Best Covenant for Each Class in Shadowlands Patch 9.2: Eternity's End
Covenants are one of the most important choices that you will have to make on your character in Shadowlands. While the choice is not permanent, it will have a potentially huge impact on your character's power. However, the strength of each Covenant can sometimes vary wildly between specs. In this guide, we will be looking at the best Covenants for each specialization of each class so that you can compare all of the choices to find what best fits your needs.
For quick answers, please refer to the table below. Lower down the page, we also some quotes explaining these choices from our class guide writers for each specialization. Check out their quotes about the Covenant choices below, along with the links to their pages where the explain in much more detail the nuances behind the decisions.
Best Covenants for All Classes — TLDR
Death Knight
Spec | Raiding | Mythic+ | Torghast |
---|---|---|---|
Blood Death Knight | Kyrian | Venthyr or Kyrian | Kyrian |
Frost Death Knight | Necrolord or Kyrian | Night Fae | Night Fae |
Unholy Death Knight | Necrolord | Night Fae | Night Fae |
Demon Hunter
Spec | Raiding | Mythic+ | Torghast |
---|---|---|---|
Havoc Demon Hunter | Night Fae or Venthyr | Night Fae or Venthyr | Night Fae or Venthyr |
Vengeance Demon Hunter | Kyrian | Kyrian | Kyrian |
Druid
Spec | Raiding | Mythic+ | Torghast+ |
---|---|---|---|
Balance Druid | Night Fae or Venthyr | Night Fae or Venthyr | Night Fae or Venthyr |
Feral Druid | Night Fae | Night Fae | Night Fae |
Guardian Druid | Night Fae, Kyrian, or Venthyr | Night Fae, Kyrian, or Venthyr | Night Fae, Kyrian, or Venthyr |
Restoration Druid | Night Fae | Necrolord or Kyrian | Night Fae |
Hunter
Spec | Raiding | Mythic+ | Torghast+ |
---|---|---|---|
Beast Mastery Hunter | Night Fae | Night Fae | Night Fae |
Marksmanship Hunter | Night Fae | Kyrian | Kyrian |
Survival Hunter | Night Fae | Night Fae | Night Fae |
Mage
Spec | Raiding | Mythic+ | Torghast+ |
---|---|---|---|
Arcane Mage | Kyrian | Kyrian | Kyrian |
Fire Mage | Night Fae | Night Fae | Night Fae |
Frost Mage | Necrolord or Venthyr | Night Fae or Necrolord | Night Fae or Necrolord |
Monk
Spec | Raiding | Mythic+ | Torghast+ |
---|---|---|---|
Brewmaster Monk | Kyrian or Necrolord | Night Fae | Necrolord |
Mistweaver Monk | Venthyr or Necrolord | Venthyr or Necrolord | Necrolord |
Windwalker Monk | Kyrian or Necrolord | Necrolord | Necrolord |
Paladin
Spec | Raiding | Mythic+ | Torghast+ |
---|---|---|---|
Holy Paladin | Venthyr or Necrolord | Venthyr | Venthyr |
Protection Paladin | Venthyr | Kyrian or Venthyr | Kyrian or Venthyr |
Retribution Paladin | Kyrian | Kyrian | Kyrian |
Priest
Spec | Raiding | Mythic+ | Torghast+ |
---|---|---|---|
Discipline Priest | Kyrian or Venthyr | Kyrian | Kyrian |
Holy Priest | All | All | All |
Shadow Priest | Necrolord | Necrolord | Necrolord |
Rogue
Spec | Raiding | Mythic+ | Torghast+ |
---|---|---|---|
Assassination Rogue | Venthyr | Venthyr | Venthyr |
Outlaw Rogue | Kyrian | Kyrian | Kyrian |
Subtlety Rogue | Venthyr or Kyrian | Venthyr or Kyrian | Venthyr or Kyrian |
Shaman
Spec | Raiding | Mythic+ | Torghast+ |
---|---|---|---|
Elemental Shaman | Night Fae | Necrolord or Night Fae | Night Fae |
Enhancement Shaman | Necrolord, Kyrian, or Venthyr | Necrolord, Kyrian, or Venthyr | Necrolord, Kyrian, or Venthyr |
Restoration Shaman | Necrolord | Venthyr | Kyrian |
Warlock
Spec | Raiding | Mythic+ | Torghast+ |
---|---|---|---|
Affliction Warlock | Night Fae | Night Fae | Night Fae |
Demonology Warlock | Night Fae | Night Fae | Necrolord |
Destruction Warlock | Necrolord | Night Fae | Night Fae |
Warrior
Spec | Raiding | Mythic+ | Torghast+ |
---|---|---|---|
Arms Warrior | Night Fae or Kyrian | Night Fae or Kyrian | Night Fae or Kyrian |
Fury Warrior | Necrolord | Kyrian or Night Fae | Kyrian or Night Fae |
Protection Warrior | Kyrian or Night Fae | Kyrian or Night Fae | Kyrian or Night Fae |
Best DPS Covenants for All Specializations
Frost Death Knight
Here is a quote about Frost Death Knight Covenants from our class writer, Bicepspump.
