This is the plan for my new death knight main’s first day during the WotLK Classic pre-patch. It isn’t a speed leveling approach, but rather one designed to make my entry into Outland a bit easier. Instead of going straight into Outland at level 58, my death knight day one plan has me targeting trinket upgrades and easy bursts of XP in Azeroth for a few levels. While missing the initial leveling wave, allowing for an easier time completing Outland quests.

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Prepared for Since TBC Classic Phase 4 and Tested On the WotLK Classic Beta

I started gathering items for my death knight’s leveling to 70 before the release of Sunwell Plateau in TBC Classic. You can find my complete death knight shopping list here. Many of the items on the list will be used during my death knight day one plan. It isn’t too late to gather your items, as most of them are quite common or easily farmed by your current level 70 character.

I’ve run through this plan on the WotLK Classic beta, which allowed me to verify some numbers and make several tweaks to improve my time spent. During my beta testing, the 50% XP buff expected during the WotLK Classic pre-patch was not active. As such I expect my XP gains during the real thing to be much higher.

To be clear, none of this is necessary to get a death knight up to level 70 during the WotLK Classic pre-patch. Leveling through Outland will be easier than ever. You can go straight from the death knight starting area and progress fine. I’m attempting this plan to make the early Outland parts of leveling easier.

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Ebon Hold & Scarlet Enclave – The Death Knight Starting Area

For the most part, you want to go through the death knight starting area and quests normally. The area will have a few potential bottlenecks, so better to get out ASAP by just progressing through the quest chain. My death knight day one plan doesn’t get started until you first arrive in Stormwind or Orgrimmar. You will be given everything you need to get through the content easily by the game, but there are a few things you can tweak if you like.

Quests Award Talent Points

You’ll start with zero talent points and will earn talent points from many of the quests, as well as the usual 1 talent point earned per level. At the end of the event, you will have earned enough talent points to match a level 58 character (and will be level 58, not including the 50% XP buff).

You can spend your talent points immediately or wait. You can get through the entire content without spending any, but they do speed up your kill times.

My Death Knight Leveling Talents – Level 58

• On a Pale Horse can be used early, as you’ll get your fast ground mount within minutes of leaving the Ebon Hold.
• Improved Unholy Presence is working on the WotLK Classic beta without Unholy Presence being learned. A speed enchant to your boots will have the same effect if you prefer, and remember you can buy enchants at the auction house in WotLK Classic.
• The rest are standard unholy death knight leveling talents. Different guides will give different priorities to some of the talents.
• If you want to go frost or blood for leveling that’s fine, too. But keep in mind you won’t be able to get one-handed weapons until after you leave the starter zone.

Use Rune of Cinderglacier or Razorice For Now

Rune of Cinderglacier is ideal for two-handed weapons and dual-wielding main hands.

Rune of Razorice is ideal for dual-wielding off-hands only.

Tanks should use Rune of Spellshattering, as you should be using a two-handed weapon.

Yes, everyone says Rune of the Fallen Crusader is the best runeforge, and they are right. But you don’t learn it until level 70. So stick with the ones above while leveling up.

Get Your Horse First

Once you go outside the Ebon Hold you’ll pick up several quests. Complete Grand Theft Palomino first. It’ll lead to a quick follow-up quest, and then you’ll get your death knight mount. It is a 100% ground mount, at levels 55-56, and for free! It’ll make all other quests in the area much faster.

Magic Time Traveling Mailbox

There is a functioning mailbox in the Scarlet Enclave, not far from the death knight base. It’ll have a quest marker to help you find it the first time. You can magically send stuff to your death knight “from the future.”

No new items are needed for your death knight to complete the starter zone. You won’t fill up the smaller bags you start with and you’ll easily beat any enemies with the gear you’re given. That said here are some items you could send and use early on.

