Armadyl vs Bandos: How Factions Work

Server guide · Updated September 2025

Every account on PvP RSPS fights for one of two gods. Armadyl and Bandos are the two factions, and the war between them is the point of the server: control points pay faction score every minute they are held, and when the war timer ends the losing side is wiped of its items.

Choosing a faction is not cosmetic. It decides who you can attack, who can attack you, and whether you keep your bank when the world resets.

Picking a side

The selection screen opens automatically the first time you log in - Armadyl on one side, Bandos on the other. It will keep appearing on every login until you commit, so there is no way to accidentally wander the world factionless forever.

There is a catch by design. The server keeps a live member count for both teams, and you can only join a faction that is not already ahead. If Armadyl has more members than Bandos, the Armadyl button refuses you until the numbers even out. It feels annoying for five minutes and it keeps wars winnable for months - a stacked roster would end the cycle before it started.

  • Counts are tracked server-side, so the balance rule cannot be dodged by alts logged off.
  • Typing ::factions in chat shows current member and online counts for both sides.
  • Your choice is saved with your account, not per session.

PvP rules between factions

Outside the safe zone, the Attack option appears on enemy faction players and is hidden on teammates and factionless players. Attacking your own faction is not possible - the option simply does not exist. That applies in the open world the same way it applies at control points.

NPCs follow the same faction logic where they carry a faction flag, so the war can spill into boss rooms and contested areas. Safe zones override everything: inside Edgeville and the defined safe rectangle, the Attack option is stripped regardless of faction.

The war cycle and world resets

The war runs on an in-game clock: a hundred engine ticks make a minute, sixty minutes an hour, twenty-four hours a day - matching real time. A full cycle lasts seven in-game days. During the cycle, every control point your faction owns adds score each minute.

When the timer expires - or earlier if a score target is configured - the world ends. The winning faction keeps everything. The losing faction keeps its skills but loses its items: inventory, equipment, and bank are cleared, online and offline alike. Control points reset to neutral and the next war begins.

Playing the war well

The practical effect: this is a server where hoarding is a strategy decision, not a default. Spend your bank on power during the war; convert back to safe value if the cycle looks lost.

  • Keep real wealth in items you can afford to lose, or in platinum-convertible form near reset day.
  • Score comes from control points held, not kills - defending a quiet point still pays.
  • New players joining mid-cycle still matter: roster balance forces sides to even out.
  • If your faction is losing the points race, kills only help indirectly - bodies on the point are what flips it.

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