Dark Souls 3's nine different covenants allow you to participate in the game's unique multiplayer and gain access to rare rewards you can't get anywhere else — from special weapons to magical abilities. Joining a covenant is a must.
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The Mound-Makers Covenant is one of the newest additions to the series' many factions, and it is one of, if not the best, PVP (Player Vs. Player) covenants in the game. By becoming a Mound-Maker, your invasion will be prioritized to join other sessions with many players currently playing — giving you the opportunity for maximum multiplayer chaos. If you're looking to join the fray, here are some tips for joining the covenant and bettering your time as a Mound-Maker.
Don't Kill The Curse-Rotted Greatwood
For those starting a new character or new players looking to join the Mound-Makers Covenant, one of the first few things you have to do is NOT kill the Curse-Rotted Greatwood boss in the Undead Settlement.
Killing the boss in that area does not lock the covenant for the rest of the game. However, the path to joining the faction becomes much more complicated, and the starting point of that questline is only accessible later on in the game.
Where To Start Sirris' Questline
If you did kill the Curse-Rotted Greatwood before joining the covenant, the only way to become a Mound-Maker is to follow Sirris' questline. Once you reach the Halfway Fortress bonfire in the Road of Sacrifices (where you first meet Anri of Astoria and Horace the Hushed), travel back to the Firelink Shrine, and you'll find Sirris sitting on the stairwell.
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To talk to her again, you need to find the Dreamchaser's Ashes, located in Farron Keep on a corpse hanging on a window near the Old Wolf of Farron bonfire.
Killing Sulyvahn's Beast
Sirris' questline continues in Irithyll of the Boreal Valley. Upon crossing the first bridge, you're going to want to look back as Sulyvahn's Beast will spawn right behind your character for a surprise attack. This enemy is tough, as its standard attack patterns are fast and broader than they look. However, the beast is highly susceptible to bleed and fire damage.
For pyromancers, a few Great Chaos Fire Orbs should do the trick. Dodging sideways lets you stay close for follow-up attacks, but don't trade hits or extend your combos; the Sulyvahn's Beast hits for ridiculous amounts of damage.
Defeat Creighton The Wanderer
After your encounter with Sulyvahn's Beast, head to the closest bonfire and return to the bridge where you fought the beast. When activated, there will be a White Summon Sign that teleports you to Sirris' world, where you have to assist her in defeating Creighton the Wanderer.
As Sirris will grab the enemy's attention most of the time, the fight is relatively easy, giving you plenty of time and space to attack him. Helping Sirris defeat him will reward you with a Blessed Mail Breaker and a Silvercat Ring once you talk to her again in the Firelink Shrine.
The Final Steps Of Sirris' Questline
To talk to Sirris again after the Creighton fight, you must defeat the Curse-Rotted Greatwood and Aldrich, Devourer of Gods. Once you have beaten those two bosses, travel back to the Undead Settlement and go to the entrance arena where you fought the Curse-Rotted Greatwood. There, you'll find another White Summon Sign where you'll be once again teleported to Sirris' world to help her defeat Holy Knight Holdrick.
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This fight is not easy by any means, as Holdrick does a ton of damage per hit while tanking most damage due to his high health pool. But don't worry, if you die, you'll be summoned right back in and you can try again. Upon his defeat, the Mound-Makers Covenant item will be your reward.
Places You Can Summon Sirris To Help You
You can summon Sirris to help you in multiple boss fights during and after finishing her questline. Once you've given her the Dreamchaser's Ashes, her summon sign can be found for the Deacons of the Deep and the Abyss Watchers boss fights.
While completing Sirris' questline is not required for you to summon her on those bosses, finishing it will allow her to assist you in fighting the Dragonslayer Armour boss fight and the final of the five Lords of Cinder bosses — the Twin Princes.
Acquiring The Best Katana In The Game
As a Mound-Maker, successfully killing the host-player (or a certain number of other invading phantoms) as a Mad Phantom invader will reward you with one Vertebrae Shackle. Members of the Mound-Makers Covenant can offer these shackles to rank up within the faction.
After ten Vertebrae Shackles, you'll rank up and be gifted the Bloodlust Katana. For players with a Dexterity build, Bloodlust's unique weapon art makes it the highest physical damage katana in the entire game, and it even rivaled the Frayed Blade for the most raw-attack power weapon.
Max Covenant-Rank Reward
The Mound-Makers Covenant only has two ranks, and with thirty Vertebrae Shackles, you'll achieve max rank and be gifted the pyromancy spell, Warmth. The only pyromancer spell in the game that heals, Warmth, can be considered the highest healing ability in the game for fewer Faith requirements than other Pyromancies or Miracles.
However, be wary that Warmth affects everyone within its aura radius, including the player, enemies (bosses too), and friendly and non-friendly phantoms. As a Mound-Maker, this can be extremely useful when invading other worlds, as you can cast the spell to sustain strong enemy mobs who won't attack you but will attack the host player.
The Two Ways To Invade Other Players
As a Mound-Maker, there are two ways you can interact with other players in Dark Souls 3. The first is the standard way of invading, using classic invader items like a Red Eye Orb or a Red Sign Soapstone. With this method, you'll be summoned as a Purple Phantom where enemy mobs won't be able to attack you and vice-versa.
The other method is truly what makes this covenant unique; you can invade other worlds by using a White Sign Soapstone to interact with enemies and help the host player (though you won't pass through fog doors). You can also attack the host player to complete your duty for that session.
Use The White Ring As A Mound-Maker
New players and beginners coming to Dark Souls 3 are always eager to find help at every corner. If you're feeling cheeky, you can use a White Ring to change your appearance from a Purple Phantom to a White Phantom to look friendly, attacking nearby mobs to gain their trust, but in reality, you're just looking for the opportunity to back-stab them.
Obtaining the White Ring is relatively simple; you can purchase the ring from Yuria of Londor in the Firelink Shrine for 5,000 souls.
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