Can You Leave Covenants in Dark Souls? A Comprehensive Guide
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Yes, you absolutely can leave Covenants in the Dark Souls series, but the consequences and mechanics vary depending on the specific game. Understanding these nuances is crucial for navigating the world and optimizing your gameplay experience. While the concept is consistent across the franchise, the way it’s implemented can have a significant impact on your character build and your standing in the world. Let’s dive into the details of how covenants work and what happens when you choose to abandon them.
Understanding Covenants in Dark Souls
Before discussing leaving a Covenant, it’s important to understand what they are in the first place. Covenants are essentially factions or groups within the game world. Joining a Covenant grants you certain benefits, such as access to specific items, spells, online matchmaking preferences, and lore implications. They add another layer of depth to the gameplay and offer unique challenges and rewards.
Each Covenant has its own set of rules and objectives. Some are focused on player-versus-player (PvP) combat, others on cooperative play, and some are tied to specific storylines or areas of the game. By participating in a Covenant, you can gain rank within its hierarchy by offering specific items to its leader. Higher ranks often unlock better rewards.
How to Leave a Covenant
Leaving a Covenant is a relatively straightforward process, but it’s important to be aware of the repercussions. In most cases, you can leave a Covenant by simply joining another one. Speaking to a new Covenant leader and pledging allegiance will automatically remove you from your current Covenant. In other cases, such as with the Forest Hunter Covenant in Dark Souls 1, you can abandon the Covenant simply by talking to the leader.
However, there’s a catch: leaving a Covenant in this manner is often considered a sin or a betrayal. This can have negative consequences, such as making you a target for specific PvP invasions from members of the Darkmoon Blades Covenant, who are dedicated to punishing sinners.
Consequences of Abandoning a Covenant
The most common consequence of leaving a Covenant is the accrual of sin. This means that players who are members of the Blade of the Darkmoon Covenant may invade your world to punish you for your transgression. The severity of this depends on how many times you’ve left a covenant. Absolving your sins is possible by speaking to Oswald of Carim, located in the bell tower of the Undead Parish in Dark Souls 1, and paying a fee. This fee is determined by your current level, so be prepared to pay a significant amount of souls.
Another potential consequence is the loss of rank within the Covenant. In Dark Souls 1 and Remastered, abandoning a covenant will reduce your contributions (e.g., offerings) to the covenant by half. While you retain any spells or items you obtained through Covenant ranking, re-earning those ranks will require additional grinding.
“Clean Break” from Covenants
In Dark Souls 1, you can attempt a “clean break” from some covenants by speaking directly to the covenant leader. The prime example of this is the Forest Hunter Covenant. By speaking to Alvina in the Forest Hunter area, you can request to be released from the covenant without incurring sin. This is a valuable option if you want to explore other covenants without any penalty.
Rejoining Covenants
Fortunately, leaving a Covenant isn’t always a permanent decision. In most cases, you can rejoin a Covenant later in the game, assuming you haven’t taken actions that make the Covenant leader hostile (such as killing them or other Covenant members). This allows for flexibility in your playthrough, enabling you to explore different aspects of the game and gain access to various rewards.
Keep in mind that rejoining a Covenant after leaving it may require you to re-earn any lost rank and re-offer any items you previously contributed. However, this is often a worthwhile investment, especially if you want to acquire specific items or spells associated with that Covenant.
FAQs About Leaving Covenants in Dark Souls
Here are some frequently asked questions about leaving Covenants in Dark Souls to further clarify the mechanics:
1. Does leaving a Covenant count as a sin?
Yes, leaving a Covenant by joining another one or abandoning it without a “clean break” generally counts as a sin in Dark Souls 1 and Remastered. This makes you a target for Darkmoon Blade invasions.
2. How do I absolve my sins after leaving a Covenant?
You can absolve your sins by speaking to Oswald of Carim in the bell tower of the Undead Parish in Dark Souls 1 and paying a fee. The cost is based on your current level.
3. Can I rejoin a Covenant after leaving it?
Yes, you can typically rejoin a Covenant after leaving it, as long as you haven’t made the Covenant leader hostile.
4. What happens to my Covenant rank when I leave?
In Dark Souls 1 and Remastered, your offerings to the Covenant are halved when you abandon a covenant, which will often reduce your rank.
5. Are there any Covenants I can leave without penalty?
Yes, in Dark Souls 1, you can leave the Forest Hunter Covenant without penalty by speaking to Alvina and requesting to be released.
6. Does killing a Covenant leader prevent me from joining that Covenant again?
Yes, killing a Covenant leader will prevent you from joining that Covenant again in the same playthrough.
7. Do I lose the items and spells I acquired from a Covenant if I leave it?
No, you do not lose the items and spells you acquired from a Covenant if you leave it. You retain these rewards regardless of your Covenant affiliation.
8. How do Darkmoon Blade invasions work?
Darkmoon Blades can invade players who have sinned by leaving a Covenant, attacking NPCs, or committing other transgressions in the game world.
9. Can I be invaded by Darkmoon Blades even if I haven’t left a Covenant?
Yes, you can be invaded by Darkmoon Blades if you have accumulated sin through other actions, such as killing NPCs.
10. Is there a limit to how many times I can leave and rejoin Covenants?
There is no limit to how many times you can leave and rejoin Covenants, but each time you leave, you may incur sin and lose rank.
11. Does leaving a Covenant affect my ability to summon or be summoned by other players?
Leaving a Covenant can affect your ability to summon or be summoned by other players if the Covenant provides specific matchmaking benefits or restrictions.
12. Are all Covenants the same in terms of penalties for leaving?
No, some Covenants may have harsher penalties for leaving than others. For example, certain Covenants may be more strict about betraying their trust.
13. Does the Dark Souls Remastered version change anything about leaving Covenants?
The Dark Souls Remastered version does not significantly change the mechanics of leaving Covenants. The penalties and processes remain largely the same as in the original game.
14. How important are Covenants to the overall Dark Souls experience?
Covenants are an integral part of the Dark Souls experience, offering unique gameplay opportunities, lore insights, and rewards. While not essential for completing the game, they add significant depth and replayability.
15. Are Covenants similar across all Dark Souls games?
While the core concept of Covenants remains consistent across the Dark Souls series, the specific Covenants, their benefits, and the penalties for leaving them vary from game to game. Each game offers a unique set of Covenants to explore.
Mastering Covenant Mechanics
Understanding the intricacies of Covenants is crucial for maximizing your enjoyment of the Dark Souls series. Knowing when to join, when to leave, and how to manage the consequences of your decisions will empower you to navigate the game world effectively and achieve your goals.
Covenants provide a fascinating element to the gameplay, encouraging players to align themselves with different factions and pursue unique objectives. They also add a layer of risk and reward, as leaving a Covenant can open up new possibilities but also lead to unforeseen challenges. You can further explore the nuances of game mechanics and how they influence player experiences at places like the Games Learning Society, found at GamesLearningSociety.org. By embracing this complexity, you can truly master the art of playing Dark Souls.