# Factions and Delves - a guide for returning players **URL:** \ **Category:** Community Guides\ **Created:** [June 11, 2019, 10:44am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/factions-and-delves-a-guide-for-returning-players/55653 "2019-06-11T10:44:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Whiskeyjack](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/whiskeyjack/32/65850_2.png) [@Whiskeyjack](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Whiskeyjack)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 10:44am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/factions-and-delves-a-guide-for-returning-players/55653/1 "2019-06-11T10:44:45Z")
This guide is aimed at players returning to the game. It may not therefore be appropriate for entirely new players that have not familiarised themselves with the basics of the game. I wrote this when a veteran player rejoined my guild after a break from the game, so I hope anyone in that situation finds it useful This will look extremely complicated so don’t feel you have to understand all of it before playing. Once you start playing it will make much more sense. If you want a tl;dr then just read the Gameplay Loop section **DEFINITIONS** _Underworld_ - the new part of the map. _Faction_ - this is the name for Kingdoms in the Underworld. Like overworld Kingdoms, each _Faction_ has its own banner and troops. _Delve_ - this is the word for the action of playing the delve game within the _Faction_. _Delve Tokens_ - the currency required to play _Delves_ _Delve Level_ - the delve game can be played at various levels. The higher the level, the higher your enemies’ stats _Portals_ - the area in each _Faction_ where you can spend _Chaos Shards_ to receive _Treasure Troops_ and _Faction Troops_. _Chaos Shards_ - the currency used to open _Portals_. _Treasure Troops_ - the currency used to upgrade the _Horde_. Confusingly, they show up as troops. _Faction Troops_ - each _Faction_ has 4 troops that belong to that _Faction_ and can only be obtained by opening _Portals_ in the menu for that _Faction_ _Horde_ - a thing that is measured by Level and Quality. It is upgraded by spending _Treasure Troops_. _Horde Level_ - this is the level of the faction based on how much treasure you have spent to upgrade it. There is no maximum _Horde Level_. _Horde Quality_ - this is another leveling system within the faction. Like _Horde Level_, it is upgraded by spending treasure. Maximum _Horde Quality_ level is 10. _Renown_ - there are 2 types, so I won’t ever use this word on its own. _Faction Renown_ - the level of renown generated by a single _Faction_. You get one off bonuses in the mail for achieving specific levels. _Total Renown_ - The total sum of all the _Faction Renown_ from all of your _Factions_. Like kingdom power levels in the Overworld, you can get boosts by having a higher _Total Renown_. Unlike Overworld kingdom power levels, these bonuses are only generated by your _Total Renown_ - there are no static bonuses from _Faction Renown_. _Faction Event_ - a weekly one day event for a specific faction, and a special 3 day event when a new _Faction_ is released. _Delve Chest_ - at the end of each _Delve_ game you get to open a _Delve Treasure_. It automatically opens when the _Delve_ game ends. Unlike other chests, you can’t open it with keys. _Delve Chest Level_ - applies in each _Delve_ game and is reset to 0 every time you start a new _Delve_. You get a chance to upgrade the\* Treasure Level\* every time you win a battle. It can also be raised by your _Horde Quality_. **VERY BASICS** Unlocking Factions - Each _Faction_ is unlocked by gold. - Before you can delve in a _Faction_ you need to complete a few quests. - You get the new banner when you unlock the _Faction_. **Gameplay Loop** - You get 3 _Delve Tokens_ per day. _Delve tokens_ are reset to 3 every day and can’t be carried over. - Spend 1 _Delve Token_ to start the _Delve_ game. - At the end of the _Delve_, you get rewards based on the _Delve Chest Level_ you achieved. - _Delve Chest_ will reward gold, souls, glory, ingots, and _Chaos Shards_. - Spend _Chaos Shards_ to open _Portals_, and receive _Treasure Troops_ and _Faction Troops_. NB: _Faction Troops_ can only be obtained from _Portals_, and aren’t in normal chests. - Spend _Treasure Troops_ to upgrade the _Horde (Quality and Level)_ - - An upgraded _Horde Level_ makes your troops have better stats in the _Delve_. - - An upgraded _Horde Quality_ gets you better rewards from the _Delve_, by boosting the rewards from each room and by raising the _Delve Chest Level_ after you beat the boss. - Play another _Delve_ and repeat. **The Delve game itself** - Each _Delve_ consists of fighting battles in order to get to the boss. The aim is always to beat the boss. - Each _Faction_ has a colour restriction which affect the troops you can use. The Hero weapon however is NOT subject to that restriction. - Death, transforming, troop re-ordering and summoning, and changing/converting within your team is permanent during the _Delve_. Be careful, and get used to cursing (or avoiding) Bulette! - If you retreat from a battle, you cannot play any more rooms. If you lose a battle, you cannot play any more rooms. You can quit the _Delve_ using the button on the bottom right to “run away”. If you have lost or retreated from a battle, you still have to press that quit button. When you do so, you DO get the rewards for the treasure level you’ve achieved during the