How Does The Soulbind System Work

Soulbinds are the bold new end-game character customization option in Shadowlands. After leveling to 60 and joining one out of four Covenants, you will become able to form supernatural bonds with certain major figures in that faction, giving you a portion of their power. This power-up takes the form of a branching talent tree, which consists of unique traits related to that NPC and Conduits tied to your class and specialization. Earning Renown and completing chapters in the Covenant Campaign will let you advance through the talent tree and unlock additional Soulbinds.

Each Covenant ultimately gives access to three Soulbinds, though only one may be active at a time. You will be able to pick your first Soulbind as soon as you become part of a Covenant, picking one out of two prominent characters. The second Soulbind from the same pair will become available after you complete the campaign chapter that appears on reaching Renown 5. Finishing the campaign, which requires getting to Renown 22 and then completing the last chapter, will open up the final faction hero for soulbinding.

Forge

You can manage your Soulbinds through a special interface accessible through the Forge of Bonds, which is located in your Covenant’s Sanctum. All Soulbinds have a talent tree consisting of eight rows, though their exact layout may vary, with forks or certain talent types in different places. While some rows only have one choice, others will let you pick between several options (one per row). Your Soulbinds start with two, three, or six rows available, depending on the order in which you have unlocked them. To unlock more rows across the available Soulbinds, you will need to earn more Renown, which will require you to both plays the campaign and take part in faction-related weekly quests, such as Anima harvesting. When you reach Renown 34, all rows for all Soulbinds will be unlocked.

The talents in those talent trees are divided into traits and Conduit sockets. The traits are exclusive to the character on the other end of the soulbinding rite and can be selected at no extra cost. They usually provide minor, but useful bonuses or abilities, or expand the functionality of Covenant spells. While you will often be able to choose between different traits, each Soulbind still favors certain playstyles. For instance, Nadjia the Mistblade’s trait choices tend to emphasize speed or more tricky combat options, while her fellow Venthyr Soulbind General Draven has a clear preference for tanking and support.

Conduits

Conduits are special items that offer passive bonuses to specific class abilities. You can earn them from all kinds of end-game activities, such as Mythic Dungeons or Raids, and activate their benefits by placing them into sockets of the right type on the Soulbind tree. Conduits come in three types: Potency, which typically improves damage or other direct spell effects, Endurance, which helps ensure personal survival, and Finesse, which adds utility.

All Soulbinds have two Potency, three Endurance, and two Finesse sockets. Each Conduit can only be applied in one socket per Soulbind, though it may be used in other Soulbind trees as well. Installing or replacing them costs 1 Conduit Energy. You can have up to 10 Conduit Energy, with one unit restored per day, making it a cooldown resource. A Conduit’s rank determines the exact strength of its effect. It depends on the Conduit’s item level, which is determined by the difficulty of the content from which you obtained it. While some Conduits are available to all characters of their class, others are tied to certain specializations or Covenants.

The Soulbind system is flexible and can lend you great versatility with its many possible configurations. You can switch from one unlocked Soulbind to another in any rest area or by using a Tome of Clear Mind while out of combat. Changing your choices on the tree is only slightly harder, requiring you to travel back to your Covenant’s Sanctum. It may be wise to tailor the different Soulbinds to different parts of the game, such as ranked PvP, Dungeons, or Raids. The relative ease of editing their talent trees encourages experimentation to find the combinations of options that best suits your playstyle and build, giving you more control over how you play the game.