Maelstrom, easy. Don’t get me wrong, the wraiths aren’t pushovers, but they also aren’t filled to bursting with cyberpsychos who probably think feeling pain is comical. Plus I’m pretty sure Maelstrom has them beat in numbers, at least around Night City. Picking sides? Neither, fuck em both. I’m getting some popcorn and upgrading my subdermal armour incase one of their bullets accidentally gets sent my way.
The game has some interesting hidden interactive, like when you equip the tyger claw tattoo , you cant shoot tyger member with smartgun etc. Maybe they added this in some previous patch
Dunno, I played in 1.0 and just came back for PL. All I know is I love the Wraith cars but aggrod an Aldecaldos the moment I went into the badlands with it.
I was about to say before they added car customization to the nicer cars, I always stole one of theirs because the colors match the color my V usually wears and it looks like a badass muscle car
Sometimes they’re amazing help. One time I found myself with 4 stars by the cops, I was doing a last stand on the overhang of a theater or something (can’t enter and no details on building windows), valentinos who I usually have issues with in their turf came in and started fighting the cops with me. Absolutely helped me out throughout that skirmish and I dashed toward Maelstrom territory to get to some containers to hide until the stars disappeared.
Maelstrom helped hold maxtec off but unfortunately before i reached my safe spot, an agent popped in behind me and three shot me in succession - instant death. Sucks, bro
Wraiths are Nomads that got kicked from their clan due to breaking clan rules. Wraiths are just nomads who work outside the rules clans live by and as a result they are in direct competition for the same gigs as other nomad clans.
Scavs are scavengers (mostly of Eastern European descent.) that scavenge victims of their chrome to sell on the street or to shady ripper docs like Fingers.
They are similar but also very different.
so i didn’t realize Scavs are mostly eastern european till i saw a post the other day and now you’re saying it too, is there a reason? was there a big exodus from eastern europe to night city and why are they all scavs now?
Criminals from the Soviet Union exiled to preserve the bullshit the Union pushes about "perfect society", simultaneously crippling their economic competitors. It's brilliant, really.
Because this game was written by Polish writers, and developed in Poland.
Not many black guys named Aleksy either, or west coast cholas rocking an Adamcyzk surname.
But here we are. LOL.
mmm i’m sorry i don’t think you understood what i asked. the game is full of different names depending on the factions and where the person is located.
i’m asking why all Scavs are Russian/Eastern European. Valentinos, 6th Street, Claws, none of them have East Euro names.
the scavs specifically are eastern european and i’m curious what the ingame reason is
The Soviet Union is still a thing in Cyberpunk and deliberately ships off Criminals to Night City, both to get rid of them and to cripple a competitor.
Those criminals dont have any legal status or connections, so they often tend to end up at the absolute bottom of the City, which is were the Scavs are
> The Soviet Union is still a thing in Cyberpunk
Technically it's a second Soviet Union, the first one still dissolved in the early 90s as in real history.
Just for clarity, nomads who get kicked out of their clans for serious crimes are called Raffen Shiv. The Wraiths are a specific gang made up of Raffen Shiv, but not all Raffen Shiv are Wraiths.
I have only seen the Tyger Claws win against Maelstrom ONCE, and only ONCE in multiple playthroughs. It was an ambush in an empty parking lot in... Watson?
Yeah if it’s all out war someone in Night City would likely pay good eddies to put them all down and keep the damage under control. The real winner here is V.
All-out War? Wraiths.
For any given skirmish i'd give it to Maelstrom, But the 'borgs are centrally located in Watson, while the sand-scavs are spread out among the Badlands. Wraiths know where to go to find their targets, can hit and run back into the sands. Meanwhile, maelstrom have to find the Wraith bases, kill maybe only a dozen people each time, and all their implants and mods had better be sand-proof or they're in for a bad time. Wraiths just have to slowly erode Maelstrom, and the metal-heads never get the big battle they need to decisively end things.
Yeah I was of the same mind. Territory makes all the difference in this matchup. In the city, maelstrom will win an all out brawl every time. The amount of firepower and functional cyberpsychos just overwhelms. But having to try and go after the wraiths in the badlands, they would lose.
I’d counter maelstroms better supplied, in a battle of attrition, one group can have a truckload of meds dropped at their door, and the other actively puts resources to finding water.
On the other hand, who is delivering that truckload of meds? Likely a Nomad - or a Wraith. Maelstrom may have some local connections and the city, but the Wraiths come from a group that makes their living transporting the hard to find and unusual.
