Coven is a Set 18 trait in Teamfight Tactics that works as a loss-streak economy. Instead of paying out gold every round, it stores Essence, a resource you build from fights and later convert into rewards.

This article explains how Essence is earned, what the cashout tiers give, and what to weigh before you cash out. Reward tables have been adjusted between patches, so the figures below follow the most recent table in the research, dated October 7, 2026, and note where older listings differ.

How Coven Essence Works

With at least three Coven units on your board, you gather Essence from two sources: champion kills and losing player combat. Losing gives much more than killing, which is why the trait suits a loss-streak plan. The trait does not force a cashout after a loss. A loss simply gives a bit less Essence than it would at a higher breakpoint.

Essence gains scale with the number of Coven units you field (Patch 18.4b values):

  • 3 Coven: 2 Essence per kill, 22 per loss
  • 4 Coven: 2 per kill, 28 per loss
  • 5 Coven: 3 per kill, 35 per loss
  • 7 Coven: 10 per kill, 60 per loss

The Coven champions are Camille, Caitlyn, Elise, Cassiopeia, Morgana and Lux (Coven).

Once you reach 40 Essence, you can either convert it into a reward or keep gathering. Each reward costs more Essence than the one before, so waiting means a bigger payout later at the price of a weaker board now.

The Cashout Tiers and What They Pay

Each threshold offers a set of outcomes. At the early tiers you pick from a list of bundles. At the 130 tier, the listing shows four outcomes at 25% each, which reads as a random roll rather than a choice. A "random component" is one of the basic item pieces used to build completed items.

40 Essence

  • 4 Gold
  • Two 2-cost units (listed as two random champions)
  • Cassiopeia or Camille

85 Essence

The October 7 table lists these outcomes:

  • 2 Gold plus a random component
  • 10 Gold
  • Elise plus a random component

An earlier listing shows slightly different bundles: 12 Gold, two random components, or Elise. Treat exact gold amounts as patch-dependent.

130 Essence

Four outcomes appear at 25% each:

  • 6 Gold plus a random component
  • A 2-star Elise (three copies) plus a random component
  • 3 Gold, a 2-star Camille (three copies) and a random component
  • A 2-star Caitlyn (three copies) plus a random component

Higher tiers

A 185 Essence tier exists, but the research does not show its rewards. A separate listing shows a 250 Essence tier for five-unit Coven. It has five outcomes at 20% each, including:

  • 40 Gold plus two Completed Item Anvils
  • A Lucky Item Chest, a 2-star Morgana, 5 Gold and a random craftable item
  • Two Lucky Item Chests, 18 Gold and a Reforger
  • A 1-star Lux, two Component Anvils, a Lucky Item Chest and 18 Gold
  • 18 Gold, an Artifact Anvil and a Completed Item Anvil

Check your current patch before relying on any of these numbers.

Deciding When to Cash Out

The early tiers are small. The 40 tier mostly gives a little gold or a unit to smooth out your board. It suits a player who is losing hard and needs stability soon. Tiers 85 and 130 are where the rewards become real: items, gold and starred Coven carries.

Gains per loss grow with your breakpoint, so a stronger Coven board speeds up the climb. The 7-unit values (10 per kill, 60 per loss) are far above the 3-unit ones. A common trade-off follows from this. Losing on purpose to build Essence costs you health, and a larger payout only helps if you survive long enough to use it.

Two augments change this decision:

  • Coven Acolyte heals 2 Tactician health each time you choose to keep gathering. It also grants Camille, Elise and Caitlyn.
  • Dark Ritual changes what conversion does. Instead of loot, converting gives your Coven champions Ability Power. It also grants Camille, Elise and Caitlyn.

Both push you toward a Coven-focused plan, but they reward different habits: Acolyte favors patient gathering, while Dark Ritual favors a board-power approach that skips loot.

The main limitations are variance and patch churn. The 130 tier is a random outcome, and the 85 tier's contents changed between listings. If your health is low, a guaranteed small payout may beat gambling on a bigger one later.

Conclusion

Coven rewards you for losing fights by converting that loss into Essence you spend on gold, components, units or anvils. The central choice is simple: take a payout at the current threshold or keep gathering for the next, larger one.

Know the thresholds (40, 85, 130 and higher) and your health budget, and re-check the reward table after each patch, since the numbers have changed more than once this set.