In World of Warcraft: Shadowlands you have to join a covenant. But what does that actually mean? What is all involved with it? We will clarify.
With World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, the developers do not want as many new endgame features as there were in Battle for Azeroth. Instead, they want to focus on just a few features, but develop them properly and integrate them well into the game world.
Ion Hazzikostas mainly talked about two features. One is the large tower Torghast, the other are the covenants. Here we present the covenants and their basic features.
What are covenants? In WoW: Shadowlands, players must conclude a covenant upon reaching the maximum level. They do this with one of the four ruling powers of the known Shadowlands. These are:
- Kyrian (Area: Bastion)
- Night Fae (Area: Ardenweald)
- Venthyr (Area: Revendreth)
- Necrolords (Area: Maldraxxus)
Each of these factions rules over the respective area and has to deal with several problems, especially the lack of anima. This is basically the lifeblood of the Shadowlands and is contained in souls. Since fresh souls currently all end up in the Maw, the other areas of the Shadowlands are deteriorating.
What is there to do with the covenants? Each covenant has a variety of activities, bonuses, and rewards that can be unlocked in the endgame. These include:
- A comprehensive endgame campaign related to the chosen covenant.
- Two active abilities: One specific to the class, one for all members of the covenant.
- An endgame progression system: Soulbinds.
- A wide selection of cosmetic rewards (such as these wings and halos).
- A covenant sanctum that needs to be rebuilt to its former glory.
- Additional perks in certain areas: For example, Necrolords in Maldraxxus can build a flesh beast that they can have as a companion.
The choice of a covenant thus significantly determines how the endgame in Shadowlands is shaped and what kind of story is experienced. It is thus worthwhile to complete different covenants with different characters to experience the whole story.
What are soulbinds? Soulbinds are a new progression system in Shadowlands that takes place in the endgame. Each covenant has some characters that the player meets. With these characters, one can enter into a “soulbind.” The deeper this bond is, the more bonuses and talents one unlocks that the connected character can teach them.
Each covenant has several potential soulbinds and these can be switched quickly – similar to talents. So if you want the bonuses of a specific soulbind for a certain challenge, you can change them at will.
It is important to note that these characters are not necessarily “bodyguards.” They do not accompany the player on the journey. A soulbind also has its effect even when the character is far away.
Can you change covenants? Yes, that should be possible. However, it will not be a trivial decision, but should come with “significant costs.” Whether this means a gold price or the fact that you lose your progress with another covenant (and cannot use its rewards anymore) is still not entirely clear. In principle, however, one should pledge oneself to a covenant and only change in extreme emergencies.
Twinks have it easier: Alternate characters do not have to reach level 60 to choose a covenant. They can do that already at level 50 upon entering the Shadowlands and thus start collecting progress during the leveling phase. For example, they can already complete world quests and have a significant advantage over the first character at level 60.
What do you think about these covenants? Does it sound promising and motivating so far? Or is it just an “inflated reputation system with more rewards”?
Ihr wollt mehr zum Spiel? Tolle Specials, heiße News und interessante Infos zu World of Warcraft findet ihr auch auf unserer WoW-Seite auf Facebook.
