Shadowlands Covenants Guide: Best Choices & Tips

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Hey there, adventurer! So, you're diving into the Shadowlands, or maybe you're revisiting its haunted realms and want to make sure you're picking the perfect Covenant. Awesome! Choosing a Covenant was a huge deal in Shadowlands, and even though we've moved on to new adventures, there's still a ton of cool stuff to explore and collect. This guide is your friendly companion to understanding what Covenants are all about, what they offer, who they're best for, and how the whole system works now. Let's make choosing your afterlife allegiance exciting, not overwhelming!

What in the Afterlife are Covenants Anyway?

Alright, so picture this: the Shadowlands is the afterlife of the Warcraft universe. When souls pass on, they used to be judged by a super ancient being called the Arbiter and sorted into one of several realms based on how they lived their lives.¹ Each of these realms is run by a powerful group, and those are your Covenants! There are four main Covenants you, the Maw Walker (that's you, special soul!), get to choose from: the Kyrian, Necrolords, Night Fae, and Venthyr.¹

Think of them as cosmic factions, each with its own unique zone, story, special powers, and a very distinct vibe.¹ When you hit max level in the original Shadowlands progression (level 60), you pledge your allegiance to one of them.¹ This choice unlocks a whole campaign, unique abilities for your class, a signature ability for everyone in that Covenant, plus cool cosmetic rewards like armor, mounts, and pets.³ Each Covenant is trying to sort out the mess in the Shadowlands – the Arbiter went offline, and all souls started getting funneled into the Maw, which is basically super-hell.¹ Your job is to help your chosen Covenant restore balance and deal with their own internal dramas.

Meet the Covenants: Themes, Abilities, and Goodies!

Each Covenant is a whole package deal. You get a cool home base (Sanctum), a signature ability everyone in that Covenant gets, a unique class ability, three Soulbinds (think of them as mini-talent trees linked to key Covenant characters), and a special Sanctum feature or activity.¹ Let's break 'em down!

Kyrian (Bastion)

Kyrian

The Vibe: Think angelic, service-oriented, and all about purity and order. Their zone, Bastion, is bright, pristine, and filled with winged Kyrians who are all about ferrying souls and striving for ascension.¹ They're the good guys, fighting the rebellious Forsworn to maintain their noble purpose.² Their armor is all about gold, blues, and whites, often featuring halos and wing-like back attachments.³

Signature Ability: Summon Steward

This ability calls a helpful Kyrian Steward to your side. Your Steward brings you a Phial of Serenity, which restores 20% of your health and removes all Curse, Disease, Poison, and Bleed effects.⁶ Stewards can also offer other services, like selling items or even changing your talents (in a rested area).⁷ You can even pick your favorite Steward from a few options, like Pico the clarinet player or Farra the hammer-wielder.⁷

Class Abilities (Examples):

• Paladin - Divine Toll: Instantly casts Holy Shock (Holy), Avenger's Shield (Protection), or Judgment (Retribution) on several targets in range.⁷ Super satisfying button to press!
• Mage - Radiant Spark: Conjures a spark that deals Arcane damage and makes the target take increased damage from your direct damage spells, stacking up.⁷
• Warrior - Spear of Bastion: Hurls a Kyrian spear that deals Arcane damage, tethers enemies to its location, and generates Rage.⁷

Sanctum Feature: Path of Ascension

This is a unique mini-game where you play as your Soulbinds (Pelagos, Kleia, or Mikanikos) in special trials against bosses. You gather materials to summon these bosses and craft tools to help your Soulbinds win. Success rewards you with blueprints for better gear, upgrades to your signature ability, and cool cosmetics, including mounts.⁷

Cosmetics: Expect angelic wing back attachments, beautiful Phalynx mounts, and armor sets in shades of white, gold, and blue.³

Dungeon Bonus: Kyrian members can interact with dead Kyrian in Spires of Ascension to pick up a Spear of Destiny for a powerful single-use attack, and in The Necrotic Wake, they can reactivate Malfunctioning Goliaths to release Anima Orbs that buff the party.⁶

Necrolords (Maldraxxus)

Necrolords

The Vibe: If "survival of the fittest" is your motto, Maldraxxus is your place. The Necrolords are the military might of the Shadowlands, all about strength, ambition, and defending the afterlife from external threats.¹ Their zone is a rugged, war-torn landscape of bone and sinew, and their armor reflects this with skulls and a generally imposing, martial look.¹ They aren't necessarily evil, just very pragmatic and focused on power.¹³

Signature Ability: Fleshcraft

This ability lets you channel for a few seconds to create a shield of flesh and bone that absorbs damage equal to a percentage of your max health (initially 20%, up to 50% if channeled near a corpse) for 2 minutes.⁸ While channeling, you also take reduced damage. It's a solid defensive cooldown.

