Conquerors of Wraeclast introduces three playable factions to Path of Exile 2: Karui, Ezomyte, and Maraketh. Your faction determines the style of your endgame stronghold and gives access to its own troops, buildings, and military development. As your fortress grows, you can recruit larger armies, unlock commanders for Atlas expeditions, and eventually join a shared war for more than 100 castles. Captured territory provides Item Rarity benefits, access to Hunting Grounds, and additional Atlas starting locations. The league launches with PoE 2 version 1.0 on December 11, 2026 (PST). As of November 13, GGG has confirmed the three factions and their different military options, but has not released complete troop statistics, building costs, faction bonuses, or final faction-switching rules. This guide covers how to choose a faction, develop a useful stronghold, prepare an army, and progress toward castle sieges without relying on invented faction rankings.
Short answer: Choose Karui, Ezomyte, or Maraketh when establishing your endgame stronghold with Varek. All three offer faction-specific troops and more than 20 buildings and upgrades; prioritize recruitment and army support before expanding into commanders, sieges, and the shared Atlas war. No faction has a verified overall advantage before the December 11 release.
Which Conquerors of Wraeclast Faction Should You Choose?
The first important decision is whether you want a particular faction's troops, stronghold appearance, or position in the shared territorial war. GGG has confirmed that Karui, Ezomyte, and Maraketh each have distinct fortress designs and unique military units. However, the presentation did not establish a complete numerical comparison of their armies, so choosing a faction based on an alleged best damage bonus or fastest resource income would be premature.
For players planning to participate in the global faction war, the people playing alongside them may matter as much as the differences between unit rosters. Shared castle ownership benefits the controlling faction, making faction membership relevant beyond your personal army. GGG's official PoE 2 full-release overview confirms the faction system and the connection between stronghold development, troops, and territorial conquest.
| Faction | Stronghold style | Confirmed military difference | What to consider |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karui | Karui fortification | Unique faction-specific troops | Examine its actual recruitment options and troop abilities before committing. |
| Ezomyte | Ezomyte castle | Unique faction-specific troops | Compare the available units and building upgrades with your intended army. |
| Maraketh | Maraketh redoubt | Unique faction-specific troops | Review its military roster and the territory held by players in your faction. |
The stronghold names describe the architectural forms shown during ExileCon. They do not establish mechanical advantages such as extra armour for Karui, stronger archers for Maraketh, or better resource production for Ezomytes. Those comparisons require the actual 1.0 troop tooltips and building descriptions. All three factions participate in the same broad stronghold, commander, and conquest systems.
Karui Faction and Fortification
Karui players develop a stronghold using the faction's distinctive fortification style. Their army includes troops specific to the Karui faction, while the general stronghold system provides access to recruitment and military upgrades. The announced mechanics do not establish that Karui soldiers automatically have superior health, physical damage, or melee performance compared with the other factions.
If you prefer the Karui identity, there is no confirmed gameplay penalty for choosing it. The important question at release will be which troops are available from its buildings and how those units handle the encounters you intend to farm. Look for practical strengths against ranged formations, fortified positions, and dangerous enemy leaders rather than assuming that a faction's visual theme determines its strongest combat role.
Ezomyte Faction and Castle
The Ezomyte faction uses a castle-style stronghold and recruits its own unique troops. Like the other choices, it has access to a development system containing more than 20 buildings and upgrades. The revealed information confirms the architectural and military distinction, but not a separate guaranteed economic benefit or superior defensive rating.
Choosing Ezomyte makes sense if you prefer its available military options after inspecting them in the released game. Pay attention to whether its recruitment buildings produce units that cover weaknesses in your existing force. A useful formation should be able to survive incoming damage, reach priority enemies, and support castle assaults; having a visually impressive stronghold does not automatically solve those battlefield problems.
Maraketh Faction and Redoubt
Maraketh players receive a redoubt-style stronghold and access to faction-specific soldiers. The faction also features prominently in the league's larger storyline, where certain hostile forces are connected to the Sanguar bloodline and the Blood Lord's Promise. That narrative connection does not mean that joining Maraketh automatically aligns your character with the enemy leaders or changes the documented endgame objectives.
The temptation is to assume that Maraketh must be the best ranged faction because of its broader place in Wraeclast's lore. GGG has not published a complete comparative troop roster supporting that conclusion. Evaluate the actual recruitable units, their availability, and their battlefield performance before deciding that the faction is stronger for archers, siege engines, or automated Atlas missions.
