There's no best Star Wars Outlaws factions, as your reputation with any group will change constantly over time. However you'll get all kinds of rewards, including superb clothing, new skins, access to special areas and discounts with various merchants, depending on your standing with anyone. So rather than picking the best, it's more about playing the field to suit your needs.
Keeping a good reputation with the different factions is a key element of the game, and if you want help managing the various criminal syndicates, or picking between them, here's the best factions in Star Wars Outlaws, and how you can build a good reputation with them.
What is the best Faction in Star Wars Outlaws?
No Star Wars Outlaws faction is inherently better than any other - it's more a case of who you want to prioritise or need. You can gain and lose reputation almost at will to fall in and out of favor as and when you need it. Crucially, if you have missions in one factions area, it's good to be in good standing with them so you can walk around freely. If you're not well liked you'll h ave to stealth everywhere instead.
That said, if you have to pick one, I'd say it's either the Hutt Cartel, or the Ashiga Clan (a fourth faction unlocked when you reach Kijimi). The Hutts have a lot of good merchants and dominate Tatooine, which is probably one of the slightly tougher worlds in Star Wars Outlaws, so having them on your side there is helpful.
Meanwhile, the Ashiga have a smaller presence, but their rewards for a high reputation are very good, with one of the best Star Wars Outlaws outfits. As they're a smaller group it's also harder to get in their way and upset them, making it easier to keep them on your side.
All Factions in Star Wars Outlaws
There are four main factions in Star Wars Outlaws that you can affect with your reputation (not including factions you can't appeal to, like the Empire or Rebel Alliance), each one of which has a niche that tends to determine the kind of stock their merchants sell, as well as the kind of jobs and contracts you can get from them.
- The Pyke Syndicate: Smugglers and black marketeers, the Pyke Syndicate has a strong emphasis on starships and advanced weaponry.
- The Crimson Dawn: Assassins, extortionists, thieves and manipulators, the Crimson Dawn focuses on stealth and behind-the-scenes control.
- The Hutt Cartel: Enforcers, brutes and mercenaries, the Hutts rely on physical force and aggression.
- The Ashiga Clan: Territorial and only unlocked when you first reach Kijimi, the Ashiga are a tight-knit clan of insect aliens led by a queen.
There are also a range of faction vaults you can find and break into, with the Crimson Dawn vault and Pyke Vault, found soon after you reach Toshara. While you'll need to find various key cards to access them, the good news here is if you can clean them out without being seen you get loads of rewards without losing any reputation.
How to increase reputation in Star Wars Outlaws
Reputation in Star Wars Outlaws can be earned in a bunch of different ways, but the best one is Contracts: these side missions tend to build a solid rapport with whichever faction you're doing the contract for. Contracts usually end in a choice where you can betray the quest-giver for some extra credits, but if you don't then you'll likely make a good, clean profit on their opinion for you.
Meanwhile, here are some other recommendations for how to build reputation:
- Give Data to Faction smugglers: You can find Data throughout the game that serves as a valuable resource. Giving it to a smuggler aligned with a specific faction boosts your Reputation, and certain Data is really appreciated based on the contextual habits of that syndicate - for example, the Pykes love information about Starships, and Crimson Dawn like blackmail material.
- Don't get caught: Sooner or later you'll have to go up against all of these factions , but assuming you never break stealth, they'll never know you were there. It's only when you start firing or get spotted that your reputation drops. Both Star Wars Outlaws lockpicking and Star Wars Outlaws hacking will lose reputation if you get seen as well, so it pays to be stealthy.
- Keep an eye out for random events: Whether in space or on the ground, you'll occasionally get markers for conflicts happening nearby. These are your chances to intervene and help whoever's in trouble - though it can mean upsetting others.
- Accept that you can't please everyone: Ultimately, while it is possible to make multiple factions like you, it's really tough. Because they're all effectively at war, helping one will mean upsetting somebody else. Acknowledge that having everybody be your friend at once is probably not going to be an option unless you're willing to really knuckle down and do a lot of contracts while never breaking stealth.
It's worth bearing in mind that you won't be able to please everyone all the time, as the game makes you take a side from time to time. An early example of this if when you have to choose between Gorak or Elaara in Star Wars Outlaws, or decide who to tell about Star Wars Outlaws Counterfeit credits - you have to pick a faction, and can gain and lose rep between the two accordingly.
Our Star Wars Outlaws review praised many of these systems, and while we had our issues with it, it was enough to get onto the list of the best Star Wars games.
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