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Perfect World Entertainment was nice enough to share a developer journal about the Factions system exclusively with Ten Ton Hammer. The unedited journal entry and fifteen exclusive screens appear below.

Jade Dynasty, the highly anticipated martial arts MMORPG and third title from Perfect World Entertainment, is now open to the public!

Soon after stepping into the realm of Jade Dynasty, players will be faced with a choice. A major decision that will influence much of the following gameplay is the Factions. Each Faction will unlock different skills, different quests, and ultimately different stories.

A player will begin in Sunstream City. In this starting area, players will learn the rules of the land and the basics of gameplay. This is also where they will receive their first introductions to the Factions, and ultimately choose between them.

Each Faction has its own strengths, weaknesses and play style. 

The Jadeon Faction

The Jadeon are one of the factions who stand on the side of Good.  Master Jadeon, the wise leader of an ancient Taoist order discovered the magical sword Regenesis. With this holy relic, he founded a Faction after his own name. His disciples, following his example, all became masters of swordplay and channeled their formidable Chi through their weapons. 

Jadeon followers are masters of ranged attacks, despite their use of swords. Their ability to hit from afar and the high damage they deal makes them dangerous foe in battle. However, they are weak in defense and can be overwhelmed when trapped in melee combat. Many Jadeon spells use magically enchanted swords that will slow or disable an opponent as the Jadeon continues to deal damage from afar.

The Skysong Faction

The Skysong are another faction that fight on the side of Good. Skysong is a Buddhist order, intent on maintaining peace for all mankind and mastering the cultivation of inner spirit. 

Because of they are a faction founded on peace, Skysong’s skill focus on defense and healing. They are known throughout the land as the only Faction that specializes in healing. They can heal the injured, buff their defenses or even resurrect the fallen. They are not without offensive abilities however—Skysong’s holy mantras have given them specialized group attacks that may take enemies by surprise. 

The Vim Faction

The Vim are the fallen faction, now allied with the forces of evil. Originally a Holy Sect, they fell from grace when their leader found a volume of the sacred Librus—the highest books of magic. The Vim have based much of their skills on the teachings of this book, and are feared because they will stop at nothing to reach their goals.

Vim disciples are powerful combatants, with high melee attacks and high defense. A lone wolf, Vim lacks ranged or group attacks—care needs to be taken when taking on an enemy group.

The Lupin Faction

The Lupin are a faction on the side of evil. Their founder, Lady Jingling, mastered the teachings of all the sacred Tomes and founded Lupin to rival the powers of Vim. Her followers are adept at magic, cunning and swift like assassins. 

Moving with ease and deception, Lupin followers have a wide array of attack skills at their disposal, with extremely high critical rates. Their attacks can do anything from drain HP, slow an enemy—even seduce them. Or it could increase their defense, HP or attack power. However, a Lupin will need to be aware of the effects of these skills, that often have a corresponding weakness—increased attack power for decreased defense, for example—and learn how to balance them.

The Modo Faction

The Modo are an ancient, but secretive faction. Not much is known to outsiders, however, all take care to avoid them when they can. The true intentions of this Faction still remain unknown to outsiders. 

They are masters of primordial magic and unknown magics, able to summon elemental magic to drain their enemies’ health. The Modo also have the ability to transform their own body into powerful creatures to deal their enemy a heavy blow, while boosting their defense or attack power However, a Modo disciple uses their own lifeforce to power their skills, so it will be a delicate balance between health and power.