World of Warcraft players are going to have a brand new expansion to explore sometime before 2021 arrives (although there's no Shadowlands release date yet) and the new storyline is bringing along a ton of new content and changes. In addition to the WoW level squish and brand new zones, Shadowlands is also adding four Covenants to the game and each character will eventually have to align with one of them to help unlock some awesome new abilities.
The four covenants (Kyrian, Venthyr, Necrolord, and Night Fae) each have their own unique style, philosophy, and appeal. In addition to each Covenant unlocking some powerful and practice Covenant signature abilities for all of its members, each class also will gain a unique ability depending on their choice, as well. These can be pretty powerful and World of Warcraft players who like to optimize their character as much as possible may want to take these options into serious consideration as they make their selections for each character.
The four covenants are going to be a key point of the Shadowlands expansion both narratively and in terms of gameplay as each player decides which of the groups to align with. There is a way to change Covenants, though it's likely not something players should plan to do frequently. Ideally each player should carefully make the selection for each of their characters and then stick with that choice throughout the rest of the expansions content.
Each faction Convenant offers a powerful class ability and players should take each of these into careful consideration when making their initial selection. All of the class abilities have now been revealed, but it's very important to keep in mind that beta testing is still underway and Blizzard is making tweaks to Shadowlands test content on a weekly basis. That means that many of these abilities are going to continue to evolve, get buffed, or get nerfed as balance issues are worked out and user feedback is gathered, meaning the exact details of each ability are very likely going to evolve in the coming weeks and months before Shadowlands is released. As a matter of fact, it wouldn't be surprising if the abilities continued to undergo balance updates even after the expansion is live.
Death Knight
Kyrian
Shackle the Unworthy - Admonish your target for their past transgressions, reducing the damage they deal to you and dealing Arcane damage over time. Shackle the Unworthy's cooldown is reduced when you damage the affected enemy with a Rune-spending attack.
Venthyr
Swarming Mist - A heavy mist surrounds you, increasing your chance to dodge. Deals Shadow damage over time to enemies within range. Every time it deals damage you gain additional Runic Power, up to a maximum amount.
Necrolord
Abomination Limb - Sprout an additional limb for a limited time, dealing Shadow damage to nearby enemies. If an enemy is farther away from you, they are pulled to your location.
Night Fae
Death’s Due - (Replaces Death and Decay) - Corrupts the targeted ground, causing Shadow damage over a duration of time to targets within the area. Affected enemies deal reduced damage to you (up to a maximum amount) and their power is transferred to you as an equal amount of Strength. While you remain within the area, your Necrotic Strike and Heart Strike will hit additional targets. Scourge Strike and Clawing Shadows will hit all enemies near the target.
Demon Hunter
Kyrian
Elysian Decree - Carve runes into the ground in front of you, which detonate to deal Arcane damage and shatter Lesser Soul Fragments from enemies.
Venthyr
Sinful Brand - Brand an enemy with the mark of the Venthyr, reducing their melee and casting speeds and inflicting Shadow damage over time. Activating Metamorphosis applies Sinful Brand to all nearby enemies.
Necrolord
Fodder to the Flame - Commission a duel to the death against a Condemned Demon from the Theater of Pain. Vanquishing your foe releases its demon soul and creates a pool of demon blood. Fighting within the pool increases your attack speed by 20% and reduces the damage that enemies deal to you by 10%. Fleshcraft treats the Condemned Demon as a powerful enemy.
Night Fae
The Hunt - Charge to an enemy, inflicting Nature damage and rooting them. The target is marked for a period of time, increasing your Fury from Demon's Bite and Shear against them. You may reactivate The Hunt every 30 seconds to teleport behind the marked target and ignoring line of sight.
Druid
Kyrian
Kindred Spirits - Form a bond with an ally. On a cooldown, you may empower the bond for a period of time, granting you an effect based on your partner’s role, and granting them an effect based on your role.
