sugarvalves [1963573] —
Original article
Top HoF faction sold to Natural Selection for $135 billion, renamed as NS III. 30+ FTW members pledge allegiance to NS. Original NS III sold to Nuke Family, immediately renamed Nuclear Fusion.
Forged Through War is no more. One of Torn City's long-standing factions was sold earlier this week for a reported fee of $135 billion. The seller, Gun_Ru, relinquished control of FTW to Natural Selection, who promptly rebranded faction number 11581 as Natural Selection III.
Around the same time, the original NS3, faction number 12094, was sold to DeaLeR of the Nuke family. This faction has now been renamed Nuclear Fusion, and this faction shell will act as the new main faction for the Nuke family, with all NS3 players departing to take up their place in the new and improved Natural Selection III.
The Bidding Begins
The beginning of the end for Forged Through War was announced via a forum post on the 24th of July where Gun_Ru offered FTW for sale. There was no shortage of interest in Torn's 11th ranked Hall of Fame Faction, and we have seen evidence that suggests many major factions were involved in the bidding process or expressed interest, including Subversive Alliance, a Monarch member described as "former Mentos", and Lat of Nuke, who was ultimately outbid at $132 billion.
But in the end, it was Natural Selection who were successful in their attempts to acquire this famous faction, and when the transaction was complete they quickly began to shift over members from their original NS3 to their new home. Forged Through War had roughly 900k more respect than NS3 at the time of the deal, and NS leader Stretch says that the ability to rank up was just too good to turn down.
"When we see an opportunity to upgrade our faction family for what ends up being a fairly easy sum, we will take it, we basically were able to acquire 1yrs worth of chaining for less than the cost of 1 db." - Stretch, NS Leader
"For NS3, this was basically like a couple of reverse dirty bombs, where respect was added rather than taken away, for a fraction of the cost of a single destructive dirty bomb." - Penicillin, NS3 Leader
Pictured: The announcement in NS Discord. Larger Link.
Those two seem oddly fixated on the use of Dirty Bombs as a metaphor, right? I wonder how many they have on the boil. Anyway, Stretch added that NS had a long-standing interest in the purchase of FTW, not least because many of their key members came over to Torn from the same game as many of NS's crew several years ago. The NS leader revealed that the main motivation for this purchase was the prospect of having three high-ranking HoF factions under his command, but the acquisition of new faces was equally welcome.
"Being able to have 3 factions in the top 11 of respect allows NS3 to really stand up and build. Having then a number of those FTW members to join NS was an added bonus and have fit in well thus far."
Despite their prize acquisition, NS3 leader Penicillin told The Times that everyone in NS was sad to see that FTW was for sale, describing them as "a great faction that built itself up over a long period of time". It seems there was a great deal of respect between NS and FTW, as while the bidding process was still ongoing, NS made efforts to assuage the fears of Forged's remaining members.
"We were very upfront with our intentions for the faction and our process, because they deserved that. We tried to offer a spot to as many FTW members as we could across NS1-4. Overall, about 30+ FTW members are now in NS factions and thus all on the same Discord server, which provides some friendly faces and continuity for them during this transition."
Penicillin says that NS was also careful to protect the history of FTW. One way in which they did this was to create a locked faction forum thread in honor of FTW's fallen member, KatyCCRN, to ensure their new members would know who she was, and that the old guard would never forget her. It was also agreed that a faction note should be added to the bottom of their description to memorialize the fact that this was once, and in many ways always will be, the famous Forged Through War.
Penicillin ended by saying that if FTW had to be sold, he thinks they couldn't have chosen a better buyer.
"NS is one of the most active factions in the game and is really well-positioned in terms of battle stats, activity, leadership, and financial resources, to have a lot of fun over the next year. We think that activity will rub off on the FTW members who have chosen to join us. We couldn’t be happier to have them aboard with us."
FTW Reflects
It is no secret that Forged Through War has had a few leadership changes of late, with various big names stepping up in an attempt to bring back the glory days. FTW was once the number one faction in the HoF, but in recent years they've found it hard to replicate past successes, with former member Majsan believing that the lack of a strong, dedicated figurehead held back what he described as a brutal and effective core.
