But whether due to the pandemic or something else, Shadowlands' 9.1 update ended up shipping much later. Normally, an expansion's first major update hits a few months after launch-once players have a chance to level up and are beginning to tire of the repetitive endgame grind. Along with a secondary talent tree system called Soulbinds that was similarly restrictive, many players were concerned that Shadowlands' endgame would feel limiting and frustrating. Starting from as early as Shadowland's alpha tests, players pointed out how imbalanced Covenant special abilities would likely force players to pick one solely based on whatever gave them a slightly better edge, rather than which one they thought was cooler.

It was meant to be a choice as important as choosing what class you wanted to play as, but not everyone was convinced it would work. Each Covenant had their own base that could be leveled up, along with special story quests, unique abilities, and glorious cosmetic armor pieces. The biggest was Covenants, a kind of gang you'd join once hitting max level and beating the story.

Randomness played a much smaller role in acquiring new gear, and a new Legendary equipment system let you track down specific recipes and craft powerful Legendary items instead of just praying to RNGesus the right one would randomly drop.īut, just like Battle for Azeroth, Shadowlands divided the community over a handful of features that players hated. Shadowlands had also made some smart adjustments based on the negative reception to Battle for Azeroth.

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