Ideal order of Alliances...

[Drake Ravenwolf]

If you wanted to ally with as many factions as possible (without cheesing the slavery option) what would that look like...

• Anti-Slavers - must be an escaped slave or else an enemy of one of their enemies... and will disable ability to gain rep with the United Cities...
  
• Crab Raiders - should be able to ally via Tornament AFTER allying with Skeleton/Skin Bandits... right?
  
• Flotsam Ninjas - will disable ability to gain rep with the Holy Nation...
  
• Hounds - has to be done early as Ears will refuse anyone with positive Traders Guild / UC / HN / Slave Traders relations
  
• Outlaws - all default slaves are of this faction so just going around and buying the freedom of all slaves will get you here, which I wouldn't consider part of the cheese
  
• Rebel Farmers - bonus rep (and maybe easier too) if done AFTER anti-slavers, but ALSO disables ability to gain rep with the United Cities
  
• Shek Kingdom - seems to be allyable AFTER HN / UC but probably shouldn't be possible...
  
• Shinobi Thieves
  
• Skeleton Bandits / Skin Bandits - do before Crab Bandits, if you pick the Skeletons then Elder will follow you for 5 hours in which time you can lead him to a leviathan to have him die without hurting your relations
  
• Slave Traders - tied to the Outlaw rep, tho also much slower
  
• Starving Bandits
  
• The Holy Nation
  
• United Cities & Trader's Guild - while technically separate, the game seems to almost always check both when locking off relation routes

The real choice is between HN, UC, or neither I feel

Bandaging rep seems to cap at +5 unless you manage to bandage a faction leader which also seems rather cheesy... :S

What I haven't tested yet is if you can get enough positive relation via hiring bodyguards... aka

• Black Dogs
  
• Cannibal Hunters
  
• Mercenary Guild
  
• Tech Hunters

Give me your thoughts

[Shidan]

Should actually be able to get all of what you listed above, including all three major factions, with the exception of the Anti-Slavers and either the Skin Bandits and Skeleton Bandits. Plus you can get the Vagrants and Empire Peasant factions which you didn't mention.

Mostly don't really need to follow an order, with a couple exceptions.

Hounds has to be done before HN, UC, TG, or ST.
And of course the Skin Bandits/Skeleton Bandits before the Crab Raiders.
You must be willing to do a little cheese on either Flotsam or HN (neither is the normal slavery cheese though).

In terms of methods, they'd be as follows.

• Crab Raiders - Crab Tournament, as you mentioned. Make sure to do after allying with either the Skin Bandits or Skeleton bandits.
  
• Empire Peasants - There is a dialog even tin UC towns to pay off the fines/taxes of a peasant, use that to gain relations.
  
• Flotsam Ninjas - To avoid the negative relations with the HN, you can repeat part of the "Are you really in the cult of Narko?" for a couple relation points, and can do so as many times as needed. Which you must do if you've done HN first.
  
• Holy Nation - Either slowly via common bounties (which only check if you are a Flotsam ally), or if you don't mind a little cheese you can get the Phoenix kidnapped and then break him out for an instant alliance that does not care about any faction relations.
  
• Hounds - Normal quest stuff, just make sure to do it before the HN or UC related factions.
  
• Outlaws - Buy slaves as you mentioned.
  
• Rebel Farmers - Best method would be to ally with UC and Traders Guild first, then pick up a noble while they're sleeping and bring them to Simion. He doesn't care about prior faction relations then, and barely hurts your relations with the UC to ally with him. Can even release noble afterward unharmed, as he doesn't actually take them.
  
• Shek Kingdom - Common bounties (Dust Bosses mainly), as they don't check faction relations.
  
• Shinobi Thieves - Pay for membership.
  
• Skin/Skeleton Bandits - Normal alliance, do before Crab Raiders.
  
• Slave Traders - Buying slaves as mentioned. Or through Traders Guild alliance.
  
• Starving Bandits/Vagrants - Both have the same dialog. So same dialog method, though it takes a long time.
  
