Summary
Ever since video games graduated from being digital toys to interactive media, there’s been a race to makeyour choices affect the storyin a sincere, true-to-life manner. One of the easiest and most important ways developers came up with is to let you join a faction. Video game factions simulate a sense of belonging, a sense of having chosen your group, and in essence, of playing the game your way.
However, faction systems are difficult to implement due to the resources, time, and finesse required. They also have to be varied and interesting enough to make you feel each group has its pros and cons. Here are the games that implement faction systems the best.
One of the most hyped games ever made, Skyrim has a huge world that’s even more immersive thanks to its faction system. This was an expanded version of the guild system in previous titles. You could join several factions, ranging from loosely organized to rigidly hierarchal. The main thing was that members of a faction would have a common goal.
Skyrim’s faction system allows you to unlock exclusive quests, gain followers or even get married tocertain NPCsif you join the right faction. On the flip side, misbehaving results in your expulsion.
Much like the Elder Scrolls series, Fallout’s faction system is a quick and effective way of making its world feel lived in. Fallout: New Vegas' faction system is satisfyingly deep, withfour major factionsand a smattering of minor ones. Working with one faction or wearing their armour affects your reputation with others, but in return, you receive exclusive quests.
Of course, this being a Bethesda game, there’s bound to be some hiccups. Wearing a faction’s armour makes your reputation with them neutral, even if they liked you beforehand.
This strategic action RPG is known for its in-depth faction mechanics. There areeight kingdoms, which act as major factions. Further down the hierarchy, there are many smaller clans which act as minor factions. Kingdoms' loyalties are absolute, while clans' allegiances can change.
With its dialogue system centered around persuasion, and the freedom to lead your own band of soldiers, Mount & Blade 2 is a favourite among faction enthusiasts. Just try not to be heartbroken when an NPC you like betrays you for an opposing faction.
Stalker 2 made a triumphant 2024 debut after years of delays and cancellations. The game features a total of 12 different factions, each loosely related to each other and with differing alliances.
Factions such as the Ward are basically in charge of the entire Zone and benevolent to good stalkers. Others like the Bandits are lowlife looters who will shoot you on sight. You can interact with the factions differently depending on a mixture of plot elements and your own organic choices.
When Gothic made its debut in the early 2000s, the game was quietly revolutionary. Few WRPGs before Piranha Bytes' magnum opus had featured such a believable and immersive world. Even today, the game remains a beloved classic in Europe due to its highly interactive world.
While the second half of the story had to be railroaded for budgetary reasons, the first half of Gothic is truly open-ended. You can choose to join the Old Camp, New Camp or the Brotherhood of the Sleeper based on which one appeals to you - or whose prerequisite quests you find the easiest to do.
It would be remiss of us to declare this list complete without mentioning the one game most closely tied to the word ‘faction’. While there are only two main factions in World of Warcraft, the allegiance its fanbase has to the Alliance or the Horde runs deep.
Splinter Cell: Double Agent is actually two different games by the same name. One, developed for seventh-gen consoles and PC, is a technical disaster. The other, developed for PS2, GameCube and Wii by Ubisoft Montreal, is an emotional journey with very involved faction mechanics for a single player, non-strategic title.
In one of Sam Fisher’sfinal proper outings, he is stuck between two organizations - the NSA and the JBA. One is a security agency aimed at neutralizing terrorist threats - the other is a group of criminals unaware that Sam is an undercover spy. You have to make choices that keep both sides happy in a delicate balancing act. Of course, eventually you’ll side with the NSA for good.
Although a fairly low-budget game, Way of the Samurai 2 is an amazing experience and a sixth-generation marvel with its choice-based gameplay. Simple choices can affect the entire story. While each playthrough lasts only a few hours, the game is vastly different every time you play through it, provided you make different choices.
You can choose to ally yourself with the townsfolk, the yakuza or the magistrates in a small town caught in a power struggle. You’re given the option to betray or reaffirm your loyalty to each faction multiple times. There are many possible endings based on the choices you made. Way of the Samurai 2 truly is a niche marvel of a game.