Class Abilities (Examples):

• Death Knight - Abomination Limb: Sprout an extra limb that deals Shadow damage to nearby enemies and pulls them towards you.¹⁴ Each class spec gets a different bonus from the first pull (e.g., Bone Shield charges for Blood).
• Warrior - Conqueror's Banner: Plant a banner that increases max health and critical strike chance for you and nearby allies. Spending Rage and killing enemies while it's active grants Glory, further increasing critical strike damage.¹³
• Warlock - Decimating Bolt: Hurl bolts that deal Shadow damage and significantly increase the damage of your next few Incinerates or Shadow Bolts, with the effect scaling up as the target's health decreases.¹³

Sanctum Feature: Abomination Factory (Abomination Stitching)

Here, you get to play mad scientist and stitch together your own abominable companions! You gather resources and complete quests to create different constructs, each with unique abilities and appearances. You can even get a special armor set and the adorable pet Jiggles through this system.¹⁴

Cosmetics: Think bone armor, Plaguerot Tauralus mounts (big, beefy, plague-y bulls), and the aforementioned Jiggles pet.³

Dungeon Bonus: In Plaguefall, Necrolords can use Fleshcraft on certain slimes to grant the party damage reduction or Haste auras.¹³ In Theater of Pain, having a Necrolord in the party grants everyone a movement speed and Versatility buff, and Necrolord players can click on banners for an additional buff.¹³

Night Fae (Ardenweald)

Night Fae

The Vibe: Welcome to the enchanted twilight forest of Ardenweald, home of the Night Fae. They are guardians of nature and the cycle of rebirth, tending to nature spirits.¹ If you love druidic themes, magical forests, and fae creatures, this is your jam. Their armor is inspired by nature – think leaves, horns, and glowing insect-like wings.³

Signature Ability: Soulshape

Transform into a Vulpin (a spirit fox), instantly teleporting 15 yards forward and increasing your movement speed by 50%.¹ You can reactivate Soulshape every few seconds for another short blink. It lasts 12 seconds in combat/out in the world, but indefinitely in a rested area. You can collect many other cool animal forms for Soulshape too, like a runestag, wyvern, or unicorn!³

Class Abilities (Examples):

• Druid - Convoke the Spirits: This is the big one! Channel a rapid flurry of 16 Druid spells and abilities over 4 seconds, heavily favoring your current shapeshift form.¹⁶ It's a massive burst of healing or damage.
• Hunter - Wild Spirits: Evoke spirits at a location, marking enemies and causing your abilities against them to summon a spirit beast to strike the target for Nature damage.¹⁶
• Mage - Shifting Power: Channel energy from the ground, dealing Nature damage to nearby enemies while reducing your ability cooldowns.¹⁶

Sanctum Feature: Queen's Conservatory

This is your own magical garden where you nurture the souls of ancient deities back to life. You plant Wildseeds and use Catalysts to influence their regrowth, earning rewards like resources, pets, and mounts when they are fully restored.¹⁶

Cosmetics: Nature-themed armor, beautiful Runestag mounts, butterfly-wing cloaks, and unique Soulshape forms are the highlights.³

Dungeon Bonus: Night Fae can activate special buffs in Mists of Tirna Scithe and De Other Side by interacting with specific objects, granting benefits like increased stats or movement speed.¹⁵

Venthyr (Revendreth)

Venthyr

The Vibe: If gothic vampires, aristocratic elegance, and atoning for sins (usually through rather painful means) sounds like your cup of tea (or blood), then the Venthyr of Revendreth welcome you.¹ Their zone is a land of shadowy castles and decadent parties, where they purge prideful souls. Their armor is often red and black, with sophisticated, sometimes sinister, designs.³

Signature Ability: Door of Shadows

A targeted teleport! After a short cast, you wend through the shadows and reappear at your chosen location within a 35-yard range.¹ It's fantastic for mobility, skipping mechanics, or just getting around.

