Covenants are replaced by Accords or informal NPC Factions in Elden Ring. Players can select allegiances or pledges undertaken to specific deities or groups of NPCs. It should be noted that the traditional sense of Dark Souls Covenants is NOT what you will come across in the Lands Between, rather, there are groups of NPCs around the world that you can choose to aid and in doing so, slowly raises your rewards and bonds with these people.
It was in fact confirmed that traditional Covenants were not going to be in Elden Ring by Miyazaki himself to make PvP more accessible, and that it would be replaced with the Summoning Pools and various fingers etc.
- There are no Covenants in Elden Ring. Multiplayer paths are open without the need to ally with a specific faction
- Faction allegiance or personal "Accords" still exist, and players can obtain special items or progress Side Quests with them.
Translation:
In multiplayer, will there be a covenant system like in "Dark Souls"?
Miyazaki: "The covenants in the Dark Souls series are not present in this game. The network elements of the game were designed to lower the bar as much as possible and make it easier to match up players, such as signs, and the covenant system doesn't really fit in well with that."
Several NPCs offer you accords throughout the game. In most cases, declining their accord has no real consequence as you can return to them later if you change your mind. There are some accords, however, that when accepted, may affect your standing with other factions/NPCs and can affect your progression.
- See Multiplayer Items for a list of items that allow co-operative play in-game.
- Visit Side Quests for a list of NPC quests and rewards.
- Visit Endings to see the ending related to several of the game's factions.
Elden Ring Factions (Covenants) Guide
VOLCANO MANOR
Entirely optional, and mainly weaved for the path of those who choose a life of invasion, The Volcano Manor is a side Faction located in Mt Gelmir, surrounded by the biting lava ponds. Within this location, Volcano Manor can be located, granting company with Tanith who will welcome you into their side of battle - alongside a Quest line to prove your service is applicable.
Upon joining them, you will have access to the Recusant Finger, an infinite-use invasion item that dubs you as a Recusant to the host. Completing the Volcano Manor questline, as well as the questlines of the Volcano Manor NPCs nets you various equipment and spells as a reward. Despite requiring you to invade and defeat your fellow Tarnished, joining this faction has no consequence in your bonds with any other faction/NPC.
Possible rewards from joining this faction:
Mohgwyn Dynasty
Another invasion-centered faction, the Mohgwyn Dynasty is spearheaded by Mohg, Lord of Blood. You'll find the Lord of Blood himself and the beginnings of the dynasty in Mohgwyn Palace, deep underground by the Siofra River. Not much is revealed about Mohg or his dynasty, but bloodshed and recanting the wisdom of the Two Fingers are key elements.
Progress enough through Varre's quest to be given a Bloody Finger, an infinite-use invasion item that dubs you as a Bloody Finger to the host. Joining this faction and completing the relevant questlines has no consequence on other NPC/faction attitude towards you.
NPCs in this faction:
Possible rewards from joining this faction:
Carian Royal Family
What's left of the Carian Royal Family consists of the Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, who resides in the Academy of Raya Lucaria, her daughter, Lunar Princess Ranni, and their trusted advisors. Visit Ranni at her tower in the Three Sisters and accept her accord to be allowed to join her faction. Similar to the Volcano Manor, accepting Ranni's accord will see you going against the Greater Will, aiding her in her journey on the 'dark path' to fight against her destiny as an Empyrean.
Progressing through and completing Ranni's quest gives you access to the 'Age of the Stars' Ending, as well as a secret area in the Carian Study Hall. Joining this faction will not affect your standing with other NPCs, but do note that completing Seluvis' quest all the way through will cause Ranni to deeply distrust you and disappear along with the other members of her group.
NPCs in this faction:
Possible rewards from joining this faction:
Those Who Live in Death
The undead that plague the Lands Between go by the title, Those Who Live in Death. Their very existence goes against the principle of immortality brought by the Golden Order. You'll find the one who considers herself their mother, Fia, Deathbed Companion, at the Roundtable Hold, and later on by the side of her companion in Deeproot Depths.
Aid Fia in her quest to gain access to the 'Age of the Duskborn' Ending and unlock a secret boss fight. There is no consequence to any other NPC/faction bond when joining this faction.
NPCs in this faction:
- Fia
- Godwyn, Prince of Death
Possible rewards from joining this faction:
Golden Order Faction
Few people left in the Lands Between stay devout followers of the Golden Order. Of those that remain, some are scholars seeking to preserve its teachings and history in writing, such as Brother Corhyn and Goldmask, while some are stalwart protectors against the undead, such as D, Hunter of the Dead. Although Melina doesn't align herself with any faction in particular, her accord and request to mend the Elden Ring seem to align with the views of the Golden Order.
Follow Brother Corhyn & Goldmask's quest to the end to be able to access the 'Age of Order' Ending as well as to unlock the secrets behind Radagon and Marika. There is no consequence to joining this faction, nor are there any factions that causes any to this one.
