What Happens When You Abandon a Covenant in Dark Souls? A Comprehensive Guide
Abandoning a covenant in Dark Souls has a few key consequences. Firstly, you lose any rank you’ve accumulated within that covenant. This means you’ll forfeit any rewards, abilities, or status that came with your previous devotion. Secondly, depending on how you leave, it can be considered a betrayal, potentially adding to your sin count. However, simply leaving through the proper in-game menu typically avoids this negative label. Finally, you lose all covenant-specific benefits tied to that particular faction, although you can usually rejoin covenants later in the game, albeit with a potential hit to your rank progress. Understanding the nuances of covenant abandonment is crucial for strategically navigating the world of Dark Souls.
Understanding Covenants in Dark Souls
Before diving into the specifics of abandonment, it’s important to understand what covenants are in Dark Souls. Covenants are essentially factions or groups that the player can align with. Joining a covenant can significantly impact your gameplay experience, offering unique rewards, abilities, and gameplay mechanics. They influence everything from PvP interactions to access to specific areas and items. Covenants provide a layer of role-playing and strategic depth, encouraging players to tailor their gameplay style.
The Consequences of Abandoning
Loss of Rank and Rewards
When you abandon a covenant, the most immediate consequence is the loss of your current rank. This means any progress you’ve made in the covenant is reset. For example, if you’ve diligently collected Souvenirs of Reprisal for the Darkmoon Blades and reached rank +1, leaving the covenant will return you to rank 0. Any items, spells, or weapons you’ve acquired as rewards for your rank will remain with you, but you’ll need to start from scratch if you decide to rejoin and regain those ranks.
Potential for Sin
The method of leaving a covenant matters. If you simply leave through the in-game menu at a bonfire, you’ll avoid accruing sin. However, actions like attacking covenant members or betraying the covenant’s principles will result in sin. Having sin can trigger invasions by Darkmoon Blades, who are dedicated to punishing sinners. This can make the game significantly more challenging.
Loss of Covenant-Specific Benefits
Each covenant offers unique benefits, such as special abilities, spells, or access to specific areas. When you abandon a covenant, you lose access to these benefits. For instance, leaving the Forest Hunter covenant will prevent you from summoning Shiva of the East as a merchant.
Rejoining Covenants
The good news is that you can usually rejoin covenants later in the game. However, there’s a catch: each time you leave a covenant, you typically lose half of your progress or offerings made to that covenant. This can make ranking up a covenant more difficult, requiring you to grind for more covenant-specific items. The only exception to rejoining a covenant is if you kill the NPC leader of that covenant, which will permanently prevent you from rejoining that faction.
Betrayal vs. Abandonment
It’s crucial to differentiate between abandonment and betrayal. Abandonment simply involves leaving the covenant through the in-game menu. Betrayal, on the other hand, involves hostile actions against the covenant, such as attacking its members. Betrayal accrues sin, while simple abandonment doesn’t.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Does abandoning a covenant count as sin?
No, simply abandoning a covenant through the bonfire menu does not count as sin. However, attacking covenant members or acting against the covenant’s principles does accrue sin.
2. Do I lose all my items when I leave a covenant?
No, you do not lose any items you’ve acquired as rewards for your covenant rank. However, you will lose access to any covenant-specific abilities or spells.
3. Can I rejoin a covenant after leaving it?
Yes, you can usually rejoin a covenant after leaving it, unless you have killed the NPC leader of that covenant.
4. What happens to my covenant rank when I leave?
You lose your current rank when you leave a covenant. If you rejoin later, you will have to start from rank 0 again.
5. How do I avoid accruing sin when leaving a covenant?
To avoid accruing sin, simply leave the covenant through the bonfire menu. Do not attack any covenant members or perform any actions that betray the covenant’s principles.
6. Is it possible to be in multiple covenants at once?
No, you can only be in one covenant at a time. Joining a new covenant will automatically overwrite your current one.
7. What is the easiest covenant to rank up in Dark Souls?
The difficulty of ranking up in a covenant depends on your playstyle and skill. Some popular choices for easier ranking include the Way of White and the Warrior of Sunlight, which often involve cooperative gameplay.
8. What are the benefits of joining a covenant in Dark Souls?
Joining a covenant provides unique rewards, abilities, and gameplay mechanics. It also adds a layer of role-playing and allows you to tailor your gameplay experience.
9. What happens if I attack a covenant member by accident?
If you accidentally attack a covenant member, you will accrue sin. You can absolve your sins by speaking with Oswald of Carim in the Undead Parish bell tower, which will reset NPC hostility and allow you to rejoin the covenant without penalty.
10. Does renown transfer to other characters?
In Dark Souls, covenant progress and rewards are typically character-specific and do not transfer to other characters on your account. However, certain achievements or account-wide bonuses in similar games might provide some benefits across characters.
11. How many covenants are there in Dark Souls?
There are nine covenants in the original Dark Souls. These covenants offer a wide range of experiences, from cooperative play to competitive PvP.
12. Can I reverse or undo my decision to join a covenant?
Yes, you can leave a covenant at any time, effectively reversing your decision. However, keep in mind the consequences, such as loss of rank and potential sin.
13. What is the point of covenants in Dark Souls?
Covenants add depth and replayability to Dark Souls. They provide unique goals, rewards, and playstyles, encouraging players to explore different facets of the game. They are a core component of the game’s world and lore.
14. How do I rejoin a covenant if I was kicked out?
If you are kicked out of a covenant due to accruing sin, you can absolve your sins with Oswald of Carim. This will reset NPC hostility and allow you to rejoin the covenant.
15. Where can I find more information about game-based learning and the educational aspects of video games?
You can find more information about game-based learning and the educational aspects of video games on the Games Learning Society website: https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/. The GamesLearningSociety.org provides valuable resources and insights into how games can be used for educational purposes.
Understanding the complexities of covenants in Dark Souls is essential for a complete and rewarding gameplay experience. By being aware of the consequences of abandoning a covenant and knowing how to mitigate those consequences, you can navigate the world of Lordran with confidence and strategic foresight.