Interrogation

After completing one of the Syndicate Missions, you will

Interrogation puts the syndicate members into the ‘deck slots’ at the bottom. Let’s call that prison.
When in prison, they give some intelligence each turn. A turn is equal to spawning one syndicate mission, so basically when you enter a new map.

This also seems to completely reset their rank and unique items. So if at some point these members are getting too strong for you, put them in prison.
They’re sometimes removed from the faction they’re currently in, but other times seem to keep their faction.

Beware, if you interrogate a safehouse guard, they can/will lose their position as guard.

 

 

Intelligence

in each of the four safehouses (fortification, transportation, research, intervention) there is a little bar on the bottom that tracks your progress.
Intelligence adds to this bar.
From my current numbers it seems that you need 100 intelligence to gain access to the safehouse. Though that number might change as you level up.

When you fill the bar, you can talk to Jun to enter the safehouse.

When in doubt of what to do, probably pick intelligence so that you can get access quicker to the safehouses.

 

Safe Houses

Safe houses are the final boss fight for each faction.

• Each Syndicate Members assigned to that faction will help the leader of that faction during the final encounter.

• Those members will have loot dropped that is specific to those members. I’ve had essences drop and talismans for instance. These drops can be found in the flavour texts of the syndicate members it seems, like “carrying talismans on pilgrimage” and “Smuggling essences”. This loot is found at the chests at the end.

 

 

 

Assigning Syndicate Members

 

So once you figure out what items they drop in what faction, you can start assigning them to the faction you want them in.
If I want abyss jewels, I can therefore keep “It that Fled” in Fortification.

You sometimes have the option to move members into different factions, you can look up the flavour texts to see if you want to change the members to that faction or if you would rather keep them in their current faction.

 

Removing from syndicate

I think GGG said that they had 19 different characters in Betrayal?
What I think happens is that the member you remove is switched out for one of the three remaining characters.
So if you really hate somebody, because they’re too strong, or because their loot is bad, you can kick them out.

 

Unique items

Sometimes syndicate members get assigned unique items. These mostly seem to buff them; so they become more difficult to fight.
Putting them into prison also removes these items from them, along with removing their ranks.

These assigned unique items do not seem to influence their loot so far.

 

Relationships Between Members

This is probably the most complicated part of the Betrayal system.

Allied members do not seem more likely to aid eachother. The amount of times joining members were allies does not seem to be that big.

I also have had fights where factionless members with no relationships whatsoever joined a fight.
I’ve had multiple fights where even hostile members joined the fight.
I’ve had Elreon, as guardian of the Research safehouse, join in on fortification mission, with no direct relationships to the other members in that mission.

Relationship do alter the choices you get to make when deciding over a member’s fate, this is more complicated but you can read about it: here

 

For the basics, I want to refer you to a guide I made earlier: https://www.reddit.com/r/pathofexile/comments/a46ekj/a_guide_for_those_who_dont_know_what_the_fck_to/

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Flavour Text:

Flavour texts are always the same for each member, but each member has 4 different flavour texts that change depending on what faction they are in.
These flavour texts determine what loot the chests will drop in the safe house.
A member will be present in the safe house fight if they are part of that faction at the time of running that safe house.
There are at least 4 spots for additional members to join the guard. Not sure if it is possible to have more than 4 at this point in time.

I’m keeping a google doc of the flavour texts here, in which I also hope to add what some of the more vague descriptions do.
There is also a data-mined set of flavour texts here.

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Rank:

Every member assigned to a faction has a rank of at least 1.
If a member ever drops down to 0 rank, they will also be removed from any faction.
This can happen with interrogation for instance, but some betray options also lower ranks.

A higher rank will reward you with better loot.
High rank members will offer more intelligence with bargaining or interrogating for instance, but will also drop better loot in the safehouses when present.

A rank 3 Aisling Transportation guard awarded me with 6 double veiled items for instance.

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Replacing the Safe House Guard:

There are two scenarios:

1: The guard loses its rank during normal mapping. This can happen through interrogation, which immediately causes them to lose their position as guard, or when their rank drops to 0, causing them to lose faction and therefore also to lose their position as guard.
2: You complete the safe house, and interrogate them for mastermind intelligence. They will then be replaced by another member. This seems to be random. Rank, friendly relationships, hostility, and physical proximity all seem to have no effect whatsoever.

You can use #1 to your advantage if you ever want to replace the guard of a safe house. Interrogate them as soon as you get the option, or drop their rank to 0.

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Interrogation:

Interrogating a member will put them in prison, give intelligence each turn, and lower their rank by 1.
If their rank is only 1, it will therefore become 0 and this will cause them to lose their faction. So if you want to remove Haku from transportation, you can interrogate him until he lost all his ranks.
Interrogating a rank 2 or 3 member will just cause them to lose 1 rank, but they will stay in the same faction.

When interrogating a safe house guard, that guard will lose it position as guard, and it will be followed up by the highest ranking member in that faction.
This is a good way to replace the guard if you don’t happen to like the guard.

Interrogating does not affect the relationships between different members.

