All 30 Factions from Twilight Imperium & How They Work

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The lore and playstyle for every faction in this massive space wargame

Co-authored by Hunter Rising

Last Updated: August 31, 2026 Fact Checked

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• 4th Edition
|
• Prophecy of Kings
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• Thunder’s Edge
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• Tier Lists
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• Video

|Show more |Show less

Twilight Imperium is one of the most complex games out there, and the faction you choose can really change how you play the game. The base game alone has 17 factions to choose from, but there are 30 when you include the Prophecy of Kings and Thunder’s Edge expansions. Keep reading, and we’ll break down each faction in detail so you know what to expect and give our rankings for which ones are best.

Twilight Imperium Factions, Explained

There are 30 playable factions in Twilight Imperium 4th Edition, split between the base game and expansions. Each faction has different abilities and playstyles. For beginners, the best factions with low complexity to try are The Federation of Sol, The Barony of Letnev, or The Empyrean.

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Section 1 of 4:

Twilight Imperium 4th Edition Factions

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1. 
   1
   The Barony of Letnev The Barony of Letnev is a military faction that comes from a planet with an uninhabitable atmosphere, so they live in underground cities across the planet. While they have a lot of brute strength, they often lack the economy or resources to fully sustain their people. If you like an aggressive playstyle that puts a lot of ships into your fleet, then the Barony is one for you to try first.

   • Complexity: Low
   • Abilities:
     • Munitions Reserve: At the start of space combat, spend 2 trade goods to re-roll any number of dice.
     • Armada: The maximum number of non-fighting ships allowed in each system is 2 more than the number of tokens in your fleet pool.
   • Technology:
     • L4 Disruptors: Opponents cannot use Space Cannon against your units during an invasion.
     • Non-Euclidian Shielding: When your unit uses Sustain Damage, cancel 2 hits instead of 1.
   • Starting Planets: Arc Prime, Wren Terra
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   The Emirates of Hacan The Emirates of Hacan are featured on the cover of the box, and they are a race of lion-like creatures. They live on 3 desert planets and used to be poor, until they discovered that other planets would trade for the resources hidden under the sand. The Hacan specialize in trade and economy, so if you enjoy negotiating and making deals with other players, this may be a faction you want to try out.

   • Complexity: Low
   • Abilities:
     • Masters of Trade: You don’t have to spend a command token to use the secondary ability on the Trade card.
     • Guild Ships: You can negotiate transactions with players that are not sitting next to you.
     • Arbiters: You may exchange action cards during a transaction.
   • Technology:
     • Production Biomes: Spend 1 token from your strategy pool to get 4 trade goods and give another player 2 trade goods.
     • Quantum Datahub Node: When you finish the strategy phase, you can spend 1 token to give a player 3 of your trade goods and swap one of their strategy cards.
   • Starting Planets: Arretze, Hercant, and Kamdorn
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   The Federation of Sol The Federation of Sol is the human race exploring the different solar systems in the galaxy. While they may have been the last to join the Imperium, they were the first to start war and escalate the conflicts. The Federation of Sol focuses on placing and moving soldiers around the map, so they offer a versatile playstyle that’s perfect for beginners to the world of Twilight Imperium.

   • Complexity: Low
   • Abilities:
     • Orbital Drop: Spend 1 token to place 2 infantry onto a planet you already control.
     • Versatile: When you gain command tokens during the status phase, you get 1 extra.
   • Technology: none
   • Starting Planets: Jord
4. 
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   The L1Z1X Mindnet The L1Z1X Mindnet claim to be true remnants of the Lazax race, the ancient rulers of the galaxy. However, their bodies have been taken over by cybernetic implants that may have different plans. The L1Z1X try to take over the map quickly by replacing enemy units with ones of their own, so it takes a little bit of precision and adapting to the different map states to make this faction shine. They’re still relatively simple though, so beginners can still have fun playing as them.

   • Complexity: Low
   • Abilities:
     • Assimilate: When you get control of a planet, replace any PDS or space docks on it with a unit from your reinforcements.
     • Harrow: At the end of a ground combat round, your ships can use their Bombardment ability to attack ground troops.
   • Technology:
     • Inheritance Systems: Spend 2 resources to research a technology to skip its prerequisites.
   • Starting Planets: [0.0.0] (Null)
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   The Universities of Jol-Nar The Universities of Jol-Nar are known for their technological advances throughout the galaxy, and many other factions rely on their research and machinery. Playing as the Jol-Nar focuses on researching and collecting technology rather than getting deep into combat, so it’s important to stack the new abilities you learn to your advantage.

