The covenants of World of Warcraft are causing frustration even before the release of Shadowlands. How can Blizzard solve this?
For the upcoming expansion World of Warcraft Shadowlands, the beta has just started. Nonetheless, there has been much frustration over a decision by Blizzard for weeks. The covenants combine a lot of abilities and bonuses, but each character can only choose one covenant. Anger and frustration are practically pre-programmed.
What is the problem? Covenants will be a big decision in World of Warcraft Shadowlands. There are four different ones and they come with a whole package of rewards and bonuses. Each covenant has:
- 2 special active abilities
- 3 soul binds with numerous passive bonuses
- Its own story campaign
- Different activities and mini-games
- Numerous cosmetic rewards (mounts, armor, pets, etc.)
As the active abilities and passive bonuses take effect in PvE and PvP, it is already clear to those players who want to get the best out of their character: There is really no right decision, you take what suits your class best.
Especially pro raiders are afraid that they will have to play many characters – about 4 mages, one in each covenant, to be perfectly prepared for every situation.
Critics demand free switching of covenants
What the critics say: The biggest concern for many players is that Blizzard is repeating the mistakes of Battle for Azeroth with the covenants. There were too many systems that players were bound to, and they felt bad.
Especially the ability of the Venthyr, a strong teleport, seems to be a clear must for PvP fans. However, in PvE, it is not as good as other abilities, which makes players fear they will have to choose between PvE and PvP.
One of the most common, clearly cynical criticisms is:
“I can hardly wait for Patch 9.3, when I can finally choose my covenant abilities freely.”
This statement has also sparked a whole thread on Reddit with over 2,800 upvotes. Many players are already making assumptions based on Battle for Azeroth, such as Cptknuuuuuut:
I’ll say it now, the system will go live just like that, despite all the objections.
Players will continue to point out how dumb the system is and that they are forced to choose a specific covenant due to a necessary ability.
In Patch 9.1, Blizzard will then “address” the error by nerfing the most used covenants/abilities into the ground and ignore the underlying problem.
In Patch 9.2 they will then relent and allow players to switch their abilities freely, and players will be happy.
And then, in Patch 9.3, they will introduce a new system related to the covenants that is even worse.
Puuksu writes in the same thread:
It’s a fact that they can’t balance covenants, conduits, and the rest. It will be fun for a month, and then people will start complaining about how the meta develops and that they aren’t being picked up in groups due to their covenant choice.
The current plan is that players can switch their covenant relatively easily – but only a few times. If you want to return to a covenant you have left in the past, it is supposed to be difficult. Even though Blizzard has not yet made any concrete specifications, this will probably be a process that takes several weeks. The choice of covenant is thus practically permanent.
This is how our readers see it: A few days ago, we conducted a survey on MeinMMO to find out what you would choose your covenant based on. 44% want to choose their covenant solely based on the strength it provides their character. Only 10% choose based on the story and 16% based on the aesthetic options a covenant offers.
From this, it is clear that the power granted by the covenant has a significant influence on the choice of covenant and is crucial for many players. The danger that one is “forced” into a covenant due to abilities that one does not want to play at all is therefore quite present.
This is what Blizzard says: The developers at Blizzard remain convinced of the covenant system and believe that the overall concept is sound and can sustain itself throughout the expansion. There are various customization options and with up to three soul binds per covenant, there are also enough options to change prioritization a little without having to switch covenants.
Balance will only come at the end: However, amid all the dissatisfaction, one should not forget that the beta for Shadowlands is still very much in its early stages. Individual details, such as the exact damage values of abilities, are usually adjusted towards the end. Nevertheless, many players may be concerned that feedback will fall on deaf ears and that adjustments will be too late – because that was exactly one of the biggest problems of Battle for Azeroth. At that time, there was also much criticism in advance, but changes were made only to a minimal extent.
The best way to improve the system before the launch is, by the way, to give feedback yourself and participate in discussions. Both feedback within the beta and discussions on Reddit and in the official forum are monitored by Blizzard.
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