"FTWs problem was never its members but lack of leaders willing to put time into it. We´ve had lots of competent leaders during the years, but eventually none wanted to shoulder the mantle. Opposed to popular belief, Bravekath was needed and in my opinion did a great job. When she moved on due to unnecessary drama, hibernation and stagnation was inevitable. Not surprised how it ended."
Torn titan Bodybagger is another former FTW member, and he agrees with Majsan's assessment that BraveKath's departure was a turning point for the faction.
"BraveKath was the glue that held FTW together. Once she left, I knew the end was near for the once-great faction. Not long after Kath's departure, Para and Kelsie left, and BFM was busy with life. The end of FTW was inevitable at that point. It's unfortunate that a powerhouse and an HoF faction so rich in history no longer exists. The old guard makes way for the new one, NS. I wish them the best of luck."
Eagle_Eye, another former Forged, described the faction as "a great place filled with people who helped make my gameplay enjoyable." He expressed his pride at FTW's underdog status and implied that its members reveled in this reputation, fighting, grinding, and always moving forward no matter what the odds.
"The sad part was to see this faction with a deep rich history go away. The legacy of FTW is woven into what Torn is today. A lot of currently active and former active Torn players have had a part in building this 8 million respect faction."
Eagle_Eye feels that the decision to sell came down to the fact that there simply wasn't anyone available who had the time to run an 8 million respect faction the right way. To ensure that part of FTW could continue, they would need to entrust its future to someone else. Kelsie, another long-term Forged, believes that the faction's new owners will be able to do just that.
"It’s very sad to see it happen, but it was time. Bringing FTW back to its former glory was very hard work, and we just couldn’t do it anymore. However, NS will be able to. FTW is a huge part of the player I am today. I met some of the greatest people during my few years there, people I will always consider family. I know NS will do great things with the former FTW faction, for which I am thankful. The memories will always live on, even if it has a new name."
Para ended by saying that while it was a sad day for all when FTW was finally sold, he is glad that it now has a chance to live on and continue forward.
"It was a joint decision to sell from the last leadership team, BFM, Gun_Ru, Kelsie and myself. We are all making the final decisions together. Gun had the unenviable task of being the final figurehead. Fitting though, as he was there for the creation."
"Best of luck to the new caretakers of an old dog."
New Beginnings
As Stretch suggested, roughly 30 FTW members have now joined Natural Selection, with the rest choosing to move on elsewhere. Eagle_Eye is one such player, having himself pitched up at PT. Despite his rejection of NS, he was nevertheless impressed by the way they conducted themselves.
"When the NS acquisition was announced, I was impressed how quickly they moved and how good the communication was from NS. I ran Organized Crimes and had some questions. They were forthright and quickly answered them. The NS brand seems to be a great group of folks that know what they are doing."
Eagle_Eye says he had invites from across Torn when his time at FTW came to an end, but his decision was driven by a desire to try something new while also finding a faction that would prove a good fit. He feels the key to longevity in Torn is community; knowing people, knowing what you offer, and knowing how your own personality fits into your faction.
"I will say that many times things are not as they seem, reputation or otherwise... NS & PT fit that thought. Both are even better than what I believed them to be from my limited experience in faction shopping and the reputation from Forums, meeting members in Elimination, and other community-wide events."
Majsan was another big name from FTW who decided to move on, with this veteran citizen deciding to make Subversive Alliance his new home. Majsan is sadder about the fact that FTW's core group has been broken up more than the demise of the faction, but on the bright side, he is quite pleased that he now has friends in NS - even if he doesn't want to join them.
"NS buying FTW doesn´t bother me. They have a tight leadership and it worked smoothly. Wasn´t home and able to reply to all PMs, typing a goodbye newsie and such, but to me, it seems it was done properly. Thought for a second to stay, but nawww, it´s not my style joining up with a conglomerate."
