those classes relying for combat powers on depleting-but-renewable resources — such as mana (mages, warlocks) and energy (rogues) — with those classes relying for combat powers on resources generated solely through battle itself, such as rage (warriors).

Runes

The death knight has access to three different types of runes: Blood Blood, Frost Frost, and Unholy Unholy.

These three types of runes are also the names of the death knight's three respective talent trees.

Before casting any spells, the death knight has three pairs, totaling six runes. Different abilities and spells consume different types and amounts of runes and, when used, will place the corresponding rune on a 10 second cooldown (9 seconds if in Unholy Presence). Some abilities are able to refresh certain runes; Inv sword 62 [Empower Rune Weapon] will refresh all of them. Only one rune of each kind can be on cooldown simultaneously (i.e. if you activate a blood rune when you already have one cooling down, the rune you just activated will wait until the first blood rune is finished before starting to cooldown).

There is also a fourth type of rune, which acts as any of the main rune types, the Death Death Rune.

The death rune can be created by using the skill Spell deathknight bloodtap [Blood Tap] or through talent specialization:

  • With the Blood talent specialization, Spell deathknight bloodtap [Blood Rites] causes Death Strike and Obliterate to convert the runes they use into Death Runes when they activate.
  • With the Frost talent specialization, Inv weapon shortblade 79 [Blood of the North] causes Blood Stike and Pestilence to convert the runes they use into Death Runes when they activate.
  • With the Unholy talent specialization, Ability deathwing bloodcorruption death [Reaping] causes Blood Stike, Pestilence and Festering Strike to convert the runes they use into Death Runes when they activate.

Death runes will count as the runes they where converted from in regards to cooldown (a death rune converted from a frost rune will still cooldown as if it was a frost rune)

Notes

  • 10-20 second cooldown on runes may sound like a lot, but remember that after you have used up all your original runes some of the ones you have already used may have reactivated, and that you will probably have accumulated quite a lot of runic power to spend while you wait for reactivation.
  • When a death rune temporarily replaces your frost, blood, or unholy runes it will be used as a last resort if no main rune is available for the ability you want to use. Death runes are not used in the order you receive them; death runes which replace blood runes will be used before death runes which replace frost or unholy runes, and death runes which replace unholy runes will be used before death runes which replace frost runes.

Runic power

Runic power is an extra resource that builds up as the death knight uses his or her abilities, displayed as an empty bar that fills up with a light sky blue color similar to rage under the death knight's health bar. Generally, offensive single rune abilities generate 10 runic power and offensive multi-rune abilities generate 15 runic power. Additionally, Inv sword 62 [Empower Rune Weapon], Inv misc horn 02 [Horn of Winter], and though its tooltip does not mention this, Spell deathknight bloodtap [Blood Tap], all generate runic power without costing runes. Talents can improve the runic power generation of some abilities and allow runic power to be generated in other ways. Death knights start with maximum 100 runic power but that can be increased up to 130 through Spell arcane arcane01 [Runic Power Mastery]. As with rage, runic power gradually diminishes when not in combat.

It is possible for a death knight to generate a maximum of 45 runic power without any rune consumption: Blood Tap and Horn of Winter each generate 10, and Empower Rune Weapon generates 25, however, keep in mind that Horn of Winter is on the global cooldown, whereas Blood Tap and Empower Rune Weapon are not.

Rune abilities by cost

Single rune abilities

Rune Blood Blood Frost Frost Unholy Unholy
Universal
Talented

Multi-rune abilities

Cost Frost Frost + Unholy Unholy Blood Blood + Frost Frost + Unholy Unholy
Talented No Yes No
Abilities

Cataclysm changes

Cost changes to existing abilities:

  • Death and Decay: 1 Unholy
  • Howling Blast: 1 Frost
  • Scourge Strike: 1 Unholy

New abilities:

Runic power abilities

Untalented Blood Frost Unholy

Origin and idea

Developers said at BlizzCon 2007 that they didn't want the new class to use the traditional resource systems because they wanted the death knight to have a different style of play. They stated their intention was for the death knight to use a mixture of spells and melee in close combat. Because of this, a system that didn't specifically rely on either mana or rage was more appropriate.

This is how the original icons looked: Blood-old Frost-old Unholy-old

During the 2008 WWI, it was noted that the original runes were replaced because they were too complex to show them refreshing inside the character's portrait bar.

This is how the replacement icons looked: Blood-temp Frost-temp Unholy-temp Death-temp

Gallery

  • An outdated death knight character portrait, displaying a combination of six runes and the currently accumulated runic power.

    An outdated death knight character portrait, displaying a combination of six runes and the currently accumulated runic power.

  • The three different (now obsolete) rune types as revealed at BlizzCon 2007.

    The three different (now obsolete) rune types as revealed at BlizzCon 2007.

  • The death knight character portrait as seen in the Wrath of the Lich King beta.

    The death knight character portrait as seen in the Wrath of the Lich King beta.

Patch changes

  • Template:Patched
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