Faction Alignments
Races in EverQuest Legends fall into three faction alignments: Good, Evil, and Neutral. Your faction determines which cities welcome you and which NPCs attack on sight. Faction is not merely a cosmetic distinction — it directly affects your access to banks, vendors, trainers, quests, and safe resting points. Understanding the faction system is essential for planning your character's progression and avoiding frustrating surprises when you wander into hostile territory.
The faction system adds strategic depth to character creation. Evil races like Ogre and Troll offer powerful racial abilities but suffer from limited city access. Good races have the widest access to cities and services but cannot play certain classes like Shadow Knight. Neutral races like Human enjoy maximum flexibility at the cost of having no standout racial ability. Every choice involves trade-offs.
Good Races: Barbarian, Dwarf, Erudite, Gnome, Halfling
Good races are welcomed in the major cities of Qeynos, Freeport, Kaladim, Erudin, Ak'Anon, and Rivervale. They enjoy access to the widest range of banks, vendors, trainers, and quest givers in the game. Good city guards will protect them, and most non-aggressive NPCs throughout the world start with at least indifferent faction.
Barbarians start in Halas, a rugged northern city with access to Everfrost and the surrounding tundra zones. Barbarians are welcomed in Qeynos and Freeport, giving them access to the two largest hub cities. Their Good alignment means they can freely train with Paladin, Cleric, and other Good-class guilds.
Dwarves start in Kaladim, the mountain city in the Butcherblock Mountains. Kaladim provides excellent early access to the Faydwer continent and its leveling zones. Dwarves are welcomed everywhere Good races are accepted.
Erudites start in Erudin, the scholarly city on Odus. Erudites have access to the unique Toxxulia Forest starting zone and the Stonebrunt Mountains. Their Good alignment provides full access to Qeynos, Freeport, and other major cities.
Gnomes start in Ak'Anon, the clockwork city beneath the Steamfont Mountains. Gnomes have access to Tinkering and a unique starting zone with mechanical creatures. Their Good alignment gives them full city access.
Halflings start in Rivervale, the pastoral shire in the Misty Thicket. Rivervale provides one of the safest and most efficient starting zones in the game, with well-organized mob level progressions. Halflings are welcomed everywhere Good races are accepted.
Evil Races: Dark Elf, Ogre, Troll
Evil races start in Neriak, Oggok, and Grobb. Good city guards will attack them on sight. This significantly limits access to banks, vendors, and trainers in the game's major hub cities. However, Evil races have access to unique quests and vendors in their home cities that Good races cannot access.
Dark Elves start in Neriak, the dark elven city in the Nektulos Forest. Neriak is a well-equipped city with all the services a player needs, but its location in the eastern part of Antonica means Dark Elves must travel through dangerous territory to reach mid-level zones. Dark Elves are killed on sight in Qeynos, Freeport, Kaladim, and other Good cities.
Ogres start in Oggok, the ogre fortress in the Feerrott. Oggok provides all essential services, but the Feerrott is a dangerous starting zone with high-level wanderers that can kill new players. Ogres are killed on sight in all Good cities, and their massive size makes navigating some indoor areas challenging.
Trolls start in Grobb, the troll swamp city in the Innothule Swamp. Grobb provides full services and the Innothule Swamp is a reasonable starting zone. Like other Evil races, Trolls are killed on sight in Good cities.
Neutral Races: Human, Half Elf
Neutral races are welcomed everywhere — Good cities, Evil cities, and everywhere in between. This gives them maximum flexibility for travel, banking, and training.
Humans can start in either Qeynos or Freeport, giving them access to the two largest hub cities from the very beginning. This flexibility is enormous: Freeport provides easy access to the Oasis and the Commonlands, while Qeynos connects to the Qeynos Hills and the plains beyond. Humans can also bank in Neriak, Oggok, and Grobb without being attacked, making them the only race that can use every bank in the game.
Half Elves do not have a traditional starting city of their own. Instead, they start in either Qeynos or Freeport like Humans, with access to all the same facilities. Half Elves share the Neutral alignment advantage of being welcomed everywhere, plus their higher AGI provides better damage avoidance than Humans.
Faction Consequences in Detail
Faction affects more aspects of gameplay than many new players realize. Understanding these consequences helps you make informed decisions during character creation.
City Access
The most immediate faction consequence is city access. Banks allow you to store items and platinum safely. Vendors sell supplies and buy loot. Trainers teach spells and combat skills. If a city's guards attack you on sight, you cannot use any of these services without first improving your faction. For Evil races, this means you cannot bank in Qeynos or Freeport — the two most centrally located cities in the game — without significant faction work.
Quest Availability
Many quests require specific faction levels to obtain. Good-only quests are unavailable to Evil races, and Evil-only quests are unavailable to Good races. Some of the most rewarding epic weapon quests require faction work in multiple cities, making Neutral races potentially advantageous for players who want to pursue all available quest lines.
