Which Faction Has The Powa?

[ShadeOfWar]

Which factions do you think are the most powerful, or can give the Player most advantages? Please explain your views

Alas, I myself would list them like this:

1-2. Zhass-Uss, the Takers, Rising, the Barzites

3. Medab, the Awakened

4. Drypeak, the Loyalists

 

This is mainly based on the power they can give - in terms of both pre- and post-altering spells&creations and canisters.

[Student of Trinity]

The Barzites have most to offer, because just like the Takers they offer all spells and creations, but in addition they give six excellent canisters that cannot be obtained in any way without joining Barzahl. The only things the Takers give you that you can't just take for yourself anyway are a Puresteel Soulblade (at a cost that makes it a doubtful bargain) and the company of a glowing Drayk (for a while).

All the Taker canister rewards can be obtained by force.

[ShadeOfWar]

Quote:

Originally written by Student of Trinity:
The Barzites have most to offer, because just like the Takers they offer all spells and creations, but in addition they give six excellent canisters that cannot be obtained in any way without joining Barzahl.

Alas, these canisters can be obtained w/o joining the Barzites... you can either:
a) Give canister materials to the canister maker, for 20 mined crystals and a puresteel ring you can get 1 canister
or use 11 or 12 living tools per locked door

[Student of Trinity]

I'm not talking about those canisters. The Barzite-only canisters are different.

 

There is a door in the West wall of Barzahl's audience hall, which only opens if you have a Barzite badge. There is no other way in the game to open it, even if you kill Barzahl and burn Rising to the ground. It leads to a set of rooms full of pretty decent gear, plus a set of six canisters that sit in pairs behind a series of thorn barriers. As you complete Barzite quests the barriers are gradually removed, allowing you to reach the canisters. The last pair are actually double-strength canisters, giving +2 (one in Spellcraft and the other in Melee Weapons, IIRC).

 

These are the canisters that put the Barzites over the top, reward-wise.

[Marlenny]

you could get those canisters by joining the the barzites and then using clearallsects. i think the barzites give u more power overall, but the takers are good too

[Student of Trinity]

Well, to get all the Barzite-only canisters you have to do all but the final Barzite quest, so you will effectively have been a Barzite most of the way. At that point if you really wanted to powergame you could convert through Learned Darian instead of a cheat code; but there would really be very little point. You would get a few more experience points from the earlier Taker quests, but if you want a few extra hundred points that badly, it will be more fun at that stage to run naked through Inner Gazak-Uss than to do some trivial Taker missions.

[Auri Fitzgerald]

What's the reward of going on principle and joining the Awakened or Shapers?

 

I have a hard time joining groups that I'd rather squash- rewards or not...

 

I had to turn Zachary down. I prefer to join the Awakened but have been given quests to prove my worth (yet to complete).

 

Nijojo

[Lilith]

Quote:

Originally written by Auri Fitzgerald:
What's the reward of going on principle and joining the Awakened or Shapers?

I have a hard time joining groups that I'd rather squash- rewards or not...

A warm fuzzy feeling.

In all seriousness, you get access to decent spells and creations somewhat earlier than you would if you waited until you reached the Takers/Barzites, but in the endgame the Loyalists and Awakened definitely have less to offer.

[Student of Trinity]

The Loyalists are so lame. As far as I can tell joining the Loyalists is simply a mistake, the error of deciding your path too soon. Their so-called Loyalism is really just an effort to save Zakary's neck, which is a hopeless task anyway. The true Shaper loyalist path is the non-aligned route of killing everyone but the Awakened (who are optional), including Zakary.

 

The other three sects are all more or less fine. There are enough canisters around that you won't really miss not being able to buy two levels of the top tier creations from the Awakened.

[ShadeOfWar]

Oh yes, sorry, I didn't think of those canisters at the moment. Yup, they are indeed quite powerful.

 

The point of joining the Awakened or Loyalists:

LOYALISTS

Led by a weak Shaper overcome by his conscience. But they are the Purest of the factions: the Awakened's research leader is a crazy and glowing Tuldaric. That's all the good, in terms of morality, there seems to be to them, unless all you desperately crave is an old man to be forgiven.

I joined them at the start, but fortunately the Barzites were still eager to accept me. I think the point here is that you can more easierly shift between alleged factions: the 2 Shaper factions (B, L) or the two Servile (T,A)

AWAKENED

They are righteous, of course. Their claims are the most morally satisfying, and they aren't violent, power-crazed or mad. The downside here is Tuldaric the Madman... The creations they can offer are really rather pathetic, but you can actually get tier 3 creations from numerous other places even if you have already joined the Awakened. If you have enough leadership, you could learn from Fenen at the Radiant College, and you could also go to the Loyalist Encampment. Prices would be high though.

