Covenants - where to join?

Basics - Dark Souls Game Guide

Strategy Guide and Walkthrough by Szymon "Hed" Liebert gamepressure.com

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Covenants are alliances with various characters. There are certain rules, responsibilities and privileges related to each of them. During the gameplay you can change the membership many times but that can lead to unpleasant consequences.

Way of White

Description: thanks to this covenant you'll be able to easier connect to other players in order to help them.
How to join: Talk to Petrus in Firelink Shrine or with Reah in Undead Parish (after saving the character from Tomb of Giants).

Warrior of Sunlight

Description: Another faction for online play fans. It turns your character in other players' worlds into a golden phantom. If you're the member, you'll find easier white signs of other people, to summon them to your world.
How to join: Your Faith has to be on 25th level. If you help others to kill bosses, this requirement is lowered by 5 points for every successful assistance. To check whether you meet requirements, go to Undead Parish and find a bonfire under the gate, where red wyvern were sitting. If you can pray next to altar, you'll join Covenant.
Rewards: Miracle: Lightning Spear, Miracle: Great Lightning Spear - you'll obtain it for sacrificing 10 Sunlight Medals, which you get after fighting with boss along with other players. These medals must be sacrificed by the altar.

Gravelord Servant

Description: This is a dark pact with Nito, terrifying character. By joining him you can obtain a weapon.
How to join: You can meet Nito in Catacombs, before fighting with Pinwheel. In one of tunnels you'll find Titanite Demon. Search for an empty coffin, away from other objects. You need to have an Eye of Death in your equipment. When you get closer to his place, you'll move to the Nito's chamber and you'll be able to talk to him. After joining the faction you can Eye of Death, to make play more difficult for some other players.
Rewards: Gravelord Sword, miracles Gravelord Sword Dance. You obtain them by giving Nito Eyes of Death. There are several of them in the game but they can also be obtained by killing some cursed players.

Princess's Guard

Description: Another Covenant for co-op fans. It provides better and easier connection between members of this group. It also allows using miracles Bountiful Sunlight and Soothing Sunlight (from Duke's Archives).
How to join: You have to talk to Gwynevere after the fight with Ornstein and Smough.
Rewards: Sun Princess Ring.

Forest Hunter

Description: A faction for PvP fans, where you'll fight with players who get to the deeps of Darkroot Forest.
How to join: Talk to Alvina the cat in Darkroot Forest, near the arena where you fight the wolf. Answer "yes" to all her questions. After that equip a ring you got from her - you'll be called to the forest if needed, to help fighting other players. After the fight you'll be moved back to the previous location. If you lose the fight, you'll get back to the bonfire and you won't lose your souls. If you're the member of this covenant, you can't attack ally NPCs in the forest.
Rewards: Divine Blessing, Ring of Fog - for killing few players.

Path of the Dragon

Description: Another PvP faction. You'll attack players who posses Dragon Scales.
How to join: You have to talk to the dragon at the end of Ash Lake. From now on you can use Everlasting Dragon Eye, to attack other players. After killing another person you'll obtain souls and Dragon Scales. If you lose the fight, you won't lose anything. Earned Dragon Scale can be given to the dragon, to increase your level.
Rewards: Dragon Head Stone (your head turns into dragonoid head breathing fire) and Dragon Torso Stone on 30th faction level (turns you into a dragon).

Blade of the Darkmoon

Description: Yet another PvP faction, where you hunt down players breaking rules of other covenants.
How to join: Talk to boss Gwyndolin, residing in Anor Londo. You'll obtain from him Blue Eye Orb and Darkmoon Ring - you can use them to visit worlds of other players.
Rewards: Darkmoon Blade, Darkmoon Talisman (level 10) and other enhancements. Levels can be increased with Souvenir of Reprisal - items dropped by killed players.

Chaos Servant Covenant

Description: A spider-woman faction. You have to offer her Humanity.
How to join: After fight with Queelag, go behind her arena and search for the hidden passage (take a look at location's description). Talk there with White Spider. You can offer her Humanity. Warning! If you break the pact, you'll be infected and your head will turn into an egg, consuming half of souls. You can cure this with Egg Vermifuge - this item can be bought at Eingyi (a servant sitting next to the spider). What's interesting, with egg on your head you can buy spells Poison Mist and Toxic Mist from him.
Rewards: Chaos Great Fireball, Chaos Firestorm on 30th level + shortcut to Izalith.

Darkwraith

Description: A real PvP faction, where you can do what you want. Of course if you can join it, which is not an easy task.
How to join: You can join this covenant after killing the boss in The Abyss. You can't also talk to Frampt before that and do not put Lordvessel on an altar under Firelink Shrine. After the fight you should see Kaathe, a female version of the dragon, similar to Frampt.
Rewards: Dark Hand (a weapon stealing Humanity on hit), Red Eye Orb (on 10th level), Darksword (on 30th level). You gain levels by killing players.

