Faction paywall.

[EuroGamez]

Yeah, I found out today as well. This must surely be the only Pay-to-win game on BGA? This decision makes zero sense....

[weatherguy92]

Seems much more of a "pay for more fun options" than pay to win. Most of the best factions, including the undisputed best, are free.

[EuroGamez]

Seems much more of a "pay for more fun options" than pay to win. Most of the best factions, including the undisputed best, are free.

Based on what information? That's just nonsense.

[ricardowallapop84]

It's a shame they are doing all this. The game is really well-implemented, but in the long run, this decision will significantly reduce the number of matches. Non-premium players will get tired of picking the same factions, and premium players will get tired of always playing against the same ones.

[sirponyalot]

it should jsut allow the option if host has priemuim to allow all factions, like in other games on this website

[tarongot]

it should jsut allow the option if host has priemuim to allow all factions, like in other games on this website

I agree. This segregating players by premium/non-premium inside table is something that I have never seen on BGA before. All players should play same game, not being segregated. The same fraction choice for everyone, no matter what that choice is.

[Corinthians134]

There are currently two ways to choose factions in this game: picking in reverse player order, and random faction selection.

I don't think the reverse-order draft is really a problem. The free faction pool includes several very strong factions such as Sol, Hacan, and Jol-Nar, so a non-premium player can still choose a highly competitive faction.

The random option is where I feel a bit more uncomfortable. The same free pool also includes Xxcha and Sardakk N'orr, which are generally among the weakest factions, as well as Letnev, which tends to perform below average.

Because of that, I wouldn't necessarily call the system pay-to-win. The free pool clearly contains some of the strongest factions in the game. However, random faction selection can still feel quite unfair or frustrating, because the free pool is extremely polarized: three very strong factions on one side, and three weak or below-average factions on the other.

I think that may also explain why opinions in this thread are so divided. People focusing on Sol, Hacan, and Jol-Nar see a perfectly competitive free faction pool, while people focusing on the random option are understandably worried about being stuck with one of the weaker factions