Necrolord is the best all-around option for the Frost Death Knight in a raid environment. We both get the utility from Abomination Limb and Fleshcraft, as well as getting the highest single-target DPS throughput. The other Covenants are viable and can perform on a similar level, especially Night Fae and Kyrian. Plague Deviser Marileth is your best Soulbind, both for single-target and AoE. The stats you gain from Volatile Solvent as well as the single-target damage from Kevin's Oozeling help boost this Soulbind.
Unholy Death Knight
Here is a quote about Unholy Death Knight Covenants from our class writer, Bicepspump.
Necrolord with Plague Deviser Marileth is the best option for Raiding. It simply brings superior damage output compared to all other choices. Night Fae with Dreamweaver is our recommended pick for Mythic+. The Strength gain from Death's Due and the synergy between Withering Ground and Defile are really strong in AoE!
Havoc Demon Hunter
Here is a quote about Havoc Demon Hunter Covenants from our class writer, Wordup.
With Patch 9.1.5 having opened up free Covenant swapping, you now have much more freedom to select Covenants that are more specialized at certain types of damage. Generally speaking however, the premier options for Havoc lean toward Venthyr and Night Fae depending on the damage profile you are looking for. Venthyr excels at single-target, while Night Fae provides burst and AoE flexibility. Necrolord and Kyrian provide options, but when double Legendaries are accounted for they begin to fall behind.
Balance Druid
Here is a quote about Balance Druid Covenants from our class writer, Bora.
For most players, we will be recommending keeping up to date with both Venthyr and Night Fae as there are strengths and weaknesses of both choices. Kyrian is still a viable Covenant performing on par with the other two options given an ideal partner and fight but with its reliance on others, we would advise prioritizing the less volatile options.
Feral Druid
Here is a quote about Feral Druid Covenants from our class writer, Wordup.
For most high end group content, especially Raids, Night Fae wins out by a good margin, especially after double Legendaries are unlocked. This is due to the value of high burst single-target damage in most encounters, alongside some excellent Soulbind abilities throughout the trees. Convoke the Spirits allows you to do a huge amount of damage on a 2-minute cooldown that can regularly be lined up with high damage windows without worrying about downtime, or make use of damage amplification windows. It also has some small benefits of working with other niche utility such as burst healing if paired with Heart of the Wild if required.
Beast Mastery Hunter
Here is a quote about Beast Mastery Hunter Covenants from our class writer, Azortharion.
Night Fae with Dreamweaver is the ultimate setup for Beast Mastery Hunters for pretty much all situations, with strong single-target and extremely powerful AoE burst damage via the Fragments of the Elder Antlers Legendary Power. The Dreamweaver Soulbind grants Podtender, which is a "cheat death"-style ability every 10 minutes. It is very important to stand in the Field of Blossoms circle for the full duration of Wild Spirits when using this Soulbind, to enhance your burst.
Marksmanship Hunter
Here is a quote about Marksmanship Hunter Covenants from our class writer, Azortharion.
