While leveling in the Shadowlands, you will encounter four different Covenants; each desperate for your help. In exchange for your aid, they will provide you with a general and a spec-specific ability, as well as a variety of cosmetics such as mounts, pets and armor sets.
Picking the right Covenant is a hard and important decision. This guide will help you decide what the best Covenant is for hunters.
Your first character of the expansion will need to level through all four Shadowlands zones (Revendreth, Maldraxxus, Bastion and Ardenweald) and pick a Covenant at level 60. Subsequent alts can pick a Covenant at level 50 and do not need to complete all questlines.
Table of Contents
All Shadowlands Covenant Guides
What Covenants are there?
There are 4 Covenants in the Shadowlands
- The Venthyr in Revendreth. Their Sanctum is Sinfall.
- The Necrolords in Maldraxxus. Their Sanctum is the Seat of the Primus.
- The Kyrians in Bastion. Their Sanctum is Elysian Hold.
- The Night Fae in Ardenweald. Their Sanctum is the Heart of the Forest.
Can you switch Covenant?
Yes, you can quite easily leave your Covenant and join another Covenant that you have not joined before. Simple speak to the leader of the Covenant you wish to join in Oribos.
If you left a Covenant and wish to rejoin it, the process is a bit more difficult. The Covenant sees your leaving as a betrayal, and you will have to prove your worth by completing dungeons, world quests, daily quests and more.
Rejoining a Covenant requires two weekly quests, thus takes a minimum of two weeks.
General Covenant Abilities
Each Covenant has a Signature Ability. This is an ability that all members of the Covenant get, regardless of race, class or specialization.
Venthyr Covenant Ability: Door of Shadows
- Wend through the shadows, appearing at the targeted location
- 1 minute cooldown – 35 yd range – 1.5 secs cast
Necrolord Covenant Ability: Fleshcraft
- Form a shield of flesh and bone over 4 seconds that prevents damage equal to 20% of your maximum health. Standing near the corpse of a defeated enemy when the ability is cast will create a larger shield, up to 50% of your maximum health.
- 2 minutes cooldown – 10 yd range – 4 seconds channel
Kyrian Covenant Ability: Summon Steward
- Call your steward to bring you a Phial of Serenity that can be consumed to restore 20% of your health and remove all Curse, Disease, Poison, and Bleed Effects.
Your Steward additionally offers access to a selection of useful amenities, each once per day. - 5 minutes cooldown – instant cast
- The other abilities of the steward are predominantly temporary buffs to stats, movement speed or flat dps/hps increase.
Night Fae Covenant Ability: Soulshape
- Turn into a Vulpin, teleporting 15 yards forward and increasing movement speed by 50%. You may reactivate Soulshape every few seconds to teleport a short distance forward.
While out in the world, this effect has a 12 seconds duration before it wears off, but lasts indefinitely while in a rest area. - 1.5 minute cooldown – instant cast
Hunter-specific Covenant Abilities
Each Covenant also gives you access to a class-specific combat ability.
Venthyr Covenant Ability for Hunters: Flayed Shot
- Fire a shot at your enemy, causing them to bleed for (250% of Attack power) Shadow damage over 20 seconds . Each time Flayed Shot deals damage, you have a 15% chance to gain Flayer’s Mark, causing your next Kill Shot to be free and usable on any target, regardless of their current health.
- Costs 10 focus – 30 seconds cooldown – 40 yd range – instant cast
Necrolord Covenant Ability for Hunters: Death Chakram
- Throw a deadly chakram at your current target that will rapidly deal (25% of Attack power) Shadow damage 7 times, bouncing to other targets if they are nearby.
Each time the chakram deals damage, its damage is increased by 15% and you generate 3 Focus. - 45 seconds cooldown – 40 yd range – instant cast
Kyrian Covenant Ability for Hunters: Resonating Arrow
- Fire a resonating arrow to the target location that deals (20% of Attack power) Arcane damage to any enemy in the area, and fills the area with echoing anima for 10 sec. The effect causes your attacks to ignore line of sight to enemies in the area, and you have 30% increased critical strike chance against them.
Leaving the area of echoing anima will still allow the hunter to ignore line of sight towards the enemy for 4 sec. - 1 minute cooldown – 40 yd range – instant cast
Night Fae Covenant Ability for Hunters: Wild Spirits
- Evoke the energy of Wild Spirits at the target location, dealing (25% of Attack power) Nature damage and applying Hunter’s Mark to all enemy targets within the area for 15 sec, increasing damage you deal to them by 5%.
While the Wild Spirits are active, each damaging ability you or your pet uses against a target in the area will strike up to 5 nearby targets for (35% of Attack power) Nature damage. - 2 minutes cooldown – 40 yd range – instant cast
Best Covenant for Beast Mastery Hunter
Mythic Plus/Raids
PVE-wise the Venthyr Covenant seems most suited for single target focus, and is therefore probably a safe choice for raiding. For multi-target fights and Mythic+ Necrolord is a good choice, though the Kyrian Covenant also has its use.
November 23rd update: Venthyr was nerfed to the ground for all hunter specs, so I no longer recommend this Covenant. Kyrian is now the safest and most flexible pick for BM, MM and Survival hunter, though Night Fae and Necrolord are very good options too.
PVP
For Beast Mastery Hunters, the Necrolord Covenant is strongest in arena. This is closely followed by both Kyrian and Venthyr.
Best Covenant for Marksmanship Hunter
Mythic Plus/Raids
PVE-wise the Venthyr Covenant seems most suited for single target focus, and is therefore probably a safe choice for raiding. (Kill Shots granted by Flayed Shot costs 0 Focus!). For multi-target fights and Mythic+ Necrolord is a good choice.
November 23rd update: Venthyr was nerfed to the ground for all hunter specs, so I no longer recommend this Covenant. Kyrian is now the safest and most flexible pick for BM, MM and Survival hunter, though Night Fae and Necrolord are very good options too.
PVP
For Marksmanship Hunters, the Necrolord Covenant is strongest in arena. This is closely followed by both Kyrian and Venthyr.
Best Covenant for Survival Hunter
Mythic Plus/Raids
PVE-wise the Venthyr Covenant seems most suited for single target focus, and is therefore probably a safe choice for raiding. For multi-target fights and Mythic+ Necrolord is a good choice.
November 23rd update: Venthyr was nerfed to the ground for all hunter specs, so I no longer recommend this Covenant. Kyrian is now the safest and most flexible pick for BM, MM and Survival hunter, though Night Fae and Necrolord are very good options too.
PVP
For Survival Hunters, the Necrolord Covenant is strongest in arena. This is closely followed by both Kyrian and Venthyr.
