There is no feeling of team pride if we could all just be every team.
I don’t care if they open it up later but I’d like at least one patch where we pick a team and stick with it.
Did you have a look at the discussion I’ve had with the original poster or my statement only?
Just as you make permanent character decisions (such as classes), I’m wanting this system to be a system like that (as was designed from the get-go).
I understand it’s a failing of Blizzard to implement these properly and that’s why we have threads like these so that we’re able to find a solution. I said I’m down for making them swappable with visual changes and I’d be grateful for more cool ideas.
Still not following the logic there sorry.
A casual or semi serious guild isn’t going to enforce any sort of meta build, probably wont even know or care what covenant ability you have so long as your performance is “acceptable”. A hardcore guild will likely just bench you if you choose the wrong covenant and it impacts your performance.
It doesn’t really change anything whether you are locked into that covenant ability in the current design, or if you were sticking to it if given a choice, the outcome is either the same or better if you have the choice.
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You can do that without the class abilities. They have nothing in common with the team you join. Most people don’t want to bounce between team, they want to pick a team they like and stick with it without a random class ability being a part of it.
- I think blizzard should say what the ripcord is. All we know is they have it if covenants are not liked by the majority.
- I mentioned months ago to my guild that maybe if they rewarded people who remain loyal (give extra bonus rolls, extra loot options, faster rep with all the covenants) I feel like it would really decide meaningful choice because then it feels like a choice between staying loyal and reaping the benefits vs becoming a mercenary and getting to swap but not those rewards.
- they can do a rep grind where if you reach exalted then you get access to changing the class ability while your original choice gives you your soulbinds and covenant ability
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The class abilities are what I care about. I have no interest in transmogs or mounts. I want to blast people with my covenant colors.
Then it makes even less sense for you and they should have just been baseline abilities with different skins based on the covenant.
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I’m not anti pull the ripcord, however I think there is a lot more behind it than just freeing up the class abilities.
Realistically if you free up one part of the system all it does is lean people into the next choice, so people will simply choose a covenant on the signature ability or a specific conduit etc.
Personally I’d prefer to see a change where those 3 choices remain as one, but still with the freedom of change.
I’d imagine something like a system where you have access to the other covenants soul binds and when using them as your link it changes your signature and class ability to that covenant.
Whether that would be all 3 of each covenant accessible to everyone, or whether there is a single base soul bind from each faction available to all, with access to the 3 only for the covenant you have chosen for example.
What is scary is that the game is two months away and we still have no clue what it would take to go back to a covenant we left. There’s just a placeholder quest on the beta. They either know that it’s going to spark outrage so they are keeping it for launch for people to find out the hard way or they themselves have no clue what to do with it.
Just no sense of uniqueness if we’re all the same, just different colored. That is what I like most about the covenant system.
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I’m hoping the ripcord unbinds the abilities from Covenants entirely because if all it does is allow you to switch Covenants freely it still doesn’t fix the issue of some abilities just being better than their counter parts in every situation for every spec. So even if I can switch to the Necrolord whenever I want there will never ever… EVER be a reason to use their abilities or soul binds at all. It’d be fun to be apart of their faction but they’re just so damn weak in every regard it’s honestly pathetic that they’re the “military might of the Shadowlands”
This is a MMORPG and it’s based on a story narrative. Freely switching reduces this game to a multiplayer action game with no real RPG elements.
Consequence and meaningful choice add to the RPG elements. Having to consistently explain this getting exhausting.
This isn’t Modern Warfare or Fortnite.
An alternate solution would be to add a buff or benefit to keeping a Covenant choice without switching. That keeps a RPG element and gives people what they want. When I mention this people get in an uproar which just says they don’t like consequences at all.
My solution is adding a damage/healing increase to players who stay with their chosen covenant. It’s the only way to reward those staying true and influence players to not switch up like talents in a tree. The longer you stay with the covenant the more your power grows with them with a cap at some point.
A 2% weaken soul debuff for switching more than twice in a 7 day period. It would prevent folks from switching for every encounter. I would have it stack for each time you switch and it would reset every 14 days.
Keep in mind a system exists for you to switch covenants already.
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Yo, if story is so important to the game why is most of it not told in game?
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Because it changes a choice (I.e like a class choice) to an obligation for the same reason you’d switch between raiding talents and mythic talents. And that’s why I said a visual compromise would be good.
Sure you can choose raiding talents for mythic but why would you? This proposition would bring the covenant abilities to that same level.
I can say the choice of swapping to another covenant and losing all the loyalty progress/rewards would be a meaningful choice to me.
I especially like the rep grind. Maybe that could be used as a catalyst for gaining some utility from another covenant.
It would also fit into the gaining loyalty aspect for a lot of role players.
I’m staying loyal to the one covenant so idea two is cool too!
You don’t lose it permanently so it’s already very relaxed as is. You keep the progress you made upon returning to the Covenant. Now if you had to start from the very beginning people would complain about that as well.
I feel like blizzard can easily make players be able to swap other covenants while leaving a meaningful choice aspect. But it’s sad when even blizzard isn’t even talking of compromises
With how classes as they are I think it’s going to be a busy Pre-Patch period! 
I’d be fine with free covenant swapping if folks who stick with one got a stronger class ability to make up for the lack of versatility.