Hero Talent trees have finally been introduced as a significant part of the release of World of Warcraft: The War Within. Among these is the Rider of the Apocalypse Death Knight, which stands out as one of the most thematically intriguing archetypes in the game today.
For those unfamiliar, Hero Talents represent Blizzard’s innovative approach to enhancing the class system in WoW. These new talent trees operate independently from existing ones, with the goal of increasing customization options available to each specialization.
Each class can access three sets of Hero Talents. Players can choose from two of these, based on their selected spec. However, Druids have four available sets, while Demon Hunters only have two.
The Rider of the Apocalypse was the first Hero Talent tree for Death Knights to be unveiled back in March, presenting an exciting option that aligns well with the class’s established lore.
Rider of the Apocalypse Death Knight Full Hero Talent Tree Explained
All Hero Talents share a similar framework, and the Death Knight is no exception. A Keystone talent at the beginning and a Capstone talent at the end define the tree’s essential features, with players having the option to choose from three rows of talents in between. The Rider of the Apocalypse Death Knight tree offers benefits for both Frost and Unholy specializations.
Rider of the Apocalypse Death Knight Keystone Hero Talent
Rider’s Champion: Spending Runes grants a chance to summon a Horseman for 10 seconds.
- Mograine: Casts Death and Decay at his location that follows his position.
- Whitemane: Casts Undeath on your target, inflicting Shadowfrost damage per stack every 3 seconds for 24 seconds. Each time Undeath deals damage, it gains an additional stack. It cannot be refreshed.
- Trollbane: Casts Chains of Ice on your target, slowing their movement speed by 70% and increasing the damage they take from you by 5% for 8 seconds.
- Nazgrim: While Nazgrim is active, you gain Apocalyptic Conquest, boosting your Strength by 5%.
Rider of the Apocalypse Death Knight First-Row Hero Talents
Choice Node: On a Paler Horse & Death Charge
- On a Paler Horse: While outdoors, you can mount your Acherus Deathcharger during combat.
- Death Charge: Summon your Death Charger to escape from movement impairments for 10 seconds. While mounted, your movement speed increases by 100%, and you are immune to slow effects and forced movement.
Mograine’s Might: Your overall damage increases by 5%, and you gain the effects of Death and Decay while inside Mograine’s Death and Decay.
Choice Node: Horsemen’s Aid & Pact of the Apocalypse
- Horsemen’s Aid: While active, the Horsemen will occasionally cast Anti-Magic Shell on you and themselves at 80% effectiveness.
- Pact of the Apocalypse: When you take damage, 5% of the damage is redirected to each active Horseman.
Rider of the Apocalypse Death Knight Second-Row Hero Talents
Whitemane’s Famine: When your diseases damage an enemy affected by Undeath, it gains an additional stack. Additionally, damaging an enemy with Undeath infects another nearby foe.
Nazgrim’s Conquest: If an enemy dies while Nazgrim is active, the strength of Apocalyptic Conquest increases by 3%. Each Rune you spend further boosts its value by 1%.
Trollbane’s Icy Fury: Hitting a target affected by Trollbane’s Chains of Ice with Obliterate or Scourge Strike shatters the ice, dealing Shadowfrost damage to nearby enemies and slowing them by 40% for 4 seconds.
Rider of the Apocalypse Death Knight Third-Row Hero Talents
Hungering Thirst: Increases the damage of your diseases, Frost Strike, and Death Coil by 15%.
Choice Node: Fury of the Horsemen and A Feast of Souls
- Fury of the Horsemen: For every 50 Runic Power you spend, extend the duration of the Horsemen’s aid in combat by 1 second, up to a maximum of 5 seconds.
- A Feast of Souls: While aided by 2 or more Horsemen, your Runic Power spending abilities deal 20% increased damage and have a 10% chance to refund a Rune.
Mawsworn Menace: Reduces the cooldown of your Horn of Winter and Unholy Blight by 15 seconds, and Death and Decay by 10 seconds.
Rider of the Apocalypse Death Knight Capstone Hero Talent
Apocalypse Now: Activates Army of the Dead and Frostwyrm’s Fury, summoning all 4 Horsemen to assist you for 20 seconds.
Among the talent trees released so far, Rider of the Apocalypse Death Knight is arguably the most thematically appealing. This is the complete list of talents revealed as of now. With The War Within set to launch later this year, details are likely to evolve, and this guide will be updated accordingly.
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