   • Complexity: Low
   • Abilities:
     • Fragile: Subtract 1 from the result of each combat roll.
     • Brilliant: You may resolve the primary ability on the Technology strategy card instead of the secondary when you spend a command token.
     • Analytical: Ignore 1 prerequisite when you research a technology that isn’t a unit upgrade.
   • Technology:
     • E-Res Siphons: If a player activates a system with at least one of your ships, gain 4 trade goods.
     • Spatial Conduit Cylinder: After activating a system with at least one of your units, it’s considered adjacent to any other system where you have at least one unit.
   • Starting Planets: Jol, Nar
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   The Xxcha Kingdom The Xxcha Kingdom is a race of giant turtles that were once peaceful until they were pulled into the galaxy’s war. The Xxcha is all about protecting your home system, controlling and preventing your opponents from doing things, and influencing planets, so they’re great for a slow, defensive playstyle.

   • Complexity: Low
   • Abilities:
     • Peace Accords: When you resolve either ability on the Diplomacy card, you can gain control of 1 planet without units that’s next to one you already control.
     • Quash: After an agenda is revealed, you can spend 1 token to discard it and reveal a new one.
   • Technology:
     • Nullification Field: When an opponent activates a system with one of your ships, spend 1 token to end that player’s turn.
     • Instinct Training: Spend 1 token to cancel an opponent’s action card.
   • Starting Planets: Archon Ren, Archon Tau
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   The Yin Brotherhood The Yin Brotherhood formed when their leader started illegally cloning himself and made a society of his replicas. The Yin Brotherhood worship the original embryo they’re cloned from, and they quickly spread throughout the galaxy to take over planets. This faction is pretty streamlined for beginners if you want to focus on ground combat and building up a large infantry to capture different systems.

   • Complexity: Low
   • Abilities:
     • Indoctrination: At the start of ground combat, spend 2 influence to replace an infantry unit with one from your reinforcements.
     • Devotion: After a round of space battle, destroy a cruiser or destroyer in that system to deal 1 hit to an opponent ship.
   • Technology:
     • Impulse Core: Before space combat, you may destroy 1 cruiser or destroyer in that system to deal 1 hit against your opponent’s ships.
     • Yin Spinner: After a unit uses production, add 1 infantry to a planet you control in the system.
   • Starting Planets: Darien
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   8
   The Yssaril Tribes The Yssaril Tribe is a primitive race of chameleon-like aliens whose planet was taken over by colonists. Now, they’re skilled spies and assassins, using their stealth abilities to infiltrate other areas. The Yssaril focus on using a lot of action cards throughout the game and learning secret information from others, so they’re a good faction to try out if you like a sneakier and more thought-out playstyle.

   • Complexity: Low
   • Abilities:
     • Stall Tactics: Discard 1 action card from your hand as an action.
     • Scheming: When you draw at least 1 action card, draw an additional card. Then, discard an action card from your hand.
     • Crafty: You can hold any number of action cards.
   • Technology:
     • Transparasteel Plating: During your turn in the action phase, players cannot play actions if they already passed.
     • Mageon Implants: Look at another player’s action cards and take 1 to your hand.
   • Starting Planets: Rebellion, Shalloq
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   The Clan of Saar The Saar may have been the first race to get into space and start colonizing, but many of their people have been killed since other races started conquering planets. Now, they all have a longing to explore and reach the stars. This nomadic race can move throughout the board pretty easily and build up a large fleet of ships that destroys anything in its path, so they’re fun if you want to steamroll through your opponents.

   • Complexity: Moderate
   • Abilities:
     • Scavenge: Gain 1 trade good when you gain control of a planet.
     • Nomadic: You can score objectives even if you don’t control the planets in your home system.
   • Technology:
     • Chaos Mapping: Other players cannot activate asteroid fields with at least 1 of your ships. You may also produce 1 unit in a system where a unit has Production at the start of your action phase.
   • Starting Planets: Lisis II, Ragh
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    The Ghosts of Creuss The Ghosts of Creuss are literal ghosts that haunt the fringes of the galaxy. They use wormholes to move across the galaxy and build quicker trade routes with other players. This faction is all about positioning themselves across the board for trading with the other factions, so they’re fun if you like a lot of interaction and working together with other players.

