[NEWS] Bastion Zone and Kyrian Covenant Updates

Bastion is brought to life by its inhabitants and, if you wish to untangle the Banshee Queen’s nefarious plans, you’ll need to earn an alliance with them.

Discover updates to Bastion and the Kyrian Covenant.

12 Likes

Covenants are cool but my intimidate feedback is these abilities should not back locked behind a covenant and should be a new talent row. I am someone who likes to min max but also someone enjoys cool cosmetics and themes. I do not want to feel punished for picking the best DPS/HPS choice because it doesn’t line up with the cosmetic choices I wanted to make.

I want to be able to pick the thing that is cool to me but also be able to pick the thing that provides the largest power benefit to my given character. Please do not repeat past mistakes that lead these choices to feel like you are punishing us rather than offering interesting gameplay choices and fun/cool rewards from progression of storylines and campaigns which a given covenant.

48 Likes

A large portion of the community has already expressed grave concerns about Covenants. There is a fear you aren’t learning from past mistakes. There’s an opportunity here to build a good system, but not if the choice is locked in and immutable.

Lock out the cosmetic rewards, but never, ever lock out player power behind a choice that can’t be changed without the change being punishing. Let us change covenant powers like they were talents.

36 Likes

Just going to leave this here:

Can we please have the covenant just be about lore and cosmetics? and let us the players unlock the covenant abilities as we progress through the story. Once we reach max level WE can pick two or three abilities that fit OUR play style and preference. This gives us more player agency and it doesn’t hold us back from being stuck at a covenant we don’t particularly liked but have to pick based on the abilities it provides.

43 Likes

Just going to echo others here to give my feedback- I really think covenants having abilities and power tied to them is a mistake. Making them cosmetic focused and more akin to a very indepth reputation faction is a much better approach here. I understand you guys might think this idea is cool but as someone who has really struggled to get through BFA these systems seem like a slight twist on something that really really really did not work. Please consider removing the lock on covenants or making them more lore/flavor than mechanical.

18 Likes

Mac’Aree with a blue filter/10

3 Likes

First of all, thank you for sharing these update posts. It’s nice to see integral systems being discussed so early on, and I hope that you guys continue to maintain this consistent line of communication.

As has been said on this post, as well as across the internet, Covenants have so much potential, and the cosmetic and lore-based rewards seem awesome. The class abilities are unique, interesting, and are both powerful and have different uses in different situations.

There are also some that are just going to be better than others, leading many players to choosing a Covenant to bolster their DPS, tanking or healing performance, even if that Covenant’s theme doesn’t resonate with them entirely.

I want to get into Mythic raiding in Shadowlands, and it seems like the Necrolord ability and the Kyrian ability are both going to be pretty overpowered compared to the Venthyr one, which is the Covenant I’m most interested in at the moment. I can’t speak on the topic of Ardenweald, as that ability hasn’t been revealed (which is fine, I’m glad time is being taken to polish these things up)!

If there’s any way you could make all of the class abilities available (perhaps unlock each one as you finish each zone in a talent row that you get at level 60?), or doing anything to allow us to choose the class ability no matter which Covenant we choose, this would be fantastic.

I’m excited to see what’s in store for Shadowlands, and you guys have obviously been listening and responding to our feedback. I’m hoping this issue doesn’t go unheard!

23 Likes

Those stewards look tasty, roasted slowly over a fire with some bbq spice. Damn, that’s some thicc chicken wings.

2 Likes

The flora, skybox, architecture, and landscape are different. As is the color palette.

2 Likes

I for one really like the look of the zone, as I liked the look of Mac’aree. Bright, varied color palettes with plenty of trees, ruins, etc? sure, sounds like a shadowlands zone to me, especially with how abstract the place is if you really think about it.

1 Like

They modified stuff a bit but the art is extremely similar. Even the lightforged theme from Argus is there (in the other pics).

Looks really cool! Bastion’s a gorgeous place. I’d consider choosing it for the atmosphere alone. And stewards are adorable! I want to hug them relentlessly. :slight_smile:

2 Likes

Holy crap, guys! Pace yourselves a bit. If you run out of neat tidbits to dangle in front of me in like a day or two, I’m going to get really upset.

4 Likes

is it the worst thing if the art is similar? especially if the zone was well-recieved, and in my recollection, Mac’aree was one of the best-recieved zones in the game (sans flying)

3 Likes

Elwind Forest is too similar to Stranglethorn Vale; both have tons of trees and green.

What a rip-off! Lazy designers!

8 Likes

I for one want to have abilities tied to Covenants. It makes the choice of Covenants impact and I want my choice to matter. Power is also an important aspect to RPGs.

5 Likes

Technically no. I don’t think it’s necessarily bad. But with Blizzard’s recent track record of overall lack of creativity, it’s a worrying sign. I’m just worried that it’s going to be a low effort low budget expansion. Which seems like the case so far.

What about the Mail armor? :frowning:
Please don’t make it a dress. We always get the least cool stuff…

4 Likes

you chose a terrible race to showcase leather

2 Likes

Some of you guys are replying to this thinking that the people at Blizzard who make the decisions…and who “know better” than their customers…will actually see anything at this level.