Tides of Tomorrow Factions Guide — Marauders, Reclaimers & Mystics
A complete breakdown of all three factions in Tides of Tomorrow: their philosophies, key characters, home platforms, and reputation strategies. Understanding faction dynamics is essential to navigating the branching story of Elynd and unlocking every possible ending.
⚔️ Faction Overview — The Three Powers of Elynd
In the flooded world of Elynd, three factions have emerged from the ruins of the old world, each with a different answer to the same question: how does humanity survive Plastemia and the endless ocean? Your relationship with each faction — built through choices, quests, dialogue, and the legacy of your Story-Link — determines which story paths remain open and which endings become reachable.
"Power through manufactured scarcity."
"Every hand working together builds the next tide."
"The answer was always in the past."
💀 Marauders — Complete Guide
The Marauders are the dominant military force of Elynd's floating platforms. Under the ruthless leadership of Obin, they have seized control of medicine distribution and Ozen flow across the known world. Their philosophy is simple: scarcity is power. By ensuring that medicine, food, and Ozen are always in short supply, the Marauders guarantee that every other faction remains dependent on them.
Their platforms — most notably Scrap Harbour — are built from reclaimed warship wreckage and industrial waste, reflecting their ethos of force repurposed into dominance. Marauder architecture is imposing: corrugated metal towers, mounted guard posts, and narrow checkpoints designed to control movement and intimidate.
For Tidewalkers, the Marauders represent a high-risk, high-reward relationship. Befriending them early grants access to medicine stockpiles and Ozen that are otherwise locked behind steep quest chains. But Marauder allegiance comes at a cost — Reclaimer and Mystic rep suffers significantly when you cooperate with Obin's operations, and several ending paths require a clean break from Marauder entanglement.
Key Characters
Ruthless and calculating, Obin built the Marauder empire through violence and strategy. He views Plastemia not as a crisis to solve but as a culling tool — fewer people means fewer mouths to feed and more resources for those strong enough to survive. His relationship with the Tidewalker is one of the game's most complex dynamics: he's never openly hostile unless provoked, and genuinely believes his worldview is the only honest one on Elynd.
Born and raised a Marauder, Kass was Obin's most trusted lieutenant until he met Eyla during a Reclaimer raid. Her conviction that cooperation could save Elynd shook something loose in him. Kass now walks the line between his Marauder past and his growing belief in the Reclaimer future — a dual allegiance that makes him one of the most narratively rich characters in Tides of Tomorrow.
🎮 Reputation Strategy
Marauder Reputation Strategy:
For players who want to keep the Obin diplomatic path open — which unlocks a unique ending — the key is maintaining at least neutral Marauder standing through the mid-game. This means:
- Never steal from Marauder supply crates in front of witnesses - Complete at least one early Marauder contract (typically a patrol escort or supply delivery) - Avoid siding explicitly with Reclaimers in the Marketland jurisdiction dispute - Keep interactions with Kass discreet — Obin monitors his lieutenants
If your Story-Link Tidewalker was Marauder-hostile, you'll start with a reputation deficit. Compensate by completing the harbour tribute quest at Scrap Harbour immediately on arrival.
❓ Marauders FAQ
Should I side with the Marauders?
It depends on your playstyle. Siding with Marauders gives the best early resource access but locks out the most emotionally satisfying story paths (Eyla's questline). For a first playthrough, a neutral approach with low-level Marauder cooperation is recommended — keep them appeased without fully committing.
Can I reach the best ending while allied with Marauders?
Partial alliance yes, full alliance no. The highest-rated endings require either Reclaimer or Mystic primary allegiance. However, the "Obin Diplomatic" ending — available with high Marauder rep and moderate Mystic rep — is considered one of the more narratively interesting conclusions, even if it's not the "good" ending.
🎬 Meet Obin — Marauder Leader Character Profile
🛠️ Reclaimers — Complete Guide
The Reclaimers are Elynd's ordinary survivors — fishers, engineers, healers, and scavengers who refused to accept that the world could not be rebuilt. Where the Marauders see scarcity as power and the Mystics see the past as salvation, the Reclaimers believe the answer is in front of them: cooperation, shared resources, and the restoration of lost technology.
Their platforms are modest but alive. Reclaimer architecture is warm where Marauder construction is cold — salvaged wood and plastic repurposed into homes rather than fortifications, community kitchens instead of guard towers. Their hub at Marketland is the closest thing Elynd has to a neutral zone: a trading post where even Marauders come to buy and sell.
For Tidewalkers, the Reclaimers are the most approachable faction from the first hour. Their quests are varied, their characters are the most emotionally grounded, and their story path leads to what most players consider the most satisfying conclusion. The drawback is that Reclaimer quests often require more time investment than Marauder shortcuts.
Key Characters
Eyla is arguably the most beloved character in Tides of Tomorrow. A Reclaimer scavenger who has lived her whole life under Marauder oppression, she carries an unshakeable love for Elynd's ocean world and the people in it — even as Plastemia slowly takes hold. Her questline with Kass is the emotional centrepiece of the game, and her survival or fate in the final act is the outcome most players care about most.
Kass straddles both the Marauder and Reclaimer worlds. His defection from Obin's service is gradual and dangerous, and the player's choices significantly influence whether he successfully breaks away or is pulled back by his past. His Reclaimer relationship is entirely built around Eyla — remove her from the equation and his loyalty to the cause dissolves.
