Faction Guide for Brighter Shores

Deciding between each faction is defined by three primary aspects: Element type, Aesthetic, and Professions.

• Elements: Each faction has elemental strengths and weaknesses, but no faction dominates over the others. The Cryoknights, Guardians, and Hammermages each have their preferred elements. Their weapons are more commonly infused with their element, but they can use any element just as well as each other.
• Aesthetic: Each faction has their own style of weapons and armours with cosmetic differences. The two leaders of the Cryoknight and Hammermage show the style, but the Dryad isn't much help as we don't play a tree.
• Professions: Each Faction's weapons are created by a specific crafting profession down the line. Any faction can make weapons from any profession, but will strongly prefer their specific one over the others. Down the line we can make epic weapons by destroying one rare weapon of each faction as well.

Cryoknights are metal-armored warriors empowered by Cryonae. They are susceptible to electricity-based attacks from Hammermages, as their metal armor conducts Tempestae.

Cryoknights use fully metal armour, platemail, chainmail etc. and medieval-style weaponry, including Longswords, Greatswords, Maces, and metal throwing weapons or metallic bows.

Professions: Mining ores and Blacksmithing to make their swords and shields. All three factions also need to use Carpentry to make their equipment, but Cryoknight equipment recipes use the least.

If you're the type of player that loves blacksmithing or the paladin knight aesthetic in all games, pick Cryoknight for sure. You know who you are.

Guardians are attuned to nature and are granted ancient magic by the Dryads, with a focus on Arborae. They are vulnerable to Cryonae because plants "hate the cold".

Guardians wield leather and bone-based equipment, using Batons, Cudgels, Quarterstaves, and other monk-style weapons. Ranged options include bows, crossbows, and javelins.

Professions: Their primary skills are Gatherer and Bonewright, focusing on gathering resources in Hopeforest and crafting with bones and wood. They need to do more Carpentry than the other classes as well, offset by the fact that Bonewright is simpler without having to fetch gas leeches during their crafting process.

Guardians are designed to be the 'druid' or 'monk' style class, and if you pick it you'll naturally find yourself in the forest more than the other factions.

Hammermages are storm-magic warriors empowered by Tempestae. They are weak against Arborae from Guardians.

Hammermages use stone-based armour, stone-based weapons, Rock and Stone! They use Maces, Warhammers, and Greathammers. Ranged attacks consist of Bolas, Throwing Hammers, or literally just throwing rocks.

Professions: Dedicated to Mining and Stonemason. Stone weapons sometimes need wood poles from Carpentry - more often than the Cryoknights, but not as many as Guardian needs.

As is clearly implied, Hammermage offers the ability to crush heads with hammers; as such is the most popular faction because of their name alone.

Each faction offers slight differences for playstyles and preferred looks and crafting, but they are balanced, so your choice comes down to personal preference. The Developers have said faction specific special attacks is coming as well, which should help differentiate them a bit. When the special attacks come, we will update the faction guide accordingly.

We know all the professions in Episode 5 except one, and there's only one Armourer profession which will make armour for all classes instead of splitting them up again. This video below can give some further insight and has some shots of the combat if it helps decide as well.