And alas, you could shift from Awakened to Takers to satisfy your ever-growing hunger for power... (that is one of the things I like the game for. you really start to feel like, "Ahhhhh! UNLIMITEEED POWWEEEERRRR.....!" like the Emperor in Star Wars 3

[Auri Fitzgerald]

Is it possible to be with more than one? Like play two sides of the board and then doublecross one in the end?

 

I think I am too much a person of principle to join the takers. Even the Barzites with their promise of awesome canisters so far don't tempt me. By principle I like the Awakened best (although I get so sick of "What your kind did to us" when it was never ME who did it!)

 

Nijojo

[Archmagus Micael]

Quote:

Originally written by Auri Fitzgerald:
Is it possible to be with more than one? Like play two sides of the board and then doublecross one in the end?

I think I am too much a person of principle to join the takers. Even the Barzites with their promise of awesome canisters so far don't tempt me. By principle I like the Awakened best (although I get so sick of "What your kind did to us" when it was never ME who did it!)

Nijojo

No. You can only be a member of ONE sect at a time.

Personally, I think the lot of you are dangerous rogues, and should be wiped out (as us shapers do to rogues).

- Archmagi Micael, who hopes they don't take it too personally.

[Lilith]

Quote:

Originally written by Archmagi Micael:

Quote:

Originally written by Auri Fitzgerald:
Is it possible to be with more than one? Like play two sides of the board and then doublecross one in the end?

No. You can only be a member of ONE sect at a time.

You can, however, leave one sect to join another.

[shell]

Quote:

Originally written by Archmagi Micael:

Quote:

Originally written by Auri Fitzgerald:
Is it possible to be with more than one? Like play two sides of the board and then doublecross one in the end?

I think I am too much a person of principle to join the takers. Even the Barzites with their promise of awesome canisters so far don't tempt me. By principle I like the Awakened best (although I get so sick of "What your kind did to us" when it was never ME who did it!)

Nijojo

No. You can only be a member of ONE sect at a time.

You can however, join all sects in turn. You can start with the Awakened and then move counter-clockwise through the sects, ending up either Loyalist or Barzite. Just rememebr that if you plan on ending as a loyalist then you shouldn't allow yourself to be shaped, otherwise, have at it. I never tried to move the other way, starting as a loyalist and then moving clockwise, but that should work as well. Learned Darian makes it all possible.

[Suspicious Vlish]

Quote:

It leads to a set of rooms full of pretty decent gear, plus a set of six canisters that sit in pairs behind a series of thorn barriers.

Correction: It's SEVEN canisters. You also get a canister of 'Create Drayk', which is in Barzhal's room.

In otherwords, join the Barzites early, and you get cyrodrayks straight away.

And the Barzites have the best ending. Joining the Taker's does NOT give you power...

[Vicheron]

I'm think that it's very hard or even impossible to join the Loyalists after you've joined other factions.

[ShadeOfWar]

Quote:

Originally written by Waylander:

Quote:

It leads to a set of rooms full of pretty decent gear, plus a set of six canisters that sit in pairs behind a series of thorn barriers.

Correction: It's SEVEN canisters. You also get a canister of 'Create Drayk', which is in Barzhal's room.

Alas, you can simply murder Barzahl, take his key and claim the canister as your own! - I think.

[Student of Trinity]

As I stated above, this doesn't work. That sneaky Barzahl has his revenge even in death.

[ShadeOfWar]

Alas, you are right.

 

Well, I never like Barzahl, even when we both became Gods among Gods among Gods among the blasted lands and the piled dead.

[Archmagus Micael]

Quote:

Originally written by ShadeOfWar:
Alas, you are right.

Well, I never like Barzahl, even when we both became Gods among Gods among Gods among the blasted lands and the piled dead.

Simple. Don't become a God, and don't go near him. You don't have to do that until quite late into the game.

- Archmagi Micael

P.S. Anyone who is not a Loyalist needs to be "Cleansed" *hehehehe*

[Student of Trinity]

"Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges!"

[ShadeOfWar]

Quote:

Originally written by Archmagi Micael:

Quote:

Originally written by ShadeOfWar:
Alas, you are right.

Well, I never liked Barzahl, even when we both became Gods among Gods among Gods among the blasted lands and the piled dead.

Simple. Don't become a God, and don't go near him. You don't have to do that until quite late into the game.

- Archmagi Micael

P.S. Anyone who is not a Loyalist needs to be "Cleansed" *hehehehe*

I don't get it. I didn't say I wanted to know how to avoid becoming ze Curse God. Alas, there was a little typo: "I never like Barzahl" was supposed to be "I never liked Barzahl". Otherwise, it wasn't a question