Unlocking Power: A Deep Dive into Dark Souls 2 Covenants and Their Benefits
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The covenants in Dark Souls 2 are more than just clubs you join; they’re paths to unique power, altering your gameplay experience in profound ways. Joining a covenant provides a multitude of benefits, ranging from access to exclusive items and spells to dramatically changing the rules of engagement in PvP and PvE. Ultimately, the advantages boil down to customized gameplay, tailored to your preferred style and offering a continuous stream of objectives and rewards that keep the game fresh and engaging long after you’ve felled the final boss.
Covenant Benefits: More Than Just New Gear
Pilgrims of Dark: The Abyss Beckons
- Benefits: Offers a challenging PvE experience through the Darklurker boss fight, unlocked by completing three Dark Chasm of Old areas. Success grants access to powerful dark magic spells like Climax, one of the most devastating spells in the game. This covenant heavily revolves around exploration and completing challenging areas, giving players an incentive to explore every inch of the world.
Dragon Remnants: A Duelist’s Paradise
- Benefits: Focuses on honorable PvP combat. Members receive Dragon Scales by defeating summoned players as a Dragon Spirit. These scales can be traded to rank up in the covenant, earning rewards such as the Dragon Head Stone and Dragon Torso Stone, allowing players to transform into a dragon-like state, further enhancing melee combat.
Heirs of the Sun: Cooperative Radiance
- Benefits: Promotes cooperative play. Members are more likely to be summoned to assist other players. Successfully assisting other players in defeating bosses rewards them with Sunlight Medals, used to rank up and obtain powerful miracles like Sunlight Spear. This covenant is ideal for players who enjoy helping others and bolstering their own faith-based builds.
Bell Keepers: Guardians of the Towers
- Benefits: Enforces PvP in specific areas – Belfry Luna and Belfry Sol. Bell Keepers are automatically summoned to defend these areas against trespassers. Successfully defending the bell towers grants Titanite Chunks, a valuable resource for upgrading equipment. This covenant offers fast-paced, constant PvP action for those who enjoy defending their territory.
Blue Sentinels: Protectors of the Meek
- Benefits: Supports players in the Way of Blue covenant, who are often new to the game. When a Way of Blue member is invaded, Blue Sentinels are automatically summoned to assist them. Success grants Tokens of Fidelity, which can be used to rank up and gain access to miracles such as Bountiful Sunlight.
Rat King Covenant: Master of Vermin
- Benefits: Alters PvE and PvP within the Grave of Saints and Doors of Pharros. Joining makes enemies passive. Players can use Pharros’ Lockstones to activate traps and summon hordes of rats to aid in PvP combat. Ranking up rewards unique items like the Slumbering Dragoncrest Ring, which makes you quieter, improving stealth builds.
Brotherhood of Blood: Sinful Combatants
- Benefits: Emphasizes aggressive PvP combat. Members can duel in the Undead Purgatory arena, earning Blood Dreg for victories, which are used to rank up. Rewards include the Crescent Sickle and the Chaos Set. The Brotherhood of Blood is suitable for skilled PvP players who enjoy intense, one-on-one battles.
Company of Champions: Embrace the Challenge
- Benefits: Increases the game’s difficulty significantly. Enemies hit harder, have increased health, and are not affected by summons. While there are no direct rewards for ranking up, joining this covenant unlocks the ability to farm Aromatic Ooze, a useful item for certain builds. This covenant is designed for experienced players seeking a true test of their skill.
Way of Blue: A Beacon for Help
- Benefits: The primary benefit of this covenant is attracting Blue Sentinels when invaded. It’s an introductory covenant designed for newer players who need assistance in dangerous situations.
Covenant of the Meek: Joining this covenant reduces the number of souls required to level up. This covenant increases rank based on the number of deaths. After a couple hundred deaths, this achievement will eventually be triggered.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Covenants
1. Can I join multiple covenants simultaneously in Dark Souls 2?
No, you can only be actively affiliated with one covenant at a time. However, you can freely switch between covenants, although leaving one might affect your standing within that covenant.
2. What happens if I abandon a covenant?
Leaving a covenant will often result in a decrease in your rank within that covenant. Certain covenants, like the Way of Blue, don’t have ranks, so leaving is consequence-free. Leaving the Way of the Blue is not a sin, however leaving all other covenants will be considered a sin. You’ll have to pay 2000 x SL in souls to absolve you from the guy in the first bell tower.
3. Do I lose my covenant progress if I start a New Game Plus (NG+)?
No, your covenant progress carries over to NG+. This allows you to continue ranking up in your chosen covenant without starting from scratch.
4. Is it necessary to wear the covenant ring to receive benefits?
Some covenants, such as the Bell Keepers and Rat King Covenant, require you to wear their respective rings to actively participate in their specific functions, such as automated summoning or affecting the environment. Other covenants provide passive benefits regardless of whether you wear the ring.
5. How does the Way of Blue covenant work?
The Way of Blue is designed for new players. When a member is invaded, the game automatically attempts to summon a Blue Sentinel to aid them. This covenant provides a safety net for players struggling with invasions.
6. What are the best covenants for PvP?
The Brotherhood of Blood, Bell Keepers, and Dragon Remnants are all excellent choices for PvP-focused players. Each offers distinct forms of PvP engagement, from organized duels to territorial defense.
7. What are the benefits of joining the Company of Champions?
The Company of Champions dramatically increases the game’s difficulty, offering a challenge for experienced players. While there are no direct ranking rewards, joining the covenant allows you to farm Aromatic Ooze, a rare item useful for enhancing poison weapons.
8. How do I rank up in the Heirs of the Sun covenant?
You rank up by offering Sunlight Medals to the altar in Harvest Valley. These medals are primarily obtained by successfully assisting other players as a summoned phantom in defeating bosses.
9. What’s the purpose of the Dragon Remnants covenant?
This covenant promotes honorable duels. Members receive Dragon Scales by defeating summoned players as a Dragon Spirit, which are then traded to rank up and receive dragon-themed rewards, such as the Dragon Head Stone and Dragon Torso Stone.
10. How do I join the Pilgrims of Dark covenant?
To join, you must speak with Darkdiver Grandahl, located in three different locations throughout the game, and complete his challenges, which involve traversing the Dark Chasms of Old.
11. Are there any penalties for betraying a covenant?
Betraying a covenant might result in a decrease in your rank within that covenant, potentially locking you out of rewards.
12. Can I still obtain covenant rewards if I don’t rank up?
Some covenants offer rewards simply for joining, but the most valuable items are usually reserved for higher ranks. Ranking up is generally necessary to access the full potential of a covenant.
13. Does my Soul Level affect covenant matchmaking?
Yes, Soul Memory and Soul Level both affect covenant matchmaking, determining who you can be summoned to help or invade.
14. What is the easiest covenant to level up in Dark Souls 2?
The easiest covenant to level up in is either the Way of Blue or Covenant of the Meek. The Way of Blue attracts people to help you when invaded, with the Covenant of the Meek allowing you to level up by dying a lot.
15. Why are covenants important in Dark Souls 2?
Covenants provide a dynamic layer to Dark Souls 2 by impacting PvP and PvE combat in some way. Joining a covenant allows players to access exclusive items and spells, as well as providing goals to obtain these items.
Dark Souls 2’s covenant system is not just about grinding for rewards. Instead, it provides an avenue for players to carve out their own story and purpose in the world, making their experience truly unique.
For more information on the educational aspects of games and learning, visit the GamesLearningSociety.org website. Games can be powerful tools for learning and engagement, as evidenced by the strategic depth and community involvement fostered by Dark Souls 2’s covenant system.