    • Complexity: Moderate
    • Abilities:
      • Quantum Entanglement: Treat all systems with a wormhole as adjacent to each other.
      • Slipstream: During tactical actions, add 1 to your ships' move value if they start in your home system or in one with a wormhole.
      • Creuss Gate: Place the Creuss gate where your home system would normally be placed. Keep your home system in your play area.
    • Technology:
      • Wormhole Generator: Place or move a wormhole token at the start of your status phase to a system with a planet you control or a system without enemy ships.
      • Dimensional Splicer: If a system contains a wormhole and one of your ships, you produce 1 extra hit at the start of space combat.
    • Starting Planets: Creuss, Delta wormhole
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    The Naalu Collective The Naalu Collective is a race of telepathic aliens that can manipulate the brains of anyone they’re warring with. The Naalu can sense danger and see ahead into the future, so they’re a great faction if you always want to go first during important phases of the game and retreat from battles if you’re not fully prepared for them. They also have stronger infantry units than most other factions, so they can take over systems easily once you build up a swarm.

    • Complexity: Moderate
    • Abilities:
      • Telepathic: At the end of the strategy phase, put the 0 token on your strategy card to be first in initiative order.
      • Foresight: When another player moves into a system containing one of your ships, place 1 token into an adjacent system without another player’s ships and move your ships there.
    • Technology:
      • Neuroglaive: When another player activates a system with one of your ships, that player removes a token from their fleet pool.
    • Starting Planets: Maaluuk, Druaa
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    Sardakk N’orr The Sardakk N’orr are like a large swarm of alien bugs that invade the planets across the galaxy. Even though they don’t start with any fighters or technology, they are able to build up their forces quickly, and their ability increases their combat power to make taking over easier. If you want to focus mostly on combat during your Twilight Imperium game, then the Sardakk N’orr is the faction to try out.

    • Complexity: Moderate
    • Abilities:
      • Unrelenting: Add 1 to each of your combat rolls.
    • Technology:
      • Valkyrie Particle Weave: After you make a combat roll for ground combat, you produce 1 extra hit if your opponent made at least 1 hit.
    • Starting Planets: Tren’lak, Quinarra
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    The Winnu The Winnu believe that they are the race that should inherit the galaxy, and they see other races with disgust. The Winnu want to focus on controlling Mecatol Rex, the center planet in the galaxy, and they get more powerful when it’s under their control. If you want a faction that has a pretty singular focus throughout the game, then the Winnu can be a good option for you.

    • Complexity: Moderate
    • Abilities:
      • Blood Ties: You do not have to spend influence to remove the custodians token from Mecatol Rex.
      • Reclamation: When you resolve a tactical action that lets you gain control of Mecatol Rex, place 1 PDS and space dock on Mecatol Rex.
    • Technology:
      • Lazax Gate Folding: During tactical actions, treat Mecatol Rex’s system as if it has both an alpha and beta wormhole.
      • Hegemonic Trade Policy: When one of your units uses production, swap the resource and influence value of a planet you control.
    • Starting Planets: Winnu
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    The Arborec The Arborec is a species of plants that spread across the galaxy and plant their roots to grow on the different planets. The Arborec is one of the slower factions in the game that takes a little while to get started, but they can grow really powerful as long as they can maintain control of the planets. If you like a slow and strategic type of game, then the Arborec is the faction to try.

    • Complexity: High
    • Abilities:
      • Mitosis: Your space docks cannot produce infantry. At the start of your status phase, put 1 infantry on any planet you control.
    • Technology:
      • Bioplasmosis: At the end of the status phase, remove any number of infantry from planets you control and place them on a different planet you control in the same system or an adjacent one.
    • Starting Planets: Nestphar
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    The Embers of Muaat The Embers of Muaat are an alien race with bodies that slowly burn them from the inside out. Once an enslaved race, they now vow to control the galaxy for themselves.​​ The Embers of Muaat can move their war suns around the board and use them to destroy other planets and systems for ultimate control. If you want a self-sufficient faction that doesn’t have to trade or interact in order to build up troops and power, then the Muaat are a great choice.

