8.1 brought us changes to the azerite system and the azerite vendor.
8.2 brought us essences and benthic gear.
8.3 brought us corruption.
This was discussed on the titanforged podcast but I think it deserves a broader discussion that was had between them.
When new systems are released in 9.1, 9.2 or 9.3 what will happen to our covenant choice then? What if a system in 9.1 suddenly changes the strength dramatically of your chosen covenant in one form of content?
An example would be if you picked a covenant in 8.0, then in 8.2 you found out that you could only get Void Ritual in your current covenant and severe was in a different one.
Is anyone else worried that this system will be built on patch after patch with little consideration to those who picked covenants based on power (There isn’t anything wrong with someone using their meaningful choice on this option).
Just so we’re clear I don’t have an angry dog in the fight, I’ve already got my alts ready to go with the system whichever way the cards pan out.
I don’t really see this as a problem. From an RP perspective it makes perfect sense for “stuff” to “happen” to your covenant (key player may die, power loss etc.). For example, the British Empire was once one of the largest and feared empires, this is obviously not the case today. Just like a once great covenant, the empire fell and a new entity came to fill the power void. Likewise, while Kyrian (or whatever) covenant may be the best covenant at 9.0, they shouldn’t stay the best.
This also plays into balance, allowing every spec and covenant to have their chance to shine, similar to how mages have traditionally rotated through their specs over the course of the expansion. This also happened with MW, which remains one of the top healing specs throughout NYA.
I personally don’t really feel like this is a fair comment. Every class having their moment to shine could be meaningless if their moment of shining isn’t relevant.
The best example I can think of is imagine if your moment to shine is doing AOE damage short burst. So many classes do this in their general rotation that you wouldn’t really be shining.
If your moment to shine was killing the small adds on Hivemind what good does that do? They were never a threat and they have almost never been an issue where guilds wipe to it.
I don’t think covenants moment to shine will be equal at all.
This might not be a problem for your perspective, but like I mentioned can you see how it would be an issue for someone who cares about their player strength? Even if i sucked it up and realised Blizzard wasn’t going to change their stance on covenants and embraced it and picked the best raiding covenant.
If my best raiding covenant fluctuates from patch to patch that’s going to feel not much of a meaningful choice on my part.
It’s a fair worry I suppose, but I doubt it will be an issue. Essences were not based on what azerite pieces you had equipped, and corruptions were not locked to specific essences. Likewise, I doubt any new systems added in 9.1, 9.2, or 9.3 will be locked based on covenant choice.
Now, there may very well be some sort of interaction between covenants and later systems that brings a “lesser” covenant up or brings the top covenant down, but that type of situation is essentially the same that we’re used to with certain specs or even classes getting a sudden major power shift up or down due to being able to reach a new haste breakpoint or something similar.
They claim that all the systems are front loaded at launch but I don’t buy it! Remember legion with all these front loaded systems and yet the netherlight crucible came into existence late in the expansion?
I highly doubt we’ll go live without either removing covenant ability restrictions or balancing the abilities. They’ll be forced to give way. They need Shadowlands to succeed.
They dragged their feet with azerite armor so it is entirely possible they fail if they choose to dig in which they did with many things in BFA (eg saying no to account wide essences, PVP vendors, etc).
Jokes on you the Oceanic scene is already dead and down to one server, what is dead may never die
Still kinda gobsmacked how even until the end they kept their heels dug firmly in the ground but conceded with Nyalotha gear (kinda?) but just putting the best trait on everyones raid azerite.
And they specifically said they were rushed for time and couldn’t see the cracks in the armor.
They’ve already identified Covenant’s flaws, and they’re willing to drop the restricted abilities. Raid testing begins soon, then we can get a look at how balanced this is. If it’s bad. We scream and shout and they’ll give way.
I don’t know what the oceanic realms have to do with this but ok
Blizz has talked about it. The plan is to not have to add more systems. The covenant things we have now might be expanded in some ways, but they’re meant to be the main ones all expansion.
With azerite it was released basically unfinished. They were always playing catch up and having to add more things over time to try to patch it up. But with Shadowlands the intention is completed systems from the start so they won’t need to do that again. We likely or hopefully shouldn’t see entire new things to grind layered on to it.
Which interview did they mention this in? Would be a huge relief if they were able to stick by their word for this. As it stands It’s going to be very difficult working around their balance changes after the initial release, would be nice not have to worry about future features.
