Faction: None

[Old Duck]

There's an option in the right panel that shows "Faction: None". Clicking this does nothing for me. I'm fully allied with a couple of factions, so I thought this would be where I would select what faction shows up when people scan me. Am I wrong?

So what exactly is the purpose of this option / switch, how do I enable it, and what are the potential benefits / consequences of picking a faction, if indeed that's what this allows me to do?

 

[stormyuk]

There's an option in the right panel that shows "Faction: None". Clicking this does nothing for me. I'm fully allied with a couple of factions, so I thought this would be where I would select what faction shows up when people scan me. Am I wrong?

So what exactly is the purpose of this option / switch, how do I enable it, and what are the potential benefits / consequences of picking a faction, if indeed that's what this allows me to do?

Its for when you want to choose a side in a Conflict Zone (CZ) engagement, you pick a side then.

 

[Old Duck]

Its for when you want to choose a side in a Conflict Zone (CZ) engagement, you pick a side then.

Oh, well that's totally not what I was expecting. If I choose a side then, will I forever be on that side? Is there any way to be part of a faction (like every NPC I run into) without going to a CZ?

I've been to two CZs, the second one was particularly scary - almost lost my ship as an innocent bystander! I may try a "low" CZ someday for the fun of it, in my very cheap Viper III

 

[stormyuk]

Nope only for the current CZ.

 

[dayrth]

Oh, well that's totally not what I was expecting. If I choose a side then, will I forever be on that side?

No, doesn't tie you to anything. You can even pick a side, fight for them for a bit, jump in to supercruise, jump back in to the zone then choose the other side and fight for them. When you get back to the station you can hand in both sets of combat bonds at once

 

[Faded Glory]

Oh, well that's totally not what I was expecting. If I choose a side then, will I forever be on that side? Is there any way to be part of a faction (like every NPC I run into) without going to a CZ?

I've been to two CZs, the second one was particularly scary - almost lost my ship as an innocent bystander! I may try a "low" CZ someday for the fun of it, in my very cheap Viper III

No it's a choice you can make each time you enter a CZ. Different CZ's will in any case have potentially different factions slugging it out...

Players cannot join factions as such, but you can support and drive NPC factions by playing the BGS. You'll do this by doing missions for a faction you want to support which will increase their influence in a system, which might lead them into conflict with an opposing faction, and once that happens you can then go and support your chosen faction in a CZ that will spawn... I'd search the forums for BGS topics, as it can be quite involved.

Strangely enough, High Intensity CZ are generally considered to be less challenging than Low Intensity. This is because there tend to be more ships around that will draw fire from your enemies, and more allied ships around that you can gang up with to fight the enemies. The main thing with CZ's is not to become isolated and attacked by multiple enemy ships, so be aware of your surroundings. When entering a CZ, fly to the perimeter and then choose your faction, don't do it sitting in the middle of the zone, and then choose your opponents carefully to avoid picking off more than you can chew.