The Ultimate Monk Covenant Guide: Choosing Your Path in Shadowlands
Navigating the complexities of Shadowlands covenants can be daunting, especially for Monks, a class that thrives on adaptability and versatility. The answer to “What is the best covenant for a Monk?” isn’t straightforward, as it heavily depends on your chosen specialization (Brewmaster, Windwalker, or Mistweaver), your playstyle, and the type of content you primarily engage with. However, based on in-depth analysis and community consensus, a general answer can be provided. For Brewmaster Monks, Kyrian stands out as the most versatile and reliable choice across various scenarios. For Windwalker Monks, Necrolord offers the strongest potential for Mythic+ content, while for Mistweaver Monks, the landscape is more nuanced, with Kyrian and Necrolord emerging as viable options based on your playstyle. Let’s delve deeper into the specifics and explore the intricacies of each covenant for each Monk spec.
Brewmaster Monk Covenants
Kyrian: The Reliable Choice
For Brewmaster Monks, Kyrian is frequently cited as the most comfortable and consistent covenant. Its class-specific ability, Weapons of Order, provides a reliable damage boost, while also offering a significant increase to your defensive capabilities. This synergizes well with the Brewmaster playstyle, which revolves around staggering damage and maintaining consistent uptime. Kyrian is a strong choice in all forms of Shadowlands content, including raids and dungeons. Additionally, the Kyrian Soulbinds, particularly Forgelite Prime Mikanikos, offer powerful buffs to both offense and defense, cementing its place as a top-tier pick.
Necrolord: Situational Strength
While not the all-around best for Brewmasters, the Necrolord covenant has its strengths. The class-specific ability, Bonedust Brew, can be particularly effective when facing groups of enemies. Bonedust Brew synergizes with Keg Smash to reduce the cooldown on your brews, further enhancing mitigation. Mastery of Gust of Mists heals targets hit by your brew. This covenant can shine in scenarios where consistent AoE damage output is critical, but it may not match Kyrian‘s consistency in single-target encounters.
Night Fae & Venthyr: Less Favorable Options
Night Fae and Venthyr are generally considered less favorable options for Brewmaster Monks. While each does have unique benefits, neither has a significant impact on the Brewmaster’s gameplay compared to Kyrian. Night Fae’s utility focuses on mobility, while Venthyr offers a more situational burst damage window. These benefits don’t typically align with the overall needs of Brewmasters, who prioritize consistent survivability.
Windwalker Monk Covenants
Necrolord: The Mythic+ Powerhouse
For Windwalker Monks primarily focused on Mythic+, Necrolord is the strongest option. The covenant’s signature ability, Bonedust Brew, significantly enhances the Windwalker’s AoE damage output by increasing damage and allowing for more frequent usage of the ability. The Bone Marrow Hops talent further amplifies the power of Bonedust Brew, making it a powerful choice for dungeon scenarios. This is the best option when your burst is valuable every minute.
Kyrian: The Consistent Alternative
While Necrolord excels in AoE damage, Kyrian remains a strong alternative for Windwalkers. The Weapons of Order ability provides a powerful boost to single-target damage. While not as powerful as Necrolord in Mythic+ scenarios, this provides a more reliable and consistent damage increase, particularly in raid environments. However, Kyrian is not as powerful as Necrolord in Mythic+ due to the burst requirement.
Night Fae & Venthyr: Less Impactful Choices
Night Fae and Venthyr are generally less favored for Windwalker Monks. Night Fae provides some mobility benefits, but the damage output doesn’t match that of Necrolord or Kyrian. Venthyr’s focus on burst windows does not align as well with the Windwalker’s need for sustained damage over time. While they might provide some situational benefits, they aren’t commonly recommended for optimal performance.
Mistweaver Monk Covenants
Kyrian: Versatility and Healing Power
For Mistweaver Monks, Kyrian often serves as a versatile choice that emphasizes consistent healing. The Weapons of Order ability can be used offensively for increased damage, or defensively with the heal, which synergizes with the Mistweaver’s playstyle. The Kyrian Soulbinds offer valuable potency slots and consistent buffs, resulting in enhanced healing output.