What are these inscriptions and how to play with others?

Basics - Dark Souls Game Guide

Strategy Guide and Walkthrough by Szymon "Hed" Liebert gamepressure.com

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If you explore Dark Souls lands in online mode, you'll encounter some strange things sometimes. This is a complex online play system, which allows players to give hints, help or fight other players. Most important are:
1) Phantoms - near the bonfires (but not only), you'll often see phantoms - these are other players. You can't interact with them.
2) Bloodstains - if you activate a bloodstain, you'll be able to see how another player died. This is a signal that you're close to the dangerous fragment of the game.
3) Additional Estus Flask - sometimes you'll get additional Estus Flask. That happens when other players light the bonfire. You can also help others in same way by using Kindle option at the bonfire.
4) Signs - orange signs on the ground are placed by other players and rarely by game creators. Mostly these are useful hints about tactics or hidden passages. You can rate such texts and also put your own - you just have to buy Orange Guidance Soapstone (Undead Merchant, Undead Burg). If your text is rated positively, you'll get additional Estus Flask. What's more, you're developing "message icon" level.

5) Co-Op - if you place a white sign on the ground, you can be summoned by other players to help them. If you see such a sign, mostly as a human, you'll be able to summon other players to your world (and sometimes NPCs too). There are Rewards for fighting along with them - by defeating the boss you'll obtain souls and Humanity. A few of factions in the game, known as Covenant, affect the ease of connecting with others. There is an item which makes this manipulation possible - White Sign Soapstone (can be obtained from Solaire of Astora in Undead Burg, just before the bridge with the wyvern).
6) PvP - if you play as a human, you risk that your world will be invaded by other players and sometimes by NPS. You will get the clear information about this on the screen. The opponent appears at some distance from you and not always knows where you are. There is of course option of visiting worlds of other players. You need for that Red Sign Soapstone (Painted World of Ariamis) or Cracked Red Eye Orb/Red Eye Orb (and some other items).

How to remove curse and other states?

Basics - Dark Souls Game Guide

Strategy Guide and Walkthrough by Szymon "Hed" Liebert gamepressure.com

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In Dark Souls there are several states, which can make your life not easy:
1) Poison - you can be poisoned by rats and other characters. As a result your HP decreases and Estus Flask you use, have less power. You can remove this state with Purple Moss Clump or Blooming Purple Moss Clump. Both plants can be dropped by combat bushes in Darkroot Garden.
2) Toxic - this state can be caused by several types of enemies. It causes your HP decreasing drastically, so if you do not have any items which removes this state, it will be tough. An item that removes this state is Blooming Purple Moss Clump. This plant is dropped by combat bushes in Darkroot Garden. You can also buy it at Undead Merchant Female in aqueduct.

3) Curse - this a specific state, which on one hand is bad, because it "cut" your HP bar to its half and do not allow you to use Humanity, but on the other hand it is useful sometimes (in this state you can attacks ghost with any weapon). A curse can be casted by Basilisks (frog-like creatures). You can remove curse with Purging Stone - can be bought at Oswald of Carim after fight with Bell Gargoyle or at Undead Merchant Female in Undead Burg. Curse can be also removed by Ingward from New Londo Ruins.
4) Bleeding - it is dealt by opponents with weapons such knives or katanas. Just try to avoid being hit or use Bloodred Moss Clump. This item is dropped by combat bushes in Darkroot Garden and can be bought at Undead Merchant Female in Undead Burg.
Above states, except Curse, can be healed by the bonfire.

How to fight?

Basics - Dark Souls Game Guide

Strategy Guide and Walkthrough by Szymon "Hed" Liebert gamepressure.com

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Before you go to the fight, you might consider several aspects of the fight system:
1) Stamina - a green bar that indicates your ability of blocking and attacking. You have to watch it carefully, so it doesn't get empty because you're getting defenseless then. Hint: Stamina replenishes faster if you lower your shield. So keeping it raised all the time is not a best idea.
2) Aiming system - by using the right analog stick you can activate aiming system, which allows you focusing on one enemy. This solution is useful during fight with lower enemies, but can interfere when you dealing with a boss. Hit: you shouldn't always use the aiming system. You have greater mobility without it.