• Traders Guild - Buy the alliance from Yamdu. Only cares if you're an Anti-Slaver ally.
  
• United Cities - Common bounties. Only cares if you're an Anti Slaver ally.

[Drake Ravenwolf]

hmmm I've never seen the dialogues you mention for Empire Peasants or Vagrants... but then I really only remmeber two vagrants at the rebel outpost who picked a fight with me, immediately got beat down by the guards and then enslaved by passing slavers :-P

Saw them there again later on after somehow escaping slavery on their own but had the exact same interaction again and iirc even buying them a drink didn't give me any rep...

Can you give more details?

[bunny de fluff]

Originally posted by Shidan:

Should actually be able to get all of what you listed above, including all three major factions, with the exception of the Anti-Slavers and either the Skin Bandits and Skeleton Bandits. Plus you can get the Vagrants and Empire Peasant factions which you didn't mention.

Mostly don't really need to follow an order, with a couple exceptions.

Hounds has to be done before HN, UC, TG, or ST.
And of course the Skin Bandits/Skeleton Bandits before the Crab Raiders.
You must be willing to do a little cheese on either Flotsam or HN (neither is the normal slavery cheese though).

In terms of methods, they'd be as follows.

• Crab Raiders - Crab Tournament, as you mentioned. Make sure to do after allying with either the Skin Bandits or Skeleton bandits.
  
• Empire Peasants - There is a dialog even tin UC towns to pay off the fines/taxes of a peasant, use that to gain relations.
  
• Flotsam Ninjas - To avoid the negative relations with the HN, you can repeat part of the "Are you really in the cult of Narko?" for a couple relation points, and can do so as many times as needed. Which you must do if you've done HN first.
  
• Holy Nation - Either slowly via common bounties (which only check if you are a Flotsam ally), or if you don't mind a little cheese you can get the Phoenix kidnapped and then break him out for an instant alliance that does not care about any faction relations.
  
• Hounds - Normal quest stuff, just make sure to do it before the HN or UC related factions.
  
• Outlaws - Buy slaves as you mentioned.
  
• Rebel Farmers - Best method would be to ally with UC and Traders Guild first, then pick up a noble while they're sleeping and bring them to Simion. He doesn't care about prior faction relations then, and barely hurts your relations with the UC to ally with him. Can even release noble afterward unharmed, as he doesn't actually take them.
  
• Shek Kingdom - Common bounties (Dust Bosses mainly), as they don't check faction relations.
  
• Shinobi Thieves - Pay for membership.
  
• Skin/Skeleton Bandits - Normal alliance, do before Crab Raiders.
  
• Slave Traders - Buying slaves as mentioned. Or through Traders Guild alliance.
  
• Starving Bandits/Vagrants - Both have the same dialog. So same dialog method, though it takes a long time.
  
• Traders Guild - Buy the alliance from Yamdu. Only cares if you're an Anti-Slaver ally.
  
• United Cities - Common bounties. Only cares if you're an Anti Slaver ally.

Shidan, can I put this in one of my guide?

[Drake Ravenwolf]

Originally posted by bunny de fluff:

If you don't mind, I will put this into one of my guide shidan: )

Oy, give me a little credit too :-P

[bunny de fluff]

Originally posted by Drake Ravenwolf:

Originally posted by bunny de fluff:

If you don't mind, I will put this into one of my guide shidan: )

Oy, give me a little credit too :-P

Haha we'll see : )

[Shidan]

Originally posted by Drake Ravenwolf:

hmmm I've never seen the dialogues you mention for Empire Peasants or Vagrants... but then I really only remmeber two vagrants at the rebel outpost who picked a fight with me, immediately got beat down by the guards and then enslaved by passing slavers :-P

Saw them there again later on after somehow escaping slavery on their own but had the exact same interaction again and iirc even buying them a drink didn't give me any rep...

Can you give more details?

The Vagrants are identical to Starving Bandits. Basically they can rarely beg for food from you, the higher your relations the more likely the event is to trigger. If you give them money at that time, you will gain relations. This dialog is only available on the wandering Vagrant groups found around Heng and the Great Desert.

