As much as we would love to act like a one man army in just about any game we end up playing, sometimes you need a little help to get things done. Whether that’s some bruisers to lend some muscle, or some authority figures to sit in your corner.
There are usually a fair few factions in various RPGs that are genuinely interesting and helpful groups. But, on occasion, you’ll find that a group is just not worth buddying up to at all.
Whether that’s because they are genuinely unlikable, or just because they don’t have ample rewards to give you for completing quests they send you out on. The bottom line is, there are better options on who can take you to this metaphorical prom.
So, to help you swerve the duds, here are some factions that no one should bother siding with.
7.
The Board
The Outer Worlds
As someone who has been burned one too many times, I completely understand the apprehension that OW players had when considering aiding The Board. It’s pretty simple really. Never trust a suit.
The Board are the nefarious intergalactic corporate entity that plays a pivotal role in the narrative of Obsidian’s maiden space-based RPG. Effectively serving as the clear and obvious bad guy run option.
However, the problem with being a bad guy here is that you need to become a complete stiff, and help a bunch of twisted pencil pushers oppress all the actually cool and interesting folks you meet along the way.
Will you be well compensated? For sure. Will it serve as the path of least resistance? Absolutely. But will you feel like an absolute tool for siding with them? You can bet on it.
6.
Joja.Co
Stardew Valley
Seeing a trend here already? That’s right, we have another corporate entity that quite simply strips all the sense of accomplishment and joy from the cozy modern classic, Stardew Valley.
Instead of helping to restore the community center, you can simply invest in Joja Co. The global conglomerate muscling its way into Pelican Town. Which effectively kills the town’s community spirit and drives the local store out of business.
There’s very little benefit to helping Joja Co, and only serves to gatekeep you from some of the more interesting end-game content the game has to offer.
Plus, Morris is a big ol’ creep and doesn’t deserve your cash. So, go fill those community bundles and drive them out of town.
5.
The Imperials
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
While a lot of Bethesda-made games are pretty keen on offering a wide variety of factions to align yourself with, Skyrim isn’t exactly one of those games.
Your choice of faction regarding the war raging through the land boils down to two sides. The imperials, and the Stormcloaks, and let me tell you, I judge you heavily if you didn’t take Ulfric’s side.
The imperials represent a dying dynasty, and one that feels like a colonizing force rather than a force fighting for the good of Skyrim. Whereas Ulfric and the Stormcloaks are rebels with a cause, who fight for freedom. As an Irishman, it’s a cause I find very easy to get behind.
But above all else. These people literally tried to kill you at the very beginning of the game. What self-respecting Dragonborn would side with their own assailant?
4.
The Brotherhood Of Steel
Fallout New Vegas
When it comes to diverse and interesting factions, Fallout New Vegas is one of the finest games on the market for varied playthroughs where you can pledge your allegiance anyway you like to define your character.
So much so that Fallout 3’s poster boy faction, The Brotherhood of Steel, feel like a complete waste of time getting to know. Veronica is the obvious exception to this, but without her, they are merely a potential footnote in the Courier’s story.
You see, the Mojave contingent is pretty pathetic by all accounts. A bare bones chapter that are so flimsy compared to the Boston or Washington’s chapters.
They are stubborn, they are incapable of change, and without the courier, they would likely die out on their own. So, do everyone a favor and let nature run it’s course.
3.
Fascists
Disco Elysium
Cheating ever slightly here, as this is more of an ideology rather than a faction. But, in my defense, Disco Elysium basically forces you to align with a political opinion one way or another. So, in a lot of ways, this feels like a faction in a lot of ways.
While it is obviously laughable to align as a centrist, and the game will mock you appropriately. It has to be said, the role of the fascist is a hard one to play, even in a make believe world.
The reason why this ideology is hard to align with is simple. It’s morally bankrupt to be a fascist, and even within the constructs of roleplay, most people tap out before becoming a less buff Measurehead. If you start discussing ugenics and head sizes, then you might be a little too far gone.
2.
Arasaka
Cyberpunk 2077
Here I go again bending the rules, as Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t really allow you to join any factions outright. But, through it’s endings and the choices you make, you can eventually align with the different cultural ideals these groups represent.
I vibe with the Aldecados, and I can see why many would seek out the Afterlife ending. However, I will never understand why anyone would align themselves with Hanako and Arasaka, as it’s the antithesis of everything Cyberpunk represents.
To exist is to be anti-corpo, and this ending where you accept your fate and sign away your soul is something that only an absolute Gonk would do. So don’t take the easy way out. That’s not the Night City way.
1.
The Railroad
Fallout 4
I know what you’re thinking. How the heck are The Institute not the representative for Fallout 4? Well, it’s plain and simple. The Institute are unpalatable and evil, but critically, they have a lot of cool stuff.
The Railroad, on the other hand, is the rebel group. The plucky underdog. Something that I can usually get behind. But the sad fact of the matter is that the Railroad as a faction is too weak and too lame for most to take seriously.
Not to mention, because of their status of perpetually being on the brink of collapse, the rewards for siding with them aren’t anywhere near as flashy as those of the other groups. There’s no Power Armor to be had, no teleportation access to The Institute. Just a little bunker underground and a can-do attitude.
Sure, there’s a moral win with joining the Railroad. But morals won’t help you kill a Deathclaw, now will they?
