- Anvil Empires factions are built around a three-faction war, now completed by the Pagans
- Pagans currently share equipment stats with other factions, but unique gameplay arrives during early access
- Military victory needs captured keeps; cultural victory needs temples held over time
- Faction choice shapes your clan, trade routes, and siege strategy
- Join faction playtests through the official Anvil Empires Discord
Anvil Empires Factions Overview
Anvil Empires was designed from the start as a persistent war between three factions, with hundreds of players building economies, raising armies, and besieging keeps on a single shared map. For a long stretch of pre-alpha testing only two sides were active, but the third faction, the Pagans, has finally been revealed and entered testing. Understanding how the factions relate to each other is the first step toward picking the side that fits your playstyle.
Video Highlights:
- Third faction, the Pagans, officially revealed and playable in the next test
- Pagans have unique visuals but equivalent structures and equipment for now
- Faction-specific gameplay elements will be added during early access
- Anvil Empires early access on Steam confirmed for this year
- New trade economy, wind conditions, and Avatar system introduced alongside
Current faction differences are visual and thematic only. Balance-wise, every faction fields the same weapons, structures, and equipment. Don't stress over a "meta" faction yet — the meaningful splits arrive during early access development.
The Three Factions at a Glance
Each faction occupies its own slice of the world and its own cultural identity. While hard gameplay differences are still ahead of us, the lore and positioning of each side already set the tone for how clans organize.
| Faction | Status | Visual Identity | Gameplay Identity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faction 1 (Legacy) | Playable since early tests | Established pre-alpha look | Standard full kit: structures, weapons, equipment |
| Faction 2 (Legacy) | Playable since early tests | Established pre-alpha look | Standard full kit: structures, weapons, equipment |
| Pagans | Newly revealed, playable in latest tests | Unique new visual set | Equivalent stats; unique mechanics planned for early access |
Legacy Faction Play
- Longest-standing communities
- Mature clan infrastructure
- Established supply lines and towns
Fresh Start with the Pagans
- New lore: sailors from the Wayward Sea
- Fresh clan opportunities for newcomers
- Growing territory from scratch
Wait-for-Meta Approach
- Hold off until faction mechanics land
- Watch early access patch notes
- Ideal for players who min-max
Pagans: Lore and Identity
The Pagans are the first new faction added since testing began, and Siege Camp paired the reveal with the game's first official faction lore. The tone is eerie and expansionist: a seafaring people forged in the frigid southern Wayward Sea, who believe the gods demand new lands.
Key elements from the official Pagans lore:
- Origin: Tempered in the frigid southern waters of the Wayward Sea
- Homeland: The shining Aronic Isles
- Motive: The gods demand new lands with rich soil
- Direction: Sailing north to claim a new continent, Caliggo, in the gods' honor
- Character: Mysterious, ritualistic, conquest-driven
Faction lore in Anvil Empires isn't just flavor text. It shapes naming conventions, community identity, and how clans roleplay their war effort — much like the regiment culture seen in Foxhole. Expect the Pagans' seafaring identity to influence future unique mechanics.
How Factions Win: Victory Conditions
Faction competition now runs on a structured wind condition system displayed on the map screen. Every faction pursues one of two victory paths, and both demand massive coordination across towns, homesteads, and armies.
| Victory Type | Requirement | Key Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Military Victory | Capture a set number of enemy keeps | Sustained sieges, logistics, army mustering |
| Cultural Victory | Build a set number of temples and hold them | Late-age unlock, huge collective resource effort including trade resources |
Cultural victory deserves special attention. Temples can only be constructed in the later ages and require a faction-wide resource push, including the localized trade resources: flax seeds, lead, and risen. These rotate to random map locations every in-game year, forcing factions into inter-town marketplace trade.
Because flax seeds, lead, and risen only spawn in specific regions and rotate yearly, factions that build efficient marketplace trade networks gain a direct path toward temples — and cultural victory. Neglecting trade handicaps your entire side.
Joining a Faction: Step-by-Step
Join the Official Discord
Playtests are announced and organized through the Anvil Empires Discord. This is where test schedules, faction assignments, and clan recruitment happen.
Pick Your Faction and Clan
Review the clan list for each upcoming test and choose a faction. Newer players often fit well with the Pagans' growing communities, while legacy factions offer established infrastructure.
Set Up Your Homestead
Build a homestead, produce Avatars (apprentice and soldier types), and station them for deployment. Avatars are the deployment resource — train them through gathering, building, and combat.
Contribute to the War Economy
Farm, process resources at the smashing plate and grain mill, and trade at marketplaces to supply your faction's armies and temple construction.
Coordinate via Map Posts
Use map posts and signposts to warn allies of threats, coordinate sieges, and organize faction-wide objectives. Upvoted posts gain map visibility.
Faction Playtest Checklist:
- Join the Anvil Empires Discord and read test rules
- Choose a faction and find an active clan
- Establish a homestead with Avatar production
- Stockpile weapons, armor, and trade resources
- Post and upvote map posts during operations
You always deploy as an Avatar. Start with an apprentice, train it into a soldier, and station trained Avatars at your homestead until caravans ship them to the front. Veterans gain levels and attributes over time.
FAQ
Q: Are the Anvil Empires factions actually different in gameplay right now?
Not yet. The Pagans have unique visuals, but their structures, weapons, and equipment are equivalent to the other factions. Faction-unique gameplay elements are planned to arrive during early access development on Steam.
Q: What is the newest Anvil Empires faction?
The Pagans are the third and newest faction, revealed alongside a major update. Their lore places them as seafarers from the Wayward Sea's Aronic Isles sailing north to claim the continent of Caliggo.
Q: How does a faction win in Anvil Empires?
There are two wind conditions: military victory, which requires capturing a set number of enemy keeps, and cultural victory, which requires building and holding temples — a late-game effort demanding massive faction-wide resources, including localized trade resources.
Q: When does Anvil Empives hit early access?
The developers have confirmed early access on Steam is targeted for this year, with the remaining functional features being added in the current wave of updates. Like Foxhole, the game will keep iterating well into early access.