On Outland upgrading Yes, you can get upgrades from Outland, even from Hellfire Peninsula. No, you don't have to take them. If you prefer form over function and plan to blast straight through Outland, you should be able to get away with keeping your blue gear til 70. If you do upgrade before Northrend, you will be in danger of looking like a clown, though, especially since the devs say they have no intention of itemizing for Death Knight specific gear sets before Northrend. Still, if you're don't mind looking silly, there's some good upgrades to be had in Outland. Here's a few quest upgrades from Hellfire Peninsula, Nagrand, and Zangarmarsh: Battlemaster's Breastplate: This breastplate out of Hellfire Peninsula is at the end of a long quest line for both Horde and Alliance, but it's a very nice upgrade from Saronite War Plate, with a good amount of extra AC and strength easily making up for the lost parry rating. It shows a lot of skin on most races though, even the males, so grab a tabard to cover it up. Defender's Gauntlets or Suntrider's Gauntlets: Gained by a quest from either Falcon Watch or the Temple of Telhamat, these gauntlets have different names depending on your side, but the same stats. The upgrade from Bloodbane's Gauntlets of Command is much less apparent than it was with the breastplate, but it's a slight upgrade all the same, with a little bit of ...