Joining a faction should come with the ability to identify other same faction members while playing. As well as the ability to join their fire team without request and getting faction reputation and rewards while working with other faction members. This is a community game that's very hard to get others to play with. Factions should become loyalty memberships where you now are obligated to play together and raise the faction reputation as a whole. This in return can lead into faction wars where the players compete in quests, strikes, raids, and events. As well as in matchmaking where getting faction members together to play helps with reputation as well as trying to mitigate the issues of playing objective based game types with randoms. And working hard towards your faction will grant a light buff or stat (or both) increases that's applied to all same faction members. The more effort people put into the faction the greater the buff or stat increase. This would make being part of a faction well worth all the efforts to raise and "maintain" its reputation. Faction reputation should be able to go both ways. Since there are really no individual penalties other than low K/D ratios. Make a faction reputation something that has to be maintained. Also make factions unique based off of the certain stat increases you get. Make some that are more towards "run and gun" and others "stay and play". You could even add a faction based upgrade that applies to certain gear or weapons. Being in "this faction" gives you "this upgrade" that causes "this weapon or armor" to create orbs, reload faster, increase rate of fire, reduce "this type" of damage, ect... This shouldn't be a problem with good factions having a high light buff when compared to others due to this game already having light and weapon inequalities. It's not a bad thing and I enjoy the uneven playing field. But this could throw a curve ball at the ones who are maxed out and dangerous as a individual. They rightfully deserve the ability to dominate due to the work they put in. But this can make being part of a faction a must do. If lower light levels are part of a good faction that grants a high light buff then they can now contend with others who have already conquered the game in aspect to not just getting ran over the whole time. In Iron Banner I sometimes feel like I'm not even a speed bump lol. I just cause the other guy to expend a little more ammo or cause a reload he might get caught in. Not complaining, I like knowing that with time there will be others I face who may just be less than a distraction when dealing with them. And in return of implementing this idea you give those who are waiting for the next big event or expansion a good end game task to maintain. Putting the importance on playing together based off of faction will create the "community" environment this game was designed to be. If everything you do together is what is required to raise and maintain the faction it will create the world it was "destined" to be. See what I did there lol? Somethings I think should be considered as reputation gains and losses. - Assisting lower levels completing tasks and quests - Killing a high number of enemies - Matchmaking wins with faction members - Completing Quests, Strikes, Raids and other things with faction members - Add special "loot" that can only be used as a donation to your specific faction. Reward people who are exploring the world doing quests by stumbling on these items that reward the clan with a boost in faction rep. You can even make this as a weapon or piece of armor that is being researched by the entire faction. As they collect the pieces they work towards the goal of fully assembling this weapon or armor that will be available for the entire faction to purchase. - Lower levels killing higher enemies or players. This should give a bonus towards the faction due to this being pretty difficult when facing other players. - Pretty much everything you do now should have an impact on your factions rep What can hurt your rep - Dying... But put it in regards of the players light level when factoring how big of a hit it should be. Can't be having the lower ones trying to come up having big impacts on rep. - Loosing matchmaking games - Failure to complete quests or events. Even backing out while on a quest or event should be included. - Stagnation. People not working together to maintain the rep There are many things that can be tweaked and implemented. You can even add multipliers and reward or punish factions for winning or losing streaks. Making your hot or bad streaks something you work desperately to maintain or break due to the gains or losses. There are also some control options that would have to be applied so you don't have people just hopping on the band wagon just to get the buffs. Or the window lickers destroying your efforts. - Give the option to vote members out of a faction. Make it as an ability to put a faction member on probation. And when on probation they cannot help or hurt the faction. They also do not get any of the benefits. And to get off of probation they have to show positive stats (K/D ratio ect...) that would've helped the faction. Make it where in order to get on probation your stats have to reflect positive performance. It can't be just something people can easily do and quickly come back. Some individuals have nothing better to do other than try and ruin others efforts. Can't make it to easy and quick to get off probation where these individuals can quickly come back and hurt the faction until the option to vote against them is applied again. Maybe like 3-5 gaming streak of quests or matches that hurt the faction gives the other members the ability to put you on probation. And if you cannot meet the requirements to get off of probation there needs to be an ability to boot them from the clan. And they cannot return for a certain period of time and when you come back it's right back to probation until your proven an asset other than a burden. Don't really know exactly how to implement the probation aspect but there are many with ideas. Hell many will comment their ideas or disapproval here. Make them have to kill a certain number of enemies or players either same level or higher. Along with no crazy K/D ratio. - Giving the factions with lower members better loot drops can help recruit others to join the faction and build its rep. - Have faction based quests and missions similar to the Iron Banner. Have a week where just your clan has access to specific things and reward them with unique faction loot. Make these events active one faction at a time so others may see the separation between factions. - Leaving and joining factions can come with a penalty of some sorts. Like not being able to go back to the other faction for some time or not getting the light buff or stat increase of your new faction for some time. You can even make it quest based and make new members complete the faction quests before they receive benefits of being in that clan. Or as talked about above put all new members on probation. Make probation something that is level and light specific so that newer players may still join. It shouldn't just be a grind fest to get into a faction. And veteran players should guide newer ones throughout the game. As stated above it should come with reputation reward for assisting your newer clan members. It would be a reason to go do an old raid again because it will reward the faction since the members got a newer member through it their first time. Nothing like trying to get 6 random people to do an older raid with you. Almost have to give up on ever completing that part of the game. As well as lost access to faction specific quests and events. It also will come with difficulty putting together a fire team due to members wanting to do things as a clan. - Faction bounties that are specific to that faction only. - Reset all faction rep quarterly and have everyone start over to build it up again. This will even out the factions and give others an opportunity to join a different clan without fear of never being able to compete with the one with the most committed members. Or if someone wants to change up their play style they can move to a faction that compliments them without significant loss. - Reward a "champion faction" with champion loot. This should be done at the faction reset and show that their faction won overall in all the ways to raise and maintain the faction reputation. In addition, reward the "warriors" of the champion faction with unique one of a kind gear. This should be the ones who on their faction leaderboards lead the faction in reputation gained, kills, quests, strikes, raids, matchmaking, events, as well as a few others like assisted most lower light with all the above. Knowing there is a chance of unique loot with many ways to get it will make others branch out into other community aspects to achieve it. - Every reset hang the banners of the champion faction in the tower. Let them know who won in a boastful manner. Don't undershoot it, blow it out of the water. There's a ton you could go with here. I'm sure many here have things to add or disagree with. It may create a bit of segregation but it will add a new competitive aspect. Haven't been playing to long but I've noticed everyone likes to have that individual touch. Make your faction be a major contender on your individuality as well as the most competitive thing in the game.