What covenant will you choose?

[Nnyco]

Agreed I think Kyrian is gonna be best for blood DK. Although the mobility spells are very interesting.

The extra health potion is hardly worth mentiong compared to the massive mitigation and str boost night fae gives + you get a powerful mobility cd.

[Cosmic Janitor]

While I don't mind the blue DnD, I simply can't stand the Night Fae itself. So I will try to get away with Venthyr and hope I won't gimp myself too much..

[Aggrophobic]

Agreed I think Kyrian is gonna be best for blood DK. Although the mobility spells are very interesting.

You gotta be kidding. Fae is better in every way.

[Monteverdi]

This is actually a difficult choice. There are a lot of interesting bits to each covenant, and here are my considerations (taking into account my personal circumstances and preferences, do understand everyone is different). I'm a Dark Iron Blood DK with Engineering/Enchanting as professions, for reference.

Kyrian

• Generic Ability (Summon Steward) - An extra healthstone that clears a number of relevant debuffs is nothing to sneeze at. However, the ability to clear those debuffs overlaps quite a bit with my racial active, and the convenience of having a vendor on-demand is something I've always had via Jeeves.
  
• Class Ability (Shackle the Unworthy) - So, this isn't the worst thing in the world. A single-target DoT isn't great, but 5% damage reduction is nice, and with the right conduit (Proliferation) it spreads to AoE which could be ok.
  
• Notable Soulbinds - Pelagos gives a potential 5% versatility increase (Let Go of the Past) if you play like a WW monk, which is an interesting playstyle anyway. Additionally, he gives Road of Trials, which helps with mobility issues especially in something like mythic+. Kleia makes Phial of Serenity more interesting by introducing multiple debuff immunities for 15s after using it (Ascendant Phial). Forgelite Prime Mikanikos starts with an interesting choice with the phial, giving it an auto-use when you go below 35% HP (Forgelite Filer) or adding a knockback to Phial (Charged Additive). Finally, Sparkling Driftglobe Core is a neat effect, stunning everyone near you when you go below 35%.
  
• Other considerations - Overall, Kyrians have some neat tools that are either redundant or lacklustre for my purposes. Of the four covenant choices, Kyrians are the only covenant I don't have any hesitation in passing over.

Necrolords

• Generic Ability (Fleshcraft) - At first glance, this isn't so usable in PVE. As a tank, during the channel I'm left vulnerable. That said, with the right soulbind (Emeni's Ambulatory Flesh) it becomes more interesting, being an ability I cast while on the move between pulls. Not great for raids, but could be useful in M+.
  
• Class Ability (Abomination Limb) - Massive AoE with AoE grip is a flavor win and a pretty useful ability on the whole. However, there's certainly some nuance here, and this isn't an ability I'll want to activate universally, as there are certainly situations where this will not be what you want to activate at the time.
  
• Notable Soulbinds - Plague Deviser Merileth is an odd duck. His passives seem to be hard to evaluate, and I'm not keen on trying him out as a primary spec soulbind. For mythic+, Emeni makes Fleshcraft much more interesting by giving it an option to be used on the move, however the rest of her tree lacks pizzaz. Finally, Bonesmith Heirmir does have an interesting option in Forgeborne Reveries, though having the most interesting soulbind ability be tied to me dying is less than ideal.
  
• Other considerations - Maldraxxus seemed an obvious pick for a DK at first glance, but getting into the mechanics they do seem less interesting from a blood standpoint. That said, both the generic and class-specific ability seem to have interesting use, and I do love the aesthetics for a DK.

Night Fae

• Generic Ability (Soulshape) - Mobility being a major issues, this ability is phenomenal. Ghost Wolf and Blink combined, and the soulshape form doesn't require you being out of combat nor does it negatively impact your combat effectiveness or survivability while active.
  
• Class Ability (Death's Due) - Homerun. As a Blood DK, I'm standing in Death and Decay all of the time anyway, now I'm getting more benefit from it by both reducing the damage dealt to me, and increasing my strength (which is not just a DPS increase, but a sizable defensive increase as well).
  
• Notable Soulbinds - Night Fae has the best soulbinds, bar none. Niya makes you more mobile via Stay on the Move and Swift Patrol, gives you haste (more haste = more RP = more Death Strikes) via Niya's Tools: Herbs, and turns Soulshape into a small defensive CD via Grove Invigoration. Korayn turns Soulshape into a charge via Wild Hunt's Charge, and has multiple choices for tanks via Hold the Line and Face your Foes. Dreamweaver - who I submit is the strongest soulbind in the game and damned near mandatory for progression-minded healers - is a fantastic choice, giving you easy haste via Field of Blossoms, stronger absorb shields via Empowered Chrysalis (this ability is very similar to Scarab Brooch, which was such a strong trinket from AQ40 that it was still used during WotLK progression raiding until Blizz had to nerf it), and a free death avoidance ability via Podtender.
  