Going Nuclear
The Nuke faction family may have been outbid for Forged Through War, but they were still able to improve their own status through the successful purchase of Natural Selection III. My source inside Nuke believes that the smooth nature of the transaction suggests that Nuke made a deal with Natural Selection for NS3 as a compromise after both factions showed interest in FTW.
The one thing I've been unable to discern as yet is the exact price paid by Nuke for NS3. DeaLeR, the player who purchased NS3, saw his gargantuan networth of over $1.1 trillion drop by $96 billion on the day of the transaction. This figure looks about right for a faction of that level, and further evidence supporting this rough valuation comes in the form of Stretch's Discord claim that NS's overall outlay was only $30 billion. If NS truly did pay $135 billion for FTW, this means that they took around $105 billion from DeaLeR for NS3.
Pictured: NS Faction Discord screenshot. Larger Link.
DeaLeR, who bought the faction for the benefit of the Nuke family, told The Times they had been looking for a faction with NS3's respect level for some time in order to bring together the strongest members of Nuke.
"The name Nuclear Fusion is an allusion to the merger of Nuclear Armageddon and Nuclear Blast. Nuke has always been best known for our fantastic reviving team, with our members dominating the reviving's HoF. With Nuclear Fusion, we can finally reach new heights within training and warring, creating several levels within Nuke..." - DeaLeR, Torn's 7th Richest Man
DeaLeR confirmed reports that Nuclear Fusion would be the new Nuke main, with Nuclear Development and Nuclear Blast set aside for mid-tier members, and Nuclear Engineering set to accept lower stat players. They also have factions geared towards PAs in the form of Evolution, and a number of dedicated revive factions such as Emergency Room, Torn Medical, and Nuclear Clinic.
All of this indicates that Nuke are building, and building hard, with their newly acquired Nuclear Fusion ranked 19th in the respect HoF - Armageddon and Blast are 38th and 39th respectively. Their purchase of NS3, which had 2 million more respect than their other factions, was said to have been motivated mostly by Nuke's ambition to break into the top 10, while also bringing together their top members in preparation for ranked warring.
But my insider within Nuke tells me there is another reason behind this purchase that hasn't been publicly revealed.
"It was basically because Ched changed the warring system and ND/NB could no longer jump in with outside hits and NC/TM/ER could revive less effectively. The new NF is going to be situated with all the strongest players to make a better warring faction that can deploy faster, there are already a couple of heavy hitters in there." - Anon Nuke member
Despite the acquisition of a high respect faction seeming like good news, it appears that some Nuke members are cautious of this new arrangement. Those with top stats are excited about the prospect of forming their own faction of heavy hitters, as they feel that this is the only way they can compete against the big boys.
"When all the new mega factions coming out like monarch, requiring billions of battle stats just to join. It's either join them in making our own mega faction or be left behind and defenseless against them." - Anon Nuke member
However, those who are further down the faction ranks are understandably concerned about where their own futures lie, with some wondering where they'll be once the reshuffle has occurred.
"Because so much is still unknown to even the faction members at this moment, we are excited but also anxious to see the direction that the smaller factions will be heading." - Anon Nuke member
Are they right to be concerned? Possibly. Whenever a faction family undergoes a restructuring there will always be some who are unhappy with their new role. But this is the way of Torn. If the weak cannot keep up, they are left behind. This is true of faction members, and of factions themselves.
The Future of War
It seems that most of the top factions have decided that strong, individual factions are the only way to compete in Torn's current climate. Rather than having lots of strong members spread out over multiple subs and allies, the new medical and warring systems seemingly make it more worthwhile to have one main faction full of hard hitters.
The way this can be achieved is varied. Relentless, Helvete, and Mentos decided to pool their top talent within Monarch main as part of a merger. Chain Reaction and PT Family formed the CrYpTo alliance and may end up swapping high-stat members as and when required. Natural Selection purchased FTW for both its respect and to acquire several Level 100's for their main faction. And Nuke has bought up a higher-ranked faction where they too will house their best and bravest.