Night Fae with Dreamweaver is the generally best Raiding setup for Marksmanship Hunters with its extremely powerful AoE burst damage via the Fragments of the Elder Antlers Legendary Power. The Dreamweaver Soulbind grants Podtender, which is a "cheat death"-style ability every 10 minutes. It is very important to stand in the Field of Blossoms circle for the full duration of Wild Spirits when using this Soulbind, to enhance your burst. Kyrian with Forgelite Prime Mikanikos (Raiding) and Pelagos (M+) is the best Kyrian setup for Marksmanship Hunters. It is ideal for Mythic+ scenarios, and fights with regular high-target AoE in the raid. Sometimes, its 1-minute cooldown alone will make it preferable over Night Fae.
Survival Hunter
Here is a quote about Survival Hunter Covenants from our class writer, Azortharion.
Night Fae with Dreamweaver is the ultimate setup for Survival Hunters for pretty much all situations, with strong single-target and extremely powerful AoE burst damage via the Fragments of the Elder Antlers Legendary Power. The Dreamweaver Soulbind grants Podtender, which is a "cheat death"-style ability every 10 minutes. It is very important to stand in the Field of Blossoms circle for the full duration of Wild Spirits when using this Soulbind, to enhance your burst.
Arcane Mage
Here is a quote about Arcane Mage Covenants from our class writer, Dutchmagoz.
Kyrian is the best Covenant to pick as an Arcane Mage as it is the best single-target option while also doing the best AoE damage. Additionally, it also has "funnel" DPS which the other Covenants do not provide. Funnel DPS is when you gain bonus single-target damage from additional targets.
Fire Mage
Here is a quote about Fire Mage Covenants from our class writer, Dutchmagoz.
Night Fae is the best Covenant in practically all PvE situations for Fire Mages. It is both the best on single-target and AoE situations, while having multiple strong Soulbind options which increases the flexibility for both multi-speccing and building Soulbinds for specific situations. A primary reason which makes Night Fae a great Covenant is the class ability Shifting Power. This ability is good in both single-target and AoE situations. It reduces the cooldown of all your cooldowns, including the cooldown of Fire Blast. Combine this with 3 solid Soulbinds that all have 3 Potency Conduit slots and good damage boosting abilities, and it is clear why Night Fae is such a strong choice.
Frost Mage
Here is a quote about Frost Mage Covenants from our class writer, Kuni.
Venthyr is Frost's absolute best pick for single-target sustained damage before Unity and Tier are obtained. The issue comes in that Mirrors of Torment is pure single-target damage, procs Brain Freeze which is also single-target damage, and needs the target to survive at least 12 seconds to get the full benefit of the spell. This does not lend itself to being a great pick any time you have short-lived targets, such as Torghast, lower M+ keys, or even casual outdoor content.
Night Fae, on the other hand, is functionally the opposite. Shifting Power is all but useless for single-target damage, reduces cooldowns on a spec that does not have amazing cooldowns, and is limited by an 18-yard range for the damage component. However, it is amazing in AoE, and the Covenant of choice for extremely high end Mythic+ runners who value AoE damage.
Necrolord is a great middle ground. Deathborne is a nice bonus on a 3-minute cooldown, and solidly above the other picks in sustained multi-target scenarios. This comes paired with an incredible defensive cooldown in Fleshcraft.
Windwalker Monk
Here is a quote about Windwalker Monk Covenants from our class writer, Babylonius.
Kyrian is the strongest in single-target like some boss encounters and situations where burst can occur every two minutes. It also offers an extra health potion. Necrolord is the strongest in multi-target like Mythic+ and situations where burst is useful every minute. It scales well with multiple targets, but can feel frantic to play with. It also provides an additional defensive cooldown.
Retribution Paladin
Here is a quote about Retribution Paladin Covenants from our class writer, Urthearso.
For both Raiding and Mythic+, Kyrian is the top choice, with Venthyr and Night Fae slightly behind. The Necrolord Covenant is performing worse than the alternatives against everything but 2 targets. Even if you can freely switch, as Kyrian there is no real reason to do so for any content.
