This is why we simply can’t change Covenants quickly. The Devs pointed out during the WoW Deepdive Panel that Covenants will tell the story for us in this expansion. Just like how the Alliance and Horde have 2 different sides of the story to BFA, the Covenants will be exactly the same. We should be allowed to change, but this shouldn’t be something anyone would want to do from a week to week basis or month to month. It’s way too tedious unless that’s your thing. When you pick a Covenant this should be your pride. You’re focusing on this Covenant this expansion. This is how you see the Shadowlands. You fight for the Venthyr. You’re supporting them in their fight against Sylvanas. There is no Alliance and Horde view on the expansion. Only the Covenant. I hope we even get Covenant vs Covenant PVP. That would be fun and this is a perfect expansion to experiment with alternative PVP methods like this. Maybe some quest sort of like an invasion will exist where do this sort of thing.
The ability issue maybe needs a compromise because right now people are looking at Covenants as ability choices, and forgetting that the main quest line of the Expansion EXISTS inside your Covenant and no where else. When you play as the Kyrian, you will see the events unfold in the later patches AS a Kyrian. Same with Necrolords, Venthyr, and the Night Fae. I just wanted to point out that people misunderstand what Covenants are and in discussions I have people don’t realize we’re not focusing on being Horde or Alliance as much this expansion.
Don’t you understand?
The factions are INTEGRAL to the Warcraft Universe.
That’s why we team up every single expansion. And pretend the factions don’t exist.
Because they’re so integral.
So Blizzard can write a story that exists outside of the factions, and has us working together, only to make us fight again when they run out of Ideas.
Horde alliance story and class story not being switchable was ok because it was a choice we made a long time ago.
Covenant are shadowland exclusively. The choice that i make while choosing it should’ be as big as the one that i did years ago while i chose my faction and my class on the very character creation screen.
My class and faction still matter after this expansion.
This will still exist and the stories are continuing. Its just during Shadowlands your Covenant is going to be more of your identity for now. The faction conflict will probably return in the later part of Shadowlands once we resolve everything that is going on there.
The stories of the Horde and Alliance leaders aren’t over yet. They’re going to be in Shadowlands but our Covenants are telling the story for us at the moment.
Makes for a better experience when you can actually play with others.
While I think factions should remain, I think some things can be lifted. Que-based dungeons are one of them. Hell, even mythic+ shouldn’t be faction locked.
Baine should’ve died years ago. Tauren should be more “For the Horde” than anyone else, and this kid comes along and falls in love with Jaina and/or Anduin? Please.
Anything that involves active cooperation with other players. Absolutely should be cross faction. No restrictions, they’re nonsense for a game so focused on teamwork.
Cities, Quests, WQ’s, Specific transmog, even story sequences can all be faction locked. It makes perfect sense there. Primarily single player, and adds flavor to your faction.
They’re so integral to the Warcraft universe that they struggle to come up with a reason for them to be in conflict every other expansion.
There is an entire wealth of lore that exists pre-factions, and nothing that has been built up about the greater cosmology of the universe has anything to do with the factions. Everything post-Legion has been retconning the universe to set up larger threats stemming from the powers of the Void, Death, etc. The factions are utterly inconsequential at this point.
Last I checked neither Alliance or Horde have been completely wiped out and Sylvanas is still alive. We also have no know-how of what will trigger the 5th war.
All we have to do is wait the Covenants are just an afterthought in the greater scheme of things.
True or not, It seems even more superfluous that the Champion of Azeroth, Hero of Legionfall, etc etc, can’t team up with the Other champions of Azeroth, since we all have exactly the same goals.
Not for lack of trying at least with me. I’m personally done with the pointless faction aggression. The fact that even Anduin mentioned that the war has left both sides stripped for resources should be enough clue to ask, ‘Why are we even fighting? What are we even fighting for at this point?’
My character is a troll dk.
My pride is my own.
My path is my own.
Faction or covenants are just stepping stones or to be burned down in my path.
I will do what must be done, even if you call me a monster.