may not restrict the number of factions players are able to join, but in the end, it forces them to make a definitive choice between the Crimson Fleet and United Colonies. The UC are basically space cops, and the Fleet are more akin to space robbers. More accurately, the Crimson Fleet is a loosely organized coalition of pirates, while the militarized UC regulates interstellar trade, punishing smuggling and theft severely. Each faction comes with its own reward, but one is clearly the better the option.
It's technically possible to join all the factions in , but eventually, their questlines may run up against each other. Nowhere in the game is that more readily apparent than in the conflict between UC and the Crimson Fleet. It's actually required to join both of these factions to progress in either of their quests, but during the Crimson Fleet mission «Legacy's End,» the player character is finally made to pick a side. Their stories intersect in many places, and by the time that quest begins, the objectives for either side are more or less exactly the same. They only differ in their rewards and their impact on the wider galaxy, so that's what the final decision should be based on.
In the interest of money, loot, and a well-equipped spaceship, it's better to side with the Crimson Fleet over UC SysDef in . No matter who they side with, the player character will be rewarded with 250,000 credits, 350 XP, and the unique weapon of whichever faction leader they had to fight at the end of the Crimson Fleet/SysDef quest line. Since the quests are largely the same, the only major thing this affects is which faction epilogue plays out during 's ending.
However, each of those questlines also has a unique reward, and the Crimson
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