The Banner Saga: Factions
A free-to-play tactical spinoff introducing The Banner Saga's combat.
The Banner Saga: Factions is a free-to-play multiplayer fantasy tactical role-playing game. It was developed by Stoic and published by Versus Evil, launching on personal computers in 2013 as a standalone spinoff of *The Banner Saga*. This was Stoic Studio's first title, created by three former BioWare designers who originally built the combat system for the main game and decided to release it separately for free so players could learn the mechanics.
The game received mixed reviews at launch. Its servers were shut down in February 2021, as Stoic stated they could no longer afford to support it.
In gameplay, players pit teams of six combatants—chosen from 16 classes—against each other on a grid. Turns alternate, with each unit performing actions like movement or attack. Players can rename any unit. New characters are bought from the "Mead House" using "Renown," an in-game currency earned through matches or purchased via microtransactions. Renown also upgrades statistics, expands the barracks (increasing the maximum unit count), and enters tournaments. There are four base classes, each upgradeable into three distinct classes.
Characters come from two races: humans and Varl. Humans occupy one tile on the board and include archers (who use bows, dealing damage but having lower health) and raiders (who wield melee weapons and shields, boosting the armor of adjacent allies). Varl take up four tiles and include warriors (heavy damage but slow movement) and shieldbangers (high armor, lower damage).
Each character has five statistics: Strength (health and damage dealt to health), Armor (reduces damage to Strength), Willpower (enables extra movement, harder hits, or special abilities; partially regenerates by skipping actions), Exertion (limits Willpower use), and Break (damage inflicted on enemy Armor). At level five, characters can be "promoted," resetting stats to default while upgrading abilities and raising one statistic's cap.
The matchmaking system pairs opponents by ability, power level, and experience. Players have limited time to position units before battle. Tournaments require Renown to enter, and winning matches climbs a ranking ladder.
Cosmetic items are sold in an in-game cash shop. Banners—displayed during matches—are bought from the weaver's hut with Renown, letting players choose backgrounds and guild crests.
Quick Facts
- Title
- The Banner Saga: Factions
- Developer
- Stoic
- Programmer
- John Watson
- Artist
- Arnie Jorgensen
- Writer
- Alex Thomas
- Composer
- Austin Wintory
- Publisher
- Versus Evil
- Series
- The Banner Saga
- Released
- February 25, 2013
- Genre
- Tactical role-playing
- Modes
- Multiplayer
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows / OS X
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Banner Saga: Factions was conceived while Stoic was designing the combat for The Banner Saga. The developers decided to release it for free as a standalone multiplayer game so players could get familiar with the mechanics. The game pits teams of six combatants, chosen from 16 classes, against each other on a grid. Players take alternating turns to move or attack. Units can be renamed, and new characters can be bought from the 'Mead House' building or upgraded using an in-game currency called 'Renown', earned through matches or purchased via microtransactions. There are four base classes—archer, raider, warrior, and shieldbanger—each upgradeable to three different classes. Humans occupy 1 tile on the combat board, while Varl occupy 4 tiles. Each character has statistics: Strength, Armor, Willpower, Exertion, and Break. Strength serves as both health and damage output; Armor reduces damage to Strength; Willpower allows extra movement or harder hits and can be regenerated by skipping a turn; Exertion limits Willpower use; Break determines damage to an opponent's Armor. Characters reaching level five can be 'promoted', resetting statistics but upgrading abilities and increasing a statistic's limit.
Reader's Guide
The Banner Saga: Factions holds a weighted average score of 67 out of 100 on Metacritic based on five critical reviews, indicating mixed or average reception. Critics praised its combat system and art design but criticized the slow pace of combat and character progression, as well as the microtransaction system. The game's servers were shut down in February 2021, with Stoic stating they could not afford to support it anymore after a critical backend service was retired. Despite its mixed reviews, the game served as an important testing ground for the combat mechanics of The Banner Saga and provided a way for Stoic to earn revenue and gather feedback before the single-player game's launch. Its legacy lies in demonstrating how a free-to-play multiplayer spinoff can build audience familiarity and fund development of a larger project, though its eventual shutdown highlights the challenges of sustaining online games long-term.
Did You Know?
- The game was conceived when Stoic was designing the combat for The Banner Saga and released for free to familiarize players with it.
- The combat system was influenced by chess, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Shining Force.
- The game's city of Strand served as its main user interface, with buildings for upgrading characters and buying new ones.
- The open beta launched in late-November 2012, initially for Kickstarter backers but later opened to others for a $15 fee.
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