Best Faction for Solo Players, Groups, and Endgame Farming
The strongest faction will depend on what you intend to do with its army. A solo player who wants reliable commander expeditions may value consistent troop production more than temporary control of a heavily contested castle. A coordinated group participating in territory capture may instead prioritize its shared faction membership and access to useful Hunting Grounds. These are different objectives, so a single universal faction tier list would hide the trade-offs that actually matter.
| Player goal | What to check before choosing | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Solo stronghold progression | Available early recruits, gold costs, and buildings that support regular army replenishment | Maintains a usable army without depending on other players. |
| Commander-focused mapping | Troop production, commander access, and the cost of sending forces with Waystones | Supports repeatable expeditions without exhausting your reserve. |
| Castle siege progression | Troop matchups, access to suitable siege units, and resource requirements | Determines how effectively your army can handle fortified objectives. |
| Group or guild play | Which faction your regular teammates plan to join | Allows players to work toward the same faction-controlled territory. |
| Hunting Grounds farming | Accessible castles, their current faction ownership, and useful map modifiers | Connects territory control with available endgame farming routes. |
Do not choose the most populated faction solely because it currently controls the most territory. The keynote and subsequent developer discussion describe systems intended to make expansion harder as a faction grows, preventing the strongest faction from taking every castle without resistance. The final balance is not yet known, but the system is explicitly designed to give smaller factions opportunities to compete.
Choosing a Faction for Solo Progression
For solo players, consistency should be the priority. You need enough troops to complete your own military objectives and eventually maintain commander expeditions while continuing normal mapping. A faction that looks appealing because of one powerful specialist may still require expensive buildings or difficult recruitment prerequisites before that unit becomes available.
At launch, inspect the first available recruitment buildings, the cost of their soldiers, and the resource demands of upcoming missions. Select the faction whose early army is easiest for your character to support. If the unit rosters are still unfamiliar, do not spend all your initial gold upgrading one narrow troop type before understanding the enemies you need to defeat.
Choosing a Faction with Friends
Groups intending to participate in the shared castle war should coordinate their faction choice. Capturing a castle grants benefits to the controlling faction, so players aligned with different factions will not automatically share those advantages. Choosing the same side also makes it easier to discuss which contested territory and Hunting Grounds the group wants to prioritize.
This does not establish that every faction member must be physically present in the same party or that group members can combine their personal stronghold inventories. GGG has confirmed faction-wide territorial benefits, not a shared guild storage system or unrestricted troop transfers. Treat personal army management and collective map control as separate mechanics until the final multiplayer rules are available.
How to Unlock Your Stronghold in Conquerors of Wraeclast
Your army begins forming during the campaign, but the personal stronghold belongs to the endgame. Early league missions introduce Varek, recruitment, gold, supplies, troop deployment, and smaller military battles. After progressing into the Atlas and the league's endgame storyline, Varek helps establish the stronghold where you choose your faction and begin developing the military infrastructure.
The official GGG ExileCon 2026 announcement separates campaign army recruitment from endgame fortress construction. The campaign provides more than 70 league-related points of interest and over 20 battles, while the stronghold expands those mechanics into persistent troop recruitment and commander management. Do not expect to build a fully developed fortress during the opening Acts.
What to Complete Before the Stronghold
Continue the normal campaign while completing the league encounters introduced through Varek. Recruiting troops and obtaining supplies will help with military battles, but character combat remains relevant because you fight alongside the army. Your build needs enough damage and survivability to deal with dangerous enemy units rather than relying on soldiers to resolve every encounter automatically.
After entering the endgame, follow the new Conquerors objectives toward the stronghold. The exact final quest names and required Atlas locations have not yet been published. If your character cannot comfortably reach the endgame, first address campaign progression and equipment problems; the existing PoE 2 campaign progression options concern supported story objectives, not a guaranteed shortcut through the unreleased faction questline.
When Do You Select Your Faction?
The faction choice is tied to establishing the stronghold with Varek, not to your character's starting class or Ascendancy. A Witch, Warrior, Ranger, or another playable class is not assigned a particular faction automatically. Your combat build and military allegiance are separate decisions, although your own ability to deal with difficult encounters still affects progression through the league.
GGG has discussed a cost for changing factions, but its final form has not been settled publicly. Do not assume that allegiance can be changed without a penalty or that a specific eight-hour cooldown is official. Before confirming a faction at launch, inspect the in-game selection screen and coordinate with any players whose faction benefits you intend to share.
