Faction

               ==What is Faction?==
Faction is a type of reputation you can improve in order earn the respect and trust a group of NPCs (Non Player Characters). Before you interact with some NPCs you begin with either negative faction and the NPCs in an area will to to kill you on sight (KOS for short) or in a neutral state and NPCs will offer you the chance to impress them or just not react at all.

There are numerous factions in the world and some zones may even have multiple factions. Not all NPCs have an associated faction, but most do. In many cases the monsters (MOBs) you encounter also have faction associated with them that can affect how they behave (if they attack or ignore you) when you approach them. 

Your standing will progress in either a positive or negative direction in ranges, shown as a meter and described in more detail Ranges section below. The Value of Faction section here describes the essence of gaining (or losing) faction and why it is beneficial.

===The Value of Faction===
Having positive faction has many benefits that go beyond whether or not NPCs and MOBs will attack or ignore you. Gaining the right amount of faction is frequently a requirement to unlock a series of quests in many zones as well. 

Other vital benefits include:
*The ability to buy gear (armor, weapons, etc.) that is frequently of a very high quality from special faction merchants; in some cases, it's the best you can get if you don't participate [[Raid Timeline|raids]]. Reaching certain levels of faction allows you to buy [[:Category:Titles]].
*It's often very important to anyone who takes up a [[Tradeskill]], as you will need a certain range of positive faction in order to by special recipes to make some of the most desired items in the game, which you can sell on the [[Broker|broker]]. 
*In addition, most factions also have merchants that will sell you furniture that you can use in [[Housing|player housing]].

   
'''Gaining Positive Faction'''

This is typically done by taking quests or completing tasks that offer (positive) faction as part of or as the entire reward. For example, one quest or task may reward you with a gain of 500 (positive) faction for your success, while others may reward several thousand. Some are adventure quests that require you to fight the enemies of that faction, while others may ask you to craft items using your [[Tradeskill]] abilities. 

In most cases, quests tied to gaining positive faction are repeatable. For example, you can also improve faction by doing [[:Category:City Tasks Quests|City Tasks]] for various NPCs your home city or [[Tradeskill Writs]] (and/or Rush Order) to prove your worth to many crafting societies. 

'''Negative Faction'''

The most common type of negative faction is associated with cities that are outright aggressive to members of the opposite alignment. For example, the guards in and around [[Neriak]] are from a city with an "evil" alignment that is extremely hostile to outsiders, therefore they will always attack anyone who hail from a "good" alignment. 

Equating a character's alignment with faction can be somewhat confusing for new players though, as NPCs in some starting cities are not outright aggressive to characters of the opposite alignment. In such cases they will not attack you if you enter the city, but the key NPCs like those to use the [[Broker|broker]] and [[Bank|bank]] will ''never'' talk to you. In some cases, a few quests many even be available to characters of '''all''' alignments. As of 2014 this is true for both the cities of [[Gorowyn]] and [[New Halas]]. 

'''How MOBs can Affect Faction'''

In some cases, various monsters (MOBs) may have faction that can be gained or lost in a manner that effects your standing with ''another'' type of MOB and may impact the reaction of NPCs in the area as well. A good example of this is in [[Thundering Steppes]]: the HORSE PEOPLE will not attack you unless you attack them first and once you do, they will all attack you until you kill Gnolls and raise your faction with them again.