Torn's finest factions are clearly gearing up for something big. Elimination will prove a distraction during the month of September, but after that, regardless of when Ranked Warring arrives, we're expecting major movements as 2021 draws to a close. The faction may be no more, but the fortunes of Torn City will always be forged through war.
Around the same time, the original NS3, faction number 12094, was sold to DeaLeR of the Nuke family. This faction has now been renamed Nuclear Fusion, and this faction shell will act as the new main faction for the Nuke family, with all NS3 players departing to take up their place in the new and improved Natural Selection III.
The Bidding Begins
The beginning of the end for Forged Through War was announced via a forum post on the 24th of July where Gun_Ru offered FTW for sale. There was no shortage of interest in Torn's 11th ranked Hall of Fame Faction, and we have seen evidence that suggests many major factions were involved in the bidding process or expressed interest, including Subversive Alliance, a Monarch member described as "former Mentos", and Lat of Nuke, who was ultimately outbid at $132 billion.
But in the end, it was Natural Selection who were successful in their attempts to acquire this famous faction, and when the transaction was complete they quickly began to shift over members from their original NS3 to their new home. Forged Through War had roughly 900k more respect than NS3 at the time of the deal, and NS leader Stretch says that the ability to rank up was just too good to turn down.
"When we see an opportunity to upgrade our faction family for what ends up being a fairly easy sum, we will take it, we basically were able to acquire 1yrs worth of chaining for less than the cost of 1 db." - Stretch, NS Leader
"For NS3, this was basically like a couple of reverse dirty bombs, where respect was added rather than taken away, for a fraction of the cost of a single destructive dirty bomb." - Penicillin, NS3 Leader
Pictured: The announcement in NS Discord. Larger Link.
Those two seem oddly fixated on the use of Dirty Bombs as a metaphor, right? I wonder how many they have on the boil. Anyway, Stretch added that NS had a long-standing interest in the purchase of FTW, not least because many of their key members came over to Torn from the same game as many of NS's crew several years ago. The NS leader revealed that the main motivation for this purchase was the prospect of having three high-ranking HoF factions under his command, but the acquisition of new faces was equally welcome.
"Being able to have 3 factions in the top 11 of respect allows NS3 to really stand up and build. Having then a number of those FTW members to join NS was an added bonus and have fit in well thus far."
Despite their prize acquisition, NS3 leader Penicillin told The Times that everyone in NS was sad to see that FTW was for sale, describing them as "a great faction that built itself up over a long period of time". It seems there was a great deal of respect between NS and FTW, as while the bidding process was still ongoing, NS made efforts to assuage the fears of Forged's remaining members.
"We were very upfront with our intentions for the faction and our process, because they deserved that. We tried to offer a spot to as many FTW members as we could across NS1-4. Overall, about 30+ FTW members are now in NS factions and thus all on the same Discord server, which provides some friendly faces and continuity for them during this transition."
Penicillin says that NS was also careful to protect the history of FTW. One way in which they did this was to create a locked faction forum thread in honor of FTW's fallen member, KatyCCRN, to ensure their new members would know who she was, and that the old guard would never forget her. It was also agreed that a faction note should be added to the bottom of their description to memorialize the fact that this was once, and in many ways always will be, the famous Forged Through War.
Penicillin ended by saying that if FTW had to be sold, he thinks they couldn't have chosen a better buyer.
"NS is one of the most active factions in the game and is really well-positioned in terms of battle stats, activity, leadership, and financial resources, to have a lot of fun over the next year. We think that activity will rub off on the FTW members who have chosen to join us. We couldn’t be happier to have them aboard with us."
FTW Reflects
It is no secret that Forged Through War has had a few leadership changes of late, with various big names stepping up in an attempt to bring back the glory days. FTW was once the number one faction in the HoF, but in recent years they've found it hard to replicate past successes, with former member Majsan believing that the lack of a strong, dedicated figurehead held back what he described as a brutal and effective core.