Venthyr
Ravenous Frenzy - For a period of time, Druid spells you cast increase your damage, healing, and haste by a percentage, stacking. If you spend a period of time idle, the Frenzy overcomes you, consuming a percentage of your health per stack, stunning you, and then ending.
Necrolord
Adaptive Swarm - Command a swarm that heals or deals Shadow damage to a target and increases the effectiveness of your periodic effects on them. Upon expiration, travels to a new target within range, alternating between friend and foe up to a set number of times.
Night Fae
Convoke the Spirits - Call upon the Night Fae for an eruption of energy, channeling a rapid flurry of 16 Druid spells and abilities over 4 seconds. You will cast Moonfire, Wrath, Regrowth, Rejuvenation, Thrash, Rake, Shred, and Ironfur on appropriate nearby targets, favoring your current specialization.
Hunter
Kyrian
Resonating Arrow - Fire a resonating arrow to the target location and fill the area with echoing anima. The effect causes your attacks to ignore line of sight to enemies in the area, and you have an increased critical strike chance against them.
Venthyr
Flayed Shot - Fire a shot at your enemy, causing them to bleed Shadow damage over a period of time. Each time Flayed Shot deals damage, you have a chance to gain Flayer's Mark, causing your next Kill Shot to be usable on any target, regardless of their current health.
Necrolord
Death Chakram - Throw a deadly chakram at your current target which will rapidly deal additional Shadow damage. Each time the chakram damages a different target, its damage is increased, and you generate additional Focus.
Night Fae
Wild Spirits - Summon a Wild Spirit at the target location which applies Wild Mark to all enemy targets below it for 15 seconds. While the Wild Spirit is active, each ability you use against a target affected by the Wild Mark calls for a spirit beast to strike your target for Nature damage.
Mage
Kyrian
Radiant Spark - Conjure a radiant spark that causes Arcane damage instantly and additional damage over time. The target takes a percentage of increased damage from your direct damage spells, stacking each time they are struck. This effect ends after a number of spells.
Venthyr
Mirrors of Torment - Conjure mirrors to torment the enemy for a time. Whenever the target casts a spell or ability, a mirror is consumed to inflict Shadow damage and their movement and cast speed are slowed. The final mirror will instead inflict Shadow damage to the enemy, Rooting and Silencing them for some time.
Necrolord
Deathborne - Transform into a powerful Skeletal Mage for a period of time. While in the form of a Skeletal Mage, your Frostbolt, Fireball, and Arcane Blast are greatly enhanced, and your spell damage is increased.
Night Fae
Shifting Power - Draw from the ground beneath you for a period of time, dealing Nature damage over time to nearby enemies. While channeling, your ability cooldowns are reduced.
Monk
Kyrian
Weapons of Order - For a short duration, your Mastery is increased by a percentage. In addition, Windwalkers’ Rising Sun Kick cooldown is reset instantly, and your Rising Sun Kick reduces the cost of your Chi abilities. Brewmasters’ Keg Smash cooldown is reset, and enemies hit by Keg Smash take increased damage from you (stacks up to a set amount). Mistweavers’ Essence Font cooldown is reset instantly and heals nearby allies on channel start and end.
Venthyr
Fallen Order - Opens a mirror for 24 seconds summoning reflections of your order’s Fallen Ox, Crane, and Tiger adepts every 1 second for 6 seconds. Adepts associated with your specialization will fight for a longer duration and cast additional abilities.
Necrolord
Bonedust Brew - Hurl a brew created from the bones of your enemies at the ground, coating all targets struck for 10 seconds. Your abilities have an additional 15% chance to affect the target a second time with 25% effectiveness as either Shadow damage or healing.
Brewmaster: Tiger Palm and Keg Smash reduces the cooldown of your brews by an additional 1 second when striking enemies affected by Bonedust Brew.
Windwalker: Spinning Crane Kick refunds 1 Chi when striking enemies affected by Bonedust Brew.
