DK Info Released, Mages Enter Panic Mode

So some new information about the Death Knight Final Form class has hit the intarwebs. This article here at TenTonHammer is an excellent summary of the newly revealed Death Knight information, and why the tears have begun to flow across the mage boards.

Well, flowing more. Often.

Maybe there’s gnashing of teeth now?

Ok, so the Mage boards haven’t changed at all, but nonetheless, here’s what’s scaring people.

Pull your target to you? Check.
15% run speed increase aura? Check.
Root your target? Check.
Silence that lasts up to 5 seconds? Check.
Anti-magic shell that absorbs 75% of next damaging spell? Check.
Additional Spell interupt? Check.

So yeah. Essentially, the Death Knight is being designed as a caster tank, a niche that hasn’t been taken yet. Sure, there are some talents kicking around here and there for tanks to attempt to keep control of casters. Paladins have some reduction in that matter, and warriors have an “oh god PLEASE let this work” ability.

And druid tanks get healed by fire.

The Death Knight intends to fill that role, to become the class needed to tank various spell casters.

And presumably, utterly annihilate casters in PvP. As if we needed more of those.

The Mage community needs to remember something that I thought everyone on the Internet learned a long time ago.

DON’T PANIC.

Ok. You done not panicking yet?

It’s ok, I can wait.

Right. Let’s go over this, and I’ll show you how this isn’t game breaking.

• Pull your target to you? - Just another ability to blink away from. Think Intercept, but in reverse.
• 15% run speed increase aura? - Are you forgetting about Frostbolt and all of your other snares?
• Root your target? - Let’s just assume for the time being that this ability is instant. So we won’t be the only class with Frost Nova. Except they can only hit one target with theirs. And if you’re a frost mage, you already have twice as many roots as the Death Knight does. As far as we know, the Death Knight doesn’t have a “Shatter” talent, so they’d have to have a frost mage following them around to even get the best use out of it. otherwise, it’s just another Entangling Roots.
  
• Silence that lasts up to 5 seconds? - So, what, there aren’t other classes that silence already? It doesn’t have a spell school interrupt attached to it, like Counterspell does. A slightly buffed Shadow Priest silence is all we’re looking at here. And besides, if it all goes to hell while your silenced, you can still Ice Block out of it if necessary.
  
• Additional Spell interupt? - A casting interrupt. Like kick. But without a school lockout associated with it.
  
• Anti-magic shell that absorbs 75% of next damaging spell? - So it’s like a weaker Grounding Totem, except it can be spell stolen, purged, or dispelled. And is probably blindingly obvious. “Huh. That pointy guy with the sword has a gigantic green bubble around him. I wonder what that is? Oh well, time for PoM Pyro!”

Will the Death Knight class be dangerous? Sure will. Is it overpowered against casters? Hardly. Assuming that mages get absolutely nothing in WotLK, a fight between a Death Knight and a Mage would be very similar to a Warlock versus Mage fight. Difficult, but doable.

What really has me concerned, and, I’ll admit, excited, is what would happen if you got a Frost Mage and a Death Knight together in PvP.

This combination would be catastrophic against healers. Multiple spell interrupts, multiple silences, multiple roots, and absolutely insane burst damage at the drop of a hat.

Oh yes, and one more thing.

players will be able to use knockback maneuvers

Methinks there will be some exciting changes for mages in the coming expansion. Such as Blastwave throwing all enemies back ten yards. Just a thought.