    • Complexity: High
    • Abilities:
      • Star Forge: Spend 1 token from your strategy pool to place 2 fighters or 1 destroyer in a system with one of your war suns.
      • Gashlai Physiology: You can move ships through supernovas.
    • Technology:
      • Magmus Reactor: You can move ships into supernovas. When a unit uses production in a system with a war sun or next to a supernova, gain 1 trade good.
    • Starting Planets: Muaat
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    The Mentak Coalition The Mentak Coalition is basically a group of space pirates that built its population on the prison planet Moll Primus. The Mentak Coalition focuses on building up a lot of money with their technologies and profiting off of other players, so they’re a fun faction if you want to have a strong economy and annoy other players while you’re doing it.

    • Complexity: High
    • Abilities:
      • Ambush: Before space combat, roll a die for up to 2 cruisers or destroyers in the system. For rolls higher than the ship’s combat value, produce 1 hit.
      • Pillage: When a neighbor gains trade goods or resolves a transaction, you may take 1 of their trade goods or commodities if they have 3 or more.
    • Technology:
      • Salvage Operations: After a space combat, gain 1 trade good. If you won, produce 1 ship in that system matching the type of one that was destroyed.
      • Mirror Computing: Trade goods are worth 2 resources or influence when you spend them.
    • Starting Planets: Moll Primus
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    The Nekro Virus The Nekro Virus started as an implanted computer system that started to take over Mordai, its original creator. Soon, it started to infect others to believe that the machine was a higher power meant to rule the galaxy. Instead of voting and researching technologies throughout the game, The Nekro Virus predicts what will happen and steals the advancements from other players. If you want to annoy and act like the biggest enemy during the game, try out the Nekro Virus.

    • Complexity: High
    • Abilities:
      • Galactic Threat: You cannot vote on agendas, but you may gain 1 technology from another player if you predict its outcome correctly.
      • Technological Singularity: Once per combat, you may gain a technology from a player if you destroy their unit.
      • Propagation: You cannot research technology. Gain 3 command tokens when you would normally research.
    • Technology:
      • Valefar Assimilator X: When you would gain another player’s technology, put an X on one of their faction technologies to copy its ability.
      • Valefar Assimilator Y: When you would gain another player’s technology, put a Y on one of their faction technologies to copy its ability.
    • Starting Planets: Mordai II
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Section 2 of 4:

Prophecy of Kings Expansion Factions

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1. 
   1
   The Argent Flight The Argent Flight is an avian faction that view themselves as the rightful rulers of the galaxy. The flocks of this faction can set up structures on the map that block others from moving through the system, so they’re all about control and putting up a strong fight when necessary.

   • Complexity: Low
   • Abilities:
     • Zeal: You vote first during every agenda phase, and you cast 1 additional vote for each player in the game.
     • Raid Formation: When one of your units uses Anti-Fighter Barrage, damage one of their ships for each excess hit.
   • Technology:
     • Aerie Hololattice: Other players can’t move through systems with your structures. Each planet with one of your structures gains the production ability like one of your units.
   • Starting Planets: Valk, Avar, Ylir
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   The Empyrean The Empyrean live in the dark reaches of space, neighboring multiple planets and systems. As they’ve become more known, they’ve started to control different trade routes for their own gain. If you want to make pacts with the other players and control who can move between the systems, the Empyrean gives you a lot of control over map movement and making alliances.

   • Complexity: Low
   • Abilities:
     • Voidborn: Your ship movement is not affected by nebulas.
     • Aetherpassage: When a player activates a system, you can allow the player to move ships through a system with your ships.
     • Dark Whispers: During setup, you have 2 faction promissory notes instead of 1.
   • Technology:
     • Aetherstream: After your neighbor activates a system next to an anomaly, you can add 1 to the move value of that player’s ships during a tactical action.
     • Voidwatch: When a player moves into a system with one of your units, they have to give you a promissory note.
   • Starting Planets: The Dark, Nebula
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   The Naaz-Rokha Alliance The Naaz-Rokha Alliance are two outcast species that are symbiotic and work together to explore and expand across the galaxy. The Naaz-Rokha focus on exploring the map and collecting relics for a reduced price. If you don’t want a lot of interaction with a lot of other players and just want to focus on discovering new things around the map, then the Naaz-Rokha are for you.

