The Ultimate Guide to Dark Souls 3 Covenants: Rewards, Ranks and Playstyles Analyzed

As an avid Dark Souls 3 player with over 500 hours across multiple character builds, I‘ve extensively tested all nine covenants firsthand. In this comprehensive guide from a Critic entrepreneur perspective, I‘ll cover everything you need to know about DS3 covenants including lore summary, reward systems, optimal playstyles and invasion meta.

My aim isn‘t just to provide information, but actionable advice on how to strategize covenant choice to perfectly match your build and preference. Let‘s dive in!

Overview of the Nine Covenants

Here‘s a brief rundown of what each covenant represents and focuses on:

Covenant	Focus
Way of Blue	Getting protection against invaders
Watchdogs of Farron	Defending Farron swamp against trespassers
Aldrich Faithful	Defending Irithyll against trespassers
Warriors of Sunlight	Co-op focused on helping hosts
Blue Sentinels	Protecting Way of Blue hosts from invaders
Blades of the Darkmoon	As above, continued legacy of Darkmoon Knights
Spears of the Church	Becoming a boss battle for other players
Rosaria‘s Fingers	Invading and killing other worlds
Mound-Makers	Invading and murdering phantoms & hosts

From auto-summon bodyguard services to chaotic mad phantom slaying, there‘s a wide range of roles and rewards to experience. Now let‘s analyze each covenant more closely.

Way of Blue: Simple Protection for New Players

"The Way of Blue is a gentle Way of life…based on honorable duels and the proud Gold knights." – Company Captain Yorshka

As the name suggests, this covenant focuses solely on defense. I‘d recommend Way of Blue for first-time solo players as wearing the covenant item auto-summons Blue Sentinel bodyguards.

Whenever you get invaded in your world, a Blue Sentinel player will be summoned to fight alongside and protect you. This helps offset the advantage invaders have.

However, take note Way of Blue helpers cannot assist against swamp zone invasions from Watchdogs or Aldrich Faithful members. You‘ll need to handle those or run to the boss fog gate yourself!

How to Join

• Early in High Wall of Lothric, speak with Emma to receive the Way of Blue covenant item

Rewards & Benefits

• Automatically summon Blue Sentinel/Blade of Darkmoon helpers
• Simple primary benefit with no ranking system

Recommended Soul Level Range

Way of Blue is best utilized by newer characters around SL30-60 in early zones like Undead Settlement where solo hosts are most vulnerable.

At higher levels, you‘ll be invaded less outside zones like Pontiff Sulyvhan where fight clubs occur.

Watchdogs of Farron: Reliable Proofs from Swamp Defense

The Old Wolf of Farron calls for hunters to join him…

The Watchdogs exist to defend Farron Keep from trespassers entering a sacred land. Any hostile phantom in this poisonous swamp will be assaulted by packs of wolf‘s blood crazed fighters.

As a member, you spend most time being auto-summoned as a territorial predator protecting the swamp rather than manually invading. This leads to frequent and fun fights against multiple phantoms.

Farming Proofs this way is quicker than relying on periodic invasions, especially at lower levels.

How to Join

• Go to Farron Keep Perimeter bonfire
• Kill Darkwraith enemies guarding the ladder and descend into sewers
• Interact with the Old Wolf to obtain covenant item

Rewards

Reward Item	Method	Use
Wolf‘s Blood Swordgrass	Killing host	Offer for rewards
Old Wolf Curved Sword	Offer 10 grass	Good dex weapon
Wolf Ring	Offer 30 grass	Poise boost
Wolf Knight Shield	Offer 30 grass	100% physical block

Recommended Level Range

SL30-50 for most activity. At 60+ you‘ll still find invasions but less frequent.

Aldrich Faithful: Hot PvP Spot But Tough Farm

Pontiff Sulyvhan ordered the deacons to guard fallen saints devoured by Aldrich…and eliminate any unwelcome guests disturbing their slumber

If you want frequent invasions then defending Irithyll and Anor Londo as an Aldrich Faithful is great thanks to the zone‘s popularity for fight clubs and co-op.