NPCs in this faction:
Frenzied Flame Faction
The Greater Will is only one of the outer gods who have influence over the Lands Between. Under the guidance of the Three Fingers and their finger maiden will you be able to come into contact with another of the mysterious outer gods, one that seems to reject the Greater Will. It is implied from the description of the Nomadic Merchant's Set that the Nomadic Merchants were the first to summon the flame of frenzy into the Lands Between.
Find the Three Fingers in the Frenzied Flame Proscription to unlock the 'Lord of Frenzied Flame' Ending. Unlocking this ending locks you out of getting any other ending, but does not hinder your progress towards completing any NPC quest. While you don't require finishing any quest to acquire this ending, aiding Hyetta gives more insight towards this faction.
NPCs in this faction:
Possible rewards from joining this faction:
Primeval Sorcerers
Of all the schools of magic, only scholarly endeavors on the Primeval Current are forbidden in the Academy of Raya Lucaria. Those who do are punished by transforming into a ball-like form. Despite this threat, few scholars, including the Sorceress Sellen, insist on learning the secrets of the Primeval Current.
While you yourself will not be studying about the Primeval Current, you can aid Sellen in her studies by doing her quest. There aren't any consequence in aiding her, but at the end of her quest, you will have to make a choice between invading her with Witch Hunter Jerren or being summoned to help her against him. Your choice will affect which rewards you are able to receive.
NPCs in this faction:
Possible rewards from joining this faction:
Other Factions
This is a list of factions not joinable by the player character, but consists of several enemies in the game:
- Godskin Apostles - The name of a group of people that served an entity known as the Dusk-Eyed Queen or Gloam-Eyed Queen. The only thing known about her was that she was an Emyprean and the god-slaying black flame she wielded was fueled by Destined Death before she was bested by Maliketh, the Black Blade and had it locked away.
- Black Knife Assassins - A group of assassins responsible for the death of Godwyn the Golden in the historical event known as the Night of the Black Knives. You'll find their ringleader, Alecto, in-game, but not the reason they carried out the assassination.
- Radahn's Faction - General Radahn was surrounded by many loyal knights during the Shattering. Those who fought at his side are referred to as Redmane Knights or Radahn Soldiers.
- Malenia's Faction - Many soldiers and servants remain loyal to Malenia even after her battle against Radahn. They are the Kindreds of Rot and the Cleanrot Knights. Despite being able to help Gowry and Millicent during their quests, the player character doesn't join Malenia's faction in doing so.
- Miquella's Faction - Not much is known about Miquella's rule and his followers other than that the Haligtree Soldiers found in the Haligtree are waiting for their lord to return. The land of the Haligtree created by Miquella is also said to be the promised land of the Albinaurics.
AnonymousI imagined this page would include all of the in-world factions. The Cuckoos, Godrick's soldiers, The ancestral followers, the crucible knights, the fire monks, the heretics, the academy, the omens, the beastmen, the demi-humans, the cult of dragon communion, godwyn's dragon cult, the eternal cities, godrick's exiled warriors, eochaid, land of reeds, messmer's candle tree faction, the misbegotten, the vulgar militia, the perfumers, the confessors, the black blade kindred, zamor, the deathbirds, the mausoleum soldiers, the banished knights, the claymen, the ice witches, the mad pumpkin heads, the wandering nobles...
Not having traditional covenants is a good thing for the longevity of the game :D
- Anonymous
This game makes so sense and I can't remember any of the characters at all.
Honestly, I'm less miffed about the absence of the covenant mechanic, but rather I would have killed for more unique multiplayer objectives than "kill the host, defeat the boss, protect the host, etc."
I wanna see some more weird stuff, Bring back Gravelords and player-controlled bosses. Maybe bring back those "area-protector" covenants from DS3 except they're in an area that's Sen's Fortress-type level design. What if blues actually hunted down invaders instead of just being gankers? What if Recusants couldn't hurt each other but Bloody fingers could hurt everybody? What if the Rat covenant made a return?
Heck, I saw someone suggest a completely new gamemode, where there's an invader who's objective is to steal your rune pool before you could retrieve it
- Anonymous
There's a lot of vestiges of what could have been regarding Covenants. The Roundtable Hold, Volcano Manor, Mohgwyn/Bloody Fingers, the Hunters, and the Furled Fingers all could have been covenants in their own right. Could even see covenants being made out of other factions like the Hunters of Those Who Live In Death, the Drake Knights, the Carians, the Redmanes, or the Haligtree faction. There's a lot of creative potential; the possibilities are/were really endless.
- Anonymous
The quote from Miyazaki talking about covenants, does anyone else find it completely baffling? Would having covenants with different summon signs really have ruined the summoning pool concept? I don't get it...