   • Complexity: Low
   • Abilities:
     • Distant Suns: When you explore a planet that has one of your mechs, draw 1 additional card and choose one to resolve.
     • Fabrication: Purge 2 relic fragments of the same type to gain a relic, or purge 1 relic fragment to get a command token.
   • Technology:
     • Supercharge: At the start of a combat round, add 1 to the result of each unit’s roll.
     • Pre-Fab Arcologies: Ready a planet immediately after you explore it.
   • Starting Planets: Naazir, Rokha
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   The Nomad The Nomad is just a single person and their company, not a full race like the other factions. Rather than building out a large army of their forces, The Nomad focuses on building a smaller fleet of more powerful ships so they have better chances in combat. The Nomad also focuses on building up wealth and working with others, so they’re a good choice if you want to focus on a strong economy.

   • Complexity: Low
   • Abilities:
     • The Company: During setup, take 3 faction agents instead of 1.
     • Future Sight: During the agenda phase, gain 1 trade good after an outcome you voted for resolves.
   • Technology:
     • Temporal Command Suite: When another player’s agent becomes exhausted, you may ready that agent and perform a transaction with them.
   • Starting Planets: Arcturus
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   The Titans of Ul The Titans of Ul are gigantic living machines that lie dormant across the planets until they’re woken up. When they unearth themselves, they continue to grow more powerful and look for others buried across the galaxy. This faction focuses on building up money and structures, so they can help you focus on winning objectives throughout the game.

   • Complexity: Moderate
   • Abilities:
     • Terragenesis: After you explore a planet without a sleeper token, place or move a sleeper token there.
     • Awaken: If you activate a system with a sleeper token, replace it with 1 PDS.
     • Coalescence: If your flagship or Awaken ability places a unit into the same space or planet as another player, your units must immediately go into combat.
   • Technology: none
   • Starting Planets: Elysium
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   6
   The Mahact Gene-Sorcerers The Mahact Gene-Sorcerers are mad kings from ancient history who can control living things with the flick of a wrist. This race can steal abilities, votes, and tokens from other players, so they’re a little more complex than other factions. If you want to feel like you’re in control and have a lot of influence on the state of the game, then choose this faction next time you play.

   • Complexity: High
   • Abilities:
     • Edict: When you win combat, place a command token from your opponent’s reinforcements in your fleet pool to increase your fleet limit.
     • Imperia: When you have another player’s command token in your fleet pool, you can use the ability of that player’s unlocked commander.
     • Hubris: During setup, purge your Alliance promissory note. You cannot receive this promissory note from other players.
   • Technology:
     • Genetic Recombination: Before a player casts a vote, force them to cast 1 vote in the outcome you choose or remove a token from their fleet pool.
   • Starting Planets: Ixth
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   The Vuil’Raith Cabal The Vuil’Raith are a species of space dragons that arrived through a rift in the galaxy. They eat other players’ ships and capture them to use later on. The Cabal is extremely combat-heavy, and many players will fight against you, so it’s recommended that you use them once you know the game a little bit better.

   • Complexity: High
   • Abilities:
     • Devour: Capture your opponent’s non-structure units that are destroyed in combat.
     • Amalgamation: When you produce a unit, return 1 captured unit of that type to avoid spending resources.
     • Riftmeld: When you research unit upgrade technology, return a captured unit to ignore any prerequisites.
   • Technology:
     • Vortex: Choose another player’s non-structure unit in a system next to one of your space docks, and capture a unit of that type from their reinforcements.
   • Starting Planets: Acheron
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Section 3 of 4:

Thunder’s Edge Expansion Factions

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   Last Bastion The Last Bastion doesn’t start off with many units or a powerful economy, but they can enhance their infantry to make them even stronger. If you like a playstyle that starts off slow but ramps up to unstoppable forces, the Last Bastion is one to try.

   • Complexity: Low
   • Abilities:
     • Liberate: When you get control of a planet, ready it if it has a number of your infantry greater than its resource value. Otherwise, place 1 infantry there.
     • Galvanize: When an effect says to galvanize a unit, they place a token underneath it and roll 1 extra die for combat and abilities.
     • Phoenix Standard: At the end of combat, galvanize any of your units that participated.
   • Technology:
     • Proxima Targeting IV: Cancel 1 hit from a Bombardment roll against your ground troops for every galvanized unit there. At the start of ground combat, you can resolve a Bombardment 8 against your opponent and your own forces.
   • Starting Planets: Ordinian, Revelation, Nebula
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   The Ral Nel Consortium The Ral Nel are a group of space-faring lizards that don’t get along very well with others. They can move their structures across the map along with fast ships, so they’re able to transport your units quickly. You can also bring in ships from other systems to join in your fight if you need to win a combat. If you want a lot of board control and feel like a threat wherever you are, give them a try.