"FTWs problem was never its members but lack of leaders willing to put time into it. We´ve had lots of competent leaders during the years, but eventually none wanted to shoulder the mantle. Opposed to popular belief, Bravekath was needed and in my opinion did a great job. When she moved on due to unnecessary drama, hibernation and stagnation was inevitable. Not surprised how it ended."
Torn titan Bodybagger is another former FTW member, and he agrees with Majsan's assessment that BraveKath's departure was a turning point for the faction.
"BraveKath was the glue that held FTW together. Once she left, I knew the end was near for the once-great faction. Not long after Kath's departure, Para and Kelsie left, and BFM was busy with life. The end of FTW was inevitable at that point. It's unfortunate that a powerhouse and an HoF faction so rich in history no longer exists. The old guard makes way for the new one, NS. I wish them the best of luck."
Eagle_Eye, another former Forged, described the faction as "a great place filled with people who helped make my gameplay enjoyable." He expressed his pride at FTW's underdog status and implied that its members reveled in this reputation, fighting, grinding, and always moving forward no matter what the odds.
"The sad part was to see this faction with a deep rich history go away. The legacy of FTW is woven into what Torn is today. A lot of currently active and former active Torn players have had a part in building this 8 million respect faction."
Eagle_Eye feels that the decision to sell came down to the fact that there simply wasn't anyone available who had the time to run an 8 million respect faction the right way. To ensure that part of FTW could continue, they would need to entrust its future to someone else. Kelsie, another long-term Forged, believes that the faction's new owners will be able to do just that.
"It’s very sad to see it happen, but it was time. Bringing FTW back to its former glory was very hard work, and we just couldn’t do it anymore. However, NS will be able to. FTW is a huge part of the player I am today. I met some of the greatest people during my few years there, people I will always consider family. I know NS will do great things with the former FTW faction, for which I am thankful. The memories will always live on, even if it has a new name."
Para ended by saying that while it was a sad day for all when FTW was finally sold, he is glad that it now has a chance to live on and continue forward.
"It was a joint decision to sell from the last leadership team, BFM, Gun_Ru, Kelsie and myself. We are all making the final decisions together. Gun had the unenviable task of being the final figurehead. Fitting though, as he was there for the creation."
"Best of luck to the new caretakers of an old dog."
New Beginnings
As Stretch suggested, roughly 30 FTW members have now joined Natural Selection, with the rest choosing to move on elsewhere. Eagle_Eye is one such player, having himself pitched up at PT. Despite his rejection of NS, he was nevertheless impressed by the way they conducted themselves.
"When the NS acquisition was announced, I was impressed how quickly they moved and how good the communication was from NS. I ran Organized Crimes and had some questions. They were forthright and quickly answered them. The NS brand seems to be a great group of folks that know what they are doing."
Eagle_Eye says he had invites from across Torn when his time at FTW came to an end, but his decision was driven by a desire to try something new while also finding a faction that would prove a good fit. He feels the key to longevity in Torn is community; knowing people, knowing what you offer, and knowing how your own personality fits into your faction.
"I will say that many times things are not as they seem, reputation or otherwise... NS & PT fit that thought. Both are even better than what I believed them to be from my limited experience in faction shopping and the reputation from Forums, meeting members in Elimination, and other community-wide events."
Majsan was another big name from FTW who decided to move on, with this veteran citizen deciding to make Subversive Alliance his new home. Majsan is sadder about the fact that FTW's core group has been broken up more than the demise of the faction, but on the bright side, he is quite pleased that he now has friends in NS - even if he doesn't want to join them.
"NS buying FTW doesn´t bother me. They have a tight leadership and it worked smoothly. Wasn´t home and able to reply to all PMs, typing a goodbye newsie and such, but to me, it seems it was done properly. Thought for a second to stay, but nawww, it´s not my style joining up with a conglomerate."
Going Nuclear
The Nuke faction family may have been outbid for Forged Through War, but they were still able to improve their own status through the successful purchase of Natural Selection III. My source inside Nuke believes that the smooth nature of the transaction suggests that Nuke made a deal with Natural Selection for NS3 as a compromise after both factions showed interest in FTW.
