Death Knight Guide (55-58)

Welcome to your Death Knight! You will start out at level 55 with 0 talent points. The DK starting quests award "Bonus Talents" to help ramp you up to the 51 talent points that a level 60 player should have. For this reason, you must complete all Death Knight quests.

These first few quests are pretty self-explanatory, so let's move through them swiftly from the moment you begin. All the starting quests are right next to each other.

  1. Get In Service of the Lich King from The Lich King

  2. Turn around and enter the next room to turn the quest in to Instructor Razuvious. Get the follow-up The Emblazoned Runeblade.
    In the room, use the Weapon Rack on a wall in the room and use the Battle-Worn Sword by the Runeforge.

  3. Turn in The Emblazoned Runeblade and get the follow-up Runeforging: Preparation for Battle.

    • Walk back to a Runeforge and use your Runeforging ability in your spellbook and select an appropriate forging (Recommended: Rune of Cinderglacier).

  4. Turn in Runeforging: Preparation for Battle and get the follow-up The Endless Hunger. Enter the center circle in the room and free an Unworthy Initiate by clicking on the chains connected to the wall, then kill the Initiate and turn the quest in to Instructor Razuvious to get the follow-up quest The Eye of Acherus.

  5. Return to The Lich King and turn the quest in and get the follow-up Death Comes From On High.

    • Activate the controls for the Eye of Acherus. When you obtain control of the eye and it's movement, you will have access to the following abilities (located now on your main action bar):
    • Siphon of Acherus - Used to gather information about structures for the quest
    • Summon Ghouls on Scarlet Crusade - Used to distract ground Scarlet Crusade Soldiers into attacking spawned Ghouls while you collect structure information
    • Shroud - Goes Stealth, helpful for escaping and moving between information-gathering locations
    • Recall Eye of Acherus - Returns you to your body in Ebon Hold. Use this after quest objectives are complete
  1. Use Siphon of Acherus at The Scarlet Hold, New Avalon Forge, New Avalon Town Hall, Chapel of the Crimson Flame. When complete, return to your body in Ebon Hold and turn the quest in and get the follow-up The Might of the Scourge.

  2. Step on the pink glowing Transporter to be teleported to a lower section of Ebon Hold. Turn in The Might of the Scourge to Highlord Darion Mograine and get the follow-up quests:

    • Report to Scourge Commander thalanor
    • The Power of Blood, Frost, and Unholy

  3. Walk up the stairs (past the teleporter you entered through, but don't go in it again) and turn in your quest to Scourge Commander Thalanor. Get the follow-up The Scarlet Harvest.

  4. Fly down to Death's Breach using a Scourge Gryphon. Turn The Scarlet Harvest in to Prince Valanar and get all the quests:

    • If Chaos Drives, Let Suffering Hold the Reins
    • Grand Theft Palomino
    • Tonight We Dine in Havenshire
    • Death's Challenge

  5. Talk to and 'duel' 5 Deathknight Initiates in the area, then turn in Death's Challenge.



  1. Leave Death's Breach and follow the path to Havenshire Farms. Kill 10 Scarlet Crusaders, 10 Citizens of Havenshire, and loot 15 Saronite Arrows.

  2. Get and Complete Abandoned Mail by the mailbox.

  3. After finishing all of these objectives, steal a Havenshire Horse from the stable area and ride it back up to Death's Breach.

  4. Use the horse's Deliver Stolen Horse ability when you arrive in Death's Breach to complete the quest. Turn in all of your quests, and finish killing Deathknight Initiates or dueling other players to finish Death's Challenge.

    Get the new quest, Into the Realm of Shadows.

  5. Return south to the Havenshire Farms area. Locate a Dark Rider of Acherus, and kill him to gain control of his steed.

  6. Return with the mount to Death's Breach and use the horse's Horseman's Call ability to call Salanar into the shadow realm and complete the quest for you. You now have permanent access to the Deathknight 100% speed mount.

  1. Get Gothik the Harvester, and turn it in to Gothik who is nearby. Get the follow-up, The Gift That Keeps On Giving.

  2. Enter the Havenshire Mine to the northeast. Use the Gift of the Harvester in your inventory on Scarlet Miners to have a chance of turning them into Scarlet Ghouls. Gather 5 of them.

  3. Return to Gothik the Harvester to turn the quest in. and get the follow-up An Attack of Opportunity.
  1. Turn Attack of Opportunity it in to Prince Valanar in Death's Breach and get the follow-up Massacre at Light's Point.

  2. Return to the mine you were just at -- to it's right should be an Inconspicuous Minecar.

  3. Get in the Minecar and wait for a miner to come and carry you to a boat at Light's Point. Get on one of the boat's Cannons use the cannon's (Ability 1) and keep pressing 1 to quickly kill Defenders. Use (Ability 2) whenever the defenders approach the cannon. Finish killing 100 Scarlet Defenders.

  4. When done, use the cannon's Gryphon ability to return to Death's Breach and turn Massacre at Light's Point in and get the follow-up Victory at Death's Breach.
  1. Fly one of the Scourge Gryphons up from Death's Breach to Highlord Darion Mograine in Ebon Hold. Get The Will of the Lich King, train your level 56 abilities.

    • Then, fly back down to Death's Breach to turn the quest in and get the follow-up The Crypt of Remembrance.

  2. Head out of Death's Breach towards the fields to talk to Noth the Plaguebringer to get The Plaguebringer's Request.

  3. Go to the Crypt of Remembrance, turn in the quest The Crypt of Remembrance and get the follow-up Lambs to the Slaughter.