   • Complexity: Low
   • Abilities:
     • Survival Instinct: When another player activates a system with your ships, you may move 2 of your ships from adjacent systems without your command tokens into the active one.
     • Miniaturization: Your structures can be transported by any ship, but they cannot use their abilities in a space area. You place structures from space areas into planets you control in the same system during your tactical actions.
   • Technology:
     • Nanomachines: Exhaust the card to place 1 PDS, repair damaged units, or discard an action card to draw 1 action card.
   • Starting Planets: Mez Lo Orz Pie Zsha, Rep Lo Orz Oet
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   The Council Keleres The Council Keleres was originally introduced in the Codex III, but they got an official release in Thunder’s Edge, and they are the members of the Galactic Council. The Keleres control one of the unchosen factions, plus they can ignore laws, make a lot of money, and avoid trades with other players. If you want a faction that’s manipulative and has a strong focus on economy, then this faction is the right choice for you.

   • Complexity: Moderate
   • Abilities:
     • The Tribunii: Choose from the Mentak, Xxcha, or Argent Flight faction not currently in play to take their home system, command tokens, and control markers.
     • Council Patronage: Replenish your commodities and gain 1 trade good when the strategy phase starts.
     • Law’s Order: Spend 1 influence at the start of your turn to treat all laws as blank.
   • Technology:
     • I.I.H.Q. Modernization: Your units are adjacent to all players with units or controlled planets in or next to the Mecatol Rex system.
     • Agency Supply Network: Resolve an additional production ability after resolving the first one.
     • Executive Order (Thunder’s Edge): Draw the top or bottom card of the agenda deck and immediately vote on it. You may also use trade goods and resources as votes.
     • Agency Supply Network (Thunder’s Edge): Resolve an additional production ability on a unit in any system after performing a production ability.
   • Starting Planets: Moll Primus (Mentak); Archon Ren, Archon Tau (Xxcha); Valk, Avar, Ylir (Argent Flight)
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   The Deepwrought Scholarate The Deepwrought Scholarate is a friendly aquatic race that wants to help benefit everyone at the table and coexist with other factions. If you want to make alliances and spread your forces across the board to gain more benefits, then this faction is worth trying out. However, it adds a few new complex mechanics that could make them challenging for a new player.

   • Complexity: Moderate
   • Abilities:
     • Research Team: When ground forces are committed, you may choose for your units to coexist if they aren’t already.
     • Oceanbound: When your units coexist on a planet, gain and ready an ocean card. You can only have as many ocean cards as you have planets with coexisting units.
   • Technology:
     • Radical Advancement: At the start of the status phase, replace a non-unit upgrade technology with a technology of the same color that requires 1 more prerequisite.
     • Hydrothermal Mining: Gain 1 trade good for each ocean card in play at the start of your status phase.
   • Starting Planets: Ikatena
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   5
   The Crimson Rebellion The Crimson Rebellion opens wormholes across the galaxy so they can jump to planets from pretty much anywhere on the map. This faction is really tactical and focuses on positioning your wormholes so you can control any part of the map at any time. They also gain benefits anytime a player goes into combat, even if you’re not the faction that’s fighting.

   • Complexity: High
   • Abilities:
     • Sundered: You can only use the epsilon wormholes and no others. Any units that move into your home world are destroyed.
     • Incursion: When you activate a system with a breach, flip it. Systems with active breaches are considered adjacent. At the end of the status phase, any player with a ship in a system with an active breach may remove it.
     • The Sorrow: Place The Sorrow on the game board where your home system would normally go, and keep your home system tile in your play area.
   • Technology:
     • Subatomic Splicer: Produce a ship of the same type as one of your destroyed ships at a space dock in your home system.
   • Starting Planets: Ahk Creuxx, Epsilon Wormhole
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   6
   The Firmament/The Obsidian The Firmament doesn’t think the Imperium should even exist, but they do create schemes that other players can join. At some point during the game, you can choose to switch to The Obsidian, a stronger force that now puppets all the factions you were plotting with earlier. This complex faction is all about manipulating other players and thinking really far ahead, so it’s best for the most experienced factions.