The one thing I've been unable to discern as yet is the exact price paid by Nuke for NS3. DeaLeR, the player who purchased NS3, saw his gargantuan networth of over $1.1 trillion drop by $96 billion on the day of the transaction. This figure looks about right for a faction of that level, and further evidence supporting this rough valuation comes in the form of Stretch's Discord claim that NS's overall outlay was only $30 billion. If NS truly did pay $135 billion for FTW, this means that they took around $105 billion from DeaLeR for NS3.
Pictured: NS Faction Discord screenshot. Larger Link.
DeaLeR, who bought the faction for the benefit of the Nuke family, told The Times they had been looking for a faction with NS3's respect level for some time in order to bring together the strongest members of Nuke.
"The name Nuclear Fusion is an allusion to the merger of Nuclear Armageddon and Nuclear Blast. Nuke has always been best known for our fantastic reviving team, with our members dominating the reviving's HoF. With Nuclear Fusion, we can finally reach new heights within training and warring, creating several levels within Nuke..." - DeaLeR, Torn's 7th Richest Man
DeaLeR confirmed reports that Nuclear Fusion would be the new Nuke main, with Nuclear Development and Nuclear Blast set aside for mid-tier members, and Nuclear Engineering set to accept lower stat players. They also have factions geared towards PAs in the form of Evolution, and a number of dedicated revive factions such as Emergency Room, Torn Medical, and Nuclear Clinic.
All of this indicates that Nuke are building, and building hard, with their newly acquired Nuclear Fusion ranked 19th in the respect HoF - Armageddon and Blast are 38th and 39th respectively. Their purchase of NS3, which had 2 million more respect than their other factions, was said to have been motivated mostly by Nuke's ambition to break into the top 10, while also bringing together their top members in preparation for ranked warring.
But my insider within Nuke tells me there is another reason behind this purchase that hasn't been publicly revealed.
"It was basically because Ched changed the warring system and ND/NB could no longer jump in with outside hits and NC/TM/ER could revive less effectively. The new NF is going to be situated with all the strongest players to make a better warring faction that can deploy faster, there are already a couple of heavy hitters in there." - Anon Nuke member
Despite the acquisition of a high respect faction seeming like good news, it appears that some Nuke members are cautious of this new arrangement. Those with top stats are excited about the prospect of forming their own faction of heavy hitters, as they feel that this is the only way they can compete against the big boys.
"When all the new mega factions coming out like monarch, requiring billions of battle stats just to join. It's either join them in making our own mega faction or be left behind and defenseless against them." - Anon Nuke member
However, those who are further down the faction ranks are understandably concerned about where their own futures lie, with some wondering where they'll be once the reshuffle has occurred.
"Because so much is still unknown to even the faction members at this moment, we are excited but also anxious to see the direction that the smaller factions will be heading." - Anon Nuke member
Are they right to be concerned? Possibly. Whenever a faction family undergoes a restructuring there will always be some who are unhappy with their new role. But this is the way of Torn. If the weak cannot keep up, they are left behind. This is true of faction members, and of factions themselves.
The Future of War
It seems that most of the top factions have decided that strong, individual factions are the only way to compete in Torn's current climate. Rather than having lots of strong members spread out over multiple subs and allies, the new medical and warring systems seemingly make it more worthwhile to have one main faction full of hard hitters.
The way this can be achieved is varied. Relentless, Helvete, and Mentos decided to pool their top talent within Monarch main as part of a merger. Chain Reaction and PT Family formed the CrYpTo alliance and may end up swapping high-stat members as and when required. Natural Selection purchased FTW for both its respect and to acquire several Level 100's for their main faction. And Nuke has bought up a higher-ranked faction where they too will house their best and bravest.
Torn's finest factions are clearly gearing up for something big. Elimination will prove a distraction during the month of September, but after that, regardless of when Ranked Warring arrives, we're expecting major movements as 2021 draws to a close. The faction may be no more, but the fortunes of Torn City will always be forged through war.
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