Covenants in Dark Souls II are available early on and provide the player with multiple new ways to interact with their world and other players. Some offer assistance and protection from invaders, others bring new goals such as defending areas, and some demand the blood of other players.

Covenants are factions within Dark Souls. To join a covenant the player must make oaths to specific NPCs. There are rewards for following the guidelines set by specific NPCs that lead each covenant and there are penalties for breaking them. Covenants may also have an effect on the player's online interactions. Most covenants have a unique multiplayer item usable only by members of that covenant, and even the ones that do not will have items or spells that can affect other players in some way, and as such what covenant the player has joined will have an effect on the player's online experience. Generally speaking, most covenants will focus on either cooperation (summoning/being summoned) or competition (invading/being invaded), but even then, how the player chooses to play the game is still their choice.

The Are a total of 9 Covenants separated into 4 groups. Co-op, PvP (Invading), PvP (Summoned), and PvE.

• Co-op - Heirs Of The Sun, Way Of The Blue
  
• PvP (Invading) - Brotherhood Of Blood, Blue Sentinels, Bell Keppers
  
• PvP (Summoned) - Rat King, Dragon Remnants
  
• PvE - Company Of Champions, Pilgrims Of Dark

Multiplayer Items
There are nine covenants in the game, each with different goals and different means of achieving those goals, all through multiplayer interaction. While most of the covenants have at least one exclusive multiplayer item for use to this end, there are certain multiplayer items that can be used regardless of covenant:

• White Sign Soapstone;
  
• Small White Sign Soapstone;
  
• Red Sign Soapstone (allows you to be summoned into a world as a Dark Spirit)
  
• Cracked Red Eye Orb (must be in human form to use)

Ranks
All of the covenants allow progression within the covenant in the form of ranks, starting at base (referred to as rank 0), and maxing at rank 3. How to increase your rank differs depending on what covenant you're in and some of them have multiple ways to do this. Obtaining a higher rank can be a lot harder for a certain covenant compared to other ones. For example: Obtaining rank 3 in the Blue Sentinels covenant requires you to defeat 500 people, whereas rank 3 in the Way of the Blue covenant only requires you to defeat 10 invaders.

Rings
Each covenant has a special ring obtained solely through that covenant. Each ring has a special effect (listed below). Unless stated, you do not need to wear the ring to activate any covenant features.

• Way of Blue: Increases maximum HP by 3%.
  
• Heirs of the Sun: Increases miracle strength by 5%.
  
• Brotherhood of Blood: Increases the bleed buildup caused by weapons with bleed damage.
  
• Blue Sentinels: Allows wearer to be summoned to aid invaded Way of Blue members.
  
• Bell Keepers: Allows wearer to invade players in a nearby Belfry.
  
• Rat King: Allows covenant invasions, increases poison buildup from weapons with poison damage.
  
• Dragon Remnants: Increases HP gained from drinking Estus by 50.
  
• Company of Champions: Increases bare fist damage and allows power-stancing of fists.
  
• Pilgrims of Dark: Increases hex damage by 20% (~ 7.5% since 1.06) , but lose 30 hp per cast.

Abandoning a Covenant
You may abandon your current covenant at any time by seeking out Sweet Shalquoir, a cat NPC in a small building near the large hole in Majula. You may also abandon your covenant by attempting to join a new one. There are NO kinds of punishment for abandoning a covenant and you're able to rejoin whenever you want. Even if you kill the leader of a certain covenant, they will still offer you to join their covenant after reviving them.

Note
you will NOT lose your current rank within a covenant after abandoning or upon rejoining it, so players are completely free to join whatever covenant they want to be in whenever they want.

Covenant Leader: The Sun

Where to Join: Harvest Valley


How to Join
In Harvest Valley, after the 2nd bonfire (The Mines), take a right after you leave said bonfire and then another right towards the small area where the floor is covered with poison gas and you see two Dark Magic Giants. Kill the Steelworker Undead (the undead with the big hammer) standing across the bridge. Cross this small bridge and turn left to get into a small cave, but beware the Sickle Wielder that's standing around the corner. Continue until you reach the end and you'll find a broken statue similar to Dark Souls 1. Pray to it, and you'll be asked to join the covenant.