NPC Interactions
Beyond city guards, many NPCs throughout the world are faction-aligned. A Good-aligned player may receive helpful information or items from friendly NPCs, while an Evil player is attacked by the same NPC. This affects zone navigation, as certain zones contain NPCs that are friendly to one faction and hostile to another.
Group Play
Faction can affect grouping in subtle ways. A group with an Evil race member may need to avoid certain NPC camps that would be safe for an all-Good group. Conversely, Evil groups have access to hunting grounds near their home cities that Good players avoid. In practice, most groups work around faction differences, but it adds a layer of complexity to zone selection.
How to Improve Faction
Faction is not permanently fixed. You can improve your standing with opposing factions through specific actions:
- Kill rival NPCs: Slaying NPCs that are enemies of the faction you want to improve raises your standing. For example, killing Orcs in the Commonlands improves your standing with Freeport guards.
- Complete faction quests: Many NPCs offer repeatable quests that award faction improvements. These quests typically involve delivering items or killing specific creatures.
- Turn in collectibles: Some factions accept specific items like gnoll fangs or orc belts that can be turned in for faction and XP.
- Bribe officials: Certain NPC officials can be bribed with platinum or items for faction adjustments, though this is expensive.
Faction improvement is a long process. Moving from scowling (attack on sight) to indifferent (neutral) typically requires hundreds of turn-ins or kills. Reaching amicable or kindly levels — the levels needed for some quest access — takes substantially more effort. Most players accept their starting faction and plan around it rather than spending weeks grinding faction.
Choosing Your Alignment
For First-Time Players: Good or Neutral
Good and Neutral races provide the smoothest experience for new players. You have access to all major cities, can bank and train anywhere, and encounter fewer hostile NPCs while exploring. Human is the recommended race for new players because of maximum city access and no weaknesses.
For Experienced Players: Evil
Evil races offer powerful racial abilities — Ogre stun immunity and Troll regeneration are among the best in the game — with the trade-off of limited city access. Experienced players who know the world layout and can plan travel routes around faction restrictions will find Evil races rewarding. The unique Evil city quests and vendors also provide content that Good players never see.
For the Adventurous: Faction Grinding
Some players enjoy the challenge of improving their Evil character's faction in Good cities (or vice versa). This is a long-term project that opens up unique gameplay opportunities, like a Troll banking in Qeynos. It requires dedication but creates a character with unusual capabilities.
Tips and Strategies
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Plan your banking strategy: Evil characters should learn the locations of all Evil-aligned banks early. Oggok, Grobb, and Neriak have full banking services. Some neutral outpost vendors in remote zones also provide banking.
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Use the Sneak ability: Characters with the Sneak ability (including all Halflings) can access vendors and trainers of dubious faction by approaching from behind while Sneaking. This works on most NPCs but not on city guards.
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Carry essential supplies: Evil characters should carry extra food, water, and arrows since they cannot easily restock in Good cities. Plan supply runs to your home city before extended adventuring sessions.
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Learn the faction-safe travel routes: The world has travel corridors that avoid Good city patrol routes. Learning these routes is essential for Evil characters who need to cross Antonica safely.
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Consider a Human for your first character: Humans have maximum faction flexibility, making them ideal for learning the game world without faction restrictions complicating every journey.
Common Mistakes
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Creating an Evil character without understanding the faction system: New players who pick Ogre for the stun immunity are often frustrated when they cannot enter Qeynos. Understand the trade-offs before choosing an Evil race.
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Assuming you can fix faction quickly: Faction grinding takes a very long time. Do not create an Evil character expecting to quickly become welcome in Good cities. Accept your faction limitations and plan accordingly.
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Ignoring faction when choosing a 3-class combo: If your combo includes both Good-only and Evil-only classes, you may face faction conflicts that affect where you can train and quest. Consider faction alignment when planning your class trio.
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Wandering into hostile cities unprepared: Every Evil character should know which cities will attack them. Walking into Freeport as an Ogre is a quick way to die and lose your body in an inaccessible location.
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Giving up on Evil races too quickly: The faction limitations are real but manageable. Evil races have powerful racial abilities and unique content. With proper planning, the faction trade-off is well worth it.
Conclusion
The faction system in EverQuest Legends adds meaningful strategic depth to character creation and world navigation. Good races enjoy broad city access and convenience, Evil races gain powerful abilities and unique content, and Neutral races get maximum flexibility. Understanding these trade-offs before creating your character helps you choose the race that matches your playstyle and tolerance for complexity.
For detailed race stats and abilities, see our race stats comparison page. For specific class-race recommendations, visit best race for each class. For class selection guidance, check all 16 classes compared and the 3-class system explained.