In Shadowlands, WoW players must farm a bit again. This time it is “Renown” – is it just artifact power 2.0?
In Legion and Battle for Azeroth, there was the grind for artifact power. This is supposed to no longer exist in the next expansion of World of Warcraft. However, the upcoming expansion Shadowlands has a certain farming mechanic: Renown. We will tell you what Renown brings, how to obtain it, and what the “grind” looks like.
What is Renown? Renown is one of the most important mechanics after choosing your Covenant. With each Renown level, you increase in your Covenant’s favor and unlock new bonuses. Some of these are cosmetic, while others bring really important content that improves your gear and thus your gameplay. The rewards for Renown levels include:
- New rows of abilities/talents with the Soulbind characters
- Increase in the maximum item level of items that can be obtained from world quests
- New legendary recipes for the Runecrafter in Torghast (for crafting Legendary items)
- Cosmetic rewards from the Covenant, such as mounts, pets, titles, transmog sets, and the cool back items of the Covenant
- New levels for various features of the Sanctum
How to earn Renown? Renown is mainly earned through two ways. With significant progress within the Covenant campaign, which is unlocked step by step, you gain Renown. Then, every week there are two major overarching quests. One of them requires you to infuse a certain amount of Anima into your Sanctum, while the other wants you to rescue souls from the Maw. We also conducted an interview with Blizzard regarding the Maw.
Each of these two quests grants a full level of Renown and thus increases the Renown level by 1 each.
Is this endless grinding? No. There is a weekly cap on the Renown that players can earn. Once this cap is reached, further accumulation of Renown does not provide progress in the Renown system. Therefore, there is no “endless grind” like with the Azerite system, but rather a clear weekly objective with a maximum value to achieve.
Are there catch-up systems? Yes. Catch-up systems are supposed to be implemented from the start. Alternate characters can then catch up to the current maximum of Renown much faster and do not have to lag behind the rest of the player base for long.
The exact strength of this catch-up mechanic is not yet clear. However, Blizzard has made it clear that they want to put as few obstacles as possible in the way of Twinks. The current plan is that until reaching the current maximum level, players can simply play content of their choice – such as dungeons, raids, or PvP.
Can you live with Renown as a new gathering mechanic? Are you looking forward to it? Or is it just “the same old stuff in new clothes”?