Shadow Priest
Here is a quote about Shadow Priest Covenants from our class writer, Publik.
The current system is only about a ~13% DPS swing based on your Covenant choice at max Renown. This is most staggering when comparing Necrolord with Night Fae or Kyrian with double Legendary powers. Venthyr is technically close to Necrolord, but the Covenant Legendary is so unreliable we would not suggest going Venthyr if you want to optimize damage.
Assassination Rogue
Here is a quote about Assassination Rogue Covenants from our class writer, Seliathan.
The Venthyr Covenant offers a variety of Soulbinds and abilities that make it a very good choice regardless of whether you want to excel in Raids, Mythic+ or are mainly focusing on solo content like Torghast. It is a very flexible Covenant for Assassination Rogue and synergizes well with our class and specialization toolkit. The main reason why Venthyr is a very solid choice is due its high DPS performance, while offering lots of flexibility with multiple viable Soulbinds that can be customized for specific playstyles or situations. It is not uncommon to use each Soulbind for a different content-type.
Outlaw Rogue
Here is a quote about Outlaw Rogue Covenants from our class writer, Seliathan.
The Kyrian Covenant offers a variety of Soulbinds and abilities that make it a very good choice regardless of whether you want to excel in Raids, Mythic+, or are mainly focusing on solo content like Torghast. It is a very flexible Covenant for Outlaw Rogue and synergizes well with our class and specialization toolkit that is centered around cooldown reduction.
Subtlety Rogue
Here is a quote about Subtlety Rogue Covenants from our class writer, Ashine.
Venthyr and Kyrian are the two best options for single-target. On pure single-target, Kyrian is roughly 1-2% ahead of Venthyr which is the second best choice and 5-6% ahead of Necrolord and Night Fae. It is important to note that Venthyr is significantly stronger when it comes to funnel damage, which is often what Subtlety Rogues are brought for. Kyrian will be the best on pure single-target encounters but Venthyr will likely still be played in most encounters and pretty much always in Mythic+.
Elemental Shaman
Here is a quote about Elemental Shaman Covenants from our class writer, Stormy.
Kyrian has the most flexible and all-around strong Covenant abilities. Necrolord's Class Ability is strong in most situations that are not 5+ target AoE, and Fleshcraft is almost always very helpful and on some encounters it could single-handedly make Elemental viable. Venthyr's Class Ability rarely delivers its full potential, but its burst mobility could be invaluable on some encounters. Similarly, Night Faes' abilities strength lies in the Signature Ability, which in some situations is straight-up formidable. It also has exceptional burst potential with the Covenant Legendary Seeds of Rampant Growth.
Enhancement Shaman
Here is a quote about Enhancement Shaman Covenants from our class writer, Wordup.
With Patch 9.1.5 having opened up free Covenant swapping, you now have much more freedom to select Covenants that are more specialized at certain types of damage. Enhancement is in the lucky position of having all Covenants have a strong reason to be played, with only Kyrian falling behind after double Legendaries are unlocked. Which you pick is mostly dictated by the type of damage you are aiming to do, and there really is not a single pick that covers all the bases right now. Because of that, each Covenant has its own section in the Covenant guide below explaining why and when you would pick each.
Affliction Warlock
Here is a quote about Affliction Warlock Covenants from our class writer, Motoko.
Night Fae is the most versatile and competitive PvE option for Affliction Warlock. It offers very strong single-target DPS and the best cleave from 2 to 4 targets, with the possibility to elevate it even further by taking Inevitable Demise over the default Drain Soul. It is very versatile because at least 2 out of 3 Soulbinds are extremely competitive in multiple scenarios, allowing Affliction Warlocks to run (optimally) a Soulbind for raids and dedicate the other to Mythic+, for example. The Covenant ability Soul Rot offers a 1-minute cleave ability with the additional buffs through Niya ( Grove Invigoration) and later Dreamweaver ( Field of Blossoms), and its synergy with Inevitable Demise both offensively and defensively should not be underestimated. Additionally, Soulshape is by far the best mobility option, giving up to 3 Blinks per activation.
