So what exactly makes a Death Knight so hard to roleplay.
I always see people say it’s hard to RP a DK “correctly”.
Define “RP…Correctly” for me.
Beats me. I see people say it but I don’t know what it is.
I guess it’s broody broody kill kill?
Man I am way off then….
My Death Knights loves flowers and the living because you know he is dead…
I better find these guides and get my shit together or I will never be a respected RPer.
Like maybe I’m actually an awful DK RPer and didn’t know it but I never had any problems RPing one.
Come on Skull you filthy casual, this is Mythic RP and I need you to pull your weight.
But but but but but but MY GOTH AESTHETIC!!!! MY IMMERSION!!!
In all seriousness, the hard part I find about playing a death knight is I’m constantly worried that people are just going to write me and the character off as being an “edgelord”, regardless of the fact that said “edgelord” behavior fits the character. It’s hard for me because I have to worry about other people not taking me seriously.
I think a lot of the time people assume that DKs have to be RPed as completely serious literally all the time, and they have to be deadpan, consistently on the edge because of their addiction to cause pain/feed their runeblade.
Mostly, I think that it’s a thing where DK rpers usually heavily indulge themselves with an origin story that’s perfect for very “dark” themes (not my thing), a heavy focus on combat, or they figure that literally every death knight ever responded to the trauma of being raised, indoctrinated by the LK (generally, I don’t see a lot of other generations of DKs), and then broke free and for the most part live on the fringe of society or as the factions have gotten used to them, struggled to keep their addiction in check if passing through a town/city.
There’s no “serious RP” way to a DK. There are many ways to respond to that sort of trauma, and they don’t have to be broody, lingering abominations. That just makes the most “sense” as a generally known response to that kinda experience is to be distant, broody, and … y’know, far removed from more “normal” behavior.
I don’t think there’s a wrong way to RP them as long as:
a) you are having fun
b) the people you are RPing with are having fun
c) you are not forcing your desires onto your partner without asking for consent and such for certain themes/harassing people/godmodding/etc.Standard RP stuff that goes for everyone.
The silliest thing is that these people typically have Thassarian, the biggest brooding edgelord DK NPC pegged completely wrong. Once he finds out that the scourge has his sister he abandons his plan of revenge and goes big dick on Blood Prince Valanar. He goes full murderhobo out of love for his sister.
When you quest in icecrown, the DKs there are pretty much dead and loving it. I mean just look at this quest text:
MAL’GANIS?!!
<The lord-commander laughs with abandon.>
The fools were taken in by the demons yet again and now they are destroyed!
I
trust that my favorite <class> will stick around long enough to
help us finish off the rest of them? Perhaps one of these would convince
you?
EDIT: Oh and let’s not forget that this guy is a thing that happened:
- Abu’gar says: Been workin on a new rod, mon, but I can’t think of a good name. Maybe “Abu’gar’s Vivaciousness?”
- Abu’gar says: Catch anything lately, boss man?
- Abu’gar says: Maybe I should try runeforgin’ da fishin’ rod.
- Abu’gar says: My line neva break, mon. I be makin it from braided Dwarf beard hair.
- Abu’gar says: Nothin’ doin’ today, mon. I guess that’s why they call it fishin’ and not catchin’.
- Abu’gar says: You wanna know da best way ta fish? Trollin’.
- Abu’gar says: You wanna know da’ secret to catching the lunkers mon? Voodoo!
There’s a wide range of ways to play an DK, and anyone who says they’re only brooding edgelords is pretty terrible at DK lore.