Faction

From The Secret World Wiki

In The Secret World, factions represent secret societies that hide behind the shadows of the real world. Players must become a member of one of the joinable factions in order to participate in the game. There are three factions that players are allowed to join and they are the Dragon, the Illuminati, and the Templars; in addition there are also non-joinable in-game factions as well as groups that have appeared in the ARGs.

Starting in late October of 2011, Funcom is releasing information about the three joinable factions in "faction weeks"; check out the Community events page for further updates.

Joinable factions

The three factions were originally introduced by Ragnar Tornquist via Twitter at the end of his "viral marketing", Three Are Coming, event, revealing them as both player and NPC factions. A flash based quiz was later added to the front page of the Dark Days Are Coming website; interested visitors were asked to take the quiz and reveal their faction. A new quiz became available with the launch of the Secret war in August, 2011 and the original quiz is no longer available.

Factions are chosen during character creation and are permanent; there are no restrictions for race, ethnicity, or abilities. The three factions are designed to be equal and balanced in power and ability, but faction specific special abilities do exist. The goal in choosing a faction is for players to pick based on the ideals and mindsets of the group as a whole, rather than the one with the most powerful abilities.

Each joinable faction has a headquarters where players can gather, find vendors and trainers, and other facilities: the Dragon in Seoul, South Korea, the Illuminati in New York, United States, and the Templars in London, England.

In PvE, players of all factions are allowed to group together and finish missions. PvP will pit the factions against each other. Players will be distinctive by both faction and role as everyone will be wearing uniforms.

Furthermore, despite any similarities to real life, all factions in The Secret World are purely fictional. They are not tied to any religion or mindset in the real world.

Dragon

Main article: Dragon

"The Art of Chaos" Manipulators and conspirators, the Dragon have survived for millennia by playing their enemies against each other. Since before the first empire, through the aggression of the Mongol Khans and the ebb and tide of the political change, a whisper in the right ear, a strategic assassination, alliance carefully crafted and broken - and the world eventually bends to the patient will of the immortal Dragon. With a spiritual and philosophical approach to the secret crafts, as an acolyte of the Dragon you are taught to listen, shown how to teach others, and expected to respect the balance of the universe and to be humble in the face of fate. Yours is not the path of force, though force is often needed to clear the path. Few know of the Dragon and their long history, and that is how the Dragon want it. You are invisible but pervasive, silent but all-knowing, and when the other secret societies have decimated each other, you will rebuild the world from the ruins of their arrogance. The Dragon is too easily underestimated, but those who do so live to regret it - or die before they get the chance. —Flash Quiz, darkdaysarecoming.com

Illuminati

Main article: Illuminati

"Sex, Drugs & Rockefeller" Notorious bad boys and girls of the secret world, the Illuminati are also the most ambitious, cut-throat and furtive of the secret societies. From the gilded halls of the ancient pharaohs to the private clubs and the decadent parties of the famously rich and egocentrically famous, from leaders of industry and Hollywood agents to presidents and popes, the Illuminati have weaved their intricate web with ruthless cunning and acute skill. They rule their corporate pyramid with cold opportunism, and only the strongest members survive. Their secrets can make you rich and powerful beyond compare - or they may destroy your soul and sanity with it The Illuminati seek to plunder heaven and hell by any means necessary, and god help those who stand in their way. As a member of the Illuminati, you don't play by anybody's rules. There are no rules. There is no honour. There is only victory. —Flash Quiz, darkdaysarecoming.com

Templars

Main article: Templars

"Deliverance From Evil" Crusaders. Judges. The Holy Terror. The Templars are the world's least secretive secret society. Their military-ideological machine has operated in plain sight since Babylon - a matter of pride, or moral superiority. Conspiracy theorists, obsessed with the minor 'Knights Templar' offshoot, underestimate the Templars' true European empire. Private armies. Members of parliaments. Royal families. The Templars believe they will deliver the world from evil by force, and even their opponents - who call them zealots and warmongers - cannot deny that force. As an agent of the Templars you are not just fighting the war on darkness, you "are" the war on darkness. Suave and sophisticated, but brutal and uncompromising, you use history as a weapon to shape the future. Few will stand in the way of the Templars' banner. Do you have the will to stand behind it? —Flash Quiz, darkdaysarecoming.com

Other factions

Phoenicians

Main article: Phoenicians Introduced as An Old Enemy at the 2009 Penny Arcade Expo.[1] The only pieces of information provided were the name and the logo, which showed a vessel with a lion on the sail. During the Council of Venice systems malfunction, prompting by The Dark Places lead the community to the Phoenicians who have a seat on the Council of Venice but are not allowed to participate in the secret war.

Orochi Group

Main article: Orochi Group Introduced as A New Opponent at the 2009 Penny Arcade Expo.[2] The only pieces of information provided were the name and the logo, a knot with eight lines and the kanji symbol for "big snake".[3] Assumed to be corporate iconography, this symbol is later seen on the uniforms and shipping containers belonging to the Orochi Group.[4][5] There may also be a connection between the group and the The Filth.[3]

The Morninglight

Main article: The Morninglight Introduced as The Rising Tide of Change at the 2009 Penny Arcade Expo.[6] The only pieces of information provided were the name and the logo. Perhaps the most confusing image, The Rising Tide of Change logo appears to be some sort of coat of arms, or perhaps a stained glass window such as those in churches. It incorporates an image reminiscent of a rising sun beneath a pair of eyes. A similar emblem appears on a man's belt buckle in one of the concept artworks released.[7]

Council of Venice

ARG factions

Sanctuary of Secrets

Main article: Sanctuary of Secrets Present since the They Are Coming Back ARG event, SoS has been a mysterious group operating from the shadows. They're said to collect and hide dangerous secrets the world can never know of, and hide behind puzzles and names of history. They're led by an oracle who has seen a bleak future and desires to change the course of events.

They

On the forums

All three joinable factions exist as an out-of-game (OOG) faction on the official TSW forums. At the same time as the main page was updated after Three Are Coming, forum members received a private message asking them to align their forum accounts with one of the three revealed factions. Selecting a faction providing a faction-specific forum avatar and access to a sub-forum called "The Sanctuary".

References

1. ↑ http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/74239
2. ↑ http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/74239
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} http://www.darkdemonscrygaia.com/showpost.php?p=366234&postcount=182&referrerid=3943
4. ↑ http://www.ign.com/videos/2011/07/07/the-secret-world-savage-coast-walkthrough-part-1
5. ↑ http://www.ign.com/videos/2011/07/07/the-secret-world-savage-coast-walkthrough-part-2
6. ↑ http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/74239
7. ↑ http://l3cdn.funcom.com/tsw/artworks/Che-379x600.jpg
8. ↑ http://www.gamereactor.eu/grtv/?id=10418