Mistweaver: Gust of Mist provides additional healing to allies affected by Bonedust Brew.
Night Fae
Faeline Stomp - Strike the ground fiercely to expose a faeline for 30 seconds, dealing Nature damage and taking an action based on your specialization. Your abilities have a 10% chance of resetting the cooldown of Faeline Stomp while fighting on a faeline.
Brewmaster: Ignite enemies along the faeline Breath of Fire.
Mistweaver: Heal allies along the faeline Essence Font bolt.
Windwalker: Rip Chi and Energy Spheres out of enemies along the faeline.
Paladin
Kyrian
Divine Toll - Instantly cast Holy Shock, Avenger's Shield, or Judgment on several targets within range (based on your current specialization).
Venthyr
Ashen Hallow - Hallow the target area, dealing Shadow damage split among enemies and restoring health split among injured allies over time. The land remains filled with anima, causing additional Shadow damage to all enemies. You gain the benefits of Consecration while within the area.
Necrolord
Vanquisher’s Hammer - Throw a hammer at your target, dealing Shadow damage and empowering your next Word of Glory or Templar’s Verdict:
Holy: Word of Glory automatically triggers Light of Dawn.
Protection: Word of Glory automatically triggers Shield of the Righteous.
Retribution: Templar’s Verdict automatically triggers Divine Storm.
Night Fae
Blessing of the Seasons - Bless your party members with the aspect of one of the seasons, lasting 1 minute or until you advance to the next season. 15 second cooldown.
Summer: Causes their attacks to have a high chance to deal Holy damage. Turns to Autumn after use.
Autumn: Cooldowns recover 10% faster. Turns to Winter after use.
Winter: Reduces the movement speed of enemies within 40 yds by 20% and their attack speed by 10%. Turns to Spring after use.
Spring: Increases healing done and healing received by 10%. Turns to Summer after use.
Priest
Kyrian
Boon of the Ascended - Gain the Boon of the Ascended, granting access to Ascended Nova and Ascended Blast, and increasing your movement speed. Both abilities damage your enemies, heal your allies, and build power that will erupt in a powerful explosion of damage and healing at the end of Boon of the Ascended’s duration.
Venthyr
Mindgames - Assault an enemy's mind, dealing Shadow damage and briefly reversing their perception of reality. For a period of time, the next damage they deal will heal their target, and the next healing they do will damage their target.
Necrolord
Unholy Nova - An explosion of dark energy heals nearby allies and infects nearby enemies with Unholy Transfusion. Unholy Transfusion deals Shadow damage over time. Enemies who damage this target receive healing.
Night Fae
Fae Blessings - Surround yourself with helpful sprites, causing your next 10 spell casts to aid your target depending on your chosen spell.
Shadow Mend, Mind Blast, Flash Heal, Heal: Reduces an ally’s damage taken by 10% for 15 seconds.
Power Word: Shield: Invigorates your target with 2% mana or 20% resource.
Void Bolt, Prayer of Healing, Power Word: Radiance: Reduces the cooldowns of up to 5 allies’ major abilities by 3 seconds.
Rogue
Kyrian
Echoing Reprimand - Deal Arcane damage to an enemy, extracting their anima to Animacharge a combo point. Damaging finishing moves that consume the same number of your combo points as your Animacharge deal damage as if they consume 7 combo points.
Venthyr
Slaughter - Slaughter the target, causing Physical damage. The target's anima mixes with your lethal poison, coating your weapons for the next 5 minutes. Slaughter Poison deals Shadow damage over time and steals a percentage of healing done to the target. This also awards combo points.
Necrolord
Serrated Bone Spike - Embed a bone spike in the target, dealing Physical damage over time until they die. Attacking with Serrated Bone Spike causes all of your active bone spikes to fracture and strike your current target, increasing initial damage by a percentage per spike.
