I agree with those below who struggle to find meaning in the factions. The reality is that the philosophical ideologies and differences between the factions are purely academic and only superficially presented through very sparse references in grimoire (thus unseen by the [i][b]vast[/b][/i] majority of players. Oh, and the occasional canned statements by the NPC faction reps. In-game, there are no differences between the factions, with the exception of aesthetics and weapon/armor stats. As is true of soooo much of Destiny to date, this had tremendous potential to impact, expand, and enhance gameplay, but it was allowed to lie fallow.