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Conquerors Stronghold Buildings and Upgrades
Each faction offers more than 20 buildings and upgrades that develop the stronghold from a small settlement into a fortress. These are not merely cosmetic additions. The buildings influence which troops can be recruited and how the army is maintained, tying construction choices directly to military progression. GGG has demonstrated several named building types but has not released the complete final construction tree or upgrade costs.
The clearest examples are the tavern, which attracts mercenaries, and the archery range, which supports recruiting archers. Barracks and housing for cultists were also shown as part of the stronghold system. Not every displayed building was accompanied by a detailed list of troop statistics, construction materials, or upgrade tiers, so the table below focuses on the roles established in the announcement rather than fabricated costs.
| Building | Announced role | When it may be useful |
|---|---|---|
| Barracks | Military infrastructure associated with recruiting and supporting soldiers | When expanding the army's regular fighting force. |
| Tavern | Attracts mercenaries for recruitment | When your current army needs additional mercenary options. |
| Archery Range | Supports recruiting archers | When ranged units are missing from your available formation. |
| Cultist Housing | Provides a building associated with cultist recruitment | When those specialized units are available to your stronghold. |
| Other faction buildings and upgrades | Develop the stronghold and expand its military capabilities | According to their actual troop unlocks, prerequisites, and resource costs. |
More than 20 buildings and upgrades does not necessarily mean 20 entirely different structures that can all be built immediately. The announced total includes upgrades, and each faction has its own version of the stronghold. Do not plan a fixed 20-building construction checklist or assume every building has the same cost in Karui, Ezomyte, and Maraketh bases.
Which Buildings Should You Prioritize First?
The first construction goal should be a functional army rather than a visually complete fortress. Identify the troops your current missions require, then build the facilities that make those units available. A tavern may be useful when additional mercenaries would strengthen your formation, while an archery range is more relevant when you need ranged troops. Neither building is automatically the best first upgrade for every faction.
Once the army can complete its current encounters reliably, consider upgrades that support replenishment and future commander expeditions. The developers have described strongholds producing additional soldiers over time, which is important for maintaining the forces assigned to commanders. However, they have not published a universal production rate or a verified optimal order for all factions.
How Much Gold Do Stronghold Upgrades Cost?
Recruitment uses gold, and military missions consume supplies. Stronghold development also connects to the army's resource economy, but the preview does not provide a complete, final list of building construction prices, maintenance costs, or upgrade durations. Publishing specific numbers now would turn a pre-release demonstration into an unreliable shopping list.
The practical approach is to preserve enough resources for the next military objective before committing heavily to construction. If building an upgrade leaves you unable to field the army needed for a siege, the new facility may not help immediately. Once the game launches, compare each upgrade's troop or commander benefits against its actual cost rather than ranking buildings by their appearance or position on the menu.
How Troop Production Supports Your Stronghold
In a post-keynote developer interview, GGG explained that the stronghold is intended to produce troops over time, helping players maintain forces for commander expeditions. This connects base development with ordinary Atlas farming: troops are not only for battles you personally enter, but also become resources used by independent commanders.
The timing, output limits, faction-specific production differences, and interaction with logging out remain to be verified. Do not assume that leaving the game overnight produces a fixed number of soldiers or that the largest fortress automatically maintains three commanders without resource costs. GGG's ExileCon keynote presentation demonstrates the relationship between army management, stronghold development, and the commander system.
Recommended Stronghold Progression Order
Although the complete upgrade tree is not yet available, the announced systems establish a sensible order of priorities. First secure the troops needed for your military encounters, then improve recruitment and production, and finally expand the systems that allow the army to contribute to Atlas progression. This is a planning framework, not a claim that the game enforces a particular building order.
| Phase | Main objective | Readiness check |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Establish the base | Select a faction and access its starting recruitment functions. | The army can field useful troops for the next mission. |
| 2. Expand recruitment | Construct buildings that unlock missing troop roles. | The available formation handles its main enemy threats. |
| 3. Stabilize resources | Maintain gold, supplies, and a reserve of soldiers. | One battle does not exhaust the entire army economy. |
| 4. Unlock commanders | Advance the storyline and develop the required stronghold functions. | A commander can be supplied with troops and Waystones. |
| 5. Prepare larger sieges | Recruit suitable specialists and siege forces. | The army can handle fortified objectives consistently. |
| 6. Join faction conquest | Complete the required endgame storyline and pursue shared castles. | Territory rewards and Hunting Grounds become accessible. |
A common planning mistake is to develop every available function equally. That may look balanced, but an army with insufficient gold or the wrong troops can still fail important encounters. Focus on the weakest link in your current progression: recruitment, supplies, troop composition, character strength, or siege access. Change priorities when the next objective changes rather than following an unverified universal build order.
