Sin
Absolution
General Information
The player may request absolution from Oswald of Carim inside the belltower of the Undead Parish, after ringing the Bell of Awakening. The general purpose of this is to reset NPC hostility and allow the player to rejoin covenants they may have angered. This is achieved by removing the Sin obtained for committing those transgressions. Most NPCs become hostile when the player removes over 10% of their HP, and will remain permanently hostile toward the player until absolution is paid for.
Cost
The cost to absolve sin(s) is 500 souls per Soul Level, and it is not affected by the amount of times the player has sinned. A level 10 player will have to pay 5,000 souls, while a level 100 player will have to pay 50,000.
What absolution can do
- Revert all hostile NPCs to normal, with two specific exceptions. See below.
- Allow Covenants to be rejoined if the covenant leader was angered, but not killed.
What absolution cannot do
- Revive dead NPCs.
- Remove Sins caused by Indictments or getting kicked out of covenants ("PvP Sin"). This can be absolved by getting killed by a Spirit of Vengeance, removing 1 point from the Book of the Guilty each time that happens.
- Remove the Sin of killing Gwynevere. Oswald will allow you to pay for absolution after killing Gwynevere, and may tell you shortly after that you do not have sin. But the sin of killing Gwynevere is actually permanent, and it will eventually be placed upon your character again automatically.
- Prevent Darkmoon invaders from invading you. Receiving indictment sin opens the player to Darkmoon invaders who are using the Blue Eye Orb, which Oswald cannot absolve. Killing Gwynevere opens the player to Darkmoon invaders who are using the Darkmoon Blade Covenant Ring, which Oswald also cannot absolve.
- Revert either of the primordial serpents. The only way to get Darkstalker Kaathe or Frampt back is to start a new playthrough.
- Revert Lady of the Darkling only if you made her hostile by killing Gwyndolin. You can still revert her if you made her hostile by damaging her.
- Revert Eingyi if made hostile by killing Quelaag's Sister. You can still revert him if you made him hostile by damaging him.
Notes
- Oswald allows players to pay for absolution after destroying Gwynevere's illusion, and will inform them that they "have not sinned" if they attempt to pay again right after. This may give players a false sense of safety, thinking they have removed that sin. However, the sin of destroying Gwynevere's illusion is permanent, and automatically refreshes to be placed upon the player again when they revisit darkened Anor Londo. This means that absolution cannot prevent Darkmoon invasions in dark Anor Londo, and paying for it in this scenario is a waste of souls with no beneficial effect.
- Paying for absolution after killing any NPC, where their services are no longer available, is also a waste of souls. There is no negative effect resulting from carrying the sin of killed NPCs (consult the sin page for more information). Absolution is only beneficial for de-aggroing living NPCs and unwelcoming covenants.
Sin
General Information
When the player commits certain actions, the player will 'Sin'. There are two types of sin that are not clearly distinguished in-game. One type of sin generally pertains to making NPCs hostile, and absolving it is purely a means to undo that hostility (not affecting online invasions). The other type of sin pertains to the multiplayer aspect of the game, allowing members of the Blade of the Darkmoon covenant to invade those who have it in any online-area of the game. These two types of sin, their penalties, and their means for removal function independently.
"PvE Sin"
The first kind of sin relates to angering NPCs. When a player attacks an NPC, they will have acquired sin. This can be absolved by requesting Absolution from Oswald of Carim, which serves as a way to make hostile NPCs and covenant leaders no longer angry at you. This type of sin is sometimes referred to by the community as "PvE" sin, because its effect on the multiplayer aspect is less significant.
This type of sin is not counted or accumulated in any way, as there is no difference to attacking one NPC or multiple. It is either "present" or "not present" for the player, which can be determined by finding out if Oswald will allow the player to pay for Absolution.
List of possible PvE Sins
- Anything that causes disapproval from an NPC or covenant, that requires Absolution to fix:
- Making an NPC hostile, or killing them.
- Angering Gwyndolin by trespassing beyond the Darkmoon Tomb fog gate.
- Angering Alvina.
- Attacking Crossbreed Priscilla.
- Killing Gwynevere, Princess of Sunlight.
The only kind of PvE sin that cannot be removed is the kind that is obtained by destroying the illusion of Gwynevere. Although Oswald will allow the player to pay for its absolution, it will refresh and be placed upon the player again automatically.
Penalties for having PvE Sin
- There are no direct penalties in most cases. The player must have angered an NPC in order to have obtained this sin, in which case they may want to absolve. However, if the player isn't seeking anything from the affected NPCs, there is no negative result in ignoring them or killing them and leaving this sin intact.
- Players who obtain permanent PvE sin by destroying Gwynevere can now be invaded by members of the Blade of the Darkmoon covenant, but only in dark Anor Londo. This action will not affect or allow Darkmoon invasions in other areas.
"PvP Sin"
This type of sin is counted and ranked in the Book of the Guilty. It cannot be absolved, but it can be removed by dying to a member of the Blade of the Darkmoon covenant, reducing 1 point of sin at a time.
List of possible PvP Sins
- Getting indicted by another player online.
- Getting kicked out of a covenant. This only applies to the following:
- Blade of the Darkmoon
- Chaos Servant
- Forest Hunter
- Princess's Guard
Penalties for having PvP Sin
- As long as the rest of the usual requirements for being invaded are met, players who are logged in the Book of the Guilty can be invaded by Darkmoons using the Blue Eye Orb. The Darkmoons hope to inflict justice for your guilt of sin, and they have the unique ability to invade players far below their own level.
- If the player is not risking invasions by not meeting the requirements, there are no other penalties or negative results to having this sin.
Notes
- Answering Alvina's questions, (also joining the covenant regardless of abandoning an existing covenant or not being in a covenant when doing it) counts as a sin (reasons unknown):
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- Walking away without answering the first question will not result in a sin,
- Answering "Yes" to both questions and thus joining the covenant results in a sin,
- Answering "No" to Alvina's first quetion results in a sin,
- Answering "Yes" to the first question and "No" to the second one results in a sin as well.
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- Leaving one covenant for another, even without the assistance of Oswald, does not trigger any kind of sin. PvP comes specifically from getting kicked out of any of the four covenants listed above, where the player's Covenant status switches to "none".
- PvE sin and NPC hostility reset at the beginning of each New Game Cycle. PvP sin will remain.
- Be wary of accidentally making Oswald of Carim hostile if you want to absolve sin, as he is the only means of resetting other NPC hostility.