Eastern Era Factions: Every Sect, Diplomacy & Conquest Guide

🗺️ The Jianghu Political Map

The game world is divided into four regions, each dominated by a major sect and several minor clans. Your starting position is always in the contested wilderness between regions, giving you early access to multiple faction contact opportunities but also making you a target for all sides. The four major regions are the Northern Iron Mountains, the Eastern Jade Coast, the Southern Flame Plains, and the Western Cloud Peaks. Each region has distinct resources, weather patterns, and faction personalities.

🏛️ Major Factions

🤝 Diplomacy Mechanics

Faction relationships in Eastern Era are tracked on a -100 to +100 Approval Rating scale. Key actions that affect approval:

• ✅ +15 Approval — Sending a gift (Silver, Rare herbs, or crafted weapons)
• ✅ +10 Approval — Completing a faction request from the Jianghu Notice Board
• ✅ +20 Approval — Protecting a faction's disciple from bandits during an encounter event
• ✅ +30 Approval — Forming a formal Trade Agreement (requires Library Tier 2)
• ❌ -20 Approval — Your disciple caught spying on their base
• ❌ -40 Approval — Poaching one of their disciples via recruitment
• ❌ -100 Approval — Attacking their disciples unprovoked (triggers War state)
• ⚠️ Approval above +60 — Unlocks Alliance option
• ⚠️ Approval below -60 — Faction will begin active raids against you

🔗 Alliance Benefits

Formal alliances (Approval 60+) provide substantial advantages that make diplomatic investment worthwhile:

• 📦 Shared Trade Routes — Access allied faction's unique resources at 30% below market price
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Disciple Exchange — Borrow an allied disciple for 30 days for training purposes
• 🛡️ Mutual Defense Pact — Allied faction sends a combat team to assist when you are raided
• 📜 Technique Sharing — Access one of the allied faction's exclusive martial arts manuals
• 🗺️ Map Reveal — Ally reveals all their controlled territory on your map

⚔️ War & Conquest Strategy

Declaring war (or having it declared on you) shifts the game into a campaign phase. Key strategic principles for Eastern Era faction warfare:

• 🎯 Target Isolation First — Never fight two sects simultaneously. Use gifts and diplomacy to keep other factions neutral while you focus on one enemy.
• 🔥 Burn Their Economy — Raiding enemy farms and storage houses before attacking their Hall cripples their ability to sustain defenders.
• 🕵️ Shadow Web Alliance — Before any major war, spend Silver to gain Shadow Web intel on enemy disciple strength and base layout.
• 🏹 Siege Preparation — Bring Arrow Tower Deployable items (crafted at the Forge) to establish forward fire positions during multi-day sieges.
• 📜 Offer Surrender Terms — After destroying an enemy Hall, offer the Absorption Treaty option to absorb surviving disciples into your sect at 70% of normal recruitment cost.
• ⏱️ Timing Matters — Launch campaigns in Spring or Summer. Winter campaigns reduce your disciples' performance by up to 40% due to weather penalties.

🌑 The Shadow Web — Hidden Faction

The Shadow Web is a secret mercenary and information network that operates across all regions. To access it, build a Library and research 'Underworld Contacts' (Tier 2 research). Once found, you can pay Silver for: enemy base scouting reports, assassination contracts on named enemy disciples, black market rare materials, and special Espionage missions unavailable through the standard Notice Board. The Shadow Web never becomes a formal enemy unless you betray a contract — a powerful neutral resource worth investing in early.