How Faction Troops and Army Development Work
Every faction has unique military units, but all players must account for troop roles and battlefield matchups. The campaign introduces the basic recruitment system through Varek, while the endgame stronghold expands the selection and supports a larger army. New units and stronger formations become increasingly relevant when regular field battles give way to fortified sieges.
The ExileCon demonstration showed shield-bearing mercenaries performing well against archers and described specialized fighters with advantages against certain enemy types. Positioning matters because troops do not automatically find their ideal opponents at the beginning of every encounter. The player must inspect the opposing formation and deploy soldiers where their abilities are useful.
Building a Balanced Army
A practical army needs a way to survive the initial engagement, deal with ranged pressure, and attack dangerous priority targets. Shield-bearing troops can protect more vulnerable units against arrows, while other soldiers may be better suited to breaking enemy formations or fighting specialized opponents. The player's character remains part of the battle, so its own damage and survivability are important alongside the troops.
Do not assume that filling every possible deployment position with the same unit is efficient. If an enemy formation contains heavy ranged pressure, the army needs protection against those attacks. If the mission requires breaching a gate, additional ordinary infantry may not replace the necessary siege equipment. A useful composition depends on the actual encounter, not just the faction's strongest-looking soldier.
Managing Gold, Supplies, and Army Reserves
Gold pays for mercenary recruitment, while supplies are used to support military missions. Supply caches appear as part of league progression, and successful battles provide additional opportunities to develop the army. These mechanics encourage players to think about the cost of the next battle before spending every available resource on additional recruits.
Keep enough gold and supplies available for the next objective, especially when preparing a larger assault. If the current formation already defeats ordinary enemies reliably, buying more troops may be less important than obtaining a specialist capable of solving a specific tactical problem. For players also developing their character's equipment, ordinary PoE 2 farming and map progression remains separate from the unreleased league's troop economy and does not guarantee any particular Conquerors resource yield.
Can You Recruit War Elephants and Chimeras?
GGG demonstrated war elephants and two-headed Chimeras during the larger siege battles. The subsequent developer interview also discussed recruiting certain neutral monsters encountered while exploring the Atlas, including these powerful creatures. This suggests that some special troops may come from endgame encounters rather than only from constructing a particular faction building.
The exact recruitment conditions, maximum numbers, resource requirements, and faction eligibility for these creatures have not been established. Do not assume that all three factions receive them immediately, that they are permanent starting units, or that a specific stronghold upgrade guarantees access. Treat them as demonstrated late-game military options whose acquisition rules must be verified after launch.
How Castle Sieges Work in Conquerors of Wraeclast
Sieges expand the army system beyond ordinary field battles. Players assault fortified positions, deploy soldiers against enemy formations, and use heavy military equipment to breach defenses. GGG demonstrated catapults being positioned to attack castle gates, as well as powerful creatures joining the attack. A siege is therefore more than a larger group of enemies: the fortress itself becomes part of the objective.
The player is still directly involved in combat. Soldiers hold positions and engage enemy forces, but dangerous leaders and priority targets may require intervention from the character. That creates a practical division of work between the army and the build: troops manage parts of the battlefield while the character handles threats that would otherwise stall the assault.
Preparing for Your First Major Siege
Before entering a siege, inspect the enemy defenses and determine what your current army cannot handle. A fortified gate may require siege equipment, while defensive archers can threaten ordinary troops approaching the walls. The most reliable preparation is to fill those gaps before starting the encounter, not simply to recruit more of whichever soldier type you already own.
Character preparation matters as well. The full release includes major changes to classes, Support Gems, and the Passive Skill Tree, so a build that performed well in Early Access may require adjustments before difficult 1.0 encounters. Reviewing character build preparation and equipment addresses ordinary combat readiness; it does not establish a best faction or unlock siege troops automatically.