Empire Peasants dialog is purely random around UC towns. Has a 1 week timer that delays it from happening again. Always starts with a samurai harassing a random empire peasant on the street, with something along the lines of "It's time for taxes, pay up /CITIZEN/". Then it goes back and forth for a while about how the peasant can't afford to pay. If you talk to the guard during that period, you can pay his taxes, which gives you 15 relations with empire peasants. Do it a several times and you get yourself an alliance.

Originally posted by bunny de fluff:

Shidan, can I put this in one of my guide?

Go for it, don't mind at all. :)

[Drake Ravenwolf]

Originally posted by Shidan:

The Vagrants are identical to Starving Bandits. Basically they can rarely beg for food from you, the higher your relations the more likely the event is to trigger. If you give them money at that time, you will gain relations. This dialog is only available on the wandering Vagrant groups found around Heng and the Great Desert.

Empire Peasants dialog is purely random around UC towns. Has a 1 week timer that delays it from happening again. Always starts with a samurai harassing a random empire peasant on the street, with something along the lines of "It's time for taxes, pay up /CITIZEN/". Then it goes back and forth for a while about how the peasant can't afford to pay. If you talk tot he guard during that period, you can pay his taxes, which gives you 15 relations with empire peasants. Do it a several times and you get yourself an alliance.

That's super helpful, tyvm!

I'm guessing that the bodyguard contracts don't give rep with the other 4 factions then?

[Shidan]

Correct. Any relations changes as a result of a bodyguard contract would be purely from interactions you had during the contract, such as healing them.

[Drake Ravenwolf]

"get the Phoenix kidnapped and then break him out for an instant alliance that does not care about any faction relations."

Hmmm about this... so what's the idea here? Kidnap him, drop him in front of Flotsam Village to "keep your hands clean" and then mount a rescue mission? I'm guessing that would still get fairly messy...

[bunny de fluff]

Originally posted by Drake Ravenwolf:

"get the Phoenix kidnapped and then break him out for an instant alliance that does not care about any faction relations."

Hmmm about this... so what's the idea here? Kidnap him, drop him in front of Flotsam Village to "keep your hands clean" and then mount a rescue mission? I'm guessing that would still get fairly messy...

One Phoenix can get you allied to Flotsam ninja, shek and UC. Just put him into their cages in turns(but don't let anyone see you breaking him out).

[Drake Ravenwolf]

Originally posted by bunny de fluff:

Originally posted by Drake Ravenwolf:

"get the Phoenix kidnapped and then break him out for an instant alliance that does not care about any faction relations."

Hmmm about this... so what's the idea here? Kidnap him, drop him in front of Flotsam Village to "keep your hands clean" and then mount a rescue mission? I'm guessing that would still get fairly messy...

One Phoenix can get you allied to Flotsam ninja, shek and UC. Just put him into their cages in turns(but don't let anyone see you breaking him out).

But its that "breaking him out" part that I'm fuzzy on, how do you do that part so you get a HN alliance out of it?

[Shidan]

All you have to do is pick the lock on his cage and/or shackles. Long as you're a human, and have no robotic limbs, he will instantly ally with you via dialog upon release. He has a special dialog for being freed that does it.

When I did it one time, I used Tengu's vault for it. But any NPC faction's cage should work. Long as you didn't put him in directly.

[bunny de fluff]

Originally posted by Shidan:

All you have to do is pick the lock on his cage and/or shackles. Long as you're a human, and have no robotic limbs, he will instantly ally with you via dialog upon release. He has a special dialog for being freed that does it.

When I did it one time, I used Tengu's vault for it. But any NPC faction's cage should work. Long as you didn't put him in directly.

Interesting.... : )

[Drake Ravenwolf]

Originally posted by Shidan:

All you have to do is pick the lock on his cage and/or shackles. Long as you're a human, and have no robotic limbs, he will instantly ally with you via dialog upon release. He has a special dialog for being freed that does it.

When I did it one time, I used Tengu's vault for it. But any NPC faction's cage should work. Long as you didn't put him in directly.

Nice!