Delve. - It’s possible to quit the _Delve_ between battles using the close button on the top left without ending the delve. So you can go collect tribute or whatever and come back later. - The _Delve_ remains active until you finish it or “run away”. _Delves_ survive reset (except _Event Delves_ which cannot be accessed once the event ends). - Each _Faction_ has a different map layout. - When you play _Delve_, you can choose how to progress through the map. - You can beat all the rooms or you can clear a path to the boss and ignore optional rooms. - Each time you beat a room, it gives a trait to you or your enemies in the remaining rooms. The vast majority of the time it helps the enemies, not you. This can be viewed on the card before fighting a room under “Effect”. If the Effect says “All enemies…” it affects enemies. If it says “All allies…” it affects your team. - Each time you beat a room, there is a chance to upgrade the _Delve Chest Level_. This chance is shown before you play and is based on the ‘rarity’ of the room. **Progressing Delve Levels** - When you click the _Delve_ button within a _Faction_, it gives you the option to choose a level. The starting options are 20, 30, 40. You can see that the room multiplier is affected by which option you choose. - Choosing the right hand option and beating the boss will mean that the next time, your options are 30, 40, 50. This bit is important: THERE IS NO WAY TO GO BACK DOWN _DELVE LEVELS_. - This means that if you get to a point where the level is too high to beat, the option on the left is the lowest option you’ll ever get presented. **Upgrading the Horde** - It costs a lot of gold to upgrade the _Horde_, so you need to be a bit careful about how you do it. - Usually your first priority is to get _Horde Quality Level_ 10. - Upgrading _Horde Level_ and _Horde Quality Level_ both require the spending of _Treasure Troops_ but the mechanics are different. - Upgrading _Horde Level_ just requires any number of _Treasure Troops_ and the corresponding gold payment. When you click on a _Treasure Troop_, you get a preview of how much XP is being added. Higher rarity _Treasure Troops_ add more XP. The level and traits of the _Treasure Troop_ makes no difference! - Upgrading the _Horde Quality Level_ is based on the percentage chance shown. If the percentage is not 100%, there is a chance that the _Horde Quality Level_ will fail to upgrade. You can only go up 1 Horde Quality Level per upgrade. - If the _Horde Quality_ fails to upgrade (because you took a chance), you still get the XP from the _Treasure Troops_ to upgrade the _Horde Level_. - Examples of making up 100% are 2 x sacred treasure, 4 x king’s crown, 5 x priest chalice, 3 x Genie’s Lamp and 1 x Gold Ring etc. Yes you can mix and match any _Treasure Troop_ types - Gold Ring and Coin Purse are pretty much trash, because as your _Horde Level_ increases it gets very expensive to use _Treasure Troops_ to upgrade it. - @TimeKnight has produced a [guide](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/new-faction-the-warren/50397/5) on the most efficient way to upgrade the _Horde Level_ and _Horde Quality Level_ to 100 and 10 respectively. **Faction Events** - Every Tuesday there is a _Faction Event_. This gives you the chance to _Delve_ the event _Faction_ using Sigils instead of _Delve Tokens_. - When a new _Faction_ is released there is a 3 day _Faction Event_ for the new _Faction_ that runs from Friday to Sunday inclusive. - Each sigil gives you an attempt at the _Event Delve_. - Each event starts the _Delve Level_ at level 20. This does not reset your Faction _Delve Level_. - There are rewards for achieving points (by beating rooms) and a shop to spend gems on sigils. - There are Valravens which give you an extra 2 sigils when you kill them. - The Delve Level from the Event CARRIES OVER to the Delve Level from the normal Delve in the Faction IF the Delve Level from the event is HIGHER than the Factions Delve Level. - IF YOU BEAT A LEVEL IN THE EVENT, YOUR DELVE LEVEL IS PERMANENTLY RAISED IN THE FACTION FOR ANY FUTURE DELVES - The most efficient strategy during events is to pick the rooms with the highest multiplier first to maximise your score. **STRATEGY** _Mission_ - Your overall goal is to get the maximum _Total Renown_ that you can. **Summary of how to achieve the Mission** For each _Faction_, aim to: - get the _Horde Level_ up to 100 and _Horde Quality Level_ up to 10. - beat level 500 with a normal team without losing a troop. - beat the highest level you can with a team comprised of only _Faction Troops_. - Personally I usually stop with the _Faction Troops_ team at level 100 as this gives me enough _Faction Renown_ to unlock the pet. I also don’t bother to upgrade the Horde Level higher than 100 as there’s no Faction Renown reward for doing so. - NB: if one of your troops is transformed, it counts as “losing a troop”. Sunbird for some reason is the exception. **Tactics to achieve the mission** - Spend your 3 _Delve Tokens_ every day. You can leave a _Delve_ run unfinished for as long as you want, so if you don’t have time to play you can always start "Delves\* in 3 factions and then come back to them when you have more time. - Keep one _Faction_ at Level 20 so you can easily farm it for resources… - Farm the Farming _Faction_ by always picking the middle option for Delve Level - level 20. Don’t pick the right hand option! - Gain as much _Treasure Troops_ as you need to get a your farming _Faction_ up