Oath: Contractor

==Description==
Oath: Contractor is one of the 16 obtainable Oaths in Deepwoken. This Oath offers varying combat abilities ranging from gap closers, counters and ranged grabs allowing for a versatile offensive playstyle. Together with Oathless, Linkstrider, Fadetrimmer and Dawnwalker, it is one of 5 Oaths that have no direct stat requirements.
The Oath allows you to manipulate the Puppet Strings of Zi'eer. You Vow yourself with the malevolent King of Etrea, and to The Ministry by extension, as a Contractor in order to assist Zi'eer in his plan to eventually sink Etrea into The Depths, causing another Great Drowning in the process. You become a puppet to The Ministry, literally and figuratively.
==Obtainment==
#Get neutral or positive reputation with The Ministry. You can check your reputation at a campfire. Go more towards positive to be safe. - This can be done after killing Duke Erisia.
#*You can either get this through Emel, Imel, and Rimil's bounties if you choose, but you can also help the Ministry out in Summer Isle. A good way to do this is to knock and carry one Ministry Scout, waiting for the nomads to kill the other, and then assassinate them. This is far less efficient then doing bounties, only giving around half the reputation each completion.
#*You must help the Ministry 5 times (assuming you are starting with base Ministry reputation) at Summer Isle for them to not see worth fighting you anymore.
#*The Bounty version of the Ministry takes about 4-5 kills. You need to deal approximately 60% of the dmg to the target and deaths caused by environmental causes such as Blood Loss or Starvation will not count.
#*You can also get this by trading knowledge with Soothsayer (require atleast 10 knowledge to have neutral reputation with The Ministry).
#*Another method would be the Authority Patrol job located on a Job Board in the Etris Guild Hall room. This method requires you to sail back and forth between the islands, so it's not recommended unless you have the Ignition Delver Origin, as the job can be obtained from the Union Pager as well.
#*It is also advised to avoid killing Ministry Scouts if you're looking to acquire this Oath, in order to keep your rep with ministry as neutral as possible.
#Start the Duke Erisia questline. Proceed to get kill credit for the Duke. (Do note that abandoning the quest locks you out of contractor [needs more testing) (Second dialogue is NOT required for the Duke Erisia questline)
#Go to the Lord Regent and choose the special dialogue “Bite your tongue". (This step is not required; it is safer to simply never talk to the Lord Regent until you have done everything listed below instead.)
#Make a deal with 4 different Deep Shrines. Any Shrine except the Shrine of Order, Shrine of Solitude and Shrine of Mastery (stat allocation) works, including those in the Temple of Hearts. (As of right now using the Shrine of Mastery to re-evaluate your stats doesn't work.)
#Unlock your Resonance.
#Go to the Depths and talk to Yun'Shul's shrine. Ask it "What happened to this place?" (NOTE THAT THIS REQUIRES THE 4 DEEP SHRINE DEALS FIRST)
#Go back to Regent and select "No, but I know of your true nature. I know you intend to repeat what happened in Celtor by drowning Etris." When he asks "...are you here to stop me?...", afterwards select "No, I came to join you.". If you click the option that says you want to stop him, you WILL NOT be softlocked from obtaining Contractor but he will kill you upon choosing that dialogue. You are allowed to go back to him to click the option to join him should you change your mind.
For a more in-depth walkthrough, consider watching this video or consider using this guide.
Contractor is not reobtainable if you Oathbreak it, as Lord Regent will instantly kill you if you enter his room.
==Progression==
As tasked by The Lord Regent, to obtain the Talents and mantras, you must grip players with Oaths in Layer 1, Scyphozia. (Works on Friends and Guildmates) This will send them to Layer 2 (note this will not happen to pathfinders). Pack tactics cannot be used: you must be the sole contributor of damage or they will not count.
* 1st Grip - Hidden Tendril and Lords Slice
*2nd Grip - Equalizer
*3rd Grip - String Trick and Judgement
Alternatively you may spend 10 knowledge to immediately max out the Oath. This is only possible if you have already completed the Oath progression normally at least once after the 26/04/2024 update, or you have logged in on an already progressed Contractor slot after that date.
==Effects==
Upon obtaining this Oath, four black-and-red marionette-esque strings will embed themselves into your arms. Additionally, your irises will become a very dark red, making your expression appear almost empty and devoid of good empathy.
