Victory-route selection compares a faction’s central control, distributed defense, resource throughput, and information position. Source
Evidence status — confirmed: Unless noted otherwise, mechanics are verified against the installed patch 11.73 guide.
Prefer Origin when your faction has:
- superior central travel lanes;
- a concentrated defensive economy;
- enough storage/build tempo to raise one site;
- the ability to absorb attention from the entire map.
Prefer Keystones when your faction has:
- distributed territory across several quadrants;
- reliable Noctmark production and donation discipline;
- enough members to defend multiple sites;
- intelligence coverage that catches coordinated sieges.
The best faction may threaten both so opponents cannot concentrate.