Night Fae
Sepsis - Infect the target’s blood, dealing Nature damage over 10 seconds. If the target survives its full duration, they suffer additional damage and you Vanish from sight. Cooldown reduced by 60 seconds if Sepsis does not last its full duration.
Shaman
Kyrian
Vesper Totem - Summon a totem at the target location for 30 seconds. Your next 3 damage spells or abilities will cause the totem to radiate Arcane damage to enemies near the totem and your next 3 healing spells will heal up to 6 allies near the totem. Casting this ability again while the totem is active will relocate the totem.
Venthyr
Chain Harvest - Send a wave of anima at the target, which then jumps to additional nearby targets. Deals Shadow damage to enemies and restores health to allies. For each target critically struck, the cooldown of Chain Harvest is reduced.
Necrolord
Primordial Wave - Blast your target with a Primordial Wave, healing an ally or dealing Shadow damage and applying Flame Shock to an enemy.
Elemental: Your next Lava Burst will also hit all targets affected by your Flame Shock.
Enhancement: Your next Lightning Bolt will also hit all targets affected by your Flame Shock.
Restoration: While an ally is targeted, Primordial Wave will cast Riptide. Your next Healing Wave will also hit all targets affected by your Riptide.
Night Fae
Fae Transfusion - Transfers the life force of up to 8 enemies in the targeted area, dealing Nature damage every 0.5 sec for 3 seconds. Pressing Fae Transfusion again within 20 seconds will release 25% of all damage from Fae Transfusion, healing up to 8 allies near yourself.
Warlock
Kyrian
Scouring Tithe - Deal Arcane damage instantly and additional Arcane damage over time. If the enemy dies while affected by Scouring Tithe, you generate additional Soul Shards. If they survive, Scouring Tithe's cooldown is refreshed.
Venthyr
Impending Catastrophe - Call forth a cloud of chaotic anima that travels to the target enemy, dealing Shadow damage to enemies within their path. When the anima reaches the target it explodes, inflicting a random Curse and dealing Shadow damage to all nearby enemies.
Necrolord
Decimating Bolt - Hurl a bolt of shadow magic at your target, dealing Shadow damage and increasing the damage of your next Incinerates, Drain Souls, or Shadow Bolts. Decimation Bolt's damage, and the bonus to Incinerate, Drain Soul, or Shadow Bolt both increase as your target's health decreases.
Night Fae
Soul Rot - Expend some of your health to wither away all life force from your current target and up to 3 additional targets nearby, causing them to suffer Nature damage over 8 seconds. Additionally, casting Drain Life will also hit any enemy affected by your Soul Rot.
Warrior
Kyrian
Spear of Bastion - Throw a Kyrian spear at the target location, dealing Arcane damage instantly, dealing additional damage over time, and generating Rage. Enemies hit are tethered to Spear of Bastion's location for the duration.
Venthyr
Condemn (Replaces Execute) - Condemn a foe to suffer for their sins, causing Shadow damage. Only usable on enemies who are above 80% health or below 20% health. The primary target is weakened, preventing a moderate amount of damage they would deal to you. If your foe survives, a portion of the Rage spent is refunded.
Necrolord
Conqueror’s Banner - Brandish the banner of the Necrolords, increasing your movement speed and causing Mortal Strike, Raging Blow, and Shield Slam to grant you Glory. Killing an enemy grants additional stacks of Glory. Reactivating this ability plants the banner in the ground, granting an increased amount of maximum health and additional attack speed to you and your allies within range of the banner. Lasts additional time per Glory, up to a maximum amount.
Night Fae
Ancient Aftershock - Slams the ground with your weapon, releasing a shockwave dealing Nature damage and stunning up to 5 enemies for 1.5 seconds. Enemies struck take Nature damage every 2 seconds for 12 seconds and transfer it to you as 6 Rage.
World of Warcraft is available now for PC. At this point, World of Warcraft Shadowlands does not have a confirmed release date.