World of Warcraft: 8 Best Transmog Sets for Death Knights (2024)

Ever since Transmog (short for Transmogrification) was added to World of Warcraft back during Cataclysm, players have been able to express their creativity. No longer is their fashion at the mercy of whatever loot they've acquired so far or what has the better stats. A visually unappealing sword can be made to look like a much more satisfying weapon. If World of Warcraft players don't like the way their class armor set looks, they can simply use a different appearance.

While there are still some restrictions with Transmog, the system has seen significant improvements over the years. As a result, simply hunting down sets for Transmog is a play style in and of itself. If players want to use a set that leans into their class fantasy, there are plenty to choose from. This is especially the case for Death Knights, as many earlier sets really set them apart as unstoppable champions of death and destruction. For all the former Scourge champions out there, here are some transmog sets that will strike fear into the hearts of those foolish enough to stand in their way.

Updated May 24, 2024 by Paul Woodward: It is always to exciting to see what the next set of gear looks like for a class. While Blizzard will often move away from traditional themes and appearances, most armor sets usually still look like something that would be worn by that class. While it is still in development at the time of writing, the armor set for Death Knights in the first season of The War Within look absolutely fantastic. Until then, here are some other sets that make for a great Death Knight transmog.

8 Valorous Scourgeborne Plate

The First Set of Raid Gear For Death Knights

• The Helmet, Chest, Legs, and Shoulders all drop off of bosses in Naxxramas 25-man.
• The Gloves drop off of Sartharion in Obsidian Sanctum 25-man.
• The Belt (Belt of the Singing Blade) and Boots (Bladed Steelboots) are purchased from legacy gear vendors in Dalaran (Northrend).

There is no better place to start than with the very first set of raid gear for Death Knights. Since Death Knights were not a playable class when Naxxramas was first released back in vanilla WoW, it meant that Blizzard needed to add a set for the new class in both 10-man and 25-man versions of Naxxramas. The Valorous Scourgeborne Plate set drops from both Naxxramas and Obsidian Sanctum 25-man. Back during Wrath of the Lich King, the 10 and 25-man versions of raids had different loot tables. So if players want to get this set, they must make sure that they are doing the correct version of the raids.

While not as visually interesting as other sets of Death Knight armor, the Valorous Scorgeborne Plate has a great color scheme and will look good on players regardless of whether they are a Blood, Frost, or Unholy Death Knight. Though this armor will make certain races (especially Orcs) look like giant bugs due to the shoulders. Unfortunately the 10-man version does not have matching boots like the 25-man version does, so players will have to get creative to find something that will slightly match.

7 Furious Gladiator's Dreadplate Armor

For Those Who Prefer Less Bulky Armor

• Purchased with Marks of Honor in the Sewers of Dalaran (Northrend)

Prior to just being recolors of raid gear, PvP armor used to have a look that was completely unique to it alone. While most of the PvP sets for Death Knights in Wrath of the Lich King essentially used the same model throughout the entire expansion, the set released with the sixth Arena Season was easily the most appealing.

Rather than going for a bulky-looking set of armor, this set is thinner and looks like it would be much easier to move in. If anything, this set looks like what a Death Knight would wear if they were on a sports team. So for players looking for a set that looks like it could actually be worn, the Furious Gladiator's Dreadplate Armor is a great set to use for Transmog. The entire set can be purchased with Marks of Honor from the legacy arena vendors in the Sewers of Dalaran (Northrend).

6 Necrotic Boneplate Armor

Armor Made Out of Bones is Perfect For a Death Knight

• All pieces of this armor drop from the Dragon Soul raid

Since the grand finale of Cataclysm takes place in Dragonblight, it makes sense why the Tier 13 raid armor for Death Knights looks like it is made out of bones. While there are three different colored versions of this set, the heroic version is easily the best looking. This entire set drops from the Dragon Soul raid. Originally, players had to loot the tokens and then use them to purchase the raid gear from vendors in Orgrimmar and Stormwind. Now the tokens can be used to just create the armor on the spot.

This set is great for Death Knight players who sided with the Necrolords in Shadowlands. While Necrotic Boneplate Armor came out years prior to this notorious expansion, players would certainly feel at home with this armor on while they are in Maldraxxus.

