By Mark McKinnon · 20 March 2017
Back again? In the Wastes, knowledge can mean the difference between survival and being swallowed by the dust. I’m Mark, your guide to this unforgiving landscape.
We’ve looked at me and at the Wastes, but who makes a life in a world like this? It is a harsh place, where plants are scarce and surface water is rare. When it appears, it can vanish almost as quickly. Surviving alone is all but impossible; joining a convoy may be your best chance.
With no towns or cities to call home, small groups travel in search of a reason to keep going. Some are after the essentials: food, shelter and water. Others take what they want by force, driven by violence. No one can say how many bands roam the Wastes. They form around shared aims, beliefs or ways of life, and the larger groups earn identities and reputations of their own. These are the factions.
Four factions, four ways to survive
Our story follows four groups, each with its own agenda:
- The Salvoes are ordinary people focused on making it through another day. They search the Wastes for salvage to trade for supplies.
- The Reapers are ruthless and aggressive, leaving destruction in their wake. They are ritualistic cannibals with an insatiable appetite.
- The Ruin Army are warriors who have established a settlement with hopes of rebuilding humanity and recovering lost knowledge. They protect Ruin, an abandoned military structure that offers refuge, and use the technology they find to defend their way of life.
- The Desertkin have adapted to the world’s harsh conditions. They have tamed many of the great beasts that roam the Wastes, keeping them as livestock and riding them to face threats.
That’s all for now. In the coming weeks, I’ll take a closer look at each faction. Which one would you like to hear about, and where will you stand?
Stay safe out there. I hope you make it through to next week’s survival guide.