Covenant



Covenants are ancient and powerful orders who rule over the different realms of the Shadowlands. They have existed since the Shadowlands were shaped long ago and bear sacred duties to help maintain the afterlife's ecosystem. To achieve their goals within the Shadowlands, players will work hand in hand with these Covenants, and eventually align themselves with one. There are four major Covenants players will encounter:


 * Kyrian sigil.png The Kyrian of Bastion — Angelic beings who embrace humility and service to their order.
 * Necrolord sigil.png The Necrolords of Maldraxxus — Liches, warlords, and spies who make up the army that defends the Shadowlands.
 * Night Fae sigil.png The Night Fae of Ardenweald — Guardians of nature who shepherd beings through the cycle of life and death.
 * Venthyr sigil.png The Venthyr of Revendreth — Vampiric beings who punish the sinful souls sent by the Arbiter in order to rehabilitate them.

When players reach maximum level and have explored the first four zones, they'll be able to pledge themselves to a Covenant. Each Covenant offers its champions abilities based on their choice, including class-specific abilities for each Covenant, and cosmetic rewards that can be unlocked through a Covenant Campaign—an epic storyline unique to the faction—and other activities over time. This alliance also gives the player access to a Covenant Sanctum, a city only open to players who have forged a pact with its rulers.

Originally, the plan was make it to be possible to switch covenants, but the price to switch would be costly. In a later interview, Ion Hazzikostas shared that it would be easy to switch to a new Covenant, but not easy to return to one that had already been left.

History
Before the Shadowlands expansion, each covenant governed over specific zones of the Shadowlands, helping them find a purpose in death. However, because of the constant wars in Azeroth and Sylvanas' machinations, the Maw is stripping all other Shadowlands zones out of anima, the life force responsible to maintain order within the Shadowlands. As such, the different covenants are starved for energy and will need help to regain their former glory.

Soulbinding
When you join a Covenant, you'll be able to undergo an ancient rite to bind your soul to some of its most powerful members. By doing so, your character harnesses their power, gaining access to powerful bonuses. Over time, you can unlock new tiers of power and even switch Soulbinds when strategy demands it.

Abilities
If you choose to join a Covenant, you'll gain two abilities tailored to the theme of that Covenant. The first of these is the Covenant's signature ability, which is available to all Covenant members regardless of class, race, or specialization. The second of these abilities is specific to your class and gives you a new spell or power to use in combat.