Rank
Heirs to the Sun is a covenant solely focused on co-op. Sunlight Medals are awarded for defeating area bosses, however you and/or the summoned phantom has to be a member of the covenant before defeating the boss. A phantom within the covenant can be summoned via the White Sign Soapstone signs found on the floor, they are easy to spot due to their sign's bright orange glow (instead of white). The medals earned can then be offered at the statue that originally allowed the player to join the covenant. These medals are offered up so that the player can increase their rank within the covenant.
They can also drop from Falconer Knights in Things Betwixt (NG+) and the Dark Magic Giants in Harvest Valley. These medals are required to rank up in the covenant.



Notes

• Unlike in Dark Souls 1, it does NOT require a certain amount of Faith to join this covenant.
  
• Players in this covenant are often referred to as "Sunbros" by the online community.
  
• This covenant does not have an NPC related to it.

Covenant Leader: Crestfallen Saulden


Where to Join: Majula


How to Join
As soon as you reach Majula, you can head up the hill past the bonfire, towards a large monument structure. Crestfallen Saulden is sitting in front of it, and he will invite you to join the covenant upon exhausting his dialogue.

Overview
One of the first covenants you're able to join. The Way of the Blue, also referred to as "the covenant of the meek", is a co-op covenant that allows Blue Sentinels, wearing the Guardian's Seal, to summon themselves to your world automatically when you are being invaded, in order to protect you. This covenant is mostly aimed towards players who have trouble beating invaders or just like to have some added security.

Crestfallen Saulden will give the player a Blue Seal upon joining the covenant. This ring slightly increases the wearer's HP, so it can also be useful for people who plan to join a different covenant later. It's NOT necessary to equip this ring in order to summon Blue Sentinels to aid you.

Rank
Ranks are obtained by killing invaders. You do not need to wear the covenant ring to acquire rank score.



Notes

• Defeating invading NPC phantoms that show an invasion notice counts toward rank requirements as well.
  
• Summoning an invader yourself via a Red Soapstone sign or a Dragon Eye and defeating them does NOT count.
  
• Blue invaders, aka Arbiter invaders, do NOT count toward rank score.
  
• Bell Keepers, also known as grey phantoms, do NOT count towards rank.
  
• All of the items you get by gaining ranks in this covenant can be found or acquired somewhere else as well.
  
• If your Blue Sentinel protector dies, another (or the same) will be summoned as long as the invader is still present in your world.

Covenant Leader : Titchy Gren


Location : Undead Purgatory


Joining
The covenant leader, Titchy Gren, can be spoken to in a small area found after the Executioner's Chariot boss fight. The player must have a Token of Spite in their possession before speaking to the covenant leader in order to join.

How to get Token Of Spite

• In the bottom of the Majula well, after the tunnel with the 3 mummies, climb down all the ladders and find it in a chest(right before the gutter)
  
• Careful: If you destroy the chest before opening it, it will not have the Token of Spite, instead you will get rubbish.
  
• Can also be obtained by killing a host during an invasion as a red phantom.
  
• Heide's Tower of Flame, NG+, dropped by Black Phantom at platform before the Boss, Dragonrider.

Dueling
Upon joining the covenant, players can queue for duels at the three statues near Gren. Again, a Token of Spite must be present in the inventory in order to duel. The token will not be expended; it need only be present.
When facing the statues, the three arenas are as follows:

• Left statue: A relatively long bridge that connects one side to another. Falling off the bridge will result in death.
  
• Middle statue: A labyrinthine arena with two levels. There are stairs in the four corners of the arena which lead to the second level.
  
• Right statue: A large circular stage with wooden scaffolding in the center. There are steps that lead to the top of the structure.

List of usable/Unusable items in Arena

• Note: You still can heal by casting healing miracles such as Great Heal or the healing pyromancy Warmth, or by certain equipment like the Ring of Restoration, Loyce Shield, Crown of the Ivory King, but also upon each successful hit of Butcher's Knife.
  

Rank
To improve rank for this covenant the player must achieve victory in the dueling arenas or vanquish blue phantoms summoned by members of the Way of Blue during an invasion.
Being defeated in a duel will result in the loss of one rank point. However, according to Namco Bandai customer support, it is not possible to lose rank by failing an invasion.

• When invading, defeat the Blue Sentinel summoned as help, and the devotion to the covenant will go up +2.
  
• You do NOT gain rank from successful invasions.

Notes

• Using the 'Talk' option with Titchy Gren, after reaching rank 3 in the covenant, will cause him to give you his scythe and armor set.
  
• If both players have full health when the duel timer ends in the arena, the duel ends in a draw, and the message "STALEMATE" will appear.
  
• It is recommended that player record their own victories and defeats in dueling arenas, because the game does not.
  
