The way I see it, each Faction has its faults. The most sensible choice (based on in-game politics) is to support the Vanguard. The Vanguard provides an unbiased view and presents the most experience with handling the darkness directly. The only issue is their allegiance to the Speaker, however considering the current times this minor, especially as any foul play suspected on the Speaker's behalf is purely speculation. That all being said, with a gun to my head and a choice of the three factions I would choose New Monarchy. The good, they support reclamation of the Golden Age. They are willing able to put resources towards pushing back the darkness. This coincides with a lot of what the Vanguard is in place for, which puts New Monarchy more in line with the more important issues facing the city. However, there is the bad. New Monarchy's political beliefs in how the future of the city should be run. They would have it so a single sovereign power was in place, a single person prone to greed and corruption with the fate of humanity in his/her hands. History has proven that monarchies and dictatorships are unstable, and often lead to public displeasure and a fragmented economy. By putting New Monarchy in power, the city could undo itself even without the help of the darkness. My second choice (a close second) would be the Future War Cult. The good, they have [i]a lot[/i] of firepower. The Future War Cult is dedicated to constant conflict, and is adequately prepared. It never hurts to have a large group of heavily armed people dedicated to destroying the darkness. The Future War Cult is also potentially ahead of the game when considering what the Darkness really is. Allegedly, the FWC discovered (or created) a space station fit with a device capable of seeing the future. This would mean the FWC is the most knowledgeable about mankinds future. The FWC also agreed with much of what Toland said, (Warlock who arguably knew the most about the Hive, and knew the most about the Darkness). [i]Toland told a tale of three Queens, and how one succeeded with an army. In reality all the Queens have armies, as to represent reality as an eternal struggle for power[/i]. Anyways, read the Grimoire for more. The point is, Toland, a knowledgeable individual agreed with much of what the FWC said. Now, for the bad. The FWC, keeps many secrets. A lot of which could provide important insight to the Vanguard. Yet, they refuse to cooperate, and provide the Vanguard with said important information. This information could help Guardians in the struggle against the Darkness. Then there's the issue of legitimacy. Unfortunately, due to the FWC secrecy, any information they do put out can be taken with nothing more than a grain of salt. Anything they say is not backed by evidence, even this space station with future capabilities is nothing more than a rumour. That all being said, [b]It's still nice to have a heavily armed faction willing to combat the Darkness[/b]. Now, after a very long talk about the FWC, there is Dead Orbit. To continue the trend, let's discuss the good. They want to expand humanity's knowledge of the universe, DO's endeavours could provide knowledge on worlds outside the Solar System. DO could provide answers in reference to how the Universe works. DO could save the city in the event the Darkness prevailed, or at least, continue the existence of humanity. That's about where the good ends. Issues with DO are aplenty. The biggest is the use of time and resources. Such projects should of been initiated in the Golden Age, a time of technology. Not during a war in which every ounce of humanity must be put to defending against the Darkness. Another issue is DO's willingness to sacrifice anything as long as it's in the name of their future endeavours. At this point in time, the City cannot afford to make many sacrifices, especially in the name of what could be considered fantasy. Perhaps DO could be okay, if they agreed to abide by all of the laws of the city, and if they eased up on the sacrificing. TL;DR: -Vanguard: the least worse of all the tower factions. Unbiased to an extant, focused on the most important issues -New Monarchy: provide resources to important issues, agree with a lot of the Vanguards policies. Invest in a poor future government that will likely result in corruption. -FWC: lots of firepower, contribute substantially in the fight against the Darkness. Could know the secrets to the Darkness's undoing. Unwilling to cooperate, do not provide evidence to their claims. -DO: have good intentions, could save humanity. Poor use of resources, bad time to make a fleet and run away. Take away time and effort.