Class Abilities (Examples):

• Warrior - Condemn (Replaces Execute): A powerful strike usable on enemies above 80% health or below 20% health, dealing Shadow damage and weakening the target.¹⁹
• Rogue - Flagellation: Lash a target multiple times, dealing Shadow damage and applying a debuff. Spending combo points adds more lashes. Reactivating the ability cleanses the torment and grants Haste.²⁰
• Priest - Mindgames: Assaults an enemy's mind, dealing Shadow damage and briefly reversing their perception of reality – damage they deal heals their target, and healing they do damages their target.²⁰

Sanctum Feature: The Ember Court

Get ready to party! You host grand galas, inviting guests from all over the Shadowlands. You'll need to manage guest happiness by catering to their preferences, dealing with party crashers, and ensuring the event runs smoothly. Successful parties yield valuable rewards, including transmogs and other goodies.²⁰

Cosmetics: Expect sophisticated, gothic vampire-themed armor, Gargon mounts (stone hounds), and unique back attachments like a tombstone or fancy lanterns.³

Dungeon Bonus: In Sanguine Depths and Halls of Atonement, Venthyr players can activate Anima Cages. Killing enemies near an active cage grants the party a stacking damage and healing buff.¹⁹

Picking Your Power: Best Covenants for Classes & Specs (End of Shadowlands Meta)

Okay, let's talk about what was considered "meta" or generally strong towards the end of Shadowlands (around Patch 9.2/9.2.5). Remember, balance can shift, and for legacy content, "best" is often what you enjoy most. But if you're curious about peak performance in Shadowlands activities, here's a general look.⁴

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Soulbinds and Conduits: Fine-Tuning Your Power

Once you picked a Covenant, you weren't just done. You then got to link up with Soulbinds – three key NPCs from your Covenant who offer their power to you through a talent tree-like system.¹ Think of it like a secondary talent system that's themed to your Covenant. Each Soulbind has a unique tree with a mix of passive stat boosts, unique effects, and slots for Conduits.¹

What are Conduits?

Conduits are items you collect from various sources (quests, dungeons, raids, PvP vendors) that you socket into your Soulbind trees.¹ They provide passive enhancements to your class and spec abilities, or general utility. They come in three flavors ¹:

• Potency Conduits: Boost your damage, healing, or role-specific power. These are usually the ones you care most about for performance. (Examples: Well-Placed Steel for Assassination Rogues enhancing Shiv ⁴³, Resonant Words for Holy Priests buffing Heal/Flash Heal after a Holy Word ³⁷).
• Endurance Conduits: Improve your survivability and defensive stats. (Examples: Translucent Image for Priests reducing damage after Fade ³⁷, Stalwart Guardian for Warriors reducing Shield Wall cooldown ⁵¹).
• Finesse Conduits: Enhance your utility or movement abilities. (Examples: Quick Decisions for Rogues improving Shadowstep ⁴³, Clear Mind for Priests reducing Dispel mana cost ³⁷).

Conduits also had item levels, meaning more powerful versions could be obtained, further enhancing their effects.¹ You could only use a specific Conduit once per Soulbind tree.¹

Unlocking Soulbind Trees:

You unlock your first Soulbind early in your Covenant campaign. The other two are typically unlocked by progressing further through the campaign, often tied to specific Renown levels.¹² Each row of traits and Conduit slots within a Soulbind's tree also unlocks as you gain more Renown.¹² This meant that as you became more renowned with your Covenant, your Soulbinds became more powerful and versatile.