File:Contractor visual.gif|Contractor Visual
File:Contractor Eyes.gif|Contractor Eyes
==Abilities==
*Hidden Tendril - Passive (+10 Ether) 
**Landing any physical mantra places a Hidden Tendril on the opponent.
***Physical critical attacks, uppercuts, flourishes, and most attunement-less mantras will also apply a Hidden Tendril.
***All of this Oaths abilties are unable to be used on Non-Humanoids.
File:Contractor hidden tendril.gif
*String Trick - Passive
**Pulls together any two opponents you've attached Hidden Tendril to.
File:String Trick.gif
*Judgement - Combat Mantra
**Summon a black casting circle before envelopinga humanoid target in tendrils and tearing them apart. The target is unable to move or act during the animation.
***Applies Hidden Tendril.
***The target gains invincibility frames while active.
***Instantly executes if it brings the target's HP to 0 or used on a knocked target.
***Can be vented out of, and can also parried as soon as you hear the 'snap' sound.
***Does 60 Oath damage.
File:Contractor judgement.gif
*Lords Slice - Combat Mantra
**The Hidden Tendril contracts, pulling both the contractor and target closer. They are flung in opposite directions. The target takes more damage and blood loss after the pull. 
***Can slam people into walls.
***Only usable if Hidden Tendril is applied to the target.
***Deals true damage. (Unknown exact amount)
File:Contractor lords slice.gif
*Equalizer - Combat Mantra
**Whip forward with Tendril and gain a blue aura. If it connects, it deals damage to the target, and gives the user a blue aura. 
***Being attacked with the blue aura will ignore the attack and stun the attacker for about 2 seconds, acting as a counter.
***Non-Humanoids will bypass the counter aura, instead outright hitting you.
File:Contractor equalizer.gif
==Gallery==
Contractor2New.png|Old icon
==Trivia==
*If you have progressed Contractor on your slot, you can now skip Contractor's progression with 10 knowledge, despite the fact that Lord Regent would kill you previously.
*Upon obtaining the Oath, reputation with The Divers will be moderately lowered. If you had neutral reputation, it would be set to Hunted. Reputation may be gained back by defeating Chaser or the Scion of Ethiron, killing Nautilodaunts, doing Diver vs Monster events, and killing the four Mudskippers and Megalodaunt that spawns next to the Diver's Camp. Doing Diver jobs on Job Boards may also increase Diver reputation. 
**Reputation, however, can no longer be bought for The Divers. You will still get the dialog option for it but it will do nothing. 
**Being a member of The Divers' guild will prevent your reputation from being drained when you swear the Oath.
*Gran Sudaruska cannot be equipped if you have Contractor, unless you equip it as you are taking the Oath.
**However, those with Contractor builds that have the weapon already equipped are able to use it until they switch weapon.
*** When trying to equip the weapon as a Contractor, the game will state "The weapon rejects your very soul, the antithesis to your ideals."
*Progressing Contractors will send victims it kills to Layer 2 instead of wiping. Only applies if the contractor does not have 3 Oath grips
**Counts as a drown
*Before 25/08/23, four specific Deep Shrines deals were required for Contractor, those being Temptation, Blasphemy, Mastery, and Chance.
*The Deep Shrines in Temple of Hearts are able to be used to meet Contractor requirements.
*Despite popular belief you can get Contractor without directly gripping Duke Erisia, you just have to be present in the dungeon when he is gripped and do enough damage to get kill credit.
*Contractor strings are not actually solid dark red or black; the string's outside is red, and the interior is black.
*Contractor does not require 40 intelligence. The requirement was removed shortly after the obtainment method was discovered.
*Contractor mantras used to scale off of your intelligence stat, but as of the 5/15/23 update, they no longer scale with INT. The base damage of the mantras was increased in return.
*Changes dialogue with Duke Erisia.
*Note that after coming back to him after doing the duke quest without a Resonance he will auto grip you. (May be a bug since it wasn’t like this before).
*Completing the Contractor quest with an Oath will cause Lord Regent to say, "Then you are truly a fool." and kill you, instead of obtaining Contractor.
*Because of how the steps to getting the Oath are lenient, some of the steps can be done out of shown order. This means you can hypothetically make 4 deals with different shrines at Power 1, get Ministry and Etrea reputation, bite your tongue, talk to Yun'Shul with a resonance, then obtainment. The finale will always be biting your tongue, talking to Yun'Shul, then obtainment, meaning you can do all the steps in whatever order.
*Lord's Slice is heavily reminiscent of Owl Slash, a move used by the Shinobi class in Studio Monad's older game, Rogue Lineage.
*Dialogue with the Etrean Royal Guard changes to "Ah, the benevolent Lord Regent's associate has returned. Has he granted you a new task?"
==References==
==Navigation==
Category:Oaths
Category:The Ministry