Darkwraith | Dark Souls

Darkwraith is a Covenant in Dark Souls. This is a hidden covenant in the game, obtained by speaking to the primordial serpent Darkstalker Kaathe in The Abyss. Through this Covenant, players will be able to obtain the Red Eye Orb which is an invasion item with unlimited uses. Joining this Covenant will award you with the Dark Hand, a fist weapon with the ability to steal humanity from another player by using its strong attack.
Note: Once you have defeated the Four Kings boss, you will not need to wear the Covenant of Artorias ring anymore (until NG+) to enter The Abyss.

Joining

1. Kill Great Grey Wolf Sif and receive the ring, Covenant of Artorias, which will allow you to access The Abyss. You will have to do this even in New Game+, as the game takes away the ring upon completing the game.
2. Branching path:
   1. Do not speak to Frampt after obtaining the Lordvessel and do not place it on the firelink altar. Then speak to Ingward in New Londo Ruins to receive the key to open The Abyss. After joining the covenant, Frampt will disappear.If you accidentally speak to Frampt but have not yet placed the Lordvessel, you can still use Homeward Bone, after doing so you can trade with him normally although the Lordvessel is not placed.
   2. If you wish to join the covenant before obtaining the Lordvessel, you may kill Ingward to receive the key to open the door to The Abyss.
3. Entering The Abyss starts the battle against the Four Kings. Defeat them to proceed.
4. Speak to Kaathe, the primordial serpent, at The Abyss. He will ask you a question: Answer YES or you won't be able to join the Darkwraiths. You will have the option to Enter Covenant.

Effects of covenant

• Cracked Red Eye Orb can be bought (costs 3,000 souls)
• Kaathe gives you a Dark Hand (can be dropped on Darkwraith knights). You can equip it on the right hand slot and press R2/RT to do a 'humanity absorbing' attack. Amount of humanities absorbed is dependent on covenant level. This attack can be done on NPCs or online human players. Conversely, equipping it on the left hand equipment slot turns it into a 'blackhole-like' shield.
  • Dark Hand behaves the same for all players including non-members, but you steal more humanities per absorption depending of your Darwraith covenant level.
• Kaathe gives you a Red Eye Orb at +1 covenant level.
• If you fail to defeat your target when you invade, you do not lose your status as human. You do, however, drop a bloodstain that contains all the souls and humanities you had before you died, and this bloodstain will disappear if you leave another bloodstain, either by dying in your world or being defeated while invading again. But so long as you pick up the bloodstain between invasions, you will not lose anything.
• lf you do kill your target, he or she may put an indictment upon you.

Pictures of the Dark hand and the Dark Armor & sword. Click image to make it popup larger.

Rank Requirements

Each humanity turned in nets you a point towards your next rank.

Betrayal Penalties

If you betray or leave the Covenant, you will lose the ability to:

• Use Red Eye Orb.
• Purchase Cracked Red Eye Orbs.

Bugs

If you go near Kaathe while a member of the Princess Guard Covenant, he will DISAPPEAR for the rest of your playthrough. Absolving your sins does not cause him to reappear (supposed to be fixed, need confirmation)

Notes

• You can only invade people whose soul level is higher or equal to yours, or at max 10% lower than yours.
• Killing the host (or a phantom) yields 10% souls of the hosts (phantoms) recent level up cost
• The Darkwraith covenant is the forebear of The Brotherhood of Blood (DS2) and Rosaria's Fingers (DS3)
• The color of this eye orb is based on the Red Eye Stone, obtained by killing The Maiden in Black in Demon's Souls.
• Some believe Darkwraiths to be revolutionaries, defenders of the human race, but they might just be evil Humanity.

Achievements/Trophies

• Covenant: Darkwraith - discover Darkwraith covenant. (25 points + Silver Trophy)