This is all good for sounding cool and tough, but here’s what’ll happen in reality.
Blizzard: “Restricted! Eat it! Nerf/Buff! Yadda yadda!”
Customer: lifts hands from keyboard, gets up from desk, just kinda goes and does something else with their time
Blizzard: “Wait, that’s illegal.”
If people want to be elitist jackholes and reject folks over a minor thing like covenant choice, then they’re not worth my time to begin with.
ETA: Oh gosh. You asked me about one thing and i answered about locking covenants. If you dont want to read the explanation given (on locking covenants) i wont blame you. But in answer to your actual question… locking 55 and 60 talents? Ive no idea? Do you mean covenant abilities? Or do you mean talents themselves. In the former, i point you to my answer below (given its really just ‘why are covenant locked’). To the latter, ive no genuine idea? Why are talents locked? Arent you supposed to gain access to them at the appropriate level? Sorry, im not on the beta. I couldnt honestly say whats going on, but it sounds incredibly strange.
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Look at my recent post history if you like. Ive given many. Ive even listed them numerically to keep them simple and clear.
I dont want to repeat myself, but heres three reasons i believe unlocking covenants will hugely impact my experience in shadowlands:
But first a hypothesis: The core aim of shadowlands seems to be streamlining over complicated, high time investment-low reward systems. You can see that in the covenant lock outs, the renewed 1-60 leveling experience, the covenant catch up mechanisms, and the low weekly outlay of renown (which is precisely the thing that distinguishes it from AP).
In summary it is moving away from BfA. In BfA every character was on the same AP journey. It had the same grind. It had the same convoluted, complicated systems. Are you with me so far?
Now lets open up covenants.
And heres my big and stupid questions: How is this not just BfA mark 2? I mean, sure, youve got 4 renown bars instead of 1, but its still a lot of pointless sideways progression, isnt it (given that each covenant is explicitly designed to be balanced and have equal resulting power (with slightly different tools))? How are these not the same systems atop systems requiring pay to use tools (something preach railed about in one of his previous vids) given their complexity and overwhelming nature to anyone just trying to play the game? And how is this in keeping with the design philosophy of shadowlands set out above.
Not only will you be forced into a great deal of busy work (rep farming) which theyre trying to move away from (and let you focus on the parts of the game you enjoy and want to play - and that might be simming or grinding for all i know! you have at it!), but you’ll be met with a huge array of possibilities and choice on capping that will be for many players, very confusing.
Again, moving away from streamlining where you can see the three soulbinds, see the anima power your accruing on your one and only covenant, see the options for that one island where you can spend that anima power and run torghast for that small list of potential legendaries. Instead you get 4 times this. Four times the opportunity cost. Four times the confusion and possibilities. And four times the distance to your final goal. Not to mention, four times less the feeling of progression and achievement. Its detrimental.
And for what? So apparently hardcore players dont have to do a bit of research before they choose their covenant and load out? So that players dont feel disadvantaged in a world where every other player has the exact same limitations and restrictions?
I havent even talked about alts! I mean i mentioned them. But lets be clear. Alts are playing a huge part in the design philosophy of this expansion. Blizzard WANTS you to play alts. This is evident. Not only do you have catch up systems out the gate, but you have the streamlined leveling experience. You have the lock on covenants (youre gonna need 4 to see the full story) and you have the absolute chaos of Torghast. This isnt even subtle. This is incredibly clear. And whether the reasons are cynical (freshness) or otherwise (try other stuff! experiment! have fun! enjoy the full breadth of the game!) Alts are a big important part of this expansion.
So again, final point, compare that experience from BfA. Compare starting your alt with zero AP and having to go through that 8.0-8.3 grind… they’re streamlining it. Because thats their design philosophy of this expansion, right? They’re deliberately moving away from BfA mechanisms and systems in almost every way. And my contention is that covenants being opened up as a free for all would almost certainly drag the playerbase into another BfA style experience. A massive sideways grind; multiple confusing systems and non-main (alt) punishment through repetition, boredom and fatigue.