🎮 Reputation Strategy
Reclaimer Reputation Strategy:
The Reclaimer path is the most content-dense route in Tides of Tomorrow, but it requires consistent investment. Key reputation-building actions:
- Complete Eyla's opening favour quest without asking for payment — this unlocks her Plastemia information chain - Help at least two Reclaimer NPCs in Marketland before the jurisdiction dispute mission - When the Marauder supply embargo occurs, side with Reclaimers in the council vote - Repairing infrastructure (bridges, shelters) in Reclaimer territory gives double rep points - Completing Kass's trust chain (requires visiting him three times without Marauder escort) opens the Kass-Eyla ending branch
❓ Reclaimers FAQ
Is the Reclaimer path the "good" ending path?
The Reclaimer-aligned ending is widely considered the most emotionally satisfying outcome in Tides of Tomorrow — but whether it's the "best" ending is subjective. It requires the most investment but offers the richest character payoffs, particularly around Eyla and Kass's relationship.
Can I be friendly with both Reclaimers and Mystics?
Yes — this is actually the recommended approach for a first playthrough. Mystic rep is your starting position (Nahe rescued you), and Reclaimer rep is the easiest to build. Maintaining both while keeping Marauder hostility low keeps all story options open through the mid-game.
🎬 Meet Eyla — Reclaimer Character Profile
🔮 Mystics — Complete Guide
The Mystics believe that Elynd's salvation lies not in rebuilding the present but in recovering the knowledge of the past. They are archivists, scholars, and spiritual guides who have dedicated their lives to preserving pre-flood history, technology, and wisdom — including, they claim, the original Plastemia research that could hold the cure.
Led by the prophet Voot, the Mystics maintain the Archive Platform: a carefully preserved collection of pre-flood technology, manuscripts, and biological samples that the Marauders would give anything to control. Their followers are a mix of true believers, desperate scholars, and people who simply find comfort in the idea that the world was not always this broken.
The Mystics are your starting allies — Nahe and Efod, who rescue you in the opening, are Mystics. Your rep with them begins highest by default, but maintaining it requires engaging with their belief system and Voot's requests rather than purely practical decisions. The Mystics questline reveals the most about Plastemia's origins and the history of Elynd before the flood.
Key Characters
Nahe is the player's introduction to Elynd and its factions. As heir to the Mystics and Voot's chosen successor, she carries enormous political weight — but she wears it lightly. Her rescue of the Tidewalker at the game's opening is driven by genuine compassion rather than faction strategy, and her relationship with the player develops into something more complex as her loyalty to Voot is tested.
Where Nahe is warm and instinctive, Efod is analytical and ambitious. A scientist obsessed with Delta technology and proving himself to Voot, he views the Tidewalker primarily as a means to an end — at least initially. His arc is one of the most compelling in the game: the gradual shift from treating the Tidewalker as a tool to something approaching genuine partnership.
Voot is the Mystics' spiritual and political leader — a figure of genuine charisma who may or may not believe everything they preach. Their relationship with the Tidewalker is the most ambiguous of any major character: are they genuinely trying to save Elynd, or using the Tidewalker to secure the Archive's future against the Marauders? The answer shifts depending on player choices.
🎮 Reputation Strategy
Mystic Reputation Strategy:
Since Mystic rep starts highest, the main strategy is not to lose it rather than to build it. Key actions:
- Never sell Archive materials to Marauder traders — Voot tracks this - Complete Efod's Delta technology side quest even if it seems optional — it's the fastest Mystic rep booster in the game - When Voot makes a morally ambiguous request (this happens twice), defer rather than refuse outright — outright refusal tanks rep; deferral maintains it - Nahe's trust is separate from Voot's faction rep — personal conversations with Nahe that choose emotional honesty build her individual trust, which unlocks Mystic ending variants - The Archive Platform shortcut (accessible at high Mystic rep) saves significant travel time in the late game
❓ Mystics FAQ
Do the Mystics know how to cure Plastemia?
Partially. The Mystics hold the pre-flood research documentation that contains the theoretical basis for a Plastemia cure — but they lack the materials and technology to synthesise it. The story's central quest is gathering those materials from across Elynd's factions, which is why relationships with all three groups matter even if you primarily align with the Mystics.
Who is Voot and can they be trusted?
Voot's trustworthiness is one of the game's central narrative ambiguities. The answer the game gives you depends heavily on your own choices — how you engage with Voot's requests and how much you probe their motivations through dialogue determines whether they are revealed as a genuine prophet, a pragmatic survivor, or something more complex. There is no single canonical answer.
🎬 Meet Voot — Mystics Prophet Character Profile
📊 Faction Reputation Comparison
How each faction scores across key gameplay dimensions for a first-time Tidewalker:
❓ Factions FAQ — Tides of Tomorrow
Which faction should I choose as a new player?
For a first playthrough, build Mystic and Reclaimer rep simultaneously while keeping Marauder neutrality. You start with Mystic rep from the opening (Nahe rescued you), Reclaimer rep is easiest to build through Eyla's quests, and Marauder neutrality keeps Obin's resources accessible. This approach keeps the most story options open and avoids locking you out of major questlines.
Can I be max rep with all three factions?
No. The game's design requires meaningful tradeoffs. Several mid-game decisions explicitly force faction conflict: the Marketland jurisdiction vote, the Scrap Harbour supply embargo, and the Maelstrom access negotiation all require siding with one faction at the expense of another. Maximum rep with all three simultaneously is not achievable in a single playthrough.
Do faction choices affect which ending I get?
Yes, significantly. Faction allegiance is one of the two primary determinants of which ending paths become available (the other is Story-Link accumulated decisions). Each faction has at least two unique ending variants, and there are shared endings that require balanced rep across multiple factions. See the Endings Guide for the full breakdown.
What happens if I antagonize all three factions?
A fully faction-hostile run is technically possible but extremely difficult. Resource access dries up quickly, NPC dialogue becomes almost entirely hostile, and several questlines become unavailable. There is a "lone Tidewalker" ending accessible this way, but it is widely considered the most bleak outcome and requires specific late-game choices to unlock.