Shade Shades are disembodied spirits and are similar to ghost s in that they are the spectral remains of a once - living person . These often restless spirits are mostly found in the Plaguelands , other undead - infested areas , and the village surrounding the mysterious tower of Karazhan . Because they do not have a real body , some shades are immune to physical damage . Those that spawn unattended tend to avoid living creatures and have weak combat skills . However , they have keen perception to see things with true sight and can be very loyal to those who befriend them . Shades who were created intentionally as opposed to forming out of happenstance were called forth from the depths of the sacrificial pits . These shades are vile , wraith - like creatures who exist only to serve their dark lord , The Lich King . The invisible shades are virtually undetectable by normal sight , making them ideal scouts and spies for the Scourge . Though they cannot attack the living , they are still considered valuable assets to the Lich King ’ s forces . A shade is an invisible wraith capable of spying on the enemy , detectable only through magic . Background . Shades are the restless spirits of those who never had a chance to " achieve greatness " in life . A vaporous gray mist clearly forms the skeletal body of this creature . Its vaguely humanoid body is translucent and leaves a misty trail as it glides silently about . Only the bright violet eyes , which burn with great intensity , look as though they have any substance . These utterly invisible , incorporeal creatures can see all things for what they truly are . Quiet and discrete , shades prefer to avoid living beings . They seem content to roam the land where they were spawned , but most seem also equally at ease among other undead . These intelligent creatures sometimes serve in undead armies as scouts or spies , reporting anything they see to their superiors . Once they enter service , shades almost invariably remain loyal to their superiors and their cause . Because of the shades ’ unquestioning loyalty , many undead generals seek to employ them despite their lack of courage or fighting capabilities . Poor combatants , shades prefer to avoid fighting as much as possible . They would rather flee than face an enemy they cannot hope to defeat , but they also tend to retreat from creatures they could likely defeat . When forced into battle , they use their Spirit drain ability to hamper the living , but still seek to fly away at the first opportunity . Cornered shades fight to the death ( but note that incorporeal creatures are notoriously hard to corner … ) . Shades are among the most powerful undead creatures created by the plague , second only to those massive powers formed through divine intervention or heroic activity . These creatures are fanatically loyal to Ner ' zhul and are created from his most devout and capable followers . Only the truest patriots of the Cult of the Damned are worthy of this great honor . Even after death , their loyalty is absolute . They are unquestioned in their realm , and they are the greatest spy force Azeroth has ever seen . Together with their abilities of fighting and sorcery , shades are a potent force in Ner ' zhul ' s legions of the Scourge . Shades can move completely unnoticed . While operating under this ability , the shade is not noticed or thought of as unusual ; it appears to be someone familiar and accepted to all those around it . Even the most unusual actions will seem “ reasonable , ” and the individuals around the shade rationalize away unusual actions or strange conversations . Shades are created by a formal ritual of sacrifice , in which a single acolyte who has completely proven himself to Ner ' zhul is brought over to the far side of death . The plague is allowed to enter his body , and powerful necromancers spend several days transforming the acolyte ' s pitiful shell into a devastating creature of undeath . This ritual occurs in a place known as the Sacrificial Pit , where the focused energies of the Lich King and his necromancers are at their most powerful . A shade may communicate telepathically with any other shade in line - of - sight . This telepathy is difficult and requires concentration : the shade may not take any strenuous actions while performing this ability , though it may perform simple tasks or attempt to appear to be doing something other than speaking silently in its mind . Shades use this ability to keep contact with their fellows while on a spy mission ; also , they use it to coordinate attacks against a more difficult opponent or to prepare ambushes against those unprepared for the assault . A shade can be made unreasonably angry when faced with its own reflection ( something not easy to produce ) or when reminded of its time spent as a mortal . A shade considers itself to be reborn and attempts to forget its past existence - constant or poignant reminders of the past will infuriate a shade and cause it to attack without regard for its own safety . In the Scourge . Due to their invisibility , shades are employed by the Scourge as spies and scouts . They are created from the sacrifice of acolyte s of the Cult of the Damned . In " World of Warcraft " , they attack with shadow - based spells and melee attacks .