Necrolord: AoE Healing Focus
Necrolord offers an alternate approach for Mistweaver Monks. Bonedust Brew’s AoE capabilities also apply to healing. The brew’s ability to deal and heal multiple targets makes this a favorable option in a raid environment where the tanks are taking a lot of damage. Mastery of Gust of Mists heals targets hit by your brew. In addition to the healing, the ability to deal damage makes this a powerful option for certain Mistweavers who want to deal damage in between healing bursts.
Night Fae & Venthyr: Less Viable Options
As with the other Monk specializations, Night Fae and Venthyr don’t stand out as top-tier options for Mistweaver Monks. The utility or healing benefits are not as impactful as those provided by Kyrian or Necrolord, making them less appealing choices.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Does covenant choice matter for Monks in Shadowlands?
Yes, covenant choice matters significantly for Monks in Shadowlands. Covenants impact your abilities, soulbinds, and overall gameplay, therefore impacting your performance in raids, dungeons, and other content.
2. Is Kyrian always the best choice for Brewmaster Monks?
While Kyrian is a reliable and versatile choice for Brewmaster, Necrolord can be a stronger choice in specific situations, such as high-density Mythic+ pulls. However, Kyrian is the most comfortable choice for most players.
3. Why is Necrolord considered best for Windwalker Monks in Mythic+?
Necrolord’s Bonedust Brew ability synergizes exceptionally well with Windwalker’s AoE abilities, providing a strong burst damage window for Mythic+ dungeons, especially with the Bone Marrow Hops talent. This makes it a clear winner for this content type.
4. Which covenant is best for Mistweaver Monk healing in a raid?
Both Kyrian and Necrolord are suitable for raid healing as a Mistweaver. Kyrian provides consistent output while Necrolord offers burst options. The choice will largely depend on your playstyle and group composition.
5. What are Soulbinds, and why are they important?
Soulbinds are talent trees associated with each covenant. They provide powerful passive bonuses, and abilities. These abilities can significantly impact your Monk’s performance. For example, Mikanikos from Kyrian is considered one of the best for Windwalker and Brewmaster monks.
6. Can I switch covenants if I don’t like my current one?
Yes, you can switch covenants, but there are limitations, cooldowns, and requirements involved. Switching is not a seamless process, so choose carefully.
7. Are there any Covenant-specific Monk Legendary items?
Yes, there are covenant-specific legendary items. Some notable choices for monks include: Night Fae – Faeline Harmony, Venthyr – Sinister Teachings, Necrolord – Bountiful Brew, and Kyrian – Call to Arms.
8. What is the best soulbind for Kyrian Windwalker Monks?
At maximum renown, Forgelight Prime Mikanikos becomes the best soulbind for Kyrian Windwalker Monks, due to its high number of potency slots and a powerful capstone ability.
9. What is the easiest covenant to max out?
While the difficulty of maxing out each covenant may vary, the general consensus is that Kyrian is often considered one of the most straightforward due to its well-structured storyline.
10. Which covenant has the best campaign?
The Kyrian Covenant campaign is often praised for its consistency and how well it ties into the lore of Bastion.
11. Which Covenant is the most powerful in Shadowlands Lore?
According to many, Kyrian is the most powerful in terms of lore, followed by Necrolord, Venthyr, and then Night Fae.
12. Does race choice affect Covenant performance?
While race choice can provide slight numerical advantages, it does not drastically impact covenant performance. However, some abilities like Orc’s Blood Fury and passive traits from other races, could improve performance.
13. Which professions go well with a monk?
Tailoring and Enchanting are good profession choices for a monk. They allow you to craft and disenchant items without having to rely on other gathering professions.
14. What is the least popular Covenant in WoW?
The least popular spec/covenant combination is Necrolord and Night Fae Holy Paladin, showcasing the wide spectrum of choice available. The only spec relatively split between all four covenants is Holy Priest.
15. Is Monk considered a weak class in WoW?
While Monk might not be the most popular class, it is not considered weak. It is highly versatile, and with the proper covenant and talent choice, it performs well in all content. However, monks are consistently ranked as one of the three least played classes, alongside priests and mages.
Choosing the right covenant for your Monk is a complex decision, but by carefully considering your specialization, playstyle, and the type of content you engage with, you can make an informed choice that enhances your gaming experience. The information provided should guide you towards making the best decision. Good luck, and may your path be clear!