The Way of White is a co-op oriented covenant in Dark Souls. It revolves around helping other players. Although in Dark Souls III there is no such covenant, the Way of White is still a functioning organization.
Lore[]
The Way of White is the oldest and most powerful cultural organization centered around the veneration of the gods of Anor Londo and its goal is to maintain their influence on the world of men and keep extending the Age of Fire[1].
Dark Souls[]
The white rings of Lloyd's high priests.
After Lord Gwyn sacrificed himself to link the First Flame[2], his throne passed to his firstborn son who, however, chose to "ally" with the dragons, the ancient enemies of the gods, and was therefore exiled and his name eradicated from history[3]. Taking advantage of the situation and thanks to the fact of being Gwyn's uncle, Lloyd rose to power, proclaiming himself king of the gods[4]. He then became the main deity of the religion, known as the god of Law and Caste and his face was even minted on the golden coins used by men[5].
After nearly all of the deities had abandoned Anor Londo[6], Lloyd moved his seat of power to the region of Thorolund, which then became the cultural and political center of the Way of White[7]. The god had absolute power over the country and thus chose among the nobles of the region the ones who would become his apostles and high priests of the Way of White, gifting them holy rings to increase their magic and making their duty the protection of law and social classes[8]. In addition, Thorolund's clerics showed off their rank with their robes and those of high rank obtained talismans that worked even without faith but thanks to Lloyd's divine protection[9].
Under Lloyd the Way of White became also a militant religion, and Lloyd's cleric knights became famous for being unyielding in battle, using blessed axes and fighting and healing miracles[10]. The god also began a tradition of hunting the Undead, seen as cursed creatures, for which his warrior clerics were widely praised and for which they developed special amulets to combat their prey[11]. However, Lloyd's own knights lived in terror of his duels of judgments in which the verdicts were curried out by his "sword of law", demonstrating how in reality Lloyd's government was paranoid and totalitarian[12]. In addition, clerics dissatisfied with the teachings of the church were effectively exiled into "spiritual journeys to test their faith" which were considered self-purification rituals to return them to the doctrine[13]. During the rule of Lloyd, depicted with a halo[14], some miracles of his Way of White were associated with similar aureoles of light[15].
The embers of the church to smith divine weapons.
The Way of White also developed Divine Embers, artifacts capable of infusing weapons with the holy magic of the gods, to enhance their cleric knights and help them hunt Undead and necromancers[16]. These embers were exclusive property of the church and selected blacksmiths were trained to the arts of divine smithing[17]. As an additional resource even Large Divine Ember were created to further ascend weapons through a secret rite of the church, making them as powerful as the weapons of the gods[18].
At some point the Way of White created its first Undead paladin among one of Havel's soldiers[19]. Paladin Leeroy was given a golden armor, Grant and Sanctus, two legendary weapons, and blessed with a white flame to be effective against the Dark. The paladin was sent to Lordranin the first Undead mission of the Way of White[20]. Later there were further Undead missions, with the aim of seeking out Kindlings, the secret rite of feeding bonfires with Humanity. One included Reah of Thorolund, last daughter of the royal house of Thorolund, accompanied by the two soldiers Vince of Thorolund and Nico of Thorolund[21].
Dark Souls III[]
When Dark Sun Gwyndolin emerged from hiding[22] and resumed his place as "king of the gods"[23] thanks to his direct descent from the previous king Gwyn he also assumed command of the Way of White and became its main deity. The religion went through a major reform[24] and Lloyd was cast out and his personal cult forgotten by the followers of the Way of White, so much so that now the clerics openly declare that he was a derivative fraud and that his title of king was self-proclaimed [25], yet the Undead hunts he instituted continue to persist[26].
Some of the dethroned god's followers, now cast out as heretics, would find refuge in the Painted World of Ariandel[27], bringing with them the lost miracles of the old religion and fully believing that one day the aureoles of light associated with Lloyd would return with him[28].
Over time the region of Carim took on greater and greater importance in the religion, to the point that the local religious leader obtained the title of "Archbishop"[29]. In Carim the Way of White had great cultural growth, resuming not only training maidens and missions in distant lands[30] but even Firekeepers who could support the tradition of Linking of the First Flame[31]. Thus the study and reading of the ancient legends from the sacred books by the widely recognized saints continued[32]. Furthermore, the faith placed in the words of the blind became important, to the point of producing Braille tomes filled with advanced miracles[33].