Demonology Warlock
Here is a quote about Demonology Warlock Covenants from our class writer, Motoko.
Depending on the Renown and the type of activity done, the choice falls between Night Fae and Necrolord. For raid and early progression, Niya is hard to beat, offering both mastery and HP% increase after using the covenant signature ability Soul Rot. In terms of overall performance across multiple situations, every Covenant is relatively close, with Necrolord edging out by a small margin as the best option after unlocking full trees.
Destruction Warlock
Here is a quote about Destruction Warlock Covenants from our class writer, Motoko.
Covenants are generally close in terms of performance with some favoring specific types of content. Necrolord are the preferred choice due to superior single-target and cleave capabilities, while still maintaining good AoE potential as long as Fire and Brimstone is not talented. Kyrian can make use of Havoc to refresh Scouring Tithe's cooldown and gain 5 shards at the same time, making that Covenant a strong contender for dungeons and situations where adds are dying frequently. Night Fae offer a much needed mobility for one of the most immobile spec in the game, and are close to Necrolords in terms of overall output.
The choice is much closer overall for Destruction, so make sure to check out his more extensive Covenant guide linked below.
Arms and Fury Warrior
Here is a quote about Warrior Covenants from our class writer, Archimtiros.
For Arms, Night Fae is the strongest single-target Covenant for Arms Warriors, with Kyrian performing better in Mythic+ dungeons. Both are incredibly close to one another, and largely interchangeable, with some raid encounters favoring one slightly more than the other depending on the timing of their Covenant abilities and how well each Legendary suits individual encounter mechanics. In multi-target raid encounters, Night Fae will typically pull ahead very slightly due to lower target counts, but Ancient Aftershock is still limited to 5 targets, which gives Kyrian much greater damage potential with large pulls in Mythic+ dungeons.
For Fury, Necrolord has historically been one of the weaker Covenants, as much of its power comes from buffing other players rather than the Warrior. With the addition of the tier set bonuses in Patch 9.2, however, its power increases dramatically, easily becoming the strongest raiding Covenant due to the powerful feedback loop between Conqueror's Banner, Glory, and Recklessness. This results in greatly increased Rage generation, which in turn extends the duration of those cooldowns, fueled by constantly casting Rampage and Raging Blow. It does have a weakness in that it is more susceptible to downtime than other builds, as those cooldowns can run out if Rage is not continually generated and spent, though this can be mitigated somewhat with proper timing. Necrolord can also perform very well in Mythic+, but will generally have a harder time maintaining cooldowns without very efficient chain pulling, so most players not in well coordinated groups will perform better as Kyrian or Night Fae.
Best Healer Covenants for All Specializations
Restoration Druid
Here is a quote about Restoration Druid Covenants from our class writer, Torty.
As things stand right now, Night Fae offers not only numerically stronger throughput, but also mechanically better way of delivering healing and damage. While Venthyr can compete during extreme burst situations in a raid environment, it will fall behind on overall healing; on top of that, its class ability has a longer cooldown. Necrolord can provide better damage output than Night Fae, and it is the best PvP covenant. Kyrian is so significantly behind both in terms of total throughput and as a cooldown that it is not even worth considering for any raid boss.
Mistweaver Monk
Here is a quote about Mistweaver Monk Covenants from our class writer, Dhaubbs.
Venthyr is the one of the strongest overall selections for Mistweavers. This is largely due to our Legendary power Sinister Teachings, which the rest of the Venthyr Covenant's Conduits and Soulbinds accentuate nicely. Necrolord is likely tied with Venthyr in terms of power for Mistweavers, and also happens to be very strong in Torghast. The Necrolord signature ability Fleshcraft gives you an additional defensive option, making you that much harder to kill.
Holy Paladin
Here is a quote about Holy Paladin Covenants from our class writer, Mytholxgy.
