Choosing which Faction to join in New World Aeternum might feel like picking a side. However, it is more than that. Three factions. Three paths. Your choice will define not just your battles but your identity in the New World. Whether you seek justice, strength through might, or the uncovering of hidden truths, Aeternum offers something for everyone. Choosing the right faction will also unlock unique missions, exclusive gear, and the excitement of open-world PvP. This guide will help you make the best choice to suit your journey. Let’s get started.
How To Join A Faction In New World Aeternum
The option to join either of the factions unlocks after finishing the initial beginner quests and reaching level 17. After arriving on the shores of Aeternum, you will be guided through a few beginner quests. Completing these quests is necessary to unlock the factions. Once you’ve finished the initial quests and reached level 17, you will find that three icons have appeared on the map near the Oxboro Hamlet Settlement in Everfall.
The icons on the map are marked green (Marauders), orange (Covenant), and purple (Syndicate). These colors represent NPCs that begin quests, and those quests will lead you to join the faction.
Keep following the questline, and soon you will meet the leaders of each faction. After meeting all three faction leaders, you can choose which faction to join. Each faction has its own Enclave in Everfall. The Fast Travel shrines are also located there.
This Enclave will serve as your quest hub as you complete Faction Story Quests and climb through the ranks. You can track these quests under the Objectives section of the Journal menu, and you can pin them to your screen for easy reference.
Which Faction Should You Join In New World Aeternum?
You should look at the influence each faction has, the number of forts and the backstory of the faction (for role-playing) before deciding which one to join. Let’s go through each of these one by one.
Influence Over the Map
The first factor to consider when joining a faction is its influence. You can know about it by opening the map and filtering it. If you don’t know, here are the steps:
- Open the in-game map.
- On the left side of the screen, click on Filters.
- Click on Faction Influence.
Now, you will be able to see the territories that are controlled by their respective faction. While the control of a territory is not fixed and will change as players PvP, this will help you get a rough estimate of the server’s faction population.
But as per the general rule of thumb, join the faction with the majority of the area under control or influence, as this will help you find groups for PvP.
Forts In Control
Forts in New World Aeternum are marked on the map was yellow building icons. Factions can take control of Forts and members will get Territory and Global bonuses for every fort their faction controls. This incentivizes joining the server’s majority faction. Also, a dominant faction is more likely to take control over forts than the one with few members.
Before joining a faction, hover over these Forts and see which factions are currently in control and what rewards the Forts offer. This will help you decide which faction aligns best with the rewards you need to progress in your journey.
Equipment And Armory
Joining a faction offers access to its armory, and it contains equipment that comes in handy at every stage of the game. However, all three factions offer gears that are similar in stats, but they do look different. The main thing to look out for here is that one piece of equipment that is exclusive to the faction as each faction has one unique piece of equipment. Moreover, this equipment improves crafting. Here are the exclusive gears of each faction:
- Covenant: Chef Apron – Grants + 10% chance to craft additional items while Cooking.
- Marauders: Blacksmiths Gloves – Grants +5 Weaponsmith Crafted Item Quality
- Syndicate: Syndicates Specs – Grants +5 Arcanist Crafted Item Quality
Faction Backstory
What would be a faction selection without taking the role-playing aspect in an MMORPG? This is what the three factions stand for in the world of Aeternum, and depending on the kind of character / build you are looking to play the game with is also a great and important point to consider when selecting a faction.
Covenant: This is the equivalent of a Templar / Cleric kind of faction, who have taken it upon themselves to ‘cleanse the land of heretics and defilers’, and consider themselves a divine order.
Marauders: The military faction, this one seeks to establish a free nation and give those capable the freedom and opportunity to prosper and profit.
Syndicate: This is your secretive organization, who, behind the shadows, seek to change the world to their liking and are open to using forbidden knowledge. They focus on guile and intellect more than brute force.
Can You Change Factions In New World Aeternum?
Yes, you can change factions, but only once every 60 days. Before the release of Aeternum, it was possible to change factions whenever you wanted. However, this has changed.
Well, that’s all we have here about choosing which faction to join in New World Aeternum. In our opinion, the majority matters in the case of choosing factions. However, if you have friends playing New World with you, it is wise to join their faction.
Keep an eye out on how to get mounts in New World: Aeternum as well, these will go a long way in making travel across the vast world that much easier.