You‘ll constantly invade solo players and gank squads traversing this treacherous frozen city. But due to the difficulty, successfully earning rewards beyond the Great Deep Soul spell will require mastery.

Surprisingly I‘ve found lower level characters have better success ambushing teams here compared to SL120 builds facing elite gankers.

How to Join

• Kill the two Sullivan‘s Beast enemies guarding the Irithyll sewer entrance
• Inspect Archdeacon McDonnell‘s corpse to obtain covenant item

Rewards

Reward Item	Method	Use
Human Dreg	Kill host	Offer for rewards
Great Deep Soul	Offer 10 dregs	Area damage spell
Archdeacon Staff	Offer 30 dregs	Boosts sorceries

Recommended Level Range

SL60-90 has good activity. At 120 you‘ll still get fights but likely against organized gank squads.

Warriors of Sunlight: Jolly Cooperation with Beginners

Covenant of Warriors of Sunlight based on the god of war Gwyn‘s eldest son. Jolly cooperation is the cornerstone.

If you want to assist hosts and engage in jolly cooperation, this classic covenant is your calling. By using the gold summon sign item, you can be summoned into beginning areas to help with difficult bosses.

Fighting alongside the host grants you Sunlight Medals based on your performance. For new players struggling against Vordt or Crystal Sage, a Sun Bro can save the day!

When I create starter builds I always spend a few co-op sessions paying it forward at High Wall and Undead Settlement before progressing.

How to Join

• Locate the ambush on the Lothric wall tree-lined path
• Enter the illusory basement of the ruined house
• Interact with the altar to obtain the covenant item

Rewards

Reward Item	Method	Use
Sunlight Medal	Co-op victories	Offer for rewards
Sacred Oath	Offer 10 medals	Damage/defense buff miracle
Lightning Spear	Offer 30 medals	Boss melter!

Recommended Level Range

SL15-40 to catch early game worlds needing assistance. At higher brackets you can still help but range compatibility reduces.

Blue Sentinels: Repel Invaders as a Bodyguard

Heirs of the residual Knights of Gwyn…tirelessly root out invaders in the name of Blue Sentinels.

If you want to directly combat invaders, protecting loyal Way of Blue hosts by joining the Blue Sentinels allows constant auto-summoning.

Whenever a Way of Blue member gets invaded, you‘ll be ported into their world to fight alongside them and destroy the attacker. This event is random and unpredictable.

Successfully repelling the invasion grants you a Proof of Concord, contributing to your eventual goal of acquiring the strongest PvP buff spell in the game – 60 second Darkmoon Blade.

How to Join

• Before fighting Deacons, speak with Horace at Halfway Fortress
• Agree to his request and receive the covenant item

Rewards

Reward Item	Method	Use
Proof of Concord	Defend host	Offer for rewards
Darkmoon Ring	Offer 10 proofs	Attunement boost
Darkmoon Blade	Offer 30 proofs	Strong buff miracle

Recommended Level Range

SL60-100 to be in the action across middle zones like Catacombs and Irithyll. At 120 you‘ll still get summoned but less frequently.

Blades of the Darkmoon: Identical to Blue Sentinels

The Blades of the Darkmoon are twilight companions. To them the words duty and sacrifice hold great weight.

Lore-wise, the Blades continue Gwyndolin‘s legacy of hunting sinners. But in terms of mechanics, joining them grants the exact experience and rewards as Blue Sentinels.

Whenever you equip the covenant item, you‘ll defend Way of Blue hosts from invaders and earn Proofs of Concord for victories.

So from a min/max perspective, there‘s no difference which protector covenant you pick. Simply mix up your allegiance between playthroughs for roleplaying flavor.