Notable Soulbind Traits (Examples from each Covenant):

The Power Grind: Understanding Renown

Renown was your main progression system within your chosen Covenant, kind of like a reputation level that unlocked more power and cool stuff as you increased it.³ It was super important because it gated access to Covenant Campaign chapters, new Soulbinds and their talent tiers, awesome cosmetic rewards (like those sweet transmog sets, mounts, and pets), better item levels from World Quests, upgrades to your Sanctum features, and even some Legendary recipes.⁵

You primarily earned Renown through two main weekly quests ¹²:

• "Replenish the Reservoir": This involved collecting 1000 Anima (the main currency of the Shadowlands) and depositing it into your Covenant Sanctum.¹²
• "Return Lost Souls": This quest sent you into the dreaded Maw to rescue a certain number of Lost Souls and bring them back to your Covenant.¹²

Completing chapters of your Covenant's unique story campaign also awarded Renown.¹² Later in the expansion, weekly quests in new zones like Korthia ("Shaping Fate") and Zereth Mortis ("Patterns Within Patterns") also became sources of Renown.⁶⁸

The final maximum Renown level was 80.⁶⁶ Initially, Renown gain was time-gated, meaning you could only earn a few levels each week.¹² This was intended to pace progression. However, this could feel slow, especially for players who started later, had alts, or took a break. Recognizing this, Blizzard implemented robust catch-up mechanics. If you fell behind the current weekly cap, you could earn extra Renown from various endgame activities like completing dungeons, defeating raid bosses, participating in PvP, and doing Callings (which were similar to Battle for Azeroth's Emissary quests).¹²

Renown Milestone Rewards

This progression path was a core part of the Shadowlands experience. The evolution from a strict, time-gated system to one with rapid catch-up demonstrates a common design approach in World of Warcraft, aiming to balance initial player engagement with long-term accessibility for a wider range of playstyles and for alternate characters. Reaching Renown 80 on at least one character became a significant milestone, not just for that character's power, but for the account-wide conveniences it unlocked, effectively rewarding dedication by making the entire Covenant system much more flexible and alt-friendly.

Second Thoughts? Switching Covenants Like a Pro

So, you picked a Covenant, but now another one is looking pretty shiny? Or maybe you want to optimize for different types of content? Good news! Switching Covenants became much easier as Shadowlands progressed.⁶⁸

How to Switch Covenants – The Basics:

It's straightforward:

1. Fly to Oribos, the main city hub in Shadowlands.⁶⁹
2. Head to The Enclave area. You'll find NPCs representing each of the four Covenants there, usually marked on your map with their respective icons.⁶⁹
3. Chat with the representative of the Covenant you want to join. They'll walk you through it, and you'll get a few confirmation prompts to make sure you're serious.⁶⁹

The "Old Way" vs. The "New (Easier) Way":

There was a significant evolution in how switching worked:

What Happens When You Switch? (Your Progress is Safe!)

Transmogrifications (Fashion is Key!):

• Initially, you could only use a Covenant's specific armor and weapon transmogs while you were an active member of that Covenant.⁶⁹
• The Big Renown 80 Perk: This was a game-changer for collectors! Once you reach Renown 80 with a specific Covenant on a character, that character can use ALL cosmetic rewards (transmogs, back attachments, mounts, pets, illusions, titles) earned from that Covenant even if they are currently a member of a different Covenant.⁶⁸ So, yes, you could rock those Kyrian wings while pledged to the Venthyr, as long as you'd maxed out your Kyrian Renown!

The evolution of the Covenant switching system really reflects a broader trend in World of Warcraft design. Often, new expansion features start with more restrictions or "friction" to make choices feel meaningful. As the expansion progresses and player needs change (more alts, desire for flexibility), these systems tend to get streamlined with more catch-up mechanics and convenience features. The Renown 80 perks for instant switching and universal cosmetic use fundamentally changed how engaged players could interact with Covenants, transforming them from a semi-permanent allegiance into a more fluid toolkit. This catered especially well to players who wanted to optimize for different types of content or simply collect all the cool cosmetic rewards without being permanently tied down.

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Still Relevant? Covenants in the Post-Shadowlands Era

Now that the main Shadowlands storyline has concluded and new adventures call, you might wonder if there's any reason to bother with Covenants. The answer is a resounding YES, especially if you're a collector or want to experience the full story!

Why Bother with Covenants Now?

