predetermination of factionFollow

How can you know ahead of time if you will get bad faction for killing a mob?

My bf tells me that just bc a mob is agro and attacks you first doesn't mean you won't get bad faction for killing them. So, how do I know when I should go ahead and eliminate them or just run away? I'd rather just remove myself from a situation than have to deal with bad faction.

Another way to phrase it is to say that if they aggro on you, then you already have bad faction. Therefore making your faction worse won't matter.

Or, killing 1 will tell you what faction it is, and then you can choose to go about repairing it if it matters to you.

The only one I've seen so far that was worth preserving for a period of time was the centaurs in TS. Until you are high enough that they are turning grey, it may be worth keeping faction.

But again, that works with rule 1, because they won't aggro on you until you've killed a single centaur. So since they won't aggro, you don't kill them, no bad faction.

ohh that guy.. yeah he attacked me too..

I was surprised at first and was running as my pet was taking him on (summoner at the time) then I noticed something:

my spider was beating him pretty well....

soo I went back.. hey it's good XP, and if my faction changed any because of him there's no one in windstalker village who cared. After that I made it a point when I was XP'ing in the area to slap him around a little for old times sakes..

may have to do that when I get home.. just once, then log into my Inqui for the night. ^_^

Faction was a huge deal in EQ1, you had to make decisions that shaped your toon's path for the future. But in this game it doesn't seem to matter so much.

The only really meaningful faction is associated with writs, and even then it only influences the potential rewards you can earn.

Just keep an eye on any faction messages in case anything unusual ever crops up.

I'm disappointed that faction plays a lesser role in EQII. I remember back in EQ, almost every faction had an opposing faction, so it was relatively easy to raise or lower a faction, just find and kill the right enemy.

Playing my Dark Elf Shadowknight, I made it a goal to raise faction with several "enemy" factions, including TheDead and the Crushbone Orcs. My faction was so high with Crushbone that I would sit in the Emperor's chair, surrounded by Orcs and nothing would aggro on me. It was funny watching all the good characters huddled across the throne room, cowering in fear. The only mob I had to worry about was that darned gnome in the pit with his pet. He killed me plenty of times.

It was fun and added an interesting, but optional, twist to the game. Now it is too straight forward, the "Evil" and "Good" classes/races all pretty much share the same enemies, making the Player "Evil" to actually be just a lessor "Good" in a way.

Here's hoping we get more faction options in the future.

*crosses fingers*

That guy is a Bloodsaber, and they're all evil. Since they're working with the Gnolls to try to kill everyone in Qeynos, I wouldn't worry about faction with them. I had a quest where I had to kill him.

Same with the centaurs. In EQ1 they were neutral and benign, but in EQ2 they decided they want to destroy all 'outlanders'. Since that includes me, I don't mind fighting back.

It seems that so far the only meaningful result of faction is the rewards you get from doing writs. If you stick with supporting just one faction you can get a title and specific loot associated with that faction. For example, Qeynos Guards is the faction for melee to support to get a melee reward.

Sasha,

I believe what he is refering to is the the guild writ quests. Each city has several different factions that offers quests. By accomplishing quests for that faction you raise your favor with that faction and can earn special rewards.

/full curtsey

Thanks for the great detailed info... I appreciate it!