Middle Ground: Covenants

[Pinkteacup]

Joining a covenant gives you two abilities: covenant signature abilities and class specific abilities. Blizzard's goal is to create depth via choice and consequence. The protest from players is that the strongest abilities will be a much larger influence in choosing a covenant than aesthetics or lore.

Proposal: players choose a covenant and receive a signature covenant ability (unchanged from current beta). However, class specific abilities are unlocked, and available to you regardless of covenant choice. This satisfies Blizzard's requirement for user choice and consequence while greatly lessening player pressure to pick "the best" covenant (and the headache of having to balance the class abilities).

This idea could be modified as/if needed (for balance) so that the initial class ability is immediately available after pledging allegiance while the others must be unlocked.

[A Chozo]

People will still whine about the main ability being locked.

The only way to solve this player-made problem is to completely free up all the choices, but what would be the point of designing all that stuff if everyone™ will be "forced" to pick the best one? - which is why Blizzard is locking y'all.

[vaynlex]

I like the idea of non restrictive choices, and that proposal could work BUT why not make both of the Covenant abilities available for grabs.

This way, we make a ''permanent'' Covenant choice in which we work towards their own specific goals IE: Covenant Armor, Mounts, Events, Lore etc but the abilities are left for the player to choose from depending what content they're doing. This could be implemented at max level or through an attunemet system. It makes sense lore wise as well since we help the 4 Covenants while leveling anyway.

[Unholyground]

This is the best solution I pieced together from everyone's opinions. Choose your covenant for the rewards and all the stuff that comes with it and the signature ability. Allow us all to champion each of the other covenants so that we can unlock the ability to use their class specific ones over a short unlock time (maybe a few hours per, little bit of grinding). Not that complicated and everyone is happy.

[AwkwardSquirtle]

Current thinking is that the generic covenant ability may end up being more of a draw than the class one, with the venthyr in particular being incredibly powerful in M+.

[goldlock]

I mean it would be better... but better isn't ideal. I don't really know how this will shake out. I hope the mythic+ and the raider covenant is the same thing since I pvp and raid on two different characters anyways.

Otherwise mythic plus gets the cut will just move from selling mythic plus carries to selling solo runs in the tower.

[chiddie]

Pure rpging side, sticking with only one makes perfectly sense.

I can understand however that players fear they will be forced to choose the covenant basing on the content they wanna do and not basing on personal flavor.

Let’s hope that abilities will be balanced enough.

[klaps_05]

You cant balance utility spells. So just let ppl switch freely but restrict the events/transmog/whatever the RPGers want outside of things that affect player power. Competitive players want a balanced game, not a "he is better than me cause he picked X covenant and not Y"

[MrLachyG]

what they should do is this:

You pick a covenant, you get the covenant ability. You then play the game as normal and when you hit exalted with the other 3 reps (I am assuming that is still a thing) then you can access their covenant ability. Make it a talent choice or something similar, whatever. HOWEVER: the covenant you stick with, the ability for that gets an extra cosmetic effect (think rank 4 essences) while the others do not.

DONE!

[Cosmic Janitor]

Probably the simplest choice. If they really wanted to then there would also be a few ways to unlock the other abilities via questlines and such, but obviouisly that would require more effort. I said it a couple of times, but my prefered solution is that the abilities are just themed around the covenant, but the effects can all be taken by everyone. That alone would solve the majority of issues that aren't based on the Don Quixote style design approach of balancing high tier movment abilities with things like extremely limited dispell potions and extremely gimmiky shields..

[LanToaster]

How about splitting the non Combat Choices from the Combat Choices. That would also be a good compromise.

[Titebiere83]

People will still whine about the main ability being locked.

The only way to solve this player-made problem is to completely free up all the choices, but what would be the point of designing all that stuff if everyone™ will be "forced" to pick the best one? - which is why Blizzard is locking y'all.

Don’t use logic and reason around here. It’s dangerous.

[Pinkteacup]

You cant balance utility spells. So just let ppl switch freely but restrict the events/transmog/whatever the RPGers want outside of things that affect player power. Competitive players want a balanced game, not a "he is better than me cause he picked X covenant and not Y"

I would argue that you can balance the four covenant signature abilities just about as much as you can balance racials. However, the covenant class abilities have to be balanced around 36 combinations of classes and specs — which is a pipedream Blizzard should abandon.

Personally, it becomes easier for me to choose to a covenant based on gaining/missing-out on a single ability rather than two. I can weigh the aesthetic/lore appeal versus the power of a single ability.

I agree with several of you though, a single solution to make everyone happy does not exist, which is why I suggested this middle ground. Not that I think it's likely to make a difference, but I tweeted my idea to Ion.

[schwarzkopf]

I like the general idea, so much so I posted a detailed version two hours before you OP

https://www.mmo-champion.com/threads...round-Approach

Thanks for supporting my idea.

[Pinkteacup]

I like the general idea, so much so I posted a detailed version two hours before you OP

Thanks for supporting my idea.

Not trying to step on your toes with having a similar title, but I prefer my idea (which in my opinion is a true middle ground): covenant abilities are locked, class abilities are unlocked. I like hearing multiple solutions to a problem though so I appreciate your post as well.