Will You Keep Covenant Abilities in Dragonflight? A Comprehensive Guide
The short and direct answer is: No, you will not keep your covenant abilities in Dragonflight for use outside of Shadowlands content. While the system will still exist and function within Shadowlands zones and content, your covenant abilities, along with Soulbinds and Conduits, are effectively disabled in all Dragonflight content, including the new zones, dungeons, and raids. This shift is a significant departure from the Shadowlands experience and has many players wondering about the implications and other related details. Let’s delve into the specifics.
The Transition from Shadowlands to Dragonflight
The introduction of Dragonflight brought significant changes to how player power and abilities work in World of Warcraft. A key aspect of these changes was the decoupling of player power from the Shadowlands covenant system. This system, which heavily influenced character builds and playstyles, is now largely confined to its original expansion. This design choice impacts not only the abilities themselves but also the way we approach character development in Dragonflight.
What Happens to Covenant Abilities?
Covenant abilities, powerful active and passive spells provided by the four covenants (Kyrian, Venthyr, Necrolord, and Night Fae) in the Shadowlands, will be disabled in all Dragonflight content. These abilities were a defining feature of character gameplay during the Shadowlands expansion, and their removal in Dragonflight signifies a clear break with past systems. While the spell animations might persist for some time, they will not have their associated effects outside of the Shadowlands.
Why This Change?
The primary reason for this change is to reset the player power curve and allow for a fresh start in Dragonflight. This enables Blizzard to create content, especially in PvP, without needing to balance around the powerful covenant abilities. By removing the influence of covenant abilities, players start with a more even playing field. The focus of player power now shifts to talents and the new systems introduced in the Dragonflight expansion, specifically the Talent Trees.
How This Affects Character Builds
In Shadowlands, your covenant choice greatly dictated your class’s overall performance and playstyle. Now, in Dragonflight, talent choices will heavily influence character builds, making class-specific talent specializations the primary focus. The removal of covenant abilities also signals a change in the way classes are balanced. With the power source removed, the focus shifts to the core abilities and talents.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Covenants in Dragonflight
Here are some frequently asked questions regarding the integration of covenants into Dragonflight to help you understand the changes and how it affects your gameplay:
1. Can I Still Join Covenants in Dragonflight?
Yes. You can continue to join covenants, earn renown, and even gain covenant power, Soulbinds, and Conduits. However, these are only accessible and function within Shadowlands content.
2. Will Covenant Abilities Work in Dragonflight PvP?
No. Covenant abilities are disabled in all Dragonflight content, including PvP. This is a deliberate design choice to ensure a level playing field in PvP and eliminate the need to balance encounters around Shadowlands powers.
3. Do I Need to Use Covenants for Dragonflight?
No. The Dragonflight expansion has its own progression system that does not rely on the Shadowlands Covenant system. Therefore, you do not need covenants to enjoy Dragonflight content.
4. Can I Still Get Covenant Transmogs in Dragonflight?
Yes. You can still obtain covenant transmogs. You just need to achieve level 80 renown with each covenant you wish to use the associated transmogs from.
5. Can I Use Covenant Abilities Outside of Shadowlands Zones?
No. As stated previously, covenant abilities are disabled outside of Shadowlands zones and content. They have no effect on player power when you are participating in Dragonflight content.
6. Will Covenant Abilities Override Talents?
Yes. During the Dragonflight pre-patch, if you have both a covenant ability and a talent that is the same, the covenant ability will override the talent. You cannot have multiple versions of the same spell or a double-stacked covenant ability, and this behavior is isolated to the pre-patch only.
7. What Happens to Legendaries from Shadowlands in Dragonflight?
Similar to covenant abilities, Shadowlands legendaries are not functional in Dragonflight content. The power gained through these items is replaced by the new talent system. However, one-off legendaries like the Sylvanas bow may still be featured.
8. What Happens to Honor When Dragonflight Releases?
Honor has been reworked for Dragonflight. It has been changed back to a currency, and Honor Points can be used to buy PvP starter gear, which can be upgraded.
9. Do I Lose My Renown When Switching Covenants?
Yes, unless you have unlocked the “Renowned” achievement, which is available once you’ve reached renown 80 on any character. Any unlocks associated with a specific covenant (Renown, abilities, appearances, etc.) will not carry over if you switch without meeting the Renowned achievement requirement.
10. How Do I Change Covenants Without Losing Renown?
Players can freely swap between Covenants after completing the “Renowned” achievement, that requires a character in their account to have reached Renown 80. This will allow you to switch between covenants without restrictions and as many times as you would like.
11. Is Shadowlands Included with Dragonflight?
Yes. With the release of Dragonflight, Shadowlands is now included in the base subscription and is no longer sold separately. This means players can experience all of Shadowlands content simply by subscribing to the game.
12. How Can I Get My Covenant Abilities Back Temporarily?
During the “Choosing Your Purpose” quest, you can temporarily preview the covenant abilities by speaking to each Covenant Ambassador and choosing the option to test them again.
13. How Do I Unlock All the Covenant Armor Sets?
To unlock all covenant armor sets, the covenant armor must be the preferred armor type for the character. You also have to obtain Renown level 80 for each covenant on the character you obtained the armor on.
14. What is Going Away With the Dragonflight Pre-Patch?
The “Fates of the Shadowlands Raids” achievement (along with its associated rewards) will disappear upon Dragonflight’s launch. These include the Jigglesworth Sr. mount, the Hero of Fate title, and Shadowlands Raid Teleports.
15. Will Covenants Ever Come Back?
While there are currently no plans to fully reintroduce the covenant system into future content, we cannot rule out the possibility of certain elements being used in the future. However, for now, it seems that the covenant system is primarily limited to the Shadowlands experience and serves as a narrative and power system for that specific era of WoW.
Conclusion
While it might be disappointing for some, the removal of covenant abilities in Dragonflight is a necessary step for a fresh and balanced gameplay experience. The shift in focus to talent trees and class-specific builds ensures that players will have new and exciting ways to progress and enhance their characters. While covenants and their associated features remain accessible within the Shadowlands, their impact on the current content will be nullified. This design shift marks a departure from Shadowlands, setting the stage for a new era of player power and class identity within World of Warcraft. Players will need to embrace the Dragonflight changes and explore the new gameplay opportunities available to them.