• While fighting in the arena, with a duel that ends in both players defeat. The victory will be given to the player who died last.
  
• Unlike other pvp, covenant arenas do not pair players up according to soul memory. Players can be paired up with anyone in the same play through.

Covenant Leader: Blue Sentinel Targray


Where to Join :Cathedral of Blue, after defeating Old Dragonslayer


How to Join
Talk to Blue Sentinel Targray after having obtained a Token of Fidelity either through helping another player defeat a boss as a white phantom or by finding the one on the corpse beneath the rope bridge in Huntsman's Copse.

Overview
The Blue Sentinels protect the weak, by wearing the Guardian's Seal ring that allows them to be summoned to members of the Way of the Blue when they are being invaded. Sentinels cannot attack or interact with regular enemies in the host's world, as their objective is to defeat the invader and punish the guilty. Sentinels get a red eye indicator that floats above their head upon being summoned and proceeds to guide them to the invader no matter where they might be. Upon defeating the host's invader the Sentinel will receive 1 Token of Fidelity. Sentinels don't have to wear the ring to invade guilty worlds or to start a duel match. You must be human to protect Way of the Blue members.

Blue Sentinels is the only covenant that can use Cracked Blue Eye Orbs, which allow them to invade the worlds of sinners and wretches. They have to be human to be able to use these orbs. A player becomes a sinner if they have gained 10 points of sin by killing other players online with invasions or by killing NPCs. They become a wretch after gaining 100 points of sin. When a Blue phantom defeats a sinner or a wretch, they will lose 1 point of sin. When using the Cracked Blue Eye Orb, Blue phantoms are unable to use healing items such as the Estus Flask, but they can heal themselves with Spells.

You can farm Cracked Blue Eye Orbs in many ways

• Common drop from Old Knights at Heide's Tower of Flame.
  
• Drops from multiple other enemies.
  
• Possibly given when exchanging Small Smooth & Silky Stones with Dyna and Tillo.
  
• Can be obtained by winning a sparring match in the Cathedral of Blue.
  
• You can buy unlimited orbs from Blue Sentinel Targray for 10.000 souls each in NG+.

Dueling
Blue Sentinels can also pray at the statues next to the Cathedral of Blue bonfire and duel with other members of their covenant to gain rank. You must have a Token of Fidelity to do this and, unlike the similar Brotherhood of Blood dueling system, it will be consumed whether you win or lose (if your opponent disconnects before the fight starts or you leave the queue, your token will not be consumed).
When an eligible opponent has been found, you will be moved to one of the Blue Sentinel dueling arenas. There are 3 different arena maps and they are chosen randomly, regardless of which statue you pray at. These are the descriptions of the 3 maps

• Big map with a destroyed floor. The area you can walk on is shaped similar to a plus sign. It is possible to fall down and die on this map.
  
• An arena with 2 levels. The top level has no walls and you can simply drop down to the ground level.
  
• Ground floor arena where you can't fall down anywhere.
  
• Note: You still can heal by casting healing miracles such as Great Heal or the healing pyromancy Warmth, or by certain equipment like the Ring of Restoration, Loyce Shield, Crown of the Ivory King, but also upon each successful hit of Butcher's Knife.

Rank
To obtain ranks in this covenant, you need a certain amount of victories. In this case, a victory means either

• Vanquish dark phantom when summoned as help by a Way of Blue host: Devotion to covenant up +1.
  
• A won duel in the Cathedral of Blue.
  
• Defeating a sinner when you invade using a Cracked Blue Eye Orb.
  

You won't ever lose these victory points or ranks.


Covenant items

• Guardian's Seal: Has to be worn (while human) to be able to get summoned to Way of the Blue members who are being invaded.
  
• Token of Fidelity: Required and consumed when dueling with a fellow covenant member. Can also be used as an item to restore some HP. Obtained by defeating invaders or bosses in co-op.

Notes

• Talking to Blue Sentinel Targray after reaching rank 3 will cause him to give you his armor set.
  
• Even if you are a Blue Sentinel you still can be invaded by an Arbiter Spirit (Blue Phantom).
  
• As your rank increases the blue aura that surrounds you when you invade will grow at rank 1 and 2.
  
• You can be summoned to defend a Way of the Blue member while your white summon sign is down.
  
• You can also be summoned if you're wearing the ring while resting at a bonfire, so it's a smart move to unequip this ring before going AFK.
  
• A way to gain souls via this covenant is either protecting a host or killing Phantoms when invading.
  
• A way to get summoned more frequently with the Guardian's Seal is by removing the ring and putting it back on with about one to five minute intervals.
  
