The partner is not the beneficiary
Official general pages name three Covenant partners for each owner general. Those partners help unlock the owner’s Covenant levels; they do not automatically receive the owner’s listed combat buffs.
The distinction matters because Covenant lines can use different scopes. A current Coyolxauhqui guide says most of her listed Covenant buffs apply only to Coyolxauhqui, while two named effects apply unconditionally. Read the icon and exact text on every level. “Part of the Covenant” is not the same as “gets every benefit.” Evony has supplied the relationship chart. It has not supplied shared dental coverage.
| Question | Check before spending | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Does the owner general have a current job? | Match each visible Covenant line to attack, reinforcement, defence, monsters or development. | A large buff with the wrong condition is still the wrong buff. |
| Can the named partners stay? | Confirm all three names and protect every copy used by the active threshold. | Official support says keeping Covenant partners is important for maintaining maximum buffs. |
| Who receives the effect? | Separate owner-only lines from unconditional account effects. | A partner’s presence unlocks value; it does not make the partner the owner. |
Count basic attributes, not decorative power
Official 2026 guidance says Covenant levels activate after the owner and named partners reach the required combined basic attributes. Specialist guidance defines those attributes as Leadership, Attack, Defense and Politics. It reports that general level, gold-star enhancement and cultivation can raise the total.
Do not assume equipment, refines, Dragons, Spiritual Beasts, Specialties or red ascension stars solve the threshold. Player reports say several of those changes can raise displayed power without moving the Covenant total. The current Covenant screen is the final test: change one item, return to the screen and confirm whether the numerator moved.
The specialist threshold table reports six levels at 10,000, 12,000, 14,000, 16,000, 19,500 and 22,500 combined basic attributes. Treat those as a planning reference, not a current official table. If your screen shows 18,900 of 19,500, the gap is 600 basic-attribute points. Across four useful generals that averages 150 points each, but the cheapest route may be uneven. Level or cultivate the general that can add the points without consuming scarce combat resources.
The stone cost is simple. The partner cost is not.
Official and publisher-hosted examples show six sequential Covenant levels at 50 Covenant Stones each. Six levels therefore require 300 Stones if the current general uses that structure. Unlocking a level does not activate it by itself; the required combined basic attributes must also be present.
| Current position | Decision |
|---|---|
| Useful owner, partners held, threshold already met | Establish the next level if its exact effect serves the role. |
| Useful owner, 600-point attribute gap | Price levels and cultivation before Blood of Ares, gear or other unrelated upgrades. |
| Missing partner or severe general-slot pressure | Wait. Do not spend Stones on a level whose activation plan is unclear. |
| Buff is owner-only and the owner has no current job | Keep the Stones. A future plan is not an active return. |
Covenant Stones are only the visible invoice. General slots, experience, gold, cultivation items and the decision to keep three partners are part of the cost. The button is small because the accounting would not fit.
Do not dismiss the supporting cast
On the official Godfrey of Bouillon page, Evony support says it is important to keep Covenant Generals to maintain maximum Covenant buffs. That is the clearest public warning against dismissing a partner after using its attributes.
Player discussions report that losing a partner or its required attributes can remove access to the affected level. They disagree about some edge cases, including duplicate copies and whether every partner must be owned before lower levels can activate. Do not use dismissal as a test. Lock the exact partners, record the before screen and treat the current client’s activation display as authoritative.
If general capacity is the bottleneck, first remove duplicate portraits with no confirmed march, duty, Senate or Covenant use. A partner supporting several valuable Covenants is not spare merely because it never leaves the keep.
The five-minute Covenant audit
- Open the owner general and record all three named Covenant partners.
- Mark which partners are present, locked and used by another owner’s Covenant.
- Record the next level’s exact effect, recipient and role condition.
- Record the current combined basic attributes and the displayed threshold.
- Test the cheapest reversible attribute increase and confirm the Covenant numerator moves.
- Spend the next 50 Stones only when the effect, partners and activation path are all clear.
The best Covenant project is not the newest owner. It is the one whose next active line improves a job you already use, with partners you can afford to keep and develop.
Evidence limits
No complete current official list of every Covenant partner, threshold and unconditional effect was found. The official examples confirm the system and several current generals; the specialist table supplies the six reported thresholds; player discussions identify failure modes but are not universal rules. Current in-game names, icons, totals and activation status take priority.
Fresh specialist ranking pages dated October 14, 2026 also state that their general rankings assume maximum development. Do not import a maximum Covenant total into a partially built march. The spreadsheet has completed the Covenant. Your inventory may have other plans.
Sources: Official Godfrey Covenant guide and partner-retention reply; Official Frigg Covenant levels and Stone cost; Publisher-hosted Huitzilopochtli Covenant guide; Publisher-hosted Matsunaga Covenant rules; Publisher-hosted Coyolxauhqui effect scopes; Specialist Covenant thresholds and attribute guide; Player discussion of partners, thresholds and buff scope.
Evidence reviewed 2026-10-17. Official examples, publisher-hosted guidance, specialist thresholds, player observations and editorial arithmetic are separated. No current package price, complete partner database or independent account test is claimed.
— 
Kat