5 Plate of the Lost Catacomb

Ceremonial Burial Armor Never Looked So Good

• All pieces drop from heroic Mogu'Shan Vaults, Heart of Fear, and Terrace of Endless Spring.

While many players either loved or thoroughly despised Mists of Pandaria, the unique and completely originally styles of armor it brought into the game cannot be ignored. The image above depicts the heroic version of the Tier 14 Death Knight set. Regardless of color, this set of raid armor makes a Death Knight look like they are wearing ceremonial armor that they were buried in.

The flaming skulls on the helmet and the shoulders will certainly make players look very intimidating. If players prefer not to have armor that looks like a robe, they can swap the chest armor out with Garalon's Graven Carapace which drops off of Garalon in Heart of Fear. This was also, unfortunately, one of the last sets added to the game that felt like something a Death Knight would wear.

4 Magma Plated Battlearmor

Death Knights In Cataclysm Had Style

• All pieces drop from normal and heroic Bastion of Twilight, Blackwing Descent, and Throne of Four Winds.

Even after the Lich King was slain, there were still plenty of incredible sets of raid gear for Death Knights that were released during Cataclysm. One such set is the very impressive (and highly intimidating) Tier 11 set for Death Knights. The normal version is covered in blue flames and the helmet has an impressive looking crown on top with horns and a skull like visage. Every piece of this set drops from the three raids that launched with Cataclysm.

If players want something that looks a little more primal, they should consider going after the heroic version of this armor as it looks like a set of armor forged with lava. As far as weapons go, Shadowmourne looks great with the normal version and weapons from the Firelands look great with the heroic version.

3 Risen Nightmare's Gravemantle

Dragonflight Brings Back the Class Fantasy

• Drops from Amirdrassil, the Dream's Hope

Some class armor sets strayed away from a discernable identity during Dragonflight. This was certainly the case with Death Knights, as the armor that dropped in Vault of the Incarnates and Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible looked more like typical plate armor in World of Warcraft.

With Season Three, Death Knights got a new set of armor that felt like it belonged in a Scourge armory. The art team at Blizzard even found ways to make the set look different from what had come before by adding in spikes on the shoulders and the arms. Best of all, this set comes in several different colors and there is even a color that is exclusive to PvP. If players want a set that suits a Death Knight but doesn't look like the more traditional sets from Wrath of the Lich King, Risen Nightmare's Gravemantle is a great contender.

2 Unchained Gladiator's Plate

Creepy Looking Armor Is Ideal For a Death Knight

• Purchased with 12 Marks of Honor in Oribos

While the Unchained Gladiator's Plate is technically a set that can be used by Warriors, Paladins, and Death Knights, there is no doubt that this set of armor looks best when on a Death Knight. In general, Death Knight gear is meant to make them look very intimidating. In this case, the Unchained Gladiator's Plate set makes a Death Knight player look outright demonic. This entire set can be purchased from the PvP Vendor in Oribos.

As far as weapons go, Apocalypse pairs well with this set. This is especially the case if players use any of the red color variants of this Legion Artifact weapon. If players want a cape, the Ensemble for Unchained Gladiator's Plate comes with one that matches this armor.

1 Dreadwyrm Battleplate

For Players Who Want to Look Like the Lich King

• Drops from Mythic Nighthold. Lookalike pieces also drop in Mythic Emerald Nightmare.

For many years, Death Knight raid gear went off the rails and used very different styles. While variety never hurts, it certainly didn't lean into the class fantasy as much as some players would have liked. Fortunately, this was partially corrected when Blizzard released the Tier 19 raid armor during Legion.

While all the color variants for this set look great (including the PvP version), the best version is easily the Mythic one. With the helmet bearing a striking resemblance to the Helm of Domination, it makes players look like the infamous Lich King. When compared to the armor worn by the Lich King, this set will make players feel like a worthy successor to this notorious and sinister antagonist.

World of Warcraft

Platform(s)

PC

Released

November 23, 2004

Developer(s)

Blizzard

Genre(s)

MMORPG