• When invading the world of a sinner, it's possible to arrive in a different area than the one where you used your Cracked Blue Eye Orb.
  
• While invading in Heide's Tower of Flame, it is common for there to be Cracked Blue Eye Orbs dropped from mobs, thus nullifying the cost to invade.

The Bell Keepers are a pvp and invasion-themed Covenant in Dark Souls 2. Upon joining the covenant the player will be given a Bell Keeper's Seal ring, and five Rusted Coins after talking to the dwarf.

One's objective as a Bell Keeper is to defeat any trespasser that sets foot in the bell tower. However, if there are no viable hosts to invade in that tower, the player will invade the other tower instead. The covenant icon of the Bell Keepers will pulse with light when one is placed in the matchmaking queue. In Belfry Luna, invaders will often spawn near the top of the tower, next to the door which leads to the Belfry Gargoyles boss fight. If the world host manages to enter the boss fight during an invasion, the invader will be returned to their world. Spawn points for Belfry Sol, are usually near the ballista, near the bell switch, or near the exit. As an invader you're also unable to use healing items.

Covenant Leader: Belfry Luna/Belfry Sol marionette/Dwarf.


Where to Join: Belfry Luna/Belfry Sol


How to Join
Belfry Luna
After reaching the Servants' Quarters bonfire in The Lost Bastille, climb down the nearby ladder and use a Pharros' Lockstone on the contraption next to the chest. Attack the glowing wall, then proceed through the wooden door. Speak to the dwarf on the right to join the covenant. (Be wary of the black marionette phantom at the entrance to the invasion zone.he will will attack once you reach the top of the ladder. He can hurt and kill the talking marionette.)

Belfry Sol
After reaching the Ironhearth Hall bonfire in Iron Keep, proceed until you reach a large room with movable platforms. Next to the lever is an iron door. Open the door and use a Pharros' Lockstone on the contraption, then attack the glowing wall to reveal a ladder. Climb up the first ladder, then the second one by the bonfire to reach the top. Speak to the marionette found there to join the covenant.

Rank
To gain ranks in this covenant, one must defeat world hosts when invading as a Gray Phantom, or defeat Red Phantoms that invade the Belfries. Your total rank score is a combination of both. (e.g. 5 defeated hosts + 5 defeated Red Phantoms will raise one's rank from rank 0 to rank 1).
The rank system is confirmed. The Red Phantom Bell Keepers DO NOT count towards the rank system because they are in fact Bell Keepers.
To gain rank 3 in the covenant, it's necessary to ring the bells in both Belfry Sol and Belfry Luna, in addition to defeating 100 trespassers. (I was grinding chunks and haven't visited the Belfry Sol yet and I got rank 3, so someone may want to look into that)


Notes

• One cannot remove his/her covenant ring during an invasion.
  
• One can be summoned to the Belfries in most areas of the game, but not all of them. The covenant icon will pulse with light if the area allows summoning.
  
• One can be invaded by up to two gray phantoms at once (three in SotFS).
  
• Being a Bell Keeper does NOT prevent other Bell Keepers from invading one's world.
  
• Vanquishing another player through this covenant does not increase one's sin.
  
• In Belfry Sol, there is a Mad Warrior red phantom. Defeating him will increase rank in this covenant.
  
• Successfully vanquishing a world host will restore one's equipment, Estus Flask charges and spell uses upon return
  
• Dying in the Belfries as a gray phantom, with Dragon Stone Armor equipped, will result in the removal of the armor upon returning to one's world.
  
• Vanquishing opponent's within this covenant is one of the most effective methods for gathering a large amount of Titanite Chunks early on in the game.
  
• The closer you are to either Beflry Luna or Belfry Sol, the higher the chance of invading
  
• Sometimes it takes a while to be summoned, so its a good idea to wait in an infrequently invaded area. A good location would be The Blue Cathedral, as you cannot be invaded there, but you can be summoned into the Belfries there.
  
• Ranked up offline by adding Bonfire Ascetic to Belfry Sol so Mad Warrior spawns more frequently. Can achieve level 3 in a relatively short time using Feather or Homeward.
  
• No Titanite Chunks dropped for killing Mad Warrior.