Necrolord and Venthyr are extremely competitive Covenant choices and there are pros and cons of both Covenants. At the end of the day, you can clear every form of content with either Covenant choice but after nerfs to Ashen Hallow and access to double Legendaries, Necrolord will pull ahead in Raiding with Venthyr still remaining superior for Mythic+. However, until you are able to access the Holy Paladin 4-Piece bonus and double Legendaries, Venthyr and Necrolord are extremely close in Raiding and the best choice will depend on the fight and what your healer comp needs.
Discipline Priest
Here is a quote about Discipline Priest Covenants from our class writer, Clandon.
Unfortunately for Discipline Priest, there is a very large gap in strength between the top two Covenants in Kyrian and Venthyr versus the bottom two in Necrolord and Night Fae. Our current recommendation is to go with the Kyrian Covenant for both Raiding and Mythic+.
The primary reasoning behind Kyrian in Mythic+ comes from a few factors as well. Mythic+ dungeons are often limited by certain moments of extreme difficulty, whether self-inflicted by pulling much larger than usual or by a few boss/trash mechanics being significantly stronger than their surrounding peers. Boon of the Ascended offers a brief period of extreme HPS to allow you to manage those moments when most others cannot. Due to Mythic+ having, on average, a higher available enemy target count than in most raid situations, the AoE portion of Boon is also relevant compared to Mindgames only hitting a single-target regardless of what is available. Keep in mind that this is strictly relevant for damage as you do not heal via Atonement for every hit of an AoE spell. Kyrian is also gaining access to the Legendary Spheres' Harmony, as well as Forgelite Prime Mikanikos, for a total of a potential two minutes of cooldown reduction on Boon of the Ascended, which is a significant power increase.
Holy Priest
Here is a quote about Holy Priest Covenants from our class writer, Niphyr.
Holy Priest is in a unique situation where multiple Covenants rank similarly. Night Fae, Kyrian, Necrolord and Venthyr are all currently doing quite well in both Mythic+ and Raid, with no particular one pulling ahead in performance. Since the Covenant class abilities rank so similarly, it is important to also take into account the Soulbinds and signature abilities, as they can provide extra survivability or mobility, both of which Holy Priests lack in their current toolkit. See the full Covenant guide for some notes to help you choose the Covenant that feels best for you.
Restoration Shaman
Here is a quote about Restoration Shaman Covenants from our class writer, Seksi.
Due to balance becoming tighter between Covenants, all of them can be viable options in all types of content in 9.2, especially once double Legendaries unlocks. There can still be slight Soulbind and Conduit preference differences depending on the type of content you want to focus on, and we will provide multiple recommended trees whenever this is the case.
While all Covenants are usable for Restoration Shamans, we would like to recommend being Necrolord if you want to focus on healing, Kyrian if you want to focus on damage, and Venthyr if you want a balanced approach.
Best Tank Covenants for All Specializations
Blood Death Knight
Here is a quote about Blood Death Knight Covenants from our class writer, Mandl.
Before going more in depth about Covenants it is important to understand that any of the 4 Covenants can be played as Blood Death Knight. There will definitely be better and worse options but the choice will not be hindering your daily activities. While all of the Covenants have their place some simply perform better on a day to day basis than others. Kyrian and Venthyr are the two that stand out the most for Blood Death Knight due to their powerful class abilities and Soulbinds.
- Kyrian is good for all content styles and is the highest single-target DPS
- Venthyr gives strong AoE damage and an on-demand full Runic Power bar in M+
- Night Fae gives strong single-target damage reduction and acts as a good generic Covenant
- Necrolord gives you strong damage in AoE and generates Bone Shield charges.
Vengeance Demon Hunter
Here is a quote about Vengeance Demon Hunter Covenants from our class writer, Excidias.
Kyrian is the strongest Covenant for Vengeance Demon Hunter with Venthyr being the second best choice. Night Fae is normally the primary choice for players who main as a Havoc Demon Hunter and Necrolord is very niche. While all Covenants are viable for all content, not taking Kyrian will drastically lower your overall damage potential, which can cause threat issues. With the ability to switch Covenants being more convenient since Patch 9.1.5, Night Fae can be used for pure single-target fights for greater damage.
Guardian Druid
Here is a quote about Guardian Druid Covenants from our class writer, Pumps.
