Nalrok_AthZim

I look at them from a practical standpoint (essentially, lore and sensibility only, actual gameplay aside). Here's how I would rank them, in order.

IDF/Arachnos—Tied
Vanguard
Longbow

Here's why, and I'll explain in order of rank.

IDF:

The IDF is a bastion of organization, raw power and advanced armor. All of their weapons are built in to their suits, and they also have the War Walkers and Olympian Guard to throw around. The only downside is, the IDF may have much less resources to tap should an all-out war start. Since I haven't played the new TFs yet, I can't say if any of this superior tech is affected by EMP, so I'm going to assume it is. While the IDF do have the upper hand in technological offense, they fall short in...

Arachnos:

... imagination when it comes to their troops. Arachnos has no qualms about messily blurring the line between human and machine. The Tarantulas are the pinnacle of Arachnos' dedication to creating the perfect army. While the IDF has the seer system to command their troops, Arachnos already has the tightly-wound Mind Web among the entirety of it's troops, not just the Fortunatas. The Bane Spider branch of Arachnos is also one of the sturdiest, hardest-hitting, intelligent groups in the game according to Lore. Their tactics can change on the fly thanks to their mental link, and all cloaking devices used are usually psychic in nature (with the exception of lower-rank Banes, if I remember correctly). Arachnos also has the benefit of dual-purpose weaponry; any Mace issued to a Spider soldier is both a bludgeon and a blaster that (seemingly) requires no rechargeable power source, eliminating the need for ammo. Should that power source run out, you still have the mace itself to knock people silly. Then, there are the Crab Spiders which are essentially walking artillery platforms, who also have their own form of melee-ranged combo weapons in their backpacks.

Vanguard:

The Vanguard fall below the IDF and Arachnos because they are simply spread too thin. Should they find themselves faced with any other faction, they are then torn between Rikti attacks and their new foe. They fall further due to Arachnos having a very clear partnership with the Rikti, and should those two factions team up it could spell the end for the Vanguard. While their weapons are powerful, their armor impenetrable and their forces large, they would not last long should another war present itself to them.

Longbow:

Longbow places at the bottom of this list for me for several reasons. First, Longbow's minion-class enemies seem to be nothing more than physically-fit trainees who've been handed a neoprene suit and a large caliber weapon. Their next rank up would be useless without their guns (Nullifiers) due to wearing the same neoprene suit, and the only real power and leadership comes from the Officers and Ballistas. Ballistas are the biggest threat Longbow can throw around without calling for any of the signature heroes to back them up. Longbow's greatest strength is numbers, since they have a limitless supply of spandex-clad lackeys to hurl into combat. It feels like their motto is "you can kill it if you have enough gatling guns, flamethrowers and grenade launchers" which doesn't hold too steady in the comic world.

My 2¢.

DM/DA: Started off slow, and grew to be better. With IO's, became an unstoppable monster. My current main, runs missions at +3/x8 since slotting Cardiac Radial.

SS/Elec: Offensive juggernaut. Incredibly hard to kill once Energize was added. Able to run at +1/x8 with blazing speed (2 minutes per mission if I focus).

Try them both!

Do you guys have an ETA for the Alpha boosts? I'm sorry if it's been asked before, but I have a sinus infection and just typing this has felt like I was crossing the Mojave with two fistfuls of pipe cleaners stuffed in my nostrils.

Now on Formspring:

The Human Air Horn!

Oh, and don't forget "WoD Rules Only."

To me, nothing says "avoid that character like the ******* PLAGUE" like knowing I'll be slapped with a rulebook should I try to interact with them.

/Cold.

*walks in drenched in slush from the knees down*

Still have to work where I am. Weather's delightful.

/agree with OP

Yeah, I'm sick of the doomsayers too. Blah blah blah it's all downhill from here yadda yadda dribble snerk splort.

Shut up and play the game.