The Rat King Covenant is dedicated to protecting the sanctity of the Grave of Saints and Doors of Pharros location. The scourge of human trespassers to this location is handled by Rats and honorary Rats (players who've joined the covenant). This covenant is PvP based but with an emphasis on protecting "your turf." This is accomplished through a summoning mechanic specific to this covenant. The player character, while in the covenant needs to wear the ring Crest of the Rat while in the Grave of Saints location (the bonfire near the boss fight, Royal Rat Vanguard room and Rat King room do not count as viable summoning areas) or the Doors of Pharros location (specific summoning areas when covenant symbol pulsates). If another player enters the summoning zones in THEIR world, they have a chance to be automatically summoned to the world of a covenant member for battle. What this means is that the trespasser (non covenant player) must do battle in the home turf of the covenant member. This yields numerous potential bonuses to covenant members. The covenant member can summon enemy players while they are hollow.

Covenant Leader: The Rat King


Where to Join: Grave of Saints, Doors of Pharros

Doors of Pharros
This area is flooded and your movement will be slowed. There are large enemies and plenty of Pharros' Contraptions for your Pharros' Lockstones, but not all of them hide treasure.
There are several (10-20) doors that can be opened in Doors of Pharros. One of the doors located on the second level of the large, open water area can be opened to reveal a bonfire with entrance into the Royal Rat Authority boss. Simply circle around the entire 2nd level until you get to the last door and examine it (1st door if you go to the left. But it's already open for myself).
You will also find the Rat King Covenant here.

How to Join
After defeating the boss Royal Rat Vanguard, the Rat King will be accessible directly after. Speaking to him (he looks like a normal rat on a pile of bones immediately after the fight) indicates that, although he hates humans, he has gained respect for you. Seemingly, murdering a large number of his followers is a good thing in his eyes. He can also be found at the end of the other dungeon in the Doors of Pharros area after defeating the boss there. You may also join the covenant just after killing the Royal Rat Authority inside of the Doors of Pharros

More Information
Firstly, covenant members benefit by all mobs (several hollows and numerous large rats) becoming allies at all times. A covenant member will NEVER be attacked by mobs while in the Grave of Saints. However, trespassers must face all mobs that aggro in addition to the covenant member. Mobs do still follow the respawn rules so covenant members can find themselves without backup if their buddies are killed too many times. Additionally, the Grave of Saints is littered with Pharros' Lockstone faces which may be used to alter the environment. Once placed, a stone cannot be removed, however placing stones allows the covenant member to alter their turf and lay traps for invaders. Two bridges for instance open a smaller secondary area that can be used to loop around the two primary walkways that make up the Grave of Saints. A group of additional rats can be a trap to lure trespassers to in this room. Rat statues with urns can be activated by Pharros' Lockstone as well on the upper walkway. They will pour acid on the floor which damages armor very quickly. The covenant member IS affected by this but they have the luxury of knowing which pools are active. Pools can be jumped over but this requires very precise timing. A ladder connecting the two walkways has a filthy looking waterfall when a Lockstone is used nearby. This does not appear to harm either party but can be used to hide behind and lure the trespasser into more rats unknowingly. If either party is using a torch it will be extinguished.

A trespasser will be summoned as a "Gray Spirit" and will always spawn at the entrance of the Grave of Saints. This means that they will encounter the large group of rats and several hollows at the beginning of the level (until they stop spawning) and of course the Rat King covenant member if they feel like being mean. If a trespasser kills mobs they remain dead until the covenant member rests at a bonfire (there are two easily accessed in this area). Trespassers CAN use a Black Separation Crystal to separate themselves from the world. This is dependent on being given enough time to use this however as the covenant member is given a warning that a trespasser is being summoned well before they arrive. In other words, there is no reason that the covenant member can't be waiting for the trespasser if they choose. If the covenant member wins they will gain a Rat Tail which can be offered to The Rat King to further one's devotion to the covenant. If the covenant member loses they must find their blood stain and suffer the normal penalties of dying. Recovering the stain is of course not an issue as nothing in this area will be hostile to the player.

• There is also a 10-minute time limit to killing the summoned player, if it runs out, they will return to their own world.
  
• In addition, there seems to be a three minute delay before another invader could be summoned.
  
• If you are in the Rat Covenant and win you will receive: 1 Pharros' Lockstone, 1 Smooth & Silky Stone and 1 Rat Tail.
  
• If the 'trespasser' manages to make it to the end of the area they are given 1 Pharros' Lockstone, as well as returning to their world in front of the bonfire at the end of the labyrinth.

Rank


Notes

• Rats can put poison on enemies with their attacks. Additionally the Crest of the Rat ring will increase your poison effect. So if you use poison-weapons you could put the status very fast on your target. Remember anyway that grey phantoms can use their estus flasks when summoned here.
  
