Brighter Shores, a captivating MMORPG with a promise of thousands of hours of immersive gameplay, asks players to make a significant, permanent choice early on: selecting their faction. This decision, made around three hours into the game, determines your character’s class, aesthetic, crafting focus, and elemental alignment. Here, we'll break down each faction's core strengths, weaknesses, and styles to help you confidently make the choice that suits your playstyle best.
Factions Overview: Attributes, Aesthetic, and Artisanal Specialties
Each faction in Brighter Shores—Cryon Knights, Guardians, and Hammer Mages—comes with distinct characteristics in three major areas:
1.Attributes - Determine elemental resistances and vulnerabilities.
2.Aesthetic - Reflects each faction's visual design and thematic elements.
3.Artisanal Specialties - Defines each faction’s crafting focus, impacting what resources you gather and how you develop gear.
Despite these differences, no faction holds an absolute advantage. Each faction is designed with a unique balance between strengths and weaknesses, ensuring all classes have equal access to various elemental attacks and defenses.
Cryon Knights: Metal-Clad Warriors with a Paranoid Edge
Primary Attributes:
Cryon Knights are known for their durability and physical prowess, with a slight vulnerability to electrical attacks. Their armor and weapons, often made from metal, are especially conductive, making them susceptible to the Tempeste (storm) magic wielded by Hammer Mages.
Aesthetic:
With heavy plate and chain mail armor, Cryon Knights evoke classic medieval knights. They carry a formidable arsenal of traditional melee weapons such as longswords, greatswords, maces, and even axes and throwing knives. This faction is perfect for players who love a classic, metallic, battle-worn look.
Artisanal Specialties:
Mining and blacksmithing are the primary crafting professions associated with Cryon Knights. These warriors are adept at collecting metals and forging powerful weapons and armor. If you’re interested in creating your gear and have a knack for gathering resources, Cryon Knights are an excellent choice.
Playstyle:
Cryon Knights are for players who value a well-rounded combat approach, combining offense and defense. They may have a tougher time against the elemental attacks of Hammer Mages, but their high physical resilience makes them strong contenders on the battlefield.
Guardians: Nature’s Defenders with Unique Elemental Skills
Primary Attributes:
Guardians wield ancient magic granted by the dryads, making them a nature-focused class with a softer resistance to physical attacks. Their elemental association with the earth and nature gives them strength in natural environments but makes them more susceptible to attacks from the Cryon Knights.
Aesthetic:
With a nature-based aesthetic, Guardians’ armor is crafted from leather, bone, and other organic materials. They favor unconventional weapons like batons, quarterstaffs, and polearms, as well as ranged options like bows, crossbows, and javelins. Guardians appeal to players who prefer an off-the-beaten-path style, embracing a more rustic and natural look.
Artisanal Specialties:
Harvesting and bone-crafting are core to Guardians’ crafting abilities. Players who enjoy exploring forests and gathering natural resources will thrive in this faction. Guardians’ crafting focuses on finding bones, cutting down trees, and using these materials to create equipment that’s as unique as it is effective.
Playstyle:
Guardians have a somewhat “off-meta” playstyle, appealing to players who enjoy crafting their own path and leaning into elemental, nature-based combat. With a focus on ranged and polearm-based combat, they shine in hit-and-run tactics, though their lack of heavy armor makes them more vulnerable in prolonged battles.
Hammer Mages: Tempest-Fueled Powerhouses of Stone and Lightning
Primary Attributes:
Hammer Mages, wielding the tempest magic of storms, are the most popular class in Brighter Shores for their sheer power and aesthetic appeal. They have a weakness to ice-based attacks, particularly those from Cryon Knights, though no specific explanation has been offered other than thematic balance.
Aesthetic:
Hammer Mages embody the raw power of stone and storm. They wear armor crafted from rock, giving them a rugged, grounded look. Their choice of weapons leans heavily into crushing power, with a preference for maces, warhammers, and great hammers. They can also engage from a distance with thrown boulders and, at times, literal rocks, making them an intimidating force on the battlefield.
Artisanal Specialties:
As natural miners, Hammer Mages focus on stone masonry. This profession enables them to create powerful, stone-based weapons that are as heavy as they are devastating. If you like the idea of crushing enemies under the weight of mighty, self-made weapons, the Hammer Mage faction will be your best fit.
Playstyle:
The Hammer Mage’s playstyle centers around overwhelming enemies with heavy, earth-shattering attacks. Though weak against Cryon Knights, Hammer Mages excel in environments where they can control the pace, using their storm-infused abilities to keep foes at bay.
Making Your Choice: Finding the Best Faction for You
Each faction offers a balanced mix of strengths, weaknesses, and unique combat styles, but your choice will ultimately depend on which aspects of gameplay you value most. Here’s a quick summary to help make your decision easier:
Cryon Knights: If you favor traditional, well-rounded melee combat and value the ability to craft strong, metal-based armor and weapons, this faction is an excellent pick.
Guardians: Choose Guardians if you’re drawn to nature-based aesthetics, ranged or polearm weapons, and the idea of crafting organic equipment from harvested resources.
Hammer Mages: For players who enjoy a raw, powerful playstyle with a stormy aesthetic, Hammer Mages offers a compelling mix of close-range dominance and elemental power.
Looking Ahead: Future Updates and Special Attacks
Brighter Shores promises that each faction’s unique weaponry will eventually include special attacks, further differentiating classes with signature moves that reflect their themes. While it’s still uncertain how these skills will impact gameplay, we expect them to enhance each faction’s identity without disrupting the balance among them. When these updates arrive, they’ll provide even more depth to the faction choices, making each class’s abilities feel distinct and engaging.
Conclusion
Choosing your faction in Brighter Shores is a pivotal decision that shapes your journey, playstyle, and crafting focus. With no absolute “best” class, the game emphasizes personal preference and encourages you to experiment with your chosen faction’s strengths. So go ahead, buy Brighter Shores gold from MMOexp.com to build your best class, pick the faction that resonates with you most, and step confidently into the world of Brighter Shores!
MMOexp Brighter Shores Team