Reputation Question: Are major faction Ranks mutually exclusive?

[Red 5]

Hey folks,

I imagine this has to be the case at some point (at least between the Feds and Empire). I haven't really thrown my lot in with any major faction yet (I'm recruit with the Feds), but I'm curious if committing to one faction would make it impossible to gain rank in any other major faction (or lose rep with the others). I ask this because, like many, I have my sights set on the Imperial Clipper. Would gaining enough rank with the Empire to get the Clipper reduce my reputation with the others, or negate the ability to rise within the ranks of the Feds or Alliance?

If anyone has any insight into this, I'd love to get some clarification.

Thanks!

 

[DePriest]

From what someone said earlier on the forum, you can gain rank with all factions, but I am not personally certain on it. If it is I highly doubt it will stay that way.

 

[Mephane]

Indeed, you can raise your reputation and rank with all major factions. I am currently friendly with both the Federation and the Empire, and have gained several ranks in the Federation, and the first rank in the Empire.

 

[DePriest]

Indeed, you can raise your reputation and rank with all major factions. I am currently friendly with both the Federation and the Empire, and have gained several ranks in the Federation, and the first rank in the Empire.

So, do you think your going to be drawn and quartered by the Empire, or hung by the neck until dead by the Federation when they find out your a double agent.

 

[X2Eliah]

They really should be mutually exclusive, even from the very beginning, but they aren't. This... kinda sucks.

 

[CMDR Byrt Makklin]

There was a bit in Frontier's manual (I think) that said what you do and who you work for will be noticed by someone.

It was never true in Frontier but I imagine with the story evolving it may become problematic to be a double agent - maybe some tough choices will need to be made about which side you're really on.

We'll see.

 

[lazerus]

If it is mutually exclusive, I like it. I don't want to be tied down. I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career (yes yes) and I think it would be unfair for only one faction to be able to hire me at an exorbitant cost.

 

[Kitiara]

Yes, you can have ranks in more than one place

So far as I know, there's no alliance ranks though

 

[simon terlecki]

The way I see it, not all pro Federation missions have a negative impact on the Empire and vice versa, so if you are careful enough about mission selection, and don't take Imperial missions to undermine Federation interests, I don't see why you could't be a free agent working for both sides.

It should't be as simple as simply doing any mission though, as there should be an impact on relations with factions if you were to act in a treasonous way towards one of your "friendly" factions and have consequences such as having your rank suspended in such cases.

Just a thought.

 

[kamenjar]

Yes, you can have ranks in more than one place



So far as I know, there's no alliance ranks though

You can even gain ranks while unfriendly. I was never pretty much neutral or positive with Empire. And I'm an Unfriendly Recruit. They call me Grumpy

 

[Mephane]

I am not a double agent, but a merchant and crime fighter. When you collect bounties from all three factions, this is just the natural result:

Spoiler

 

[DaveB]

I work for whoever is prepared to pay for my services, and while they are paying me I am loyal to them. This is a kind of pragmatism all factions can understand and trust. If they offer me a fee to do something and I accept it, it will get done. If I'm already engaged by somebody else to do something that would interfere with their request I simply won't accept the contract.

It isn't a question of "joining the faction", the only important thing is "can the faction trust your word?"

 

[Helvellyn]

Frontier had a bit about a bit of low-level work for the other side with low-ranking members being tolerated but they wouldn't put up with anyone trying to become senior in both. I never tried (so don't know what, if anything, happened if you did) but it would be a reasonable compromise (at those ranks you're more of someone doing a job for whoever just because it's a job than a loyal member).

 

[Schlack]

Has anyone lost rank? Or been kicked out of a navy?

 

[Red 5]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Guess I should head over to Sorbago and start working on my rep with the Empire. I would expect (as mentioned above) that if I was careful about mission selection, and took faction missions that didn't work directly against other major factions, I could really effectively be a mercenary and rise within the ranks to a fair degree. Good to see that they're not mutually exclusive... at least not at the lower levels.

See you out in the Black, Commanders!