The Nomads of the Penrose Collective aren’t the only ones throwing their hats into the ring. With them comes the Diadem Trust, known quite simply as the Elites. Led by Philippa Ndiaye, this faction is not looking to be sneaky, crafty, or clever. Their plan is to overwhelm to competition with the raw strength of their corporate empire.
Every last bonus the Trust brings with them comes from their superior advanced buildings. Some of these bonuses are straightforward, and easily exploitable. Easily fitting into this category is the Elite Pleasure Dome, which gains a bonus to income when compared to other factions. However, the enhancements made to the dome do require small amounts of chemicals to stay operational. In addition to this, Elite faction headquarters themselves are well populated and wealthy; they contribute more to the Pleasure Dome’s income than any other headquarters. This already makes the Trust a tempting choice in matches with large numbers of players.
The Hacker Array, Patent Lab, and Offworld Market/Space Elevator also receive bonuses under the umbrella of the Trust. The Hacker Array’s increased efficiency allows it to execute shorts and surpluses simultaneously. This ability takes a skilled CEO to exploit, but can certainly be useful to tip the scales of a shifting market. The Patent Lab is arguably the home of the Elite’s most ostentatious power; their lawyers can duplicate patents that are already owned by other players. While this ability is certainly powerful, players must take care when using it. Many have already lost their fortunes by giving into greed and collecting every patent they can, rather than choosing precisely what they need and moving on. Along with these bonuses, it’s important to note that Elite infrastructure is better equipped to support advanced buildings than other headquarters, meaning they can build these buildings one level earlier than their competitors. While this can be useful for claiming the best colony locations early, the greatest impact of this is seen in the Offworld Market. Elites gain access to the Market at HQ3 and can support one more for each level they gain after. This means that at the end of a game players who choose to work with the Trust can field three Offworld Markets, while everyone else is still stuck with two.
While an additional Offworld Market (or Space Elevator) can certainly help close out a game, experienced CEOs will tell you that isn’t the linchpin of the Trust’s success. That title instead belongs to the Optimization Center. Most players consider this structure vital for almost any faction in a longer game, and the Elites’ upgrade to structure will only support that opinion. This is because any optimization that is perfected under the Trust grants them one additional claim. This certainly is not as flashy as gaining patents that have already been taken or building an additional Offworld, but it is the power that cements the Diadem Trust as a true boom faction. They start small and are relatively weak at the start of the game. However, once the right investments have been made and given time to flourish, no one can compete with the Trust.
Join us again next week to learn about how Offworld’s campaign is being brought to the moon of Io.
Offworld Trading Company: Jupiter’s Forge is now available on Steam!