   • Complexity: High
   • Abilities:
     • Plots Within Plots (Firmament): You can score secret objectives that other players have already scored, and they do not count against your limit. Place a face-down plot card with a player’s control token any time you complete their secret objective.
     • Puppets of the Blade (Firmament): If you have a plot card in your play area, purge the Firmament’s faction sheet, leaders, planet, and promissory note and gain all the components for The Obsidian.
     • Nocturne (Obsidian): You cannot set up this faction at the beginning of the game.
     • The Blade’s Orchestra (Obsidian): When this faction comes into play, flip your home system, faction components, and plot cards. Ready Cronos Hollow and Tallin Hollow if you control them.
     • Marionettes (Obsidian): The players with tokens on your plot cards are the puppeted players for those plots.
   • Technology:
     • Plane Splitter (Firmament): Put The Fracture into play when you gain this card. Flip this card when The Obsidian is in play.
     • Neural Parasite (Firmament): At the start of your status phase, place 1 infantry on a planet you control in your home system. Flip this card with The Obsidian in play.
     • Plane Splitter (Obsidian): At the start of strategic actions, move an ingress token to a system with or adjacent to your units.
     • Neural Parasite (Obsidian): At the start of your turn, destroy 1 infantry belonging to another player in or next to a system with your infantry.
   • Starting Planets: Cronos, Tallin (Firmament); Cronos Hollow, Tallin Hollow (Obsidian)
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Section 4 of 4:

Twilight Imperium Faction Tier Lists

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1. 
   1
   Best faction tier list Factions vary a lot in strength and playstyle, so everyone has a slightly different list for which faction they think is the best. If you’re looking for the best factions to play overall, check out our ranks below!

   • S-tier
     • The Federation of Sol
     • The Clan of Saar
     • The Deepwrought Scholarate
     • The Crimson Rebellion
     • The Universities of Jol-Nar
     • The Mahact Gene-Sorcerers
   • A-tier
     • The Emirates of Hacan
     • The Naaz-Rokha Alliance
     • The Ghosts of Creuss
     • The Arborec
     • The Titans of Ul
     • The Vuil’Raith Cabal
     • The Yssaril Tribes
   • B-tier
     • The Barony of Letnev
     • The Empyrean
     • The Naalu Collective
     • The Nekro Virus
     • The Council Keleres
     • The Nomad
   • C-tier
     • The L1Z1X Mindnet
     • The Yin Brotherhood
     • The Ral Nel Consortium
     • Last Bastion
   • D-tier
     • The Winnu
     • The Xxcha Kingdom
     • The Argent Flight
     • The Embers of Muaat
     • Sardakk N’orr
     • The Mentak Coalition
     • The Firmament/The Obsidian
2. 
   2
   Complexity tier list Twilight Imperium can be notoriously tricky because each faction has a different playstyle, but some are more straightforward than others. If you want an easier time understanding the mechanics, choosing one of the low complexity factions helps you get a better feeling for the game. Once you’ve played a few times, then it’s worth giving one of the more complex factions a try.

   • Beginner
     • The Federation of Sol
     • The Emirates of Hacan
     • The Barony of Letnev
     • The Universities of Jol-Nar
     • The Yin Brotherhood
     • The Argent Flight
     • The L1Z1X Mindnet
     • The Empyrean
     • The Xxcha Kingdom
     • The Naaz-Rokha Alliance
     • The Yssaril Tribes
     • The Nomad
     • The Ral Nel Consortium
     • Last Bastion
   • Intermediate
     • The Winnu
     • The Clan of Saar
     • The Titans of Ul
     • Sardakk N’orr
     • The Ghosts of Creuss
     • The Naalu Collective
     • The Deepwrought Scholarate
     • The Council Keleres
   • Expert
     • The Arborec
     • The Vuil’Raith Cabal
     • The Nekro Virus
     • The Embers of Muaat
     • The Crimson Rebellion
     • The Mentak Coalition
     • The Mahact Gene-Sorcerers
     • The Firmament/The Obsidian
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