Won’t be a 9.3 at the rate this expansion is going…
1 Like
I keep saying that and people act like I am crazy . Only way SL gets a 9.3 is if 9.2 comes not long after 9.1 and is not a major content patch and 9.3 launches right after the holidays . Other then that I doubt it happening because any later and it would be too close to the 10.0 beta.
Pull the ripcord. I hate Maldraxxus
1 Like
This is exactly what they will do. They’ll let players swap in 9.3 and call the system a success.
Really appreciated going back and reading all the people who don’t want to pull the ripcord using the best covenant for their spec.
Lots of coincidences around happy, sure are a lot…
4 Likes
Those who don’t want to pull the ripcord also probably plays one content type, with the bis for that content type. Good game.
Spare us who multispec multicontent kay?
I want to be a nightfae fire mage n venthyr Frost mage at the same time. But with this system, occasionally playing Frost means double gimping myself. Great game.
1 Like
I used to multi content until this expansion after getting 3 different hunters through 3 covenants it has made me not want to content much .
And I’m an uber random bg lfr hero
This is like Legion launch, you are fully spec locked.
1 Like
Exactly even though I don’t spec change all the covenants are is a way to back door spec lock us after saying they went too far focusing on specs and were going to focus more on classes.
Unfort this probably won’t happen 
No, the dream is alive even if it is slim.
2 Likes
I know this is an old comment, but just thinking about some things about “buffing the little guy” and “diversity and balance” that seems to get swept under the rug when making these kinds of assessments.
The problem is there are some covenant choices that would need completely redesigned because power comes out of Utility (PvP Venthyr Priests, Night Fae Mage cooldown resets).
Even then, you have situational value hard cooked into the mechanical power systems. I.e. mins/maxes are local, not global, and maxing globally may be minimized in other areas. E.g. Venthyr Arms Warrior dominates in a single-target chase where Night Fae Arms Warrior still outperforms in AoE. These may be a few percents here or there but your builds are multiplicatively powered in most cases.
Lastly, if everyone is equal it truly is greater false choice. It’s the same homogenous design everyone complained about back around the time of Legion, where everyone had an AoE spec that did well or a single-target spec that did well, etc., and no class or spec really felt different in power contexts. They were just flavor differences. (Not going to argue about what’s healthier, only that this was a real complaint and has some legitimacy in differentiating classes, specs, and builds in a RPG setting.)
To me, the biggest problem is that games used to be designed by eccentric engineers who spent hours obsessing over technically nuanced and confounding systems. In some cases, moving away from that has been nice – you don’t need a graduate degree in math to know whether a drop will be an upgrade (even though everyone still sims that question anyways). But I have to say in most cases the linearization of power (Cataclysm ilvl changes) into the role-based structure has obligated homogenization. Unless roles are removed as more “suggestive” devices than hardcoded requirements, any attempt for “meaningful” choice is ridiculous.
This is also why I’m skeptic about any PvP talent “overhaul” unless they redesign power along the axes (offense v defense v utility) and each character has to decide which axis to maximize. Are you a glass cannon, or a more bruiser/brawler type damage dealer to wear down an opponent?
As it stands now, what they’re doing in 9.1 is not an overhaul. It’s adding more PvP talent options. As long as you have a deck of 20 cards and the system is “Pick 3 Cards”, you’re going to have about half of that system wasted as fat. Further, to make it so every card has value, cards would need to be weighed relative with competing cards – an off-meta pick would need to intentionally undermine a meta choice.
I don’t trust Blizzard to design such a system, nor update it frequently enough to maintain balance (MOBAs may rebalance skills weekly to less-than-weekly, Blizzard waits for four week hotfixes). So almost everything here is invalidated in the view that “Whatever Blizzard does has to work systematically to minimize future time investments while still optimizing return.”
The dangerous paradigm in business today is this idea that we can get more for less. Every time, you will get less for less. And if you want more, you have to deliver more.
Pull the Ripcord
Covenants are even more asinine than corruptions were, mainly because many covenant abilities only accommodate certain specs for the classes, while the others are completely useless. For example, I haven’t seen a single Kyrian DK, ever. I only see Necrolords and Night Fae which would of course be the case because the Kyrian and Venthyr abilities are vastly underwhelming compared to the other two. And all of the abilities grant either dodge chance or a small damage reduction as part of the base ability, which is something suited for tank specs, not DPS.
8% damage reduction during a cooldown does not remotely help me as a DPS in PvE. And yet, all DK covenant abilities have damage reductions has half of their effects, when it could be something more useful like secondary stat boosts, or rather, nothing at all because borrowed-power abilities shouldn’t be the center of my class.
And that isn’t even getting into the covenant abilities that are mindless metas like Convoke Spirits or The Hunt. When a borrowed-power ability is sitting at the top of the DPS board, there is a serious problem. Twilight’s Devastation (corruption) sat at the top of everyone’s DPS chart 100% of the time, and they didn’t have to do anything to use it. It was just a random ability that was triggered by hitting buttons during combat. Absolutely nonsensical garbage. And corruptions could stack too.
Covenants are no better. They’re interactive crutches that need to be removed from the game. Stop shoving these stupid systems in our faces when they don’t even have anything to do with our class or character. It would have been so much more preferable to have just made each character choose one covenant, get a cosmetic armor set and ability appearance modifier, and called it a day.
2 Likes
Maybe by the last patch, but then it would be too little too late. I have no faith in this dev team, I thought I liked shadowlands at first. Then With no serious improvement in 9.1, they are only focused on meta style gameplay.
#pulltheripcord
let players experiment with different builds, abilities, and not be held back because “muh covenant” you see it in m+ pugs all the time, and the fact that after you farm out 40 renown only to have your covenant nerfed or another one buffed; you have to refarm again to stay competitive. It’s nonsense, a waste of time, and boring.
Unfortunately I have to say that we don't currently plan on making it easier to switch. The current system where you can switch relatively straightforwardly, but if you want to go back and forth, there is a questline and cooldown between them - that's likely to remain.
How can someone be so unbelievably out of touch. It’s insane.
4 Likes
mEaNiNgFuL cHoIcE. They should TM it like soon.
2 Likes
No idea why what they want for covenants is so opposed to what makes sense with the story. The poor story writers must be pulling their hair out.
We must work together… but not so close together that we allow you into our sanctum or allow you to use our abilities again, despite you saving our homeland
Next patch
We must work together… you can come inside now but… no abilities sorry
3 Likes
I wish they would put covenant abilities for level 10! My level 10 arcane mage would love to have the abilities! Make it level 10 talent row gogogo 
I think that people learning how to use their strongest abilities as early as possible would be good for everyone! And if you make it a talent, that would be so nice so I could swap whenever I do go from dungeon to raid to arena. Although TBF it does not matter what covenant I do in arena because I will probably always suck at it 
The bonus for me would be the ability to mix and match, I want the night fae ability because it is strong and has the same cooldown as trueshot so it is good for burst timing, but I love the kyrian so much.
It would be even better if you have passive covenant powers too because, for me, the fewer buttons, the better! I also hope you nerf double tap because it is too strong everywhere and it feels so unsatisfying to use a GCD on.
2 Likes
Can only dream in a world where covenant abilities were a talent row.
Would actually be interesting in playing around with stuff in certain content.
4 Likes