New World was released on September 28 and has already become one of the most popular titles on Steam. Player numbers are just crazy right now and it seems like the game has come at just the right time given the overwhelming need for new blood in the MMORPG genre. Part of what makes the game so addicting so far is the depth it has and part of that depth is the faction system. It's a bit of a commitment to pick one of these, so it's good to know what you're getting into. Here's how to change faction in New World.
What are the factions in the New World?
You can join three different factions in New World and while none are designed to have any particular advantages over the others, each brings a distinct kind of flavor to the game, especially when it comes to cosmetics. Here are the three you can choose from.
Commitment
Think of the Alliance as the religious fanatics of the New World. They have a distinct look with their church-like buildings and an orange color scheme to their gear.
Marauders
Marauders are your staple New World brutes and they're all about conquering and fighting for their land. They believe that only the strong survive and they are distinguished by a green color scheme as well as very cool outfits resembling the Spanish conquistadors.
Syndicate
The Syndicate is the most mysterious of the bunch and they are sophisticated scholars and purveyors of the unknown to the New World. They have very unique gear with a lot of resemblance to plague doctors and they stand out for wearing purple.
What are the new world factions doing?
So if they're not that different from each other, then what's the point of choosing one over the other? Well, if you like cosmetic gear, each faction has very specific outfits that only that faction can access. They also have faction quests that differ between the three that can yield some cool rewards.
Moreover, you can also activate the PvP mode to fight other factions in the open world. This makes the game much harder, but ultimately more fun because a fight is probably always around the corner. If you manage to have an area conquered by your faction, you will get faction-wide buffs.
Conquest happens after your faction has prepared an invasion that starts a mad 50v50 war for the fate of the area. You can also contribute to the development of your establishment, and this is done at the municipal council. This leads to upgrades such as defense and trade skill stations that all faction members can use.
How to change faction in the new world
To change faction, load up your character and press K. A menu will appear and when it does, click on the Bio tab. The current faction you are in will be displayed on the left side of this menu. At the bottom left of the screen, there will be a Change Faction button. Click on it and you will see the other factions in the game. The restriction here is that you cannot join a faction that owns most of the territory. If you want to join this one, you need your current faction to get more land.
Once you switch factions, you are then prohibited from joining another faction for 120 days. Along with this, you lose your faction rank and any faction badges acquired through faction quests. That might sound a little extreme, but that's how Amazon Games decided to play it and that way one faction will never dominate the servers from the start.
New World is available now on PC.