  4. Enter New Avalon at the location indicated on the map (western entrance) and go into the Inn. Enter the Inn's basement, and pick up the Empty Cauldron.

  5. Exit the Inn and head over to the Town Hall on the southwest side of town. Kill Mayer Quimby, and pick up the New Avalon Registry.

  6. Return to the Crypt of Remembrance to turn in Nowhere to Run and Nowhere to Hide and get the follow-up How to Win Friends and Influence Enemies. Open the box and dual-wield the two Keleseth's Persuaders within.
  1. Enter New Avalon through the eastern entrance, killing Citizens of New Avalon and Scarlet Crusade Soldiers while you make your way to the Forge to your left.
  2. Pick up the Iron Chain in the forge, and continue killing Crusade mobs until you've completed Lambs to the Slaughter, The Plaguebringer's Request, and How to Win Friends and Influence Enemies.

  3. Return to Noth the Plaguebringer and turn in The Plaguebringer's Request. Then, get Noth's Special Brew and 'use' the cauldron that is behind Noth. This quest is repeatable and gives you a potion that restores health and Runic Power.

  4. Return to the Crypt of Remembrance and turn in Lambs to the Slaughter, and How to Win Friends and Influence Enemies.
  1. Get Behind Scarlet Lines and travel to the Scarlet Tavern in New Avalon to turn it in.
  2. Get the follow-ups The Path of the Righteous Crusader and Brothers in Death.

  3. Go to the Scarlet Hold, on the eastern edge of New Avalon.

    • Inside of the Hold, go upstairs. In the 'main' center room upstairs pick up the Patrol Schedule on the table.
    • Head back downstairs, all the way into the basement. Talk to Koltira Deathweaver to complete Brothers in Death. Get the quest Bloody Breakout, and stay inside of the protective bubble that Koltira creates. Survive several waves of mobs, mitigating their spell damage by remaining inside of the bubble. If you leave the bubble, you will take much more damage. Use ranged abilities and pull spells to kill mobs, including High Inquisitor Valroth who eventually comes down after several waves of lesser mobs.

  4. Return to the Scarlet Tavern to turn the quests in. Get the follow-up A Cry for Vengeance.

  5. Head to the Chapel of the Crimson Flame. Turn the quest in to Knight Commander Plaguefist and get the follow-up quest A Special Surprise.

    • Enter the long house near the chapel, this is the Prison House. Walk up to the NPC that the Knight told you to speak with (it varies depending on your race).
    • Wait for the NPC's dialogue to complete, kill him/her, and return to the Knight to turn the quest in.

  6. Get A Sort of Homecoming, and then return to Thassarian at the Scarlet Tavern to turn it in.

  7. Get Ambush at the Overlook and head to the ambush spot where you should use the tree disguise item you received to disguise yourself as a very convincing tree. When the Scarlet Courier comes to inspect you, kill him when you are able, take his Scarlet Courier's Belongings and the Scarlet Courier's Message.

    • Return to the Scarlet Tavern and turn in Ambush at the Overlook.

  1. Get the follow-up A Meeting With Fate and go back to the Overlook while disguised as the Scarlet Courier. (You can mount with the disguise)
  2. Turn the quest in to High General Abbendis at King's Harbor and get the follow-up The Scarlet Onslaught Merges.

  3. Return to the Scarlet Tavern to turn it in and get the follow-up Scarlet Armies Approach...

  4. Take the portal to Acherus: Ebon Hold to turn the quest in to Mograine in the center circle of the room and then train your level 57 abilities.
  5. Get The Scarlet Apocalypse and fly down to Death's Breach using one of the Scourge Gryphons to turn the quest in to the Lich King and get the follow-up An End to All Things. Look in your bags, and use the item he gave you to summon a Frostwyrm that you can ride to complete the quest.

  6. Fly back towards New Avalon on the Frostwyrm and use the Wyrm's Frozen Deathbolt spell to kill 150 Scarlet Soldiers, and 10 Scarlet Ballistas.
  7. Use the wyrm's Devour Humanoid ability on some of the lone Scarlet Soldiers in the Havenshire Farms area if you run low on mana or need to recoup some health. You have to be almost in melee range to them for the Devour to work.

    Return to Death's Breach when you've completed the quest and turn it in and get the follow-up The Lich King's Command.
  1. Leave northwest through hte cave and follow the path slightly south to Highlord Darion Mograine at Browman Mill. When you arrive you should see a timer at the top of your screen telling you how long until the next attack on Light's Hope Chapel. When the attack begins, follow the other Deathknights and NPC's to the Chapel, and kill everything you see.

    • Watch the NPC's talk exhaustively after you 'lose.' Then, turn in The Light of Dawn to Highlord Darion Mograine and get Taking Back Acherus.

  2. Port to Acherus and turn in Taking Back Acherus and get the follow-up The Battle For The Ebon Hold.

    • Take the teleporter and kill 10 Scourge, and assist in killing Patchwerk. Then, return to Mograine using the teleport, and get the follow-up Where Kings Walk (Alliance) or Warchief's Blessing (Horde).

    • Take the portal to Stormwind or Orgrimmar, and turn in the respective quest.

You should now be level 58 and can proceed with your respective faction's 58+ levelling guides! Cast the Death Gate and return to train your skills - whenever you level as a death knight, you will train inside the necropolis and can return there instantly via the Death Gate. Happy levelling!