While all of the Covenants are definitely usable, there are some that shine slightly brighter than others. Night Fae, Kyrian, and Venthyr are the three that stand out the most for Guardian Druids, due to their powerful class abilities and Soulbinds.
- Night Fae is an amazing all-around choice, a very flexible and fun Covenant that excels in all content and is the highest DPS Covenant for raiding.
- Kyrian is a great Raiding and Mythic+ choice, the Kyrian-specific Legendary Kindred Affinity is an extremely powerful buff for you and one of your raid members.
- Necrolord is a single-target-oriented Covenant, which is decent for raids, however it generally loses to the other 3 in power and performance.
- Venthyr is an excellent option, excelling in AoE-heavy encounters and dungeons.
Brewmaster Monk
Here is a quote about Brewmaster Monk Covenants from our class writer, Sinzhu.
While it is tempting to follow whatever tools like Raidbots and SimulationCraft say offers the most damage, it is incredibly important to note that all four Covenants can be used on your Brewmaster without being a burden in whatever content you choose to participate. All of the Covenants are within roughly 5% of each other in damage for most scenarios. Of course, Tanks in particular are likely going to have to consider more than just damage in their decision. There is also the matter of what content you might be most interested in playing and whether or not you intend to also play as a Windwalker or Mistweaver. With that being said, different Covenant abilities will cover different niches, and you may feel that two or three of the four choices more solidly fit into certain bits of content, detailed below.
- Kyrian is the strongest in raid. A Convenient "hybrid" choice for PvE/PvP that is balanced in defense and offense, but its damage component requires time to build up. Also offers an extra health potion and is the best covenant in Torghast.
- Necrolord is equally best for raiding. Marginally strongest defensive choice, but still very powerful in offense. Scales well with multiple targets, but can feel frantic to play with. Provides an additional defensive cooldown.
- Night Fae has the potential to be strong for damage in Mythic+ and provides a large amount of offhealing for a group, though it is the only Covenant whose ability is capped to hit up to 5 targets at a time and can quickly fall behind in larger target counts. With the help of its Faeline Harmony Legendary Power, it can avoid falling too far behind the other Covenants. This Covenant also requires you to be able to regularly stand still for long periods of time to maximize its potential, but it does offer an extra mobility cooldown.
- Venthyr is the most passive choice, and slightly worse than the other three options overall, but can offer decent burst damage; the true strength of this Covenant is heavily reliant on fight length. It also offers an extra movement cooldown.
Protection Paladin
Here is a quote about Protection Paladin Covenants from our class writer, Panthea.
While all of the Covenants have their place, some simply perform better on a day to day basis than others. Kyrian and Venthyr are the two that stand out the most for Protection Paladin due to their powerful class abilities and Soulbinds.
- Kyrian is strong in AoE scenarios — a good generic pick.
- Venthyr provides strong single-target DPS, group healing, and the ability to teleport!
- Night Fae gives you utility for group members.
- Necrolord gives you high single-target DPS but is quite restrictive.
Protection Warrior
Here is a quote about Protection Warrior Covenants from our class writer, Mwahi.
While all of the Covenants are definitely usable there are some that shine more than others. Kyrian and Night Fae are the two that stand out the most for Protection Warriors due to their powerful class abilities and Soulbinds.
- Kyrian is the best for Raiding and Mythic+.
- Venthyr is usable in Raiding, but falls off in Mythic+.
- Night Fae is competitive alternative to Kyrian in Mythic+ and Raids
- Necrolord is a solid option in both Raids and Mythic+ for boosting your group's overall damage. It shines in coordinated groups.
Changelog
- 27 Feb. 2022: Updated for patch 9.2.
- 16 Jul. 2021: Updated for Patch 9.1.
- 15 Mar. 2021: Updated for Patch 9.0.5.
- 30 Dec. 2020: Page added.
This guide has been written by Impakt, an Officer in BDGG, the #2 North American guild on retail. In addition to live WoW, he has also been a classic theorycrafter and enthusiast for many years. You can watch him stream on Twitch, or follow him on Twitter.
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