• Unlock several traps with your Pharros' Lockstones, so your opponent will have to face more enemies, more traps, more difficulties. In Doors of Pharros for example, many doors will increase the number of enemies in the map, giving you a great help when fighting.
  
• The opponent will always spawn at the beginning of the dungeon, so you can use that advantage to ambush him as well as you can.
  
• If you hate to be summoned as Grey Phantom, you could play the game Offline while in this area.
  
• Bonfire Ascetics can be used to upgrade the NPC mobs to the next NG+ level.
  
• You have to go through water so it's recommended to use lightning and not to use fire. Also a shield with a high lightning defence can be a big help.
  
• Door of Pharros is a large open area. While Grave of Saints is a more closed in area.

Covenant Leader: Magerold of Lanafir.


Where to Join: Iron Keep


How to Join
At Dragon Shrine, after you kill the enemy shooting lightning at you, you go up the steps and kill a 2-handed and a shield/1-handed knight. Do not go through the door yet, look around for an area to jump off of next to two chests. One is a mimic so be careful. After killing a Drakekeeper and the NPC invader Dragonfang Villard, the Petrified Egg will be on an altar.
Give it to Magerold of Lanafir in Iron Keep, and after speaking with him you can then request to join the covenant.
Note:

• With the Petrified Egg in your inventory, it is not possible to trade with Magerold. This can be resolved by joining the covenant or putting the egg inside your storage.
  
• Giving Magerold the egg DOES NOT immediately enter you in the covenant, just giving him the egg allows you to join, but doesn't tell you to abandon your old covenant.

Location of Petrified Egg
The Dragon Shrine: after you kill the enemy shooting lightning at you, go up the steps and kill a 2-handed and a shield/1-handed knight. Do not go through the door yet, look around for an area to jump off of next to two chests. One is a mimic so be careful. After killing a Drakekeeper and the NPC invader Dragonfang Villard, the Petrified Egg will be on an altar.

Overview
When joining the Dragon Remnants covenant, Magerold will give you a Dragon Eye and an Ancient Dragon Seal ring. When worn, this ring will increase the amount of HP you recover by using an Estus Flask by +50 HP. The Dragon Eye works similar to a Red Sign Soapstone. You use this item to place down a summon sign to duel the host of a world, who must summon you in. Contrary to Red and White soapstones, neither you nor the host have to be human for the Dragon Eye to work.

Rank
To gain ranks within this covenant, you must obtain Dragon Scales. You can obtain them with in both PvE and PvP ways.

How to obtain Dragon Scales:

• Defeat a host who summoned you via your Dragon Eye.
  
• Defeat a Dragon Remnant member you summoned using their Dragon Eye.
  
• Possible drop from Dragon Soldiers in the Dragon Shrine.
  
• Found on a body near the elevator, after defeating the Guardian Dragon in Aldia's Keep.
  
• Lair of the Imperfect (Sunken King DLC)
  
• Small chance of dropping from Dragonfang Villard.
  
• Rare drop from Black Dragon Knights

Notes

• The bridge right next to the first bonfire in Iron Keep is a well known PvP spot for this covenant.
  
• The Cardinal Tower and surrounding area is another common dueling area in the highest soul memory bracket.
  
• Because of the required Petrified Egg, it is not possible to join this covenant early on in the game.
  
• Beware: There is a chance of being attacked by your summoner immediately after entering their world, since you spawn where your sign is placed.
  
• You can still use the Dragon Head/Torso if you abandon the covenant.
  
• Defeating the host when you are summoned will fully repair all of your equipment, but will not reverse hollowing.

Covenant leader: Victor's Stone


Where to join: Majula


How to join
In Majula, take the path along the coast to the right of the doorway leading to Heide's Tower of Flame to find the Victor's Stone monument. Pray to it and you will be asked to join the Company of Champions covenant.

Overview
CoC is one of two covenants that are available as soon as you get to Majula. Being a member of this covenant substantially increases the game's difficulty level by making every enemy deal more damage (up to 50% in some cases, especially bosses), have more HP, and have approximately 20% damage resistance (tested on bosses under identical circumstances in SotFS), similar to playing in NG+ or using Bonfire Ascetics, while being in NG and without having to use ascetics at every bonfire. In addition, being in this covenant also disables cooperative play, removing the player's ability to summon anybody, including NPCs. Other players are still able to invade your world.
This covenant also increases the range at which enemies will notice you.
Upon joining the covenant, players will also be given the Champion's Tablet. This item can be used to display a leaderboard showing the names of the players who have offered the most Awestones to the Victor's Stone.
While this covenant is strongly focused around PvE, it can be PvP focused as well, because defeating red phantom invaders in your world will drop Awestones, which you will need to acquire higher ranks.