• Story & Lore: Each of the four Covenants has a unique and extensive campaign storyline that delves deep into the workings of the afterlife and the personalities within it. If you're a lore aficionado or just want to experience all that Shadowlands had to offer, these campaigns are well worth playing through.¹
• Amazing Transmogs: Let's be honest, fashion is the true endgame for many! Covenants offer some of the most visually stunning and iconic armor sets, unique back attachments (like the Kyrian wings or Venthyr tombstone), and weapon appearances from the entire Shadowlands expansion.³ These are often the primary motivation for players returning to this content.
• Mounts & Pets: Each Covenant boasts a collection of unique mounts and adorable (or menacing) pets that can be earned through their campaigns, by increasing Renown, and by engaging with their special Sanctum features.³
• Achievements: There's a plethora of achievements tied to completing Covenant campaigns, maxing out Renown, fully upgrading Sanctum features, and collecting all the associated rewards.
• Leveling Alts: While the "Threads of Fate" system (which allowed alts to skip the main story and level through world quests and bonus objectives while choosing a Covenant early) was changed or removed as the primary leveling path after Shadowlands ⁷², characters leveling through the Shadowlands zones will still encounter and choose a Covenant. The abilities gained can make the leveling process smoother within those zones.

Current State of the System (Context for Players in Dragonflight and Beyond):

• Renown Catch-Up is Blazing Fast: As highlighted earlier, getting an alt (or a main character switching Covenants) to Renown 60 is almost instantaneous if you have another character at Renown 80, thanks to the Broker Mark of Distinction.²² Even without this token, the general Renown catch-up from various activities is very rapid.¹² The "grind" aspect of Renown is now minimal for accessing most of the story and rewards.
• Conduit Energy Removed: Originally, swapping Conduits in your Soulbind trees cost a currency called "Conduit Energy," which recharged over time. This system was later removed (around Patch 9.1.5/9.2), allowing players to freely and unlimitedly swap Conduits at their Covenant's Forge of Bonds.¹ This makes experimenting with different Soulbind builds much easier.

Warbound Reputations vs. Covenant Renown:

Sanctum Features (Path of Ascension, Abomination Factory, Queen's Conservatory, Ember Court):

• These unique Covenant activities and their associated rewards (like special mounts, pets, or transmogs) are still character-specific.⁷³ If you're aiming to collect everything from each Covenant's special feature, you'll need to engage with them on the character pledged to that Covenant.
• Some of these features can involve time-gated elements or a degree of randomness in their reward acquisition, so be prepared for a bit of a project if you're a dedicated completionist.⁷⁰

The shift in how Covenants are approached is clear: with their primary combat power now confined to legacy content, the main motivation for engaging with them has transitioned towards collection and story completion. The game systems have adapted to support this, making it far less arduous to experience what each Covenant has to offer. The changes around Patch 9.1.5 were particularly pivotal, marking a significant move towards player convenience and flexibility, likely in response to feedback about the initial restrictiveness of the system.

Go Forth and Choose, Champion!

And there you have it – a whirlwind tour of the Shadowlands Covenants! They were a massive, defining feature of the expansion, packed with cool stories, unique powers that really changed how your class played (at the time!), and, of course, some absolutely fantastic collectible rewards.

So, what's the takeaway for you, my friend?

If you're venturing into Shadowlands content now (maybe for achievements, transmog runs, or just to see the story):

• For a bit of a power edge in those old raids or dungeons, the "meta" table earlier can give you a good idea of what abilities synergized well.
• But honestly, the power differences matter less now that it's legacy content.

For Fun, Story, and Collectibles (which is probably why you're here!):

• Pick the Covenant whose vibe excites you the most! Do you want to soar with the angelic Kyrian? Wield the might of the Necrolords? Frolic with the mystical Night Fae? Or revel in the gothic elegance of the Venthyr?
• Each one has an awesome, lengthy story campaign that's worth experiencing.
• The armor sets, mounts, and pets are some of the best-looking in the game, and now, with easier switching (especially if you get one character to Renown 80) and super-fast Renown catch-up, you're not agonizingly locked into one choice if you decide you want to see what another Covenant has to offer or collect all their goodies.

The "best" Covenant for you today is truly the one that makes your time in the Shadowlands the most enjoyable. Whether you're chasing a specific look, a cool mount, or just want to experience a unique slice of Warcraft lore, you're now equipped to choose with confidence. Have an amazing time in the afterlife, champion!

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