Archdeacons, among the highest ranks of the Way of White, also wore finely decorated holy garbs as a sign of their position[34].
At some point the knight Morne arrived in Carim and became the Apostle of the Archbishop and together they labored to bring comfort to the suffering[35] Morne introduced Carim to Caitha, Goddess of Tears, his goddess whom he had served with dedication, spreading her healing miracles and her cult[36]. Over time Morne's influence grew to such an extent that Carim's cathedral was decorated with lined stone heads modeled on his helm and knights who demonstrated the most strength and faith were bestowed with replicas of his armor and hammer[37]. However, the clerics of Carim also began to freely devote themselves to the creation of forbidden rings[38] and to use chimes that drawn upon the intelligence of the user together with their faith to cast miracles that lean towards the Dark, whose existence is concelead in the name of the Archbishop of Carim for they are anathema[39], implying that the goddess leaves a lot of freedom for her clerics to investigate the Dark.
The Way of White built a cathedral dedicated to the goddess Caitha[40] and with the aim of cleansing humans from the stagnant darkness within them that was becoming an ever-increasing problem[41], using the "sacred and peaceful" body of water on which the structure was built to contain all the remnants from its cleansing rituals[42] and even sent three archdeacons to manage it[43].
At a certain point, the king of the gods Gwyndolin was struck by an "illness" and Sulyvahn took advantage of it, locking the god in the old abandoned cathedral of Anor Londo[44] and self-proclaiming himself "Pontiff", thus assuming command of the Way of White[45]. This caused a schism within the Way of White, as the Church of Carim and its Archbishop did not recognize Sulyvahn's authority, separating themselves from the denomination of the other Archbishops who kept following the Church of Irithyll[46].
Trivia[]
- In Japanese the term used to described the "Archbishop of Carim" is "大司教"[47] used in Japanese to address Archbishops of the Roman Catholicism, while the term used to describe the "Archbishops of the Cathedral of the Deep" is "大主教" [48] used in Japanese to address Archbishops of the Eastern Orthodoxy or non-Catholic denominations of Christianity.
This highlights a schism inside the Way of White between the Church of Carim and the Church of Irithyll possibly over the authority of Sulyvahn as the main leader over the religious institution following Gwyndolin's illness and the Pontiff's self-appointment[49].
- The Way of White is evidently and strongly inspired by the medieval Christian Church, both in its aesthetics and hierarchy. Its temples and sancturies are often depicted as romanic, gothic or neoclassic churches and cathedrals, the robes of the clergy are similar to the Vatican's cardinals and even the titles, such as Archdeacons, Pontiff, Biship, Archbishop etc are identical to those used by the Christian Church. It's also represented as an extermely powerful and rich organization, with a major impact on the geopolitical dynamics of the world, with a great presence in the common people's daily life and a domain that includes both dogmatic matters as well as territorial possessions.
- Such similarities can also help explaining the dynamic of the schism that emerged within the Way of White after Sulyvahn unilaterally declared himself Pontiff: rejecting his authority, Carim's clergy decided not to recognize Irithyll's position as the legitimate head of the Church, therefore they nominated an Archbishop as the true leader of the Way of White and created a second major sphere of influence in the religious geopolitical scenario. The same thing has taken place in 1054a.D., when the Eastern Roman Empire refused to follow the Pope's lead and created the Orthodox Church, led by the Archbishop of Constantinople.
Requirements[]
Must not have killed Petrus of Thorolund and/or Reah of Thorolund if she was rescued from the Tomb of the Giants.
How to join[]
Players may join the Way of White by talking either to Petrus at the Firelink Shrine or Reah after you have rescued her from the Tomb of the Giants.
Players who choose to be in the Knight class or the Cleric class begin the game already in the Way of White. (Though this does not unlock the trophy/achievement for discovering the Way of White covenant. Unlocking the trophy/achievement as a knight or cleric will require abandoning the covenant and then re-joining via talking to Petrus or Reah).