WARNING: If you join this covenant you cannot be summoned or summon other players, NOT EVEN NPCs like Lucatiel etc... so their symbols will not appear. It should be mentioned, however, that you CAN summon red signs still, allowing for some amount of co-op if you have the item "Giant Seed" activated.

Rank
Covenant rank is increased by offering Awestones to the Victor's Stone in Majula. These stones are obtained by defeating invading red phantoms, both players and NPCs, and they are occasionally dropped by enemies as well. Note that it is NOT necessary to defeat player invaders to obtain the required amount of Awestones to reach rank 3 in this covenant. This can easily be done without PvP and without going to NG+ (Check out the Awestone page for information on how to farm them.)
If you focus on defeating invaders as a way of obtaining Awestones, and don't mind getting interrupted, you can use a Token of Spite and/or wear the Delicate String ring to increase your chances of being invaded.

Known Awestone-dropping enemies

• Ogre (Forest of the Fallen Giants)
  
• Flame Lizards (Forest of the Fallen Giants)
  
• Old Knights (Heide's Tower of Flame)
  
• Enhanced Undead (Sinner's Rise)
  
• Mutant Dogs (The Gutter)
  
• Cragslipper (Black Gulch)
  
• Mastodons (Doors of Pharros)
  
• Mist-shrouded Soldiers (Shaded Woods)
  
• Llewellyn Stone Soldiers (King's Passage)
  
• Black Dragon Knights (Dragon Shrine)
  
• Leydia Black Witches (Undead Crypt)

Notes

• Also known as "Hunters" or "Lures" by the online community, as they lure red phantoms to their world for quick Awestones.
  
• Bell Keeper invaders (Grey phantoms) do not drop Awestones.
  
• Purple phantoms summoned by using their Purple Soapstone sign do not drop Awestones.
  
• Obtain Awestones by killing the red invader Bowman Guthry (appears on NG+) in Doors of Pharros at the first bonfire.
  
• Releasing Royal Sorcerer Navlaan will grant more opportunities to farm Awestones.
  
• Joining this covenant will give all non-special enemies unlimited spawns for the duration you're in the covenant (special enemies such as the Aldia Warlock in Shrine of Amana or the necromancers in Huntsman's Copse will not respawn). Once you leave, all enemies will return to the spawning condition they had before you joined.

Covenant Leader: Darkdiver Grandahl


Covenant Information: Joining the covenant will give you an Abyss Seal.

You are then able to go to special Abyss dungeons in these three locations by offering a Human Effigy to him (the first gate activates for free after choosing to join the covenant). The dungeons themselves contain four dark phantoms. They are very fast and deal high damage, and you will often have to fight them simultaneously, so doing this in the endgame is recommended. The goal in these dungeons is to light a bonfire with a torch, so bring flame butterflies.

How to Join

In order to access this Covenant one must talk to Darkdiver Grandahl in three different locations:

• Black Gulch. Drop down near the two worms, you should see a gate. In order to open it, drop down again. Continue into the cave to see two Giants, killing them will give you the key to the door. He can be found behind it.
  
• Shaded Ruins. Go right from the giant basilisk until you come to the path to the Boss between the two buildings. Instead of going through, look around the nearby grassy area, there is scaffolding where you will drop down to the area with him.
  
• Drangleic Castle. In the room near the King's Gate bonfire with the giant statues you have to active with souls, activate and go through the last gate on the left.
  
• After talking to him in these locations, he will offer you to join the Pilgrims of Dark. Note that it doesn't matter which order you visit these locations to join.

The first time you join the covenant, Darkdiver Grandahl will open that Dark Chasm for free. To open the Dark Chasms after that, you must speak with him and give him a Human Effigy. When you light all three beacons and defeat the Darklurker, all three Dark Chasms of Old will be opened permanently for that NG cycle, allowing free access as long as you're in the covenant (they will be closed again when you enter the next NG+ cycle).

