New World, the fantasy MMORPG from Amazon Games, has finally opened its doors to players. Like many MMOs, the game has suffered a slow launch, mostly due to the huge numbers of players that wanted to log in on Day 1. While New World works hard to mix up the MMORPG genre with its colonial setting and resource-based gameplay, it still uses some classic tropes.

One of the standard MMO features that New World embraces is a Factions system. However, while games like World of Warcraft have players choose whether they want to be part of the Alliance or the Horde at character creation, New World gives them a chance to learn the game before they pick. There are three Factions to choose from: the zealous Covenant, ruthless Marauders, and secretive Syndicate. The latter of these is definitely the most mysterious of the three Factions in New World, and a good choice for players who like the idea of seeking forbidden knowledge.

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Who are the Syndicate in New World?

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Represented by a purple eye with a slit-pupil, the Syndicate is a loose organization dedicated to ushering in a new age of enlightenment. In pursuit of this lofty goal, the Faction's members are willing to delve into forbidden and dangerous knowledge. The Syndicate in New World are also the faction of cunning, guile, and underhand tactics. This makes them a perfect choice not only for players who prefer intellectual, scholarly characters, but also for those who are drawn to rogues, assassins, and cultists.

As one of the three major Factions on New World's corrupted island of Aeternum, the Syndicate find themselves struggling for dominance against the Covenant and the Marauders. Syndicate players will be able to influence this war, gaining territory and power for the cabal of knowledge-seekers. While the Syndicate are very different from the other Factions in terms of their theme and philosophy, players will notice many other shared gameplay elements between them.

Why Join the Syndicate in New World?

new world character customization costing players spot in line

There are no alternate races in New World, and all players begin as human colonists. This means that the difference between the three Factions isn't as large as the difference between World of Warcraft's Horde and Alliance. Beyond the obvious changes, like color and crest, the biggest difference that players are likely to notice is the theme of the Syndicate's advancement quests, and the armor it rewards.

When players reach certain Levels in New World and gain enough Reputation within the Syndicate, they'll be able to move up from an Adept to a Scrivener, Chronicler, Cabalist, and finally, Alchemist. Each of these Ranks comes with a set of Gear for players to equip, with a unique design for each Faction. The top-level Syndicate Gear is themed after a Plague Doctor, with a long coat, belt of reagents, and a beaked mask. This perfectly fits the Faction's theme as the sinister seekers of forbidden knowledge, and should help players get into the Syndicate mind-set when fighting for territory across Aeternum.

New World is now available on PC.

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