Choosing a Faction

How they best gain experience (factions receive more experience when doing a specific kind of task than others)



Discounts on vessels (applies to their towns; purchasing a Galleon from an Exchange-affiliated ports is cheaper than buying it from a Valiant-affiliated one, for example).



Starting items and abilities. Sojourn players start with a Diving Suit equipped, letting them salvage shipwrecks for additional loot and experience, for example -- while other factions will need to fine one in their own adventures first.

Valiant (Red)

Consulate (Green)

Sojourn (Blue)

Exchange (yellow)

Comments

Once the start locations have been set up (and it is possible to begin a map with one or more factions missing altogether), you can then choose which of the four factions you want to join. The main differences between the factions are:Also shown are the starting vessels for each side. It is possible to change the cosmetics of your vessel - specifically, the hull, the deck, the sails, the embroidery (symbol) color, and the embroidery itself. Towns will sell paints and embroideries for you to choose from. It is possible to make your ship look like another faction's vessel, though your pennant will remain showing your true allegiance.Regardless of your chosen faction on start, it's possible to change sides later by performing quests and tasks for another faction. Eventually they will offer you membership http://steamcommunity.com/app/326410/discussions/0/624076027721996937/ . There is no penalty for switching factions other than a cooldown timer, and is often advisable to do so before buying certain ships as this can save the player quite a bit of gold. The "combat" faction, Valiant ships are better suited for combat at the expense of the profit they can earn via trading. Valiant get a Volley that ability that has a faster cooldown timer than other factions, but it also does a bit less damage. Valiant members gain an experience bonus from defeating enemy ships.Valiant players get a 20% discount when buying a Ship of the Line -- the toughest ship in the game ideally suited for Defensive specialization players. Maritime Consulate, or just Consulate as it appears in the game, is a fairly balanced faction that gets a notable bonus to diplomacy. If you aren't sure what kind of activities you might enjoy in Windward, Consulate is a good choice to pick -- especially considering that Consulate players gain an experience bonus from questing which comes in handy early in the game. In addition to the Diplomacy bonus that aids with trading, Consulate players will start with a Grappling Hook -- an accessory that greatly increases the grabbing range of nearby crates and barrels.Consulate players get a 20% discount when buying a Royal Brigantine -- a mid-level support vessel. Sojourn is the explorer faction. Sojourn players start with a Diving Suit, allowing them to salvage shipwrecks, gaining resources, experience, and potentially even items by sacrificing some stone. Sojourn also gain experience from discovering new towns for the first time. Sojourn ships have faster speed and better accuracy, as well as a special Volley ability that has a longer cooldown timer but does more damage. The downside is that their ships will not be as tough up close as those of other factions, so keeping their enemies at a distance is advised (this is where the accuracy bonus comes in handy!)Sojourn players get a 20% discount when buying a Schooner (low level fast offensive style ship), as well as a Corvette (high level version of the same). Exchange faction focuses on trading. Players that choose to side with the Exchange will start with more gold than other factions and will gain bonus experience when completing trades. The innate boost to Diplomacy also comes handy when seeking to maximize profit (although it's not as large as that of the Consulate players).Exchange players get a 20% discount when buying the Galleon -- a higher level support ship with the largest cargo hold in the game (5 slots).Each faction is ideally suited to their preferred task. Valiant players will find Combat to be easier due to the higher combat-related stats of their ships in addition to a 25% experience bonus from combat, for example. Since it's possible to switch factions (unless Permanent War is enabled), it's not a big issue to start as one faction, only to realize that you should have chosen another.