How to Join

• Acquire the Darkmoon Loyalty gesture
• Locate Company Captain Yorshka atop the Boreal Valley prison tower
• Speak to Yorshka and agree to join the Blades

Rewards & Stats

Identical to Blue Sentinels covenant

Spears of the Church: Become a Boss Battling Hosts

Spears of the Church inherits the name of the embedded priest Shira‘s weapon, bestowed to provide the Ringed City defense.

This unique covenant turns you into Spear of the Church – one of the main boss encounters in The Ringed City. Any player entering this gorge will be forced to defeat you first!

Once equipped as the Spear, you receive massive buffs raising HP, stamina, absorption by 30% making you an imposing obstacle. Plus you gain access to the Divine Spear Fragment weapon art for executing foes.

Adopt clever tactics and learn the arena layout to consecutively defeat groups including overlevelled password phantoms seeking the shortest path to the next bonfire.

How to Join

• Complete Ringed City to unlock Spear of the Church boss fight
• Behind the arena locate and defeat Darkeater Midir
• Interact with the statue to obtain covenant item

Rewards

Reward Item	Method	Use
Spear Ornament	Kill host as boss	Offer for rewards
Young Grass Dew	Offer 10 ornaments	FP regen
Divine Spear Fragment	Offer 30 ornaments	Unlock weapon

Recommended Level Range

No range – Spear is auto scaled so any SL bracket from 10 to 802 works!

Rosaria‘s Fingers: Straightforward Phantom Slaying

Rosaria‘s Fingers hollow thief Leonard says Rosaria has high hopes for "her family of Fingers".

If you simply want to repeatedly invade and kill other players, joining Rosaria‘s gang of invaders is the way to go. Her Fingers specialize in stealing tongues and don‘t care about fairness or honor.

Equip the covenant item and cracked red eye orbs to begin assaulting worlds across the game. Killing the host earns you a Pale Tongue as a reward.

You can also utilize Rosaria‘s rebirth service to alter stats and appearance up to 5 times per cycle. Ideal for testing new builds.

How to Join

• Reach Cathedral of the Deep and find Rosaria‘s Bedchamber
• Interact with Rosaria and obtain covenant item

Rewards

Reward Item	Method	Use
Pale Tongue	Kill host	Offer or rebirth
Obscuring Ring	Offer 10 tongues	Invisibility!
Man-grub Staff	Offer 30 tongues	Sorcery catalyst

Recommended Level Range

SL60-120 for reliable activity across Irithyll, Profaned Capital and both DLCs.

Mound-Makers: Unleash Your Inner Mad Spirit

A sect of followers explored the mound against the wishes of the gods…never returning from their transgression.

The Mound-Makers are utterly unpredictable and chaotic. By using their unique invasion sign, you‘ll materialize as a mad phantom with the goal of killing phantoms AND the host.

Even if all phantoms are dead you must still defeat the host to succeed. This leads to deliciously anarchic situations where you team up to slaughter an area then randomly betray your confused allies!

Embrace true madness and custody of the mound with mindgames and calculated violence. Fear the shackles!

How to Join

• Early in Undead Settlement before Greatwood, locate the exploding barrel ambush
• Destroy barrels revealing a hidden lower bridge
• Cross the bridge and find the person encased in a hanging cage
• Interact with cage to be transported to Hodrick‘s world
• Speak with Holy Knight Hodrick and accept mound allegiance

Rewards

Reward Item	Method	Use
Vertebra Shackle	Kill host	Offer for rewards
Warmth	Offer 10 shackles	Healing zone
Bloodlust Katana	Offer 30 shackles	Cause bleed buildup

Recommended Level Range

SL60+ for both DLCs and end game. At 120 you‘ll reliably invade lots of phantoms.

So there you have it – everything you need to know about DS3 covenants! To recap:

• Choose Way of Blue early if playing solo to get protection
• Use area defense covenants to farm rewards through constant summons
• Sun Bros for co-op, Rosaria for straight invasions
• Mound Makers for utterly chaotic betrayal shenanigans!

I hope this guide gives you insight into covenant mechanics and how to earn awesome rewards. Let me know which one sounds most appealing or if you have any other questions!