Confusion over Cleopatra Moral Choice mission options - Warning: Spoilers!!!

Warning: This post contains spoilers about early missions in Praetoria!


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Ok, so my character is in a bit of a moral quandry, and I'm confused over the future consequences of the choices presented to me. I've been playing a new character (Praetorian), and I've been playing as a Resistance member working undercover, almost exclusively doing missions for the Loyalist contacts, but alerting Calvin Scott whenever appropriate.

In doing this, I get to the end of Cleopatra's mission chain, and I'm informed that a Moral Choice is coming. After going throught the first part of the mission, I discover that Cleopatra is a member of the Resistance and tried to have me killed. Chief Interrogator Washington wants me to go with him to take her down. So I contact Scott to find out what he wants me to do, and he says that since Cleopatra got herself caught, I should go ahead and kill her, then take her place.

Here's the problem: when I actually get to the mission and have to make the choice, the option to kill Cleopatra, you know, the one I've been ordered to do by the Resistance leader, is the Loyalist choice. So, in order to follow along with what Scott wants me to do, I have to shift my allegiance to the opposing side?!? How does that make any sense?

This leaves me quite confused as to what my choices really are, and whether they actually mean anything at this point. If I follow the Resistance orders, and take the Loyalist option and change my alignment, will I still be able to take the undercover Resistance missions, or will these be locked out because I am now considered a Loyalist? If following orders gets you kicked to the other team, then that's seriously messed up, but past experience tells me not to take anything in this game for granted. Or, if I choose the Resistance option, and defy Resistance orders, will I alienate Scott and no longer be able to proceed with Resistance missions? Will I be outed to the Loyalists, and no longer be able to do undercover work for the Resistance?

I've peeked at some guides, but while they show the mission options, none that I've found explain the consequences of these options. Of course, there's always the possibility that the game is coded in such a way that the choice doesn't really matter, and that whatever side I "choose" at this point, I will still be able to continue with either path. But if that's the case, then what's the point of having the moral choice at all? The whole situation is just so mixed up and backwards that I just don't know which way to go with it.

Anyway, sorry if I'm a bit long-winded, but hopefully some of you out there who have experienced more of these particular missions can point me in the right direction. What choice here is the best to allow my character to continue in his undercover status, doing missions for the Loyalists but secretly keeping the Resistance informed, or does it even really matter?

Thanks in advance for the help!

It's like this: by choosing the Loyalist option, you'll be able to access the "Power" contacts in the next zone, and continue working undercover for the Resistance on missions that you can't actually access without making a "Loyalist" choice. Hence, Calvin Scott encourages you to take the non-Resistance choice, because it will allow you to go "deeper undercover". Also, because he's a raging *******.

However, siding with Cleopatra is something non-******* Resistance would do.

Both Calvin Scott and Provost Marchand (loyalist 'head' contact) will encourage you to play along and switch sides so you can go deep undercover and do missions for the 'extremist' sects of each side, where you'll get options to call them up and turn things in the other side's favor. Going through all the Nova Praetoria Warden contacts will present you with a similar moral choice and similar advice. Otherwise you can only access the Moderate contacts for the opposing side. Especially Resistance, because you can't even meet Crusader contacts without being considered Resistance aligned. Some Power contacts can be found hanging outside, but they won't talk to you.

Honestly, the only thing alignment *really* does is restrict which Sewer Access and 'Faction only' areas you can access (like the loyalist lounge and every Resistance HQ) and whether or not you can be introduced to Power/Crusader contacts.

In the end, it really doesn't seem to matter much who you side with or if you spy. As far as I can tell it doesn't seem to change rewards or overall story outcomes, and I've played a few characters through Praetoria.

(Though, I'm not *positive* on that. Cleopatra's Moral Choice involves Chief Interrogator Washington, who has an important role later on, so I'm not sure if it changes anything to kill him).

Welcome to Praetoria! The real city of villains.

My preferred method of going through Praetoria is to Level Lock at 10, 15 and 20 ... and switch sides at the end of *EVERY* arc, so as to be able to ALL of the arcs in the Praetorian storyline.

It's the end. But the moment has been prepared for ...

Actually I'm not sure the cap for the final arcs in Neutropolis is 20. Everything I've seen *says* 20, but with my Mastermind I was able to run through everything in the Power and Responsibility arcs (including the 2 final alignment choices in each) and I never overleveled any of the contacts, by the time I was done I was level 22 and hit up First Ward.