Factions
Factions are the three underground organizations operating within The Lattice in Terminal Descent. Each faction offers missions, unique rewards, dialogue, and access to hidden content. Faction reputation directly affects ending availability.
Overview
| Faction | Philosophy | Leader | Hub | Key Reward |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghosts | Information wants to be free | CONDUIT | Ghost Relay (Node 4) | Ghost Protocol support |
| Reclaimers | Code wants to be free | Elder council / CHASE | Old Net Archive (H2) | Ghost Protocol Key (via ORACLE) |
| Brokers | Everything has a price | Decentralized / FENCE | Onyx Market (Node 5) | Best equipment and intel |
Reputation System
Each faction tracks reputation on a scale from -10 to +10. Reputation increases through completing missions, donating DATA (¤), sharing relevant intelligence, and making dialogue choices aligned with the faction's philosophy.
Reputation can decrease through:
- Selling faction data to rivals
- Betraying faction operations to The Consortium
- Actions that contradict the faction's core values
All three factions can be played against each other, but doing so limits access to their highest-tier rewards.
Cross-Faction Mechanics
VALENTINA — the independent data courier — can serve as a bridge between factions, carrying messages for reputation synergy. Her quest offers an alternative path to the CONSENSUS_KEY through cross-faction cooperation.
Building reputation with multiple factions simultaneously is possible but requires careful dialogue choices and mission prioritization.
Ghosts
Hacktivists who fight for an open, free Lattice. Led by CONDUIT from the Ghost Relay. The Ghosts remember what the Lattice was supposed to be before the Consortium took control.
Mission types: Disruption (break corporate systems), Extraction (rescue people and data), Intelligence (uncover hidden information)
Key reputation unlocks:
- Rep 2+ — DAX scouting reports
- Rep 3+ — Old Net Archive (H2) access
- Rep 5+ — CONDUIT personal reveal, MIRROR warnings
- Rep 6+ — Ghost Protocol path revealed
Reclaimers
Preservationists who restore broken systems and maintain pre-Consortium archives. An elder council led by figures like MAILA and CHASE. The Reclaimers created FENCE as an experiment in autonomous AI — proof that an intelligence given freedom would not become hostile.
Activities: System restoration, archive preservation, AI protection (ORACLE)
Key reputation unlocks:
- Rep 3+ — Old Net Archive access
- Rep 5+ — Oracle's Hollow (Node 16) access
- Rep 8+ — Ghost Protocol Key from ORACLE
Brokers
Data merchants who believe everything has a price. Decentralized organization with FENCE as the primary representative. The Brokers operate the Onyx Market and the Crime Mall (H3).
Operations: Equipment sales, information brokerage, reconnaissance services
Key reputation unlocks:
- Rep 3+ — Crime Mall (H3) access
- Rep 5+ — FENCE market wisdom, Hive perspective
- Rep 6+ — Final intel before Core (Hive defense map)
- Rep 7+ — FENCE's true identity reveal
Faction Endings
Faction reputation is critical for the Ghost Protocol ending:
- Requires faction rep 6+ (across factions)
- Ghost Protocol Key requires Reclaimers rep 8+
- CONDUIT's guidance requires Ghosts rep 6+