• Other considerations - the Night Fae aesthetic isn't what one thinks of with Death Knights. Not at first, at least. On the one hand, this is nice, because we have plenty of stereotypical DK appearances without needing Maldraxxus. On the other hand, unless Covenant transmogs are account bound, this means I'll probably forego using their transmogs at all.
  

Venthyr

• Generic Ability (Door of Shadows) - Door of Shadows is pretty slick. Again, the weakness is movement, so this helps with that a bit. It's a 1.5s cast which makes it personally less interesting for me, and I think all told I like the Night Fae's Soulshape better.
  
• Class Ability (Swarming Mist) - on-demand dodge on a 1min cooldown with RP generation is nothing but good for a blood DK.
  
• Notable Soulbinds - Nadjia the Mistblade offers Exacting Preparation, making food, flask, and weapons enchants (explicitly includes runeforge) effects 15% stronger, which is phenomenal. Theotar the Mad Duke seems mostly underwhelming for a main soulbind. General Draven has some neat effects, helping your repair bills via Unbreakable Body, Hold Your Ground is a solid buff with high uptime, Service in Stone is a pretty solid defensive trait, but Move as One is most interesting to me, letting me share in any movement speed buff my party gets.
  
• Other considerations - I hate the Venthyr aesthetic. Personal preference and all that.
  

Conclusion: All signs point to Night Fae. Ultimately, while it seems the decision should be easy, I'm still torn between Maldraxxus and Night Fae, but at the moment I think Night Fae is winning out just due to the sheer mechanical impact of their soulbinds and abilities.

[Erlking]

Nightfae seems like the overall best covenant pick, mobility, death's due doing crazy damage and great aesthetic.

[Th3Scourge]

While I don't mind the blue DnD, I simply can't stand the Night Fae itself. So I will try to get away with Venthyr and hope I won't gimp myself too much..

Yeah I've got some bad news for you then...

[RuneDK]

I honestly have no clue...i should red up on them for a Frost DK.

[xeddin]

Epidemic is now baseline, so this puts nightfae ahead even higher.
With the defile talent, DKs can have essentially a permanent buff of 15% strength while not loosing out on any aoe dmg from epidemic in Mythic+

[Nnyco]

Epidemic is now baseline, so this puts nightfae ahead even higher.
With the defile talent, DKs can have essentially a permanent buff of 15% strength while not loosing out on any aoe dmg from epidemic in Mythic+

Indeed, the epidemic change just made night fae even more powerful.

[Unholyground]

Kyrian all the way.

[xeddin]

Kyrian all the way.

I just can't make sense of this. In what way can Kyrian be number 1? In what area? PVP, PVE, Mythic+? For what spec?

[Neuroticaine]

Venthyr most likely, though Necrolords is a possibility. Decision based off of aethetics and the feel of the gameplay, not performance. And while I almost always play Unholy, I always go for more of a Blood DK aesthetic anyway, so Venthyr works really well, but it's hard to argue against the aesthetics of a Necrolord DK.

[Swnem]

I would like to go venthyr, but while the fae ability snapshot on pillar of frost is a thing, i feel like i don't have a choice.

[Super Kami Dende]

I just can't make sense of this. In what way can Kyrian be number 1?

For tone and aesthetics.

[msdos]

I'm thinking about Necrolord now because I want to PVP in this expansion and it is a solid pick for BDK starting out. Looks good, has cool shit, has a PVP ability, will be fine in M+, decent in raid. The fact that it looks good is pushing me more towards it. Abom Limb has a nice skill cap to it, you can use it to make some plays, I like it, it isn't just a button you press that gives free damage.

Night Fae is really good in PVE, but kinda meh in PVP. You aren't gonna be able to stand in full Death n Decays with 5 targets in them in PVP unless the people you're playing against are like 10 years old.

[Kaver]

Nightfae seems like the overall best covenant pick, mobility, death's due doing crazy damage and great aesthetic.

Great aesthetics? For a Death Knight? Did you ever see The Lich King running around looking like a tree? The Night Fae plate armor is literally a tree.

[The Butt Witch]

Simple.
If you're interested at all in pvp: Necrolords.
If you don't care about pvp: Nightfae.

[Unholyground]

I just can't make sense of this. In what way can Kyrian be number 1? In what area? PVP, PVE, Mythic+? For what spec?

Blood, the vial is OP for Blood, also the extra DoT once they tweak the damage will be sick.

[Rixarius]

Venthyr. It seems strong enough with both the class ability and the teleport that I can get away with playing it and doing well enough in the content I do. I can't bring myself to play Night Fae on my DK. It's as far away from the Death Knight aesthetic as you can get just about. I'm BANKING on Blizzard doing another tuning pass and bringing the other Covenants up to par, maybe evening tuning down the Night Fae ability since it does seem like the purely optimal choice in all PvE scenarios. In an ideal world, I'd be able to play Necrolords and feel good about it, but it seems to be the WORST choice for PvE, despite it being the most fitting thematically.

[msdos]

If they do actually tune the Cov abilities properly, the Kyrian dot could be a sleeper pick. People are just so deep in doubt, but at the same time insecure because stuff might get tuned.