So there’s some ideas for you to play with.
If you disagree, no problems. I love a healthy discussion. But do please remember at no point have i mentioned “RPG experience” or “elitist jerks”. I get why the elite are mad. I get why the aspiring elite are anxious. But too much of this discussion is ‘the sky is falling!’ and i’d love it to be elevated. Choice for the sake of choice isnt necessarily an obvious good. Restriction and limitation function in the exact same way. Both are paths to creative solutions.
I’m not a CE player. I am a PVPer, I do Herioc and Some bosses on Mythic.
I will deny you from my pugs. If your in my guild you will not go to content where you hold us back, unless we can carry, and then slots are limited.
You guys are delusional telling yourselves this will only be a thing to the top 1% it will effect Herioc Raid and 10+ Keys and up, and all Rated PvP.
Cov abilities and signatures should have two new talent rows. Right now you basically don’t get to choose you just take whatever covenant is best and hope you don’t hate it.
Better hope you never get tired of the Covenant aesthetic either, because it seems like you’ll be spending a good chunk of your time doing things in and around the sanctums.
Not really?
There is already the meta classes that get taken and the the rest. Which dont. So remembering the meta specs, covenants for your content pref isn’t hard.
Also quickly able to look it up.
You guys defending this, are in for a rude awakening and its going to be sad. Probably the same people that defend Azerite before BFA and Legiondaries before Legion.
Its also hilarious, Ion didnt even have confidence in this crap show talking about it on the preach interview. He already told youz they are going to mess it up lol. He also tried to use Legiondaries as a defense, saying people didn’t get denied replaced over them, which is actually not true.
I bet the stupid vamp party was designed by the “hot topic elves are kewl” part of blizzard ugh.
Yes, and necrolords are basically goo and slime 24/7 from the looks of it. At this point it might be worth going Bastion just to have something nice to look at when you log in.
Kyrian weekly is a boss rush gimme.
Not anymore than picking the wrong class or the wrong race.
This fear is comical.
Solution: Join the guild as a “strong melee” then when your guildies like you enough, roll your monk.
Not an ideal solution, but this was how my guild in Vanilla allowed me to play Ret in raids. I healed as holy for MC and BWL, they liked me, then gave me the green light.
Uh no. Covenants have vastly different power levels with in some cases right now it seems to be the difference between a leech corruption stack and an actual viable one aka more than the difference between the highest and lowest dps specs just because of what cosmetic you choose.
The people who exclude people based on the covenant choice are the same people who will exclude others anyway for a myriad of other reasons. Just lock people into the choice or it won’t be an interesting decision if you can switch easily.
Your right, you can get denied for picking the wrong class, the wrong spec, or the wrong race.
The issue is, now even if you pick all 3 of those correct, there is now a 4th gate. Adding more gates is never a good thing.
Not really. These are the people that will decline anyways so it really doesn’t matter. It’s not an interesting choice if it can be changed easily.
I dont understand what these people will decline anyway for?
This will go further than just Pugs, when there is a 15-20% difference in damage you will be benched by your guild, or told not to go.
There is even more drastic consequences for PVP players. Ion Already said that PVE gear will still be 5+% stronger than PVP gear, and with the requirement of a PVP covenant you wont get into PVP.
Totally agree here. The irony is that if everyone faces covenant restrictions, groups may actually be more lenient as to who joins.
A reason being, for instance, is that if you’re doing a high mythic key, your covenant choice might be at a disadvantage for Boss A, but a huge advantage for Boss B.
Except you know for the shadowmeld and venth skips that will become common practice on high keys.
They will decline because hair color isn’t right. They will decline because you should have been female instead of male. It never ends with these people so there’s really no point in giving into their demands. That argument is stupid.
people will be declined based on covenant will be rare and is an otherwise hyperbolic argument.