In Last Epoch there are two factions – the Merchant Guild and the Circle of Destiny. What advantages the factions have and who they are suitable for can be found here on MeinMMO.
Last Epoch officially released on February 21 after almost 5 years of Early Access and introduced a faction system into the action RPG that affects the way you acquire and farm items. There are two factions: the Merchant Guild and the Circle of Destiny. Both factions have a total of 10 ranks where you can rise with “reputation”.
The Merchant Guild and the Circle of Destiny are the two so-called item factions in Last Epoch. They offer players two different options to specifically acquire better equipment:
- Merchant Guild: Allows you to trade directly with other players or via a type of auction house, the Bazaar in Last Epoch.
- Circle of Destiny: Improves your skills with passive bonuses and a mechanic called Prophecies to find better items and increase your drop chances.
Which faction is suitable for me?
What advantages does the Merchant Guild bring? The Merchant Guild allows players to trade directly with other players or through the Bazaar – a type of auction house. The rank within the faction determines which items you can buy and sell.
The higher your rank in the guild, the more and more powerful items you can buy and offer for sale. In Last Epoch, you can trade at special stands on the Bazaar, which you recognize by the respective item symbol. In general, you have a larger selection of items for trade than in, for example, Diablo 4.
The Merchant Guild is suitable for you if you:
- like to trade with other players in multiplayer games
- would rather buy equipment specifically than wait for drops
- find farming items too tedious
- would prefer to sell loot to players rather than just to NPCs who don’t pay you much for it
What advantages does the Circle of Destiny bring? In the Circle of Destiny, you farm specific item types using Prophecies. In the Observatory, you look through telescopes and see Prophecies showing different constellations. Each image belongs to an item group.
When you select a prophecy from the constellation for a favor amount, you receive a type of quest for the item you are farming. For example, you must defeat a specific type of enemy or a boss, thereby fulfilling the prophecy and receiving the item as a drop from the enemy.
You can also re-roll the Prophecies. And with the lenses you buy from the faction vendor, you further influence the Prophecies. For example, there are lenses that increase your chance per rank to find a specific item type.
The Circle of Destiny is suitable for you if you:
- like to farm and complete quests “on your own”
- prefer to be surprised by drops rather than buying items
- are looking for loot drops that feel even more rewarding
- plan to engage in different endgame activities anyway
General information about the factions in Last Epoch
How do I reach higher ranks in the faction? To improve your rank in the respective faction and unlock more rewards, you need favor, which you exchange for reputation. You gain favor by killing enemies and completing quests.
You then spend the gathered favor on faction activities (trading/prophecies, purchases at the faction vendor), which allows you to rise in ranks. By killing enemies, you also receive a small amount of favor.
Can I switch between the factions and sell items? You can switch between the factions at any time, but there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Before switching, you must drop all items you have received through your current faction.
- After switching, you keep your reputation but lose the gathered favor.
- You primarily farm the items to use them. They are marked, meaning: items from the Circle of Destiny cannot be sold, and those acquired in the Merchant Guild cannot be sold either.
How do I join a faction? In the campaign of Last Epoch, you will meet NPC Zerrick in Act 9. After he has given you some information about the two factions, you can familiarize yourself with them. You either go to the Observatory to join the Circle of Destiny or to the Bazaar to join the Merchant Guild.
Alternatively, you can also take a look around both places first and talk to the NPCs from the factions who want to sell you their faction.
According to maxroll.gg, the rank progress in your faction is account-wide, so it applies to other characters you create. However, this does not apply across different modes, such as for a new character in hardcore mode while you were previously playing the “normal” mode.
If you are just starting out in Last Epoch and looking for a suitable class for yourself, you can find an overview with three classes with which even beginners in Last Epoch can’t go wrong: Last Epoch: 3 of the best classes for all beginners and newcomers
