One element of recent World of Warcraft expansions that has come under popular discussion is the concept of “borrowed power,” referring to mechanical systems and character upgrades that are used for the expansion but then removed unceremoniously after it ends. Shadowlands is no different in this regard, with Covenant abilities and Soulbinds. However, the most recent beta build of the expansion has done something that is different in that it has disabled Covenant abilities from being used in any locations outside of the eponymous Shadowlands.
Soulbinds and the associated conduit bonuses appear to still be working normally when going through older content, which is notable. As there have been no official posts on the matter as of this writing, it’s not clear if this is an intended change or an accidental one, but it does feature a marked departure wherein the past two expansions had temporary power increases not reliant upon location. Still, it can’t be lost upon players that neither artifact weapons nor the Heart of Azeroth ceased to function if you left the expansion area.
