Infinity N4: Which Infinity Army is for You?

Welcome to playing Infinity! If you’re reading this while wondering which army captures the play-style you enjoy, then you’re in the right place.

I’ve spent the last few months summarizing different factions for Infinity into an easy to understand, high-level summary of how you might expect an army to match specific play-styles on the table. The higher a number, the more likely that army is to satisfy your desire to perform well in that category. It is not meant to be a direct comparison to other factions, more how that army will fill your desire for that aspect of the game.

Each army has a supporting article you can find by clicking “Learn More” to get a bit more details, as well as descriptions of the various sectorials that army can play with.

Rating System

Instead of comparing one army to another, I’m going to rate armies based on how good of a match they are for new players interested in that particular category. For example, just about any army can make a hacking heavy list, but it may take more effort for some than others. An army that effortlessly competes in hacking would be given a 5, armies that take considerable effort (if at all possible) would be a 1 or 2, while armies that could be tailored either way would be a 3.

Army Metrics

Firepower. This is probably the easiest to understand, which is why it comes first! This is the sheer ability for this army to win ranged firefights. While it is a good metric for offensive power, it doesn’t mean they’re going to punch everyone off the table every time.

Resilience. Like firepower, this is a fairly straight forward metric which expresses how much punishment an army could take. If a typical list for this army has access to a lot of high armor or multi-wound troops, they’ll have a higher Resilience score.

Control. Tempo is incredibly important in Infinity, the ability to control the ebb and flow of the game, which engagements happen and so on. Armies with high control tend to have better access to infiltration, camouflage, and other deployment skills, as well as troops that can rapidly change position on the table.

E War. A huge draw of Infinity is Hacking, E War represents any particular army’s ability to compete in the hacking arena. Do they have enough to get by, or can they build out a punishing hacking network to shut down the enemy?

Accessibility. This represents the difficulty for new players to pick up the army, learn the basics, and play effectively on the table. Some armies are easy to figure out at the beginning, while others have a lot of unique rules or require more advanced techniques to win.

X-Factor. Every army has a little something special about them, and if you’re debating between two armies, this could be the deciding factor.

What’s missing? If you’re coming from other game systems, you might expect to see how good an army is in close combat. Infinity is not most games, this is a game where bullets are lethal, and you don’t want to bring a knife to a gun fight. Some armies however are exceptionally good in combat, and will be called out when discussing that particular army.

PanOceania

One of the two main Hyperpowers, PanOceania is a corporatocracy led by powerful industries who produce some of the most effective and impressive weaponry in the Human Sphere. Backing up these corporations are militant orders of knights, clad in power armor, hacking their way through the foe with religious zeal. PanOceania is a blunt instrument used to crush opposition.

Yu Jing

The second Hyperpower, Yu Jing is a State Empire, controlled by descendants of two opposing dynasties. Their vast resources are used to create the Invincible Army, the iron fist of the Jade Empire and their poster children in the human sphere. Yu Jing fights with an impressive array of power armored soldiers, with an added level of cunning and subterfuge not found in PanOceania.

Ariadna

Some factions have all the high tech goodies, incredible powered armor, hacking domination, or other technological marvels to bring to the battle. Ariadna is not one of those factions. The lowest tech fighters in the galaxy rely on hardened veterans who win because they must, defending the planet their grandparents were marooned upon, from the hyper powers who have become interested in their mineral wealth.

Haqqislam

Subterfuge and stealth are the chosen weapons of the Haqqislam (plus some horrific viral ammunition). An army of lightly armored irregular fighters, and super-soldiers, backed up by advanced medical technology and a dash of zealous infiltrators makes for a powerful cocktail that can keep your opponent on their heels.

Nomads

The supreme hackers extraordinaire of Infinity, Nomads exert incredible board control through the use of electronic warfare. They can halt an enemy advance without firing a bullet, through the might of technological mastery. They’re an army that wields a daunting combination of tech and surprise guerilla fighters to take down the foe.

Combined Army

An alien force with god-like technology that to the poor ape descendants of the Human Sphere might even appear to be magic. They are watching from oblivion, testing humanity for its worth. The EI will not be stopped on their quest for universal conquest, the Human Sphere is just next in line for subjugation or extermination.

Aleph

Engineered to defend against the worst threats space has to offer, while also providing guidance to humanity. Is ALEPH a cybernetic benefactor, or are they here to enslave the human race to serve their own will? Depends who you ask! On the table, they’re highly elite and resilient fighters, designed to be a perfect counter to the aggression of the Combined Army.

O-12

The governing body of the Human Sphere, the O-12 are well armed and equipped peace keepers, both putting down rebellions, and acting as the first line of defense against the Combined Army. O-12 troops are efficient, well trained and well equipped to perform specific tasks on the table, providing a perfect mix of specialization and versatility.

Tohaa

Mysterious aliens who were hunted to near extinction by the Combined Army. They had come to the Human Sphere for help, only to disappear once the Combined turned their attention to Humanity.

NA2

There is always work in the Human Sphere for a mercenary willing to kill for a dollar. Armies of ragtag fighters pair up with more elite mercenaries, creating unique combinations of troops found in other armies.