to Horde Quality level 10 (see above for tips on upgrading Horde Quality). The reason for this goal is to get the _Delve Chest Level_ upgrades at _Horde Quality_ levels 3, 7 and 10, which will vastly improve your ability to gain _Treasure Troops_ from _Portals_ (because you’ll earn a LOT more Chaos Shards). - Note: If your farming _Faction_ pops up as an event, don’t beat the boss in any Delve or it’ll raise the Delve Level to a point where you can’t easily and quickly farm that Faction any longer. - Once you have the _Farming Faction_ at _Horde Quality Level_ 10, you’ll start getting much better rewards. Keep farming it to get another _Faction_ of your choice up to Horde Quality level 10. Let’s call it the _Progress Faction_. - Now you can start playing _Delves_ in the _Progress Faction_, always picking the right hand option to increase the level each time. - Keep spending _Treasure Troops_ that you earn from the _Progress Faction_ with the aim of getting it to _Horde Level 100_. - Keep fighting higher _Delve Levels_ if you can. If it gets too difficult, go back to farming and get the _Horde Level_ higher. - In your _Progress Faction_, you’ll probably want to beat all the rooms up to level 100ish so that you get better _Delve Chest_ rewards. Once it starts getting difficult, forget about rewards and just go straight for the boss. If you want rewards, _Delve_ in your farming faction (or wait for the next event). **OTHER THINGS TO KNOW** - Don’t upgrade _Treasure Troops_ unless you really need to (e.g. to complete a daily task). It is otherwise a waste of resources. The level and traits of _Treasure Troops_ makes no impact on how much value they add to the Horde. - I recommend you only use the _Faction Team_ to beat Delve Level 100. See [this thread](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/delves-strategies-tactics-tips-and-more/45522) or [this one](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/selected-delve-teams/51929) if you want advice on teams. - The room multiplier is applied to the _Faction Glory_ and _Faction Gold_ that you receive from beating a room, and you overall multiplier is also applied to you final rewards. During events, it also multiplies the event score form each room. - You can scout the rooms before beginning the _Delve_. You can use this to inform your team building, especially useful at highest levels. - Look out for the Effects from rooms. They might seem innocuous, but once combined can make your life hell. If you rely on stun, for example, all enemies gaining Thick Head will mes you up. - It’s up to you where you open _Portals_. Hunt whichever troops you need to use, to collect, or to increase Kingdom Power Levels. - Speaking of Kingdom PL, Faction troops have dual Kingdom types so can be used to meet Kingdom PL requirements in the overworld Thanks to additional contributors: @BelethS ---
**Author:** ![Starlite](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/starlite/32/43018_2.png) [@Starlite](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Starlite)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 1:00pm UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/factions-and-delves-a-guide-for-returning-players/55653/2 "2019-06-11T13:00:47Z")
Very nice. I would add one thing: for more ideas on teams, have a look at Tacet the Terror’s videos and previous streams on YouTube. Most of the teams I posted in the thread linked above were from him. He’s also really good about answering any and all questions during his daily live-streams. The Tuesday streams are obviously most relevant to Factions (because of Faction Assault Events). ---
**Author:** ![BelethS](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/beleths/32/53407_2.png) [@BelethS](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/BelethS)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 3:11pm UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/factions-and-delves-a-guide-for-returning-players/55653/3 "2019-06-11T15:11:05Z")
You should name that delve runs are persistent, they stay active till you finish then or quit and claim the chest, and don’t get resetted with the rest of the server every day. Thus is pretty much possible to start a delve run today, and finish it tommorow (or next week), without spending one of the daily tokens for it. Sometimes might be a good idea to start runs and leave them unfinished during the days with little time to play, and finish them later in weekends or other days with more playtime, instead of letting the daily tokens get wasted. Also could name that daily tokens do get resetted every day to 3, and are not saveable from a day to another. ---
**Author:** ![Starlite](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/starlite/32/43018_2.png) [@Starlite](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Starlite)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 3:13pm UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/factions-and-delves-a-guide-for-returning-players/55653/4 "2019-06-11T15:13:20Z")
Agreed, BelethS. ---
**Author:** ![Phaethon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@Phaethon](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Phaethon)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2019, 11:42am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/factions-and-delves-a-guide-for-returning-players/55653/5 "2019-06-16T11:42:22Z")
Very comprehensive for a returning player such as myself. Thanks. Well done.