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
Fromsoft: "The network elements of the game were designed to lower the bar"
Also Fromsoft: *makes the hardest invasions in the entire series*
- Anonymous
would the Carian Filigreed crest be part of the Carian covenant?
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
I’ll miss covenants, but I won’t miss farming crow demons, mad warriors, silver knights, skeletons, rats, basilisks, the imperfect, drakes or Rhoy
- Anonymous
This was the game that would have most benefited by having covenants yet they chose to...NOT put them in? I'm honestly convinced From just writes ideas on pieces of paper, tosses them in a bag, and whatever they pull out is what they do. You can see it how they decided to randomly buff thrusting swords which were already OP and thus send them into INFINITY.
- Anonymous
I think the comment on "endings replaced covenants" has it right. We were probably meant or allowed to represent specific houses at some point in development, but the progression and endings horribly muddied the system. It'd be like a significantly more story-intrusive form of DS1 Darkmoon Blades or the Volcano Manor assassinations. Add the lukewarm reception of like... every covenant, and it was probably better off to chop it than go through the logistics of implementing 3+ skirmishing factions. A smaller, more focused DLC area is a better fit for that.
- Anonymous
Remove covenants is somewhat a mistake until they fixed it by adding full map matching. Covenants does make it harder to match, but it gather people who have same interest at a place. Farron keep and Gank city is never a mistake imo.
- Anonymous
How cool would have been to hae different factions you could join to act as the boss like it happened for the spears of the church in Ds3...
I want to be a godskin apostle and have the awesome background theme.
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
Translation:
In multiplayer, will there be a covenant system like in "Dark Souls"?
Miyazaki: "The covenants in the Dark Souls series are not present in this game. The network elements of the game were designed to lower the bar as much as possible and make it easier to match up players, such as signs, and the covenant system doesn't really fit in well with that."
Me with the actual translation: Miyazaki: I've sold out to the casuals and don't care about the long term players and fans anymore like every other bloodsucking game dev.
- Anonymous
I know this might be in vain, but here's to wishing they add a ring (like the blue and white one) for territorial invasions of a chosen faction/area for roleplaying, maybe as a DLC reward. I think it would also cool to have an arena pvp mode as well like in DS3.
- Anonymous
I will miss my fellow Sun Bro's, but I will never stop helping others with a sword in my hand and Jolly Cooperation in my heart, Praise the Sun!
- Anonymous
covenants made Ds3 PvP fun with alll of the 3v2v2v1 and stuff is so crazy but fun.
- Anonymous
Given the size of Elden Ring, covenants would just be convenient for people to invade in certain areas.
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
Can someone please tell me what is ever displayed in the frame by your health bar, where covenant signs were in souls games?
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
As long as we’re speculating it’s obvious turtle pope would have lead the new sun bros covenant.
- Anonymous
you could just farm the covenant items from silver knights or skeletons in ds3, no online required.
- Anonymous
I miss covenants, I do not miss covenant locked achievements. Needing to farm darkmoon blade 30 times, or mound makers. To get achievements. Forcing offline players out of 100% completion.
- Anonymous
The invaders camping around the moonveil should get their own covenant.
- Anonymous
I really hope from adds in the "crazy" purple phantom where you can leave a summon sign or invade with that can help and/or fight against the host
I would love to invade ppl and then help them clear the area and then fight or just confuse them and go somewhere and kill mobs.
just red invasions is toxic af in this game 95% ganking and all the WA and spells have no pvp damage modifiers at all making some stuff op broken 1 shots while some pea shooters
- Anonymous
I will my grossly incandescent brothers, nevertheless I will never stop praising.
☼
[T]/
- Anonymous
I miss covenants for sure but overall from a gameplay point of view I only really miss Aldrich Faithful and Moundmakers. Aldrichs because the territorial invasions where very good and interesting for me. I had much fun doing them and throwing people off roofs. And Moundmakers to kill the phantoms and then get the hell out, it was much fun to kill 2-3 co-op phantoms and a blue and then leave while laughing.
Hopefully they bring those kind of mechanics back sooner or later.
This page should be removed. Just because it was a staple in Dark Souls doesn't mean it needs a page.
- Anonymous
It doesn't bother me so much that Covenants as we knew them from souls aren't in the game. You still get decently rewarded for co-op (everyone needs rune arcs). The downside is there's not much difference in volcano manor, Mohg's dynasty, or finger/recusant hunter. Different rewards would be nice. Nothing you couldn't find outside of multiplayer (so players don't feel cheated when they can't find summons as the game ages).
All that being said, invasions do kinda suck in ER. Since invasions are dependent on the host having a summoned partner, it seems that either you get a gank squad or the host is right next to a boss door. Why not enable invasions when you activate a great rune? It would be like the old humanity, effigy system. It would still allow players to opt in and the great rune bonuses aren't so great that you can't complete the game without using them.