Interrogating removes the items that members are wearing, making them easier to fight again.

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Betray:

Betrayal is only possible if there are exactly two members present, and if those two members have a friendly relationship with each other.

Betrayal is not possible when there are three members still standing, or when the two members are not friendly with each other.

This seems to be the biggest power of friendships; allowing them to betray one another. (remember the league name?)

Betraying will turn the relationship between those two members hostile afterwards.

Betray Options

• Swap Leader
• Remove NPC
• Steal Rank
• Steal Intelligence
• Destroy all items of Rival Division
• Down Rank Rivals/ Uprank Division

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Bargain:

Bargaining only happens when a syndicate member is by themselves.
Bargaining is a wildcard choice, there are many different options. You should just read what it offers and choose accordingly.

Bargain Options:

• Promote NPC
• Swap Jobs
• befriends another
• Gain Intelligence
• NPC Leaves
• Removes All from Prison
• Destroy all items in Division
• Remove all Rivalries
• Drop Unique Item
• Drop Currency Items
• Drop additional rare item with Veiled Mod
• Drop a Map
• Drop a Scarab

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Execute:

Executing a member increases their rank by 1.
Executing a non-allocated member will place them into the faction of the mission that you just completed.
If you just did a Fortification mission, and Haku without any faction joined in, you can execute him and place him in Fortification.

When there three members present, you can always execute the first choice regardless of anything else.

When there are two members present, you can execute one of them if they are hostile or neutral towards each other. If they are friendly with each other, you will get the option to betray.
Allocation status does not matter here; only relation status.

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Relationships:

Contrary to what many people believe, allied members do not seem more likely to help each other.

Any member can aid any other member, regardless of their relationship, their faction, or their rank.

Relationships change the options you get on the right side.

Friends can betray each other. Afterall; how could you betray someone you don’t even trust?
Hostile members cannot betray each other, but can be executed for higher ranks.
Neutral members can also not betray each other, but can be executed to increase their ranks.

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Members Joining:

As just said above, allies are not more likely to show up than any other member. This system seems to be completely random.
It is possible there is a % increase, but to determine that you need a lot of data.
Based on my experiences, I do not have enough evidence to believe it is non-random.

There seems to be one exception to this rule: members who are assigned to a faction, and do not hold any relationships to the other members present, do not show up.
I am not 100% sure of this, but I haven’t ever seen it happen.

In other words:

• Non-allocated members can always show up regardless of relationship status. If they are friendly; you can betray. If they are hostile or neutral; you can execute.

• Friendly members can always show up. This will give the option of betrayal.

• Hostile members can always show up. This will give the option of execution for higher ranks.

• A member that is not any of the above will not shown up; meaning an neutral member who is already allocated to a faction.

It is possible that two additional members show up, and that the joining two have no relationship towards each other, this will result in an execution action between those two.

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So What Should I do?

• Grow relationships between members. This will make them more likely to show up, because allocated members without relationships seem unable to join in on fights.

• Friendly relationships will allow you to betray, letting you move members around the board and delete members from the syndicate.

• Hostile relationships will allow you to execute more often, gaining higher ranks.

When there are three members, this is where you get to influence things:

• The first member will always be executed (unless interrogated of course).

• If there are two members present that have a hostile or neutral relationship, you can save those two for last to execute one of them.

• If there are two members present that have a friendly relationship, you can save those two for last to betray.

• The last member will always bargain.

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???

Okay let’s look at it from a slightly different angle.

If there is only one member you have nothing to choose. They will always bargain.

If there are two members, you can’t influence it either.
If they are friendly, it will say Betray, if they are not; it will say execute.
The surviving one will always bargain.

If there are three members, you have to make decisions.
You get to decide who gets executed first, since the first one is always executed.
Then with remaining two members will be the same two-member situation. Friendly=betray. Not-friendly=execute.

So when choosing who you execute first, look at the relationship between all three. Figure out what you want to do before you make a decision.
If you want to execute twice in a row, you need to make sure the surviving two do not have friendly relationship with each other.
Especially if they are unallocated; if they are friendly this will turn it into a betrayal, making them unable to join anymore.
If you want to betray them, make sure that the remaining two have friendly relationship with each other.

The last one standing will always bargain.

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I made a handy flowchart!

 

Here’s a video explaining it as well:

Depending on the amount of following of the leader of the hideout dictates the amount of rooms for each hideout.Immortal SyndicateAisling Laffery, The Silent Butcher – InterventionCameria the Coldblooded – NoneCatarina, Mast of Undeath – NoneElreon, Light’s Judge – ResearchGuff “Tiny” Green – FortificationGravicius Reborn – NoneHaku,  Warmaster – NoneHilock, the BlacksmithRin Yuushu – NoneIt That Fled – NoneJanus PerandusKorell Goya, Son of Stone – TransportationLeo, Wolf of the Pits – FortificationRiker Maloney, Midnight tinkerer – NoneThan Jorgin the Banished – TransportationTora, the Culler – FortificationVorici, Silent Brother – InvterventionVagan, Victory’s Herald – TransportationChoice Actions