PlanetSide 2/Factions

There are three (technically four) factions that are currently vying for power. The first faction is a neutral faction, which apparently produces the shared vehicles in the game as well as some of the various cargo containers and other items found on the various maps. It is simply known as "Nanite Systems" and is never playable, serving only as the world.

Terran Republic
Gameplay Information: The loyalists of this conflict, the Terran Republic favour large magazines with high rates of fire - the more bullets you can put on target, the better. Slower reload times are less of an issue when you can put down large numbers of bullets en-masse.

The Terran Republic employs the Prowler, a remarkably fast main battle tank with two barrels, emphasizing the Terran Republic's philosophy of superior numbers, as well as speed. The Republic's Mosquito single-seat fighter is also the fastest in the game.

Backstory: The Earth was changed drastically when a large wormhole appeared on the edges of the Solar System. Probes revealed that an unknown entity on the other side of the rift was scanning them as well. Fearing an extrasolar threat, the nations of Earth united under the banner of the Terran Republic. Featuring a senate consisting of all of the Earth's former world leaders and a President elected to 4-year terms, this new government was to be voted out of or back into continuing power every ten years.

This continued unabated until humanity decided to explore the wormhole, which is now known to appear every hundred years. When the lead ship of humanity's exploration fleet entered the wormhole, however, it collapsed, trapping them on the other side. The stresses of being trapped far from home brought fear again to the people, who voted away their freedoms in exchange for security. When this ship colonized what is now known as Auraxis, the now dictatorial Terran Republic seeks to unite all the warring factions and find a way home.

New Conglomerate
Gameplay Information: The separatists of this conflict, the New Conglomerate favours massive, deliberate strength above all else. Although reload times are slightly better, the New Conglomerate seems to have a problem with accuracy. When shots do hit, however, they hit hard.

The New Conglomerate's Vanguard is a conventional-looking main battle tank that has a powerful single-shot cannon. What it lacks in speed and agility, it makes up for in a single, powerful attack. The Reaver, a boxy single-seat fighter, is the sturdiest of all the fighters, allowing it to get right in the enemy's face.

Backstory: The Terran Republic on Earth ruled with a strong but fair fist, but overtime it became increasingly stringent on the private sector's business practices. Done ostensibly to protect the people, the New Conglomerate was formed out of an alliance of CEOs from various corporations throughout the solar system, backed by major banks, private security firms, and powerful labour unions.

Humanity decided to explore the wormhole with a massive fleet, only to have the wormhole suck in the first wave and close immediately afterwards. Although the President of the Terran Republic met with the New Conglomerate to discuss their next steps, an explosion destroyed the vessel they were on and threw the fleet into chaos. Although the Terran Republic continued to provide security and prosperity at the expense of freedom, it was never enough for the New Conglomerate. The ideals of free enterprise and open markets espoused by the former executives of Earth and their hired guns and workers changed over generations into a general desire for freedom from the iron rule of the Terran Republic. Riots became skirmishes, which in turn became all-out war.

Vanu Sovereignty
Gameplay Information: A group of scientists whose obsession with alien technology borders on religious fanaticism, the Vanu Sovereignty favours directed energy weapons that have remarkably fast reload times. Although they do not have the strength or the numbers of the New Conglomerate or the Terran Republic, the Vanu Sovereignty favours flexibility and versatility.

This is demonstrated most effectively by their main battle tank, known as the Magrider. Although it does not have a proper turret (and thus must face the direction it shoots in), its hover drive not only allows it to not get stuck on world geometry, but also allows it to strafe back and forth to dodge rockets. The Vanu Sovereignty's Scythe fighter allows for impressive turns, being remarkably manoeuvrable in the sky.

Backstory: The Vanu Sovereignty's beginnings can be found by a man named Henry Briggs, who has Asperger's. Just prior to the wormhole's appearance, he journeyed alongside future Terran Republic President Thomas Connery to the outer reaches of the solar system, where they found an alien artifact. When Briggs touched the artifact, he was given visions of his past, his future, and feelings of empathy. When he snapped back to reality, he had only one word to explain it: "Vanu". He began to believe that the Vanu would be the ones to elevate humanity to a golden age, and not the team who discovered the artifact.

Humanity would later attempt to traverse the wormhole, only with dangerous results. Separated from the rest of the fleet on the far side of the wormhole, Briggs and his followers would land on Auraxis and discover a new set of alien artifacts. This time, he heard the voice of Vanu speaking directly to him. Though what Briggs heard remains a mystery, it nonetheless caused a full-scale movement to form behind him and his research. He would later mysteriously commit suicide, leaving his followers to fend for themselves against the warring New Conglomerate and the Terran Empire. With no other options to consider, the group declared themselves separate and went to war against the other two factions.