• Guide

Destiny Guide: Choosing a Faction

The how to of earning reputation and crucible marks for your chosen Faction

Shack Staff

September 27, 2014 3:00 AM

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To say that Destiny gives players no choice would be a lie. Right from the start you’re forced to choose a play style, or a type of character if you will. It certainly a very important choice, but it also isn’t the last you’ll see as you scour your way across the galaxy.

Upon reaching the soft-cap level of 20, Guardians will have to decide which Faction they want to join, or to remain neutral as a Vanguard. It is definitely a game-changing decision and given the massive weight it places on player we felt it only fair that we dug deep and explained just what this all means for you. After all, you wouldn’t want to end up cooking when you really suck at it, right?

The Big Three

Each of the three Factions of the Destiny universe are different in ideals, and the weapons and armor that they provide players to assist them on their journey. The benefits vary from one Faction the next, so making the best selection that fits your play style is a crucial moment for each player. Just to go in depth a little – each Faction specializes in the three main attributes that your Guardian also specializes in (Intellect, Discipline and Strength). The good news about this choice is that nothing is forever, and just like you divorced your wife in the Sims 4 last night, you’re more than welcome to abandon your post and join up with a rival Faction.

The Future War Cult, or FWC for short, operates on the belief that another war with the Darkness cannot be avoided. They are vast in military strength and believe in being ready for the moment the first shots are fired. They are represented by Lakshmi-2, a vendor who will sell players Weapons and Armor, the latter of which specializes in Intellect and Discipline. To simplify things, this means that any Armor purchased from the FWC will reduce the cool down time for both your Grenades and Super Ability. If those are the two most important parts of your play style, then this just might be your new home.

Dead Orbit is all for abandoning the City, and plan to escape an already dying Earth before the Darkness can return and devour it completely. They’ve given up on their faith in the Traveler and do not believe the City can withstand another major attack by the forces of Darkness. They are represented by Arach Jalaal, and specialize in Discipline and Strength, meaning they Armor Guardians with reduced cool down time of Grenade and Melee abilities. This faction doesn’t provide any extra bonus to the Super Ability at all, and therefore might be considered one of the least popular of the three choices.

The third and final Faction, the New Monarchy is represented by Executor Hideo. This group has a very significant pull with the Royal family and wishes to return to the days of the Golden Age. Their Armor specializes in the Intellect and Strength attributes, buffing cool down times for the Melee and Super Ability. This, however, means there is no bonus buff applied to the Grenade cool down.

Find the Factions

Each of the three aforementioned Faction representatives can be found throughout the Tower. The Dead Orbit and Future War Cult are located down in the Tower Hanger, the structure to the right of Guardians when they first spawn in the Tower Plaza. The New Monarchy can be found in Tower North, located just to the left of players once they enter from the main plaza. For specific locations, approach the navigation robot when you first arrive at the Tower for a full screen map of the area.

Where Do I belong?

That is a question that we spent quite a bit of time asking ourselves when we first were plagued with this choice. It really all depends on your personal play style and how you’ve set your Guardian up, but we’re more than happy to go over our choices below to provide you with a little example scenario.

Let’s take a look at our level 24 Hunter. We’re still rocking the default Sub-class, Gunslinger, and have focused much of our combat around the Grenade and Super Ability. For this reason, we chose to align our alliance with Future War Cult, since their Armor will provide us with boosts to our Intellect and Discipline, the two main attributes our play style utilizes.

Check out this makeshift chart to help you make your decision

• Intellect - Reduces the cool down time of your Super ability.
• Discipline - Reduces the cool down time of your Grenade.
• Strength - Reduces the cool down time of your Melee ability.

Here are what each of the three Factions specialize in.

• Future War Cult - Intellect (Super) and Discipline (Grenade).
• Dead Orbit - Discipline (Grenade) and Strength (Melee).
• New Monarchy - Intellect (Super) and Strength (Melee).

Faction Gear

If you’re looking to purchase gear from your Faction representative you’re going to have to work a little. You’ll need to build up your Reputation for that particular Faction, as well as pick up some Crucible Marks to use as the actual currency.

Just as players can earn Vanguard and Crucible Reputation if they remain neutral, once they align themselves with a Faction all of this Reputation will be converted into one big pool for your chosen Faction, but only if they are wearing the proper representation (Cloak, Bond, or Badge) of that Faction. Just as an example the weapon you want might require a Rank 2 with the FWC, which would require you to complete Strikes, Patrol Missions, or even Crucible matches to increase your reputation.

The second item that players will need to purchase items from their Factions are Crucible Marks. Unlike Reputation these Marks can only be earned by playing and completing Crucible matches. If you haven’t yet delved into the Crucible, you should be aware that it is the player-versus-player aspect of the game, and can be a bit tricky to get started in. Guess this was Bungie’s way of making sure players had a taste of everything they had to offer.

Just to expand a little on the Cloaks, Badges, and Bonds a little – in order to acquire Reputation for your Faction you’ll need not only to buy the appropriate representation item, but also wear it. For the Hunter you’ll need to pick up the Faction specific Cloak and wear it into battle whenever you want to gain Reputation, the same applies for the Titan’s Badge and the Warlock’s Bond. It’s important to remember that wearing these items will prevent you from leveling up your own Vanguard Reputation, so if you want to pick up something from the Vanguards down in the Tower you’ll need to unequip the item.

Now that you know more about the Factions and what they have to offer you can make a wise choice. Whatever you choose we know you’ll make us proud. Good luck Guardians, may the Traveler protect you.

Shack Staff

Shack Staff stories are a collective effort with multiple staff members contributing. Many of our lists often involve entires from several editors, and our weekly Shack Chat is something we all contribute to as a group.