- Anonymous
now that covenants are confirmed not in the game im just putting my comment down to say i was here when the dark souls series died
- Anonymous
Yo can this whole page just get nuked? The bulk of it is speculation that shouldn't have been there in the first place.
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
It's pretty embarrassing how badly wrong people were thinking there will be covenants in the game
- Anonymous
I really hope they add at least some covenants in dlc.As it is now FromSoft expect people to ...moderate themself (which doesnt work)..everytime you invade and look around you can see almost every time ganksquad chilling already waiting for you and sometimes when you help with the boss,host will just unsummon you so your dont get the rewards....
We could use some really spicy Covenants that changes rules a little - imagine you chilling and farming invaders then suddenly lets say purple invader appear with phantom of overworld boss,something like draconic tree sentinel,behind them to punish maidenless behaviour,would not that be great,sudenly you have to run down purple guy,who can have build that allow his survival,with aggresive boss behind you) and hosts that disconect you while they are still in boss area should not get reward and/or be flagged by mechanic that spawn enemies in that area one cycle harder then they should be.
and this is just wishful thinking,but imagine you have Covenants that allow to help or if we stretch it control Gaol bosses...since they "teleport" you into arena already)
- Anonymous
Yeah this page needs a rework... Technically there's still a few "Convent-Like" groups in the game, with the most notable being Volcano Manor and the Recusants, The Lord of Blood and his Bloody Fingers , The Dragon Cult although it's not exactly a well-fleshed group, and I guess you could stretch the definition to maybe include the Goldmask Golden Order....
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
I wonder if covenants are just being worked on and will be more widely available after the Colosseums are finished?
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
Page needs to be updated to say, "Pvp abandoned because of too many tears".
- Anonymous
Either is a covenant system and a corresponding sin system like there was in ds1, or it's an utter disappointment that might as well not be there like in ds3.
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
I kinda like that summon pools, blue and white rings, etc. don't care if I work with the Beasts or the Inquisition, or whoever. II do wish the relationships between the various demigods mattered more. So much lore, so little reason to care.
- Anonymous
There will be maybe 2 DLCs coming so don't give up guys and gal's adding tons of more content although I heard that one DLC might reflect from ds3
- Anonymous
Kenneth Haight seems to offer you a place in a covenant, but I refused him and he seems to have no moved into the fort like he said he would.
I don't know what happened with that questline.
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
It's a bit of a shame that there's no incentive to actually do multiplayer for meaningful rewards. I hope down the line we get an update or expansion that expands on the multiplayer and gives us exclusive rewards for engaging with other people. For now, it's only there to have some fun with it and that's it.
- Anonymous
gotta love how so many people have so many hours in the game yet so much lack of info you would think they would have actually done more how do you have 100 hours but yet nope not a single coven how do you beat the game and not find one im so confused it makes the game feel empty in many areas when you say i have 100hours but nope dont know anything about that maybe its not in the game at all
- Anonymous
For anyone unaware, there are no covenants in this game beyond maybe a small faction “pseudo-covenant” that makes you go down a quest line. PVP is seriously downgraded in this.
- Anonymous
Are there any way to worship dragons instead of killing them
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
The volcano manor, the dead dragon on a island, the witch (ranni), the beast that eats "death" these are the once i have found so far i would count as covenants
- Anonymous
There are a place that you have to join a group and kill for them but there is no trophy for that.
- Anonymous
I am 16 hours in still in Lim Grave. I don't see any insentive to enage in pvp so far besides ****ing around. No covenents or rewards and invaders will always be out numbered.
- Anonymous
shame there isn't going to be covenants lol Miyazaki confirmed this btw
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
Id honestly love to see them bring back character and world reputation like Demon Souls had. Adds more in-depth to the role playing aspect of the game. Certain obtainable weapons depending if you or your rep to an area is good or bad. Item drop chances and increased enemies were great as well in my opinion. Could even imply some of these or new ideas into the covenants. Sadly, with every new title they develop in the Dark Souls series, I lose hope.
- Anonymous
I'm a simple man, if the covenant leader is Waifu material I'm in.
- Anonymous
I believe the invader PVP covenant will be named something along the lines of "Bloody Fingers", as there is an NPC invasion during the Network Test, the NPC mentions that name. That said, I'll be surely joining it.
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
20 USD says that covenants will have a new label like pacts for example.
- Anonymous
i will invade you, i will bully you for the longest duration of time possible until i die, you will be mildly annoyed.
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
Important Update: Since Elden Ring does not feature traditional souls Covenants, this page has been repurposed to highlight the different factions and accords available to the player. These do not function as covenants did, but they do yield quest progression or rewards without being necessarily tied to multiplayer (excepting the Varre quest).
Many people have the question about covenants, and it makes sense to provide information about their replacement here instead.
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