What purpose do they serve other than to provide aesthetic gear/ships/shaders/emblems? Why did Bungie even bother advertising factions when these aren't really factions? They're just vendors. That's it. Why haven't they been expanded in any sense other than selling Year 2 stuff instead of Year 1? Wouldn't it be cooler if each faction had high level gear to work toward? Not just the same stuff in a different color scheme? I would LOVE to see factions actually be factions. They should have a common goal or play style and offer quests/missions/whatever in order to earn their gear. We should be able to meet up with other faction members to carry these things out...it'd be a fantastic way to expand the community in-game instead of forcing us to LFG on forums. No?