Catapult Placement and Breaking Castle Gates
Catapults are one of the clearest siege mechanics shown at ExileCon. The demonstration placed siege equipment opposite a fortified gate so it could attack the obstacle blocking the army's advance. Positioning matters because a siege engine cannot fulfill its role if it is assigned to an ineffective location or left vulnerable to nearby defenders.
Before deploying, identify the gate or defensive structure that must be breached and consider where enemy ranged units are positioned. Protect the siege equipment with appropriate troops and keep the character available to remove enemies threatening the attack. The exact catapult range, durability, ammunition requirements, and placement limits have not been released, so avoid treating a specific formation screenshot as a guaranteed solution for every castle.
Frontline Troops, Specialists, and Player Combat
The opening phase of a siege is often about keeping the army intact long enough to break through its primary obstacle. Shield-bearing troops can be valuable when defenders rely on arrows, while specialized soldiers and stronger recruits may help pressure difficult enemy units. As the battle develops, the character can attack exposed leaders or other threats that friendly troops struggle to defeat.
Do not abandon the formation immediately after the first defensive line collapses. A large group of troops can still be vulnerable when exposed to a strong enemy unit or positioned badly around a narrow entrance. Use the encounter's visible threats to decide whether to reinforce a position, redirect a specialist, or attack the priority enemy yourself.
What Do You Get from Successful Sieges?
Conquerors military victories can provide access to castle treasuries containing gold, useful items, and new crafting materials. GGG demonstrated Crimson Iron as part of the Reforging system, allowing unwanted equipment modifiers to be replaced with fractured results. The crafting reward gives siege victories value beyond simply expanding the army.
There is no verified universal treasure value or fixed Crimson Iron drop rate for each castle. A difficult siege may award valuable materials, but the actual efficiency will depend on completion time, army costs, and the rewards available at that stage of progression. The official ExileCon announcement confirms the December 11 release and the new castle-siege league; detailed treasury farming comparisons will require the released reward tables.
The Blood Lord's Promise and Unlocking Faction Warfare
Conquerors of Wraeclast includes an endgame storyline called The Blood Lord's Promise, involving the ancient Sanguar bloodline and a threat associated with an ancient vampire lord. Players progress through military objectives and eventually assault the Sanguar stronghold. The storyline also acts as a progression gate for the larger shared war between player factions.
In a developer interview following ExileCon, GGG described the storyline as involving three major faction castles. The first commander becomes available after the first of those castles, while the remaining commander access and global faction war come later, following the league's pinnacle progression. These are developer statements about the planned structure, but the complete quest sequence and final unlock conditions have not yet been tested in version 1.0.
Story Castles vs. Shared Atlas Castles
The distinction between story castles and globally contested territory is important. A story castle belongs to the league's narrative progression, helping advance the player toward stronger army systems and the final confrontation. A shared Atlas castle belongs to the global faction-control system and provides benefits to all eligible members of the faction that currently holds it.
Clearing one early story castle should not be treated as automatic access to the entire global conquest map. Likewise, a castle appearing on the shared Atlas is not necessarily a quest objective inside the Sanguar storyline. Follow the active quest and the relevant interface rather than assuming every fortress uses the same unlock rules.
Global Faction War: Capturing More Than 100 Atlas Castles
After completing the required endgame storyline, players can join other members of their faction in a shared struggle for more than 100 castles across the Atlas. Those castles can change faction ownership, and controlling them provides benefits beyond ordinary military victories. The objective is to capture useful territory, hold access to its rewards, and extend the faction's reach across the map.
This is not the same as a personal stronghold. Your own base is where you develop troops and commanders, whereas global castles are contested objectives that affect other players belonging to the same faction. The official Conquerors of Wraeclast trailer shows the scale of the conflict, while the developer presentation explains its connection to the shared Atlas and faction benefits.
Item Rarity Bonuses for the Capturing Player and Faction
GGG has described Item Rarity bonuses associated with captured castles. The player responsible for a successful capture receives a more substantial benefit, while other players in the controlling faction receive a smaller bonus. This creates a reason to participate in castle attacks directly, even though faction members can also benefit from territory captured by others.
The exact rarity percentages, stacking rules, conditions for retaining the bonus, and timing of ownership changes have not been published as final figures. Do not assume that holding multiple castles guarantees a particular Magic Find value, or that changing factions allows immediate access to every bonus. Those calculations need the released interface and actual faction-control rules.
Hunting Grounds and Faction-Controlled Maps
Captured castles unlock access to special maps called Hunting Grounds. These maps have rewarding modifiers and are associated with the faction controlling the surrounding territory. That makes castle ownership relevant to players who care about item farming, even if they do not want to focus exclusively on large siege battles.