• Glyphs – The most beneficial items you can send. You can use 2 major glyphs and 2 minor glyphs.
• Bigger bags – Send the four for your character, and wait on any extras for your bank.
• Titanic Leggings – If you splurged for this upgrade you can equip it immediately. Do NOT apply Cobra or Nethercobra leg armor to it in advance, it’ll cause the leggings to become soulbound to the non-death knight holding them. The death knight can apply the leg armor later at level 60.
• Level 55-57 one-handed weapons – If going frost DPS, do not send maces as you won’t be trained in them yet.
• Enchant Boots – Minor Speed – If using enchants over talents for run speed, wait until you get your blue quality boots.
• First Aid – You can send Runecloth, TBC first aid books, and Netherweave cloth to level up first aid if you want.

Find Death Knights To Dual Going Down the Hills

The death knight NPCs you need to duel don’t have nameplates above their heads, making them annoying to find. The best spot is on the hills on either side of the death knight camp heading down to the battle areas. Click on one running by and it’ll stop.

Cloak Choice Doesn’t Matter

When awarded a new cloak pick whichever one you like the look of. The DPS specs are the same, the only difference is a measly +5 elemental resistance.

Noth’s Special Brew

Noth’s Special Brew is a special death knight potion that restores health and 50 runic power. It is only found in the death knight starter zone and you can only take 20 out into the world with you.

The initial quest will give you 5 brews. To get another 15 you’ll need to collect 60 more skulls. You’ll only get some of that from normal questing, so you’ll need to farm skulls to get the full amount.

Have all the skills you need and turned in before you accept Ambush at the Overlook. After that quest chain, you won’t be able to collect any more skulls. The last time to turn in skulls is before you complete the frost wyrm siege battle started by the Lich King.

Sword Over Axe

After the battle at Light’s Hope Chapel, you’ll choose your final weapon reward. Go for the sword, the hit rating on it vs crit rating on the axe makes it the best choice. Orc death knights can pick up a better axe in dungeons or from the Ring of Blood event in Nagrand.

Be sure to runeforge your new weapon after you’ve cleared out the scourge from Ebon Hold, but before you head for Stormwind/Orgrimmar.

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Once In Stormwind/Orgrimmar

Now the death knight day one plan can get started. Turn in the final quest that sent you to your capital city and you are done with the death knight starting experience.

1. Set Stormwind/Orgrimmar as your hearth. Note you’ll receive a new hearthstone.
2. Grab any bags you have reserved for your death knight and set up your bank.
   • Buying all bank bag slots will cost ~112 gold.
   • I’m using Mooncloth Bags to start. I can upgrade to larger WotLK bags more cheaply later and the Mooncloth Bags can be sold or given to another character.
3. Turn in the Stormwind/Orgrimmar cloth donation quests.
   • Wool Cloth x60
   • Silk Cloth x60
   • Mageweave Cloth x60
   • Runecloth x60
   • Hold off on turning in more cloth for pure rep, you’ll have an easier time turning in the perfect amount for Revered after doing the plaguelands quests.
4. Pick up the quest Call to Arms: Plaguelands (Stormwind/Orgrimmar).
5. Optional: Skill up First Aid to 375.
   • Doesn’t require a trip to Theramore, you can skill up to 300 with Heavy Runecloth Bandages.
   • Can get up to 375 if you mail the TBC first aid books and necessary cloth to your DK.
6. Optional: Skill up Cooking to 300.
   • Can do it all with one trainer if you have the vendor recipes needed.
7. Optional: Skill up primary professions to 300.
   • I want engineering skilled up ASAP so I can get the goggles for leveling. As I’m going goblin I’ll need to swing by Gadgetzan at some point.

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Turn In Additional Cloth Donations for XP

You can repeat the cloth donation quests for rep and XP in your other faction capital cities if you can reliably purchase portals or get a mage friend to help you out. Without a mage, this may not be worth running around and doing. The combined turn-ins are ~106,000 XP.

Alliance Order

1. Stormwind
2. Ironforge (2 turn-ins)
   • Also, visit the weapon trainer to learn maces
3. Exodar
4. Darnassus

I’ll be making a pit stop in Gadgetzan (via Theramore portal) for Goblin Engineering before I finish up in Darnassus.

Horde Order

1. Orgrimmar (2 turn-ins)
2. Thunder Bluff
   • Also, visit the weapon trainer to learn maces
3. Undercity
4. Silvermoon City
5. Return to Ogrimmar

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