3) Attacks from behind - if you can get behind enemy's back, you'll be able to deal huge damage in a special attack animation. This is important and useful tactics against your enemies. But be prepared for such attacks when you fight with other players.
4) Counterattack - this is a base for best warriors. If you have a proper shield (Small, Standard) you can parry enemy's blow (with left trigger) and then counterattack. This is powerful technique, which requires a lot of exercise. But it is worth it - thanks to that you'll easily defeat the last boss in the game!
5) Equip Burden - each character is described with an indicator for maximum equipment it can wear. If your current gear weight is above 50% of maximum Equip Burden, you move slowly. If it is below 50%, you are quite fast. Even better speed you'll have with weight below 25% of Equip Burden.
During the game you have to develop few behaviors:
1) Do not charge, especially with new type of enemies. In Dark Souls you have to know enemies' behavior first, in order to defeat them.
2) Fight in safe conditions - sometimes it is better to back off than fight on the edge of abyss.
3) Always have a bow and arrow - a bow is "a must" for each character archetype. Thanks to it you can lure out enemies and kill stronger opponents from a distance.

4) Enhance your weapons when you can - an enhanced weapon equals more damage and easier fights.
5) Speed or armor - in many cases you can choose between strong armor (you move slower) and speed/mobility. In fact everything depends on your enemy: sometimes it is better to invest in armor, but mostly higher mobility saves your life.

What are benefits for playing as a human?

Basics - Dark Souls Game Guide

Strategy Guide and Walkthrough by Szymon "Hed" Liebert gamepressure.com

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In Dark Souls you can play as an Undead or as a Human. In order to turn into human, you have to consume at least one Humanity (an active Humanity indicator can be found in the upper left part of the screen) and select Reverse Hollowing option at any bonfire.

Playing as human gives you following elements

1) You can call for help NPC and other players more often. Just use the white sigh, which can be found mostly next to the arenas, where you fight with bosses.
2) You can encounter additional "attractions" - sometimes special NPC attack you or you can be a witness of other situations. In some cases this means obtaining several additional items.
3) If you have high Humanity level, your chance of item drops from enemies is higher. You can also increase defense against curse.
4) As a human you can light on the fire and obtain more Estus Flask.

Risks associated with playing as a human

1) Another players or NPC can attacks you - in such situation you have to fight with them or ... log off from the game or unplug the Internet.
As you can see, there are pros and cons of being human. You can gather Humanity needed to operate with this state in many ways: collecting it in game world, getting it from enemies, earning it for special actions (killing the boss, many enemies, other players, etc).

What happens after death and how to protect yourself?

Basics - Dark Souls Game Guide

Strategy Guide and Walkthrough by Szymon "Hed" Liebert gamepressure.com

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When you die, you lose all souls and Humanity points you have, and you also become undead again. But lost elements can be retrieved, if you can get to the place you died and collect the "corpse" (shiny point). You have to do this without dying again on your way, because there can be only one corpse of you in the game world, with all your possessions.

There is however a way to not to lose gathered souls. You can use any Ring of Sacrifice. If you equip this ring, souls will stay with you after your death but the ring will be destroyed itself. There are only few such items, so you should use it only in very difficult situation, when you know that it will be difficult to get to your corpse and you have many souls with you.

What are bonfires?

Basics - Dark Souls Game Guide

Strategy Guide and Walkthrough by Szymon "Hed" Liebert gamepressure.com

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Bonfires are specific places in the world of Dark Souls. You can use them to replenish Estus Flask (only renewable source of HP recovery) and perform many other actions, like leveling up your character.
But remember, that resting by bonfire will bring back to life most of defeated enemies. Therefore a bonfire is a checkpoint/spawnpoint for a dead player, which also respawns defeated enemies.

By bonfire we can perform following actions:
1) Rest - just light a fire. Estus Flask and spells will be replenished. Rest heals you from Poison and Toxic, but not from Curse.
2) Level Up - leveling up the character if possessing enough souls.
3) Reinforce Weapon - available after finding/purchasing Weapon Smithbox from blacksmith Andre of Astora. Weapon reinforcement.
4) Reinforce Armor - available after finding/purchasing Armor Smithbox from blacksmith Andre of Astora. Armor reinforcement.
5) Repair Equipment - available after finding/purchasing Repairbox from blacksmith Andre of Astora. Equipment repair.
6) Attune Magic - change of memorized spell.
7) Access Bottomless Box - access to Bottomless Box (items storage). We can purchase it from Domhnall of Zena in Depths and in Anor Londo later on.
8) Warp - teleporting between certain bonfires. Available after obtaining the Lordvessel. You can teleport to the following bonfires: Firelink Shrine, Undead Parish, Depths, Anor Londo, The Duke's Archives , Painted Word Of Ariamis, Crystal Cave, Tomb Of The Giants, Sanctuary Oolacile (Artorias Of The Abyss).
9) Kindle - lightning a fire, which increases stock of Estus Flask at certain bonfire. It costs 1 Humanity. It can be performed only in human form. It can be strengthened after receiving Rite of Kindling (you must defeat Pinwheel boss).