The exact Hunting Grounds modifiers, drop rates, map layouts, and profitability have not yet been published. More rewarding modifiers may also come with additional danger, so evaluate the actual map conditions before treating them as automatic upgrades over standard mapping. Faction control determines access, while your character must still be capable of completing the content.
Using Captured Castles to Explore the Atlas
GGG has also confirmed that castles controlled by your faction can serve as starting points for Atlas exploration. This gives territory strategic value beyond Item Rarity and Hunting Grounds. A castle in a useful position can provide another place from which to expand into connected map areas.
When planning endgame routes, look at the territory your faction already controls before deciding where to explore next. A nearby castle may offer a more convenient starting position than moving outward from the original Atlas area. However, the exact impact on Waystone use, map visibility, and routing is not yet established, so avoid calculating guaranteed time savings from pre-release screenshots.
Can One Faction Dominate the Entire Atlas?
GGG has discussed balancing mechanics intended to prevent the largest faction from expanding without resistance. During the showcase, the developers explained that taking additional castles becomes harder as a faction gains more territory. A later interview also described neighboring rival castles gradually weakening each other's defenders, making border positions relevant when deciding where to attack.
These rules suggest that players should consider more than the total castle count. A smaller faction with useful border positions may still have opportunities to capture valuable territory. The final difficulty scaling, defender-strength calculations, and effects of changing server populations remain unavailable, so it is too early to declare that joining the current largest faction is always the best farming strategy.
Are Castle Sieges PvP?
Faction conquest involves competition between groups of players over ownership of shared territory. That does not automatically mean the game requires direct character-versus-character battles inside each castle. The announcement shows military sieges and a shared ownership system, but does not publish a complete set of direct PvP combat rules for the territorial mode.
Do not prepare a conventional PvP build solely because the factions compete for the same castle. Until GGG confirms direct player combat, castle-defense mechanics, and capture conditions, the reliable preparation remains a functional character build and an army suited to the military encounters actually shown.
How Strongholds Unlock Atlas Commanders
Commanders allow players to send military forces into Atlas maps without personally running every expedition. Assign troops and Waystones to a commander, choose the destination, and let the expedition progress in real time. The troops can complete maps and collect rewards while the player continues with other content, connecting stronghold development to ordinary endgame farming.
GGG has demonstrated up to three independent commanders. The showcase included High Adjudicator Atella as a commander, and later development discussion connected additional commander access to progression through the league's major castles and pinnacle encounter. This makes commander unlocks an important long-term reason to build a stronger army rather than spending every resource on individual sieges.
Recruiting Your First Commander
According to the post-keynote developer interview, the first commander becomes available after clearing the first major storyline castle. This is a useful progression target for players focused on Atlas automation. Reaching that point should be more valuable than attempting to finish every optional stronghold improvement before the first commander's functionality is available.
The complete quest requirement and exact recruitment interaction remain unreleased. Once a commander is available, assign an appropriate reserve of troops and a suitable Waystone rather than sending the entire army on a mission without considering your next siege. A commander expedition does not replace ordinary Atlas preparation or the need for sufficient supplies to continue other military objectives.
Expanding to Three Commanders
As the stronghold and storyline progress, players can unlock up to three commanders operating independently. The developer interview places the additional commander unlocks after the league's pinnacle progression, making them later endgame goals rather than basic starting features. Each commander can be assigned separate troops and Atlas objectives.
More commanders increase the number of potential simultaneous expeditions, but they also create demand for troops and Waystones. A stronghold that cannot replenish its army may struggle to keep all three productive. Prioritize reliable recruitment and reserve management before treating the maximum commander count as an automatic increase in farming efficiency.
Maps, Towers, and Tablet-Based Rewards
Commanders can clear ordinary Atlas maps, complete Towers, and pursue particular rewards using Tablets. The demonstrated system allows maps to be queued, and harder or more distant expeditions can take longer to finish. The commander also takes a share of the gold earned, making automated mapping a resource investment rather than a completely free source of additional loot.
When comparing commander assignments, consider which maps your own character can clear efficiently and which are worth delegating. It may be sensible to keep your character focused on difficult encounters or profitable activities while commanders handle other suitable objectives. The existing PoE 2 Atlas Passive Tree guide covers the earlier Atlas progression system; its interactions with Conquerors commanders must be rechecked after the 1.0 update.