Abyss Invasions
If you use a Cracked Red Eye Orb while in a Dark Chasm of Old, you will invade another player who is in any of the three Dark Chasms as an abyss spirit. If you use a Red Sign Soapstone, your red sign will appear in other player's worlds exactly where you left it, and they can use your red sign to summon you as an abyss spirit (there is a rumor that the red sign soapstone will allow you to automatically invade players in the dark chasms similar to the Looking Glass Knight; this is false. Aside from causing you to invade as an abyss spirit instead of a dark spirit, the red sign soapstone does not function any differently than normal). Defeating another player while in a Dark Chasm of Old (either as a host or as an invader) will award you with a Bonfire Ascetic and a human effigy. Since other players drop Bonfire Ascetics 100% of the time, this can be a very fast and effective way to farm for Bonfire Ascetics, provided you have Cracked Red Eye Orbs or a Red Sign Soapstone. Killing players as an abyss spirit does not give you sin.

Note: invading and killing invaders has no bearing on covenant rank, but the Dark Chasm must be completely cleared of enemies and invaders before the host can progress through the area. Invaders basically act as additional enemy phantoms for the host to overcome.

• Only members of the Pilgrims of Dark covenant can enter a Dark Chasm of Old, so only Pilgrims of Dark covenant members can invade there. Players in other covenants cannot invade into a Dark Chasm under any circumstances, even if they have global invasion (such as the Blue Sentinels).
  
• You cannot use the White Sign Soapstone in a Dark Chasm of Old, so it is impossible to summon another player for assistance while there. In fact, the Dark Chasms of Old do not have summon slots at all, and instead have additional invasion slots to replace them. This means that it's entirely possible for a player to be invaded by up to three human players simultaneously, or up to five in the Scholar of the First Sin edition! But invaders may not necessarily be hostile towards the host, since they can simply kill another invader to receive a Bonfire Ascetic (at which point they'll be returned to their world). If you are hosting multiple invaders in a Dark Chasm, a simple solution is to just let them kill each other.
  
• If you are invading in a Dark Chasm of Old, your goal is to defeat a player, be it the host or another invader. Once you have landed the killing blow on a player the "Target Destroyed" message will flash on your screen and you will be returned to your own world with a Bonfire Ascetic and souls, and your equipment durability, Estus Flask uses, and spell charges will all be restored. Players are not rewarded for player deaths if they did not land the killing blow. But this is not an easy goal, since the enemies will attack invaders along with the host. Make sure you can deal with anything the Dark Chasm can throw at you before invading!
  
• The enemies in the Dark Chasms of Old are hostile to invaders, and will attack them as if the host had used a Seed of a Tree of Giants. This means that while you can use a Seed of a Tree of Giants while in a Dark Chasm, it will have no effect and the seed will effectively be wasted.
  
• If you have ranks in the Brotherhood of Blood or Blue Sentinels covenants while invading in a Dark Chasm of Old, your invasion aura will carry over as an abyss spirit. For example, if you have reached rank 2 as a Blue Sentinel then join the Pilgrims of Dark covenant and use a Cracked Red Eye Orb in a Dark Chasm, you will have the blue aura while invading. (To you your character will simply look blue, but other players will see the full rank 2 aura).
  
• If you are wearing Black Dragon Armor and using any of the Black Dragon weapons, you will look like a Dragon Spirit while in a Dark Chasm.
  
• Abyss spirits can use Estus and other healing items just like the host can.
  
• Abyss spirits (Dark Chasm invaders) DO NOT have a timer, and can stay in a host's world until either they have died, the host has died, or the invader has landed a killing blow on another player (either the host or a different invader).
  
• There is no cooldown time on invasions in the Dark Chasm of Old. This means if you kill an invader, you have until their loading screen is gone before they can invade you again. And if there are no other players for them to invade except you, that is exactly what will happen.
  
• If there are any abyss spirits in your world, the fog wall blocking the exit will not lift until they are either dead or gone. This means you cannot leave the area or challenge the Darklurker until all invaders have been defeated. If the fog wall is still there even though you've killed all enemies in the area, it is a sure sign you're being invaded.
  

Rank


Notes

• When you teleport out of the dungeon area versus going out the correct way (the blocked off hole) the game glitches and the player won't rank up above rank 1 regardless of number of completions to each and every dungeon
  
• Players have reported that joining another covenant and then abandoning the covenant will allow the player to rank up in the Pilgrims of Dark covenant again. Note that you must not rejoin the Pilgrims of Dark. Just join a random covenant and abandon it, then return and Darkdiver Grandahl will treat you as if you were in the Pilgrims of Dark covenant and allow you to rank up.
  
• If you get stuck on rank 2 after defeating Darklurker, re-entering the Black Gulch dungeon and doing it again seems to fix it and you can get rank 3 after talking to Darkdriver Grandahl.