Just before the release of World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, Blizzard is making changes to the most important system: the Covenants. More specifically, the Kyrian Covenant. They have been considered an absolute top tip among experts. That might change now.
What kind of Covenant is this? The Kyrians are the first Covenant you will encounter in the new expansion Shadowlands. The orderly beings are somewhat like the law of the Shadowlands and ensure that everything runs according to the rules.
In terms of gameplay, they do not differ from the other Covenants. They offer a Covenant ability as well as a class ability for each of the twelve classes. Among the four possible Covenants, the Kyrians were considered by experts to be “the best Covenant” for many classes.
What made it so strong? The reason was the NPC Pelagos. He is one of the companions with whom you can form a Soulbind. Soulbinds are a new mechanic that strengthens you by granting you various buffs.
Most NPCs with whom you can form a bond offer either:
- two potency conduits and one enhancing ability
- or one potency conduit and two enhancing abilities
Potency conduits enhance your class-specific abilities by granting them bonus damage, for example. Enhancing abilities are, for instance, abilities that improve your secondary stats for a time.
Pelagos was the only character who offered both two potency conduits and two enhancing abilities. For almost every DPS specialization, the Kyrians were therefore considered a pro tip. However, this is changing now.
Nerf for Pelagos – Which Covenant is now the strongest?
This has been nerfed: The ability “Letting Go of the Past” originally granted you a bonus to versatility. Instead, each stack of the ability now reduces your magic damage taken by 1%.
This means that “Letting Go of the Past” no longer enhances your damage, as was the case with versatility. Pelagos will be a bit weaker than before. Additionally, two of the Necrolord NPCs will become stronger.
What should I play now? Due to the changes, the Kyrians are likely no longer the “top Covenant”. However, they have previously only been the best on paper. Effectively, the difference to other Covenants was only a few percentages.
If you want to get the maximum out of your character, you should take a closer look at all the Covenants. There is likely no longer an “absolutely best Covenant”. In our special on MeinMMO, you can find all abilities and rewards of the Covenants.
Otherwise, the best option is to play what you enjoy. The difference is hardly relevant for your progress in Shadowlands. It’s more important to understand how the dungeons and mechanics work. If you still need help, you can find out with our quiz which Covenant suits you.
With the nerf to Pelagos, Blizzard is addressing the criticism of some players, according to which the Kyrians were too strong and a “mandatory choice” for progress players. Additionally, the Covenant is now placed on a level with the other Covenants, and you are no longer “worse off” if you prefer being a blood-sucking Venthyr.
What about you? Let us know in our survey which Covenant you will choose in Shadowlands.
In our podcast on WoW Shadowlands on MeinMMO, we also talk about the Covenants, their history, and their function in the new addon. You can find the podcast on Spotify, iTunes, and on our podcast page. It will be released on November 25, shortly after the release of Shadowlands.
