Last Epoch Factions Explained: Should You Join the Circle of Fortune or Merchant’s Guild?

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Valencia

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As you progress through Last Epoch, reaching Act 9 unlocks one of the game’s most important long-term choices—faction selection. Players must choose between the Circle of Fortune and the Merchant’s Guild, two fundamentally different systems that shape how you’ll acquire powerful gear and engage with the broader community.

Each faction offers distinct progression paths: one through loot-based gameplay, the other through player-driven trading. Your choice directly affects how you’ll farm, build, and advance your characters across Monoliths and beyond. This guide breaks down the pros and cons of each faction to help you determine which one fits your preferred playstyle.

🧙‍♂️ What Are Factions in Last Epoch?

Factions in Last Epoch are more than just a lore-based allegiance. They offer game-altering mechanics and reward systems tied to how you obtain gear. Once you’ve completed a specific quest for Zarrick in Act 9, you’ll be prompted to choose between:

• The Circle of Fortune – A loot-enhancing, prophecy-fueled faction focused on PvE rewards.

• The Merchant’s Guild – A trade-focused faction that enables item buying and selling between players.

After your first character joins a faction, any subsequent characters can choose their faction immediately from the Keeper’s Camp, streamlining the experience for alts.

🔮 Circle of Fortune: Loot-Driven Progression

Faction Overview

The Circle of Fortune is built for players who enjoy grinding, farming, and earning gear through gameplay alone. This faction enhances drop rates and item variety via bonuses and a unique Prophecy system.

Core Mechanics

• Loot Modifiers: Increases chances for rare, unique, or set items to drop.

• Prophecies: Assignable objectives that grant powerful item rewards upon completion (e.g., kill a boss, clear a timeline).

• Gilded Prophecies: Upgradable versions of standard prophecies for even better loot.

Ideal For:

• Solo players or PvE-focused users

• Newcomers who want to explore builds without a trading economy

• Loot enthusiasts who enjoy hunting upgrades through content

Advantages:

• Guaranteed rewards via gameplay

• Increased drops lead to more crafting opportunities

• Great way to self-fund builds before venturing into trading

Limitations:

• No access to the player market (can’t buy or sell gear)

• Requires solid loot filters to avoid inventory bloat

Pro Tip: Combine the Circle of Fortune with strong crafting and a tuned loot filter for maximum efficiency when hunting high-value gear.

💰 Merchant’s Guild: Trade Your Way to Power

Faction Overview

The Merchant’s Guild gives you access to Last Epoch’s player-driven economy. If you enjoy flipping gear, building trading empires, or buying your perfect item, this is your faction.

Core Mechanics

• Item Market: Buy and sell gear with other players.

• Reputation Tiers: Higher ranks unlock trading privileges for rare and Legendary items.

• No Combat Bonuses: Unlike the Circle, this faction doesn’t improve drop rates or rewards.

Ideal For:

• Veteran players or theorycrafters who want specific affix rolls or rare uniques

• Social and economic players who enjoy item flipping

• Min-maxers who prefer optimizing via trade

Advantages:

• Access to any item available for trade (with the right reputation level)

• Can sell high-value items for gold and reinvest in your build

• Enables fast gearing without grinding specific content

Limitations:

• Requires high gold income or upfront value to afford top-tier gear

• Reputation gating prevents immediate access to the best items

• Not suitable for players who prefer solo self-found (SSF) experiences

Pro Tip: The best strategy is often to start with Circle of Fortune, stockpile loot, then switch to Merchant’s Guild once you have gear to sell.

🔄 Can You Switch Factions in Last Epoch?

Yes, but not instantly.

• Switching factions resets your faction reputation with the previous one.

• Your progress in the former faction will be paused, not deleted, allowing you to return later.

• You’ll need to build up reputation in the new faction from scratch.

Because of this, many players start with Circle of Fortune to farm efficiently, then transition to Merchant’s Guild once they have valuable loot to trade.

🧠 Circle of Fortune vs Merchant’s Guild: Which Is Better?

Ultimately, Circle of Fortune is better for players who want to play the game to earn gear, while Merchant’s Guild is ideal for those who want full control over their builds through trade.

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🧭 Final Verdict

Factions in Last Epoch offer a compelling way to personalize your progression path. The Circle of Fortune emphasizes gameplay-driven rewards and PvE content, while the Merchant’s Guild opens the door to economic gameplay and faster min-maxing through trade.

Your choice should reflect how you like to play: Are you a dungeon crawler who loves finding loot? Go with the Circle. Prefer building wealth and trading with others? The Guild awaits.

And remember—no choice is final. With time and experience, you can explore both paths and master every facet of Last Epoch’s deep itemization system.