Benefits[]
Members of the Way of White are more likely to join up with other members of the covenant in online play. Also, players in the Way of White have earlier access to Petrus' miracles (including Force, Heal, Homeward, and more), although later Reah also offers stronger miracles at a better price without requiring the player to join the covenant.
There are also rumors that it decreases the chances of being invaded, but without official confirmation it's impossible to confirm this due to various factors influencing invasions.
Betrayal[]
No penalty for betraying the covenant.
Overview[]
The Way of White is really only good for the early game for players who wish for early access to miracles. Later, all miracles become accessible to all players anyway, and the covenant loses any meaningful contributions it once had. If the player wants to stay in a co-op oriented covenant in the mid- or late-game, they should try becoming a Warrior of Sunlight or Princess's Guard, as those both offer miracles that will help while co-oping, as well as the matchmaking bonus.
Achievements/Trophies[]
References[]
- ↑ Petrus of Thorolund and Irina of Carim dialogue.
- ↑ Kingseeker Frampt and Opening dialogue.
- ↑ Soul of the Nameless King and Lightning Storm and Golden Crown and Ring of the Sun's Firstborn description.
- ↑ White Seance Ring and Lloyd's Sword Ring description and Gold Coin appearance.
- ↑ Lloyd's Shield Ring and Lloyd's Sword Ring and Gold Coin description.
- ↑ Darkmoon Seance Ring description.
- ↑ White Seance Ring description and Gold Coin appearance.
- ↑ White Seance Ring description.
- ↑ Thorolund Talisman and Priest's Hat description.
- ↑ Cleric Armor and Force description.
- ↑ Lloyd's Talisman description.
- ↑ Duel Charm description.
- ↑ Holy Set description.
- ↑ Gold Coin appearance.
- ↑ Way of White Corona description
- ↑ Divine Ember description.
- ↑ Divine Ember description.
- ↑ Large Divine Ember description.
- ↑ Paladin Leeroy#Drops
- ↑ Paladin Helm description.
- ↑ Rite of Kindling description and Petrus of Thorolund and Reah of Thorolund dialogue.
- ↑ Reversal Ring#Availability
- ↑ Soul of Pontiff Sulyvahn description.
- ↑ Talisman (Dark Souls III) and Replenishment (Dark Souls III) and Way of White Corona description.
- ↑ Lloyd's Shield Ring and Lloyd's Sword Ring and Way of White Corona description.
- ↑ Undead Hunter Charm description.
- ↑ Way of White Corona#Availability
- ↑ Way of White Corona description.
- ↑ Morne's Ring description.
- ↑ Maiden Set (Dark Souls III) description.
- ↑ Irina of Carim dialogue.
- ↑ Saint's Ring description.
- ↑ Braille Divine Tome of Carim description.
- ↑ Archdeacon Holy Garb description.
- ↑ Morne's Ring description.
- ↑ Caressing Tears description.
- ↑ Morne's Great Hammer and Morne's Helm description.
- ↑ Bloodbite Ring (Dark Souls II) and Cursebite Ring (Dark Souls III) description.
- ↑ Caitha's Chime (Dark Souls III) description
- ↑ https://darksouls.fandom.com/wiki/File:Cathedral_Caitha_Statue.png
- ↑ https://darksouls.fandom.com/wiki/File:Cathedral_Deep_Pus_Statue.jpeg
- ↑ Notched Whip and Deep Protection description.
- ↑ Archdeacon Set description.
- ↑ Soul of Pontiff Sulyvahn description.
- ↑ Company Captain Yorshka dialogue.
- ↑ In Japanese the term used to described the "Archbishop of Carim" is "大司教" used in Japanese to address Archbishops of the Roman Catholicism, while the term used to describe the "Archbishops of the Cathedral of the Deep" is "大主教" used in Japanese to address Archbishops of the Eastern Orthodoxy or non-Catholic denominations of Christianity
- ↑ Morne's Helm description.
- ↑ Archdeacon Set description.
- ↑ Company Captain Yorshka dialogue.
| Covenants |
|---|
| Blade of the Darkmoon • Chaos Servant • Darkwraith • Forest Hunter • Gravelord Servant Path of the Dragon • Princess's Guard • Warrior of Sunlight • Way of White |