Can You Change Factions After Choosing Karui, Ezomyte, or Maraketh?
The ability to change factions has been discussed by GGG, but the final restrictions have not been announced. In the post-keynote interview, the developers indicated that changing sides would have a cost, while acknowledging that the specific rule was still being worked out. That means it would be inaccurate to promise free switching, a permanent irreversible lock, or a particular cooldown at this stage.
For now, make the first choice as though it matters. Compare the troops actually offered, consider which faction your regular teammates are joining, and check the relevant territory benefits. If faction switching becomes available with a defined penalty at launch, that will provide an additional consideration, but it should not be the basis for a strategy before the rule is finalized.
The same caution applies to transferring troops, building progress, or commanders between factions. No verified public specification establishes what happens to a developed stronghold when allegiance changes. Do not invest in a plan based on retaining every construction upgrade or moving faction-specific troops into another faction's army.
Common Faction and Stronghold Mistakes
The biggest risks are choosing a faction based on unsupported claims, neglecting the army's resource needs, and confusing personal progression with faction-wide territorial control. The systems are connected, but each requires different preparation. A strong character cannot necessarily compensate for an army with no useful troops, and a large faction does not automatically provide every benefit without holding the relevant castles.
Choosing a Faction from an Unverified Tier List
Do not treat Karui as automatically best for melee, Maraketh as guaranteed best for archers, or Ezomyte as the strongest defensive faction. These are plausible interpretations of their themes, not verified conclusions from complete 1.0 statistics. Wait for the actual unit descriptions and compare troops that perform the role your army needs.
Building Everything Before Progressing the Story
Constructing every available upgrade immediately may consume resources without solving the next combat problem. Prioritize useful recruits, maintain a reserve, and unlock storyline features that improve the army's capabilities. If your next encounter requires better siege equipment or stronger troops, a decorative-looking upgrade with no relevant military benefit should not be treated as urgent simply because it is available.
Sending Too Many Troops to Commanders
Commanders use troops and Waystones, and the stronghold's recruitment systems are intended to help keep them supplied. Assigning too many soldiers to expeditions may leave the player with fewer options for immediate military objectives. Keep a reserve appropriate for the next storyline or siege encounter instead of assuming that every commander should always receive the maximum possible army.
Expecting Personal Castle Rewards from Faction Ownership
GGG distinguishes a more substantial Item Rarity benefit for the player who captures a castle from a smaller benefit shared with the controlling faction. Joining the winning side does not establish that every player receives the capturer's full bonus. It also does not guarantee that a castle will remain under the same faction indefinitely, so check current ownership when choosing Hunting Grounds or Atlas routes.
Using Old Atlas Guides as Fixed Conquerors Routes
Version 1.0 introduces a new league endgame on top of substantial changes to the existing game. The current Precursor Fortress and Atlas documentation explains Early Access progression, but it does not provide a verified map of the new shared faction castles. The PoE 2 Precursor Fortress guide is useful for understanding the older fortress system, not for locating an unreleased Karui, Ezomyte, or Maraketh territory objective.
Conquerors of Wraeclast Factions FAQ
These answers cover additional questions about faction access, stronghold development, and the shared conquest system.
Which faction is best in Conquerors of Wraeclast?
No faction has a verified overall advantage before version 1.0 launches. Karui, Ezomyte, and Maraketh have different stronghold styles and unique troops, but complete balance data and the final recruitment costs have not been published.
Can every class join any faction?
The announced faction choice belongs to the league's endgame stronghold system, not to a specific character class. No class-based restriction on choosing Karui, Ezomyte, or Maraketh has been announced.
How many buildings can a stronghold have?
GGG has announced more than 20 buildings and upgrades for each faction. That count includes upgrades and does not establish that 20 unique structures are all available immediately.
Do faction castles give every player the same Item Rarity bonus?
No. The developer presentation distinguishes a larger benefit for the capturing player and a smaller benefit for other members of the controlling faction. Exact percentages and stacking rules remain unconfirmed.
Conclusion
Choose your faction around its actual troops, your preferred army development, and the players you intend to share territory with. Build recruitment capacity before spending heavily on specialist upgrades, keep enough resources for upcoming sieges, and develop commanders as the storyline unlocks them. Once the global war opens, prioritize castles with useful Hunting Grounds and Atlas access rather than following an unsupported faction ranking.
