All Factions in Age of Darkness: The Final Stand

Age of Darkness blends tower defense with settlement building, RPG, and RTS elements, and chief among the latter is the three different factions that players can choose from before starting a new run. While they aren't completely unique from each other, these factions offer different playstyles that cater to different players.

The factions aren't as diverse compared to other games like StarCraft, but they're varied enough to shake things up if you're looking for some variety. If you aren't familiar with the factions in Age of Darkness, here's a brief overview covering each of them.

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By Marc Santos

The Order

Defense and Siege Experts

Edwin in Age of Darkness Hero Selection Screen — Age of Darkness Edwin hero select

Age of Darkness: The Order Faction
Core Traits	Siege units are cheaper and can be obtained earlier. Emboldened Order units have higher health than their counterparts.
Heroes	Edwin - Flame-based warrior with strong and persistent AOE damage. Merek - Tanky fighter who can heal allies and buff their armor.
Unique Units	Order Knight Catapult

In a game where you have to do a lot of defending, it's only natural for many players to gravitate towards the Order first. These guys specialize in holding the line with tough troops and strong siege weapons, making them ideal for Age of Darkness beginners. Their heroes, Edwin and Merek, are very strong when it comes to holding off hordes of lesser Nightmares, but when it comes to dealing with stronger ones, they'll need support from the rest of the faction.

Since the Order's strongest units are its siege weapons, it'll take a while before players can make the most out of this faction. However, once you do reach the point where you can make siege units, it's smooth sailing from thereon.

The Rebellion

For Expansionists and Tacticians

Age of Darkness: The Rebellion Faction
Core Traits	Ranged infantry move faster and deal more damage. They also require less upkeep. Emboldened Rebellion units deal more damage than their counterparts.
Heroes	Aelis - Buffs allies and debuffs enemies; can summon Loyal Guard followers. Cyrus - Archer with strong AOE damage; can shred enemy armor.
Unique Units	Hunter Rogue Loyal Guard

The Rebellion's general playstyle contrasts that of the Order. Instead of playing like a turtle, this faction encourages map exploration and expansion with its high-damage units. Similar to most RTS games, expanding in Age of Darkness ensures a stronger and more stable economy for the later stages.

This faction caters more to players who prefer a balanced roster of units. The Rebellion does lean toward a range-heavy approach, but come the mid-late game, players will need to make use of all its units to secure success.

The Volatists

Aggressive Melee Faction

Age of Darkness: The Volatists Faction
Core Traits	Melee infantry move faster, deal more damage, and are faster to train. All Volatist units deal more damage and are less penalized when Horrified.
Heroes	Vizargo - Aggressive melee fighter with group healing and a transformation ability. Aurelia - Melee fighter who can cripple enemies and buff allies.
Unique Units	Cultist Harbinger

The Volatists faction specializes in melee combat, and all of its units are built to make the most out of the worst of scenarios. They thrive in the face of Nightmares thanks to their faction trait, which makes the Horrified effect less potent against them. Both of its heroes also have AOE healing skills that make Volatist units last even longer than usual compared to their counterparts.

If you've played the other factions before, then the Volatists will take some getting used to. Defending with them is going to be a bit harder, if not costlier compared to the others, and you'll have to be creative about how you use this faction's innate bonuses.

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