Factions

The basic faction system functions as a wheel. Each faction has two allied factions, one archenemy faction, and two enemy factions.

For example, the Enforcers are allied with the Techs and Lightbearers. Their archenemies are the CHOTA (a.k.a. the Children of the Apocalypse), and their enemies are the Vistas and Travelers.

When you complete a mission that is a significant help to your faction, such as aiding in the capture of a conflict town or delivering important supplies, you gain reputation points with your faction. You also gain half as many points with your allied factions; so, if you gain 10 points with the Enforcers, you also gain 5 points with Lightbearers and Techs. You lose twice that much from your rating with your archenemy, and you lose an amount equal to your gain from your enemy factions. For example, if you gained 10 points with the Enforcers, you would lose 20 with the CHOTA and 10 with the Travelers and Vista.

Thus, there is no way to manage a long-term balancing act by helping everyone equally; in the end, they’ll all hate you for being a waffling turncoat. These groups despise each other. No faction believes that help for them can balance out the help you might provide for their enemies.

However, these alliances do allow you to change your faction by working your way around the wheel. You can’t just jump from Enforcer to CHOTA. You have to go from Enforcer to Tech and be a Tech long enough to get your Traveler rating out of the gutter, then work as a Traveler long enough to get your CHOTA rating up. In the earlier stages of the game, switching factions is not hard, but the longer you are part of a faction, the harder it gets to change.

As you gain standing with a faction, new missions, merchants, and restricted knowledge become available. You can earn ranks and join in the capture of conflict towns.