Wrath of the Lich King FAQ

[Waldonnis]

With the release of Wrath of the Lich King, many questions are certain to come up over and over...and over. To help everyone, those of us in beta decided to put together this Frequently Asked Questions list to help ease the transition and assist our Clan (and friends who stop by).

General Expansion Information:

At what level should I go to Northrend?

Northrend is designed for characters that are level 68 or above. While you could probably get away with being there prior to that (and may even be able to kill some of the things there), most of the starting quests will not be available to you.

How do I get to Northrend?

New zepellin towers have been erected outside of Undercity and Orgrimmar, each taking you to one of the two "introductory" zones in Northrend. The zepellin tower oustide of Undercity is next to the existing tower and will carry you to Howling Fjord. The tower outside of Orgrimmar is west of the entrance (as you exit Orgrimmar, go to your right) and will carry you to Borean Tundra. Note that the Orgrimmar tower is in the opposite direction and quite far away from the existing tower.

Two starter zones? Which do I pick? Do I have to do them both?

To ease the strain on everyone, Blizzard was kind enough to make two different starter zones in Northrend. Each has its own terrain, quest flavour, and even different types of enemies compared to the other. Neither is "better" than the other, so it doesn't matter which you decide to go to. Also, you are not required to do both at all if you choose not to. The level curve is designed around the completion of only one of them.

I noticed that there were instances in both Borean Tundra and Howling Fjord. Can I do both or does my choice of starter zones affect which I can do?

There are indeed two instances designed for 70-72 players. The Nexus, located in the Coldarra section of Borean Tundra, and Utgarde Keep in Howling Fjord. While quests involving those instances are confined to their respective zones, you are not restricted at all from running both if you choose.

Where do I go after I finish Borean Tundra or Howling Fjord?

Your final quests in each will lead you into Dragonblight. After that, just go where the quests take you

How about my professions? Are the trainers for those in both Howling Fjord and Borean Tundra?

Yes, each of the two zones has trainers for all of the professions that can teach the new "Grand Master" level skills and recipes, including secondary professions. Not all of the trainers may be located in the initial areas of Vengeance Landing and Warsong Hold, though, so you may have to poke around the zones' towns to find them.

Can I use my flying mount in Northrend?

Not at first, but eventually you can and will actually be required to have one for Stormpeaks and Icecrown (non-epic is fine). At level 77, you may purchase the "Cold Weather Flying" skill from a trainer in Dalaran for 1000g base price. Like all costs, this reduces as your reputation increases with the Kirin Tor (for most players, it will be 950g by the time they are at that level). This may seem like a steep cost, but trust me, it is quite easy to make the gold to purchase this prior to 77 through questing. This decision was intentional and meant as a time sink, adds elements of danger again, as well as helping to spread the server's populations out a bit more. There's plenty of time to fly later, any way, so enjoy the scenery for a bit until you can fly again.

Dalaran Information:

I've heard a lot about Dalaran. Isn't that supposed to be in the Alterac Mountains? What is it and how do I get there?

Dalaran is the home to the Kirin Tor, a group of powerful mages. It was previously located in the Alterac Mountains, protected by a magic dome, but the threat from the Lich King forced the Kirin Tor to relocate the city to Northrend (and set aside their isolationist ways) in order to help fight the Lich King's growing power. The city is now floating above Crystalsong Forest in Northrend. Access to Dalaran is restricted to players that have completed a quest line in Dragonblight, usually at level 74. Mages get a personal teleport spell at 71, but they do not get a portal spell for the city until level 74. Getting into Dalaran prior to completing the entry quest requires a mage portal or a warlock summon.

Are there trainers in Dalaran? Portals to the cities too? What exactly is in that floating city?

There are no class trainers in Dalaran except for mage trainers. Being an organisation of mages, it was natural that they would help instruct other mages, but they don't have any other class trainers in their ranks. There are, however, portals to all of the major cities (including Shattrath) located within the city. There are trainers for all professions though (as well as their respective specialties) located in Dalaran for easy access. One personal favour that I do ask is that players not pester level 74 mages for portals. There's no reason to rush to get to Dalaran and you will have access quickly enough anyway.

Are there auction houses in Dalaran? How about banks?

Nope, for similar reasons as to why Shattrath lacks one: Blizzard still intents on having players return to the old lands so they still have some degree of life left in them, and to promote trade within the original cities. On the other hand, Dalaran does include banks, guild storage, Arena/PvP Battlemasters, and portals to every faction city (including Shattrath).

Death Knight Information:

How do death knights work? Do I have to start at level one again?

Any player that has a level 55+ character can create a death knight, but can only create one per realm. Death Knights begin their "lives" at level 55 and have a rather unique (and very fun) starting area. Unlike other classes, all death knights begin in the same starter area regardless of race selection.

Starting at level 55 sounds great, but why aren't I just started at 58 so I can go into Outlands? Do I have to deal with the Plaguelands and Silithus again?

Death knights may begin at 55, but by the time you complete the starting quest lines, a new death knight should be level 58 and ready for Outlands (complete with a really nice set of armour that's on par with tier 2-3).

So let me get this straight, I have to do Outlands again? That will take forever...

Actually, it shouldn't. The experience required to gain levels 60-70 has been reduced and should allow for much faster progression into Northrend for death knights. My personal observation was that most death knights hit level 68 and were ready for Northrend midway through Blade's Edge Mountains or even Nagrand questing.

Death knights are supposed to be able to tank, but I can't use shields? How does that work?

Death knights are designed to not require shields, and get some abilities and benefits to make up for not being able to use one. It may seem strange at first, but seeing (or being) a death knight tanking with a big two-handed weapon or dual-wielding will become more common before you know it.

I see that death knights have spells. Do they need spell power gear too?

While death knights do have spells and a portion of their damage comes from magical effects, spell power gear does nothing for a death knight. All death knight spell damage is tied to their attack power and strength.

Do Alliance and Horde death knights level side-by-side at first?

Thankfully, no. While the starting area is technically the same zone, each side sees only its own faction's players, so you won't have to compete with throngs of Alliance for quest targets.

Do death knight professions start at 1 or do they get a break?

Yes and no. First aid is automatically "gifted" to a death knight upon creation and leveled up to 275 skill. From that point on, the normal first aid skill progression is required. Primary crafting/gathering professions and the other secondary professions (cooking and fishing) all need to be learned and start at 1, like other classes.

[Tainish]

Great writeup and summary. Can't wait to get my expac today. It better be on my doorstep soon or I'm going to seriously shake my fist at Amazon.

Quick question re: Deathknights: are they legitimate tanks or limited to certain situations or rolls?