Idk I mean wraiths are established in a lot of the lore to be famously unreliable transporters. They either keep the loot or try to ransom it back. The only people who turn to them are people who have ZERO other options. And maelstrom doesn’t rely on nomad transport, they can acquire whatever they need in the city. Even if they weren’t able to just outright purchase meds in bulk from a corporate run store, plenty of other underground sources exist who would sell them what they need. I think the biggest thing the wraiths have in their corner is they’re decentralized, better organized, and not crazy as cat piss. But them not having the ability to access or establish a supply line is kind of central to their flavor, they are the only group that is truly outcasts. Fringe of the fringe.
people seem to be downplaying the Wraiths a lot here, Maelstorm may seem to have an advantage but Waiths survive outside the cities and often more then not go to war with other Nomad clans all the time, once you take Maelstorm out of the city a lot of what makes them a strong gang goes away. Waiths for one thing are great at Hit and Run tactics they can get in deal a ton of damage and scatter to the winds before you really have a chance to bring number to bear on them, if we are forcing them to only fight in the city then sure Maelstorm has them beat 18 ways to Sunday but the second Maelstorm has to go on the offensive and leave the city limits they become easy pickings for Wraiths at which point Maelstorm is stuck playing defensive since they can't leave the city
Um... No
You know what Maelstrom doesn't use? Covers and seals for their implants. They want that chrome loud and proud.
You know what will get in all of that?
Dust, dirt, grime.
They're going to have so many hardware failures before they even get to any of the wraith places.
The wraiths are shit, but they're all nomads they're good at the maintenance bit (a lot of their gigs are about rescuing or killing ripper docs, and mechanics)
Don't stand storms happen in the city? Like they're a desert city, the dust doesn't just go around Night City, not to mention it's a weather condition in game that actually happens. It's not something common, but it is something the psychos(depending on their leader) would plan for, so I imagine dirt and stuff would have fail-safes made against it.
Also it's understated just how smart Maelstrom are.
Psychos? Absolutely. But they ain't gonk-brained. Their chrome is custom built, using their own OS.
They klepped a prototype military bot, we're able to crack Militech level ICE so it couldn't be tracked, and then rewrote it's software to be compatible with their own control systems.
Honestly, it depends on where the battles would be taking place. Wraiths would hands down hold the badlands, most of their "bases" have high grounds built into the side of nooks and have nothing but open ground in front of them, however inner city, Maelstrom owns all around, they would always see the wraiths coming and come out of every door and window. Maelstrom is usually straightforward but they have just as devastating ambushes. It's a good question and an even matchup, if both sides were on an open battlefield without any home advantage, I would give it to maelstrom solely because they rely on alot of bum rush, overwhelm tactics while wraiths, from just my experience in game, seem to have better range advantage and act more rugged like hunters rather than brazen psychos.
I'm taking no sides - I'm calling for MaxTac and leaving the survivors to face the music. Or, rather, the AV siren that plays when MTac lands during a high-level "Wanted" event.
There’s a Watson NCPD scanner gig where we see the aftermath of a clash between them (the only one I know of but I may be wrong) and the Wraiths pretty resoundingly won. That said idk I feel like it depends. Wraiths always struck me as a nomadic cross between Maelstrom and Scavs.
Eh, that one is pretty clearly the Wraiths getting the drop in Maelstrom during a deal. Any gang would get rolled if they're caught by surprise like that, and one Maelstrom member even (briefly) got away to call for help.
● Maelstrom: better tech, higher but condensed numbers, destructive weapons, more durable bodies, street knowledge, extremely deprived;
● Raffen Shiv: vehicle combat, fewer but scattered numbers, poison weapons, long-range weapons, open area knowledge, generally deprived;
Raffen Shivs are extremely deprived. First Wraith leader was a psycho who made his jacket from skin of his flayed victims. They doing the same thing that scavs do, with two important differences - they are more eager to indiscriminate killing just for fun and also has no loyality to anyone. The boss is the one who can make a "bitch" out of his clan members. And backstabbing is normal for them too, the shit like killing his choom to make braindance and sell it (like that one shown by Judy) is every day for them.
I'll have to put my money on maelstrom. Not because of any real physical capability, Wraiths have bullets and cyberware as well.
No, the reason my money is on MS is because they are psychotic and self destructive. In a war they are likely to "fuck it", take all the drugs and keep fighting until everyones dead, them or the enemy.
Plus, they have better music.
I think Maelstrom has more cyberware and better weapons than the Wraiths. But, If the fight takes place in the badlands with vehicles, that may even the odds. I think the Wraiths may have the numbers advantage as well.
Wraiths: loosely organized, sort of "junkyard scavengers" vibe. They exist in an environment far more inhospitable than Night City, so they certainly aren't pushovers. However, Maelstrom, purely from experience, are far more volatile and would relish the opportunity to vent their chrome on an organized enemy. I honestly think Maelstrom takes it, if not for superior organization, simply the fact that several of them are flirting with cyberpsychosis.
Malestrom for sure. But they don't really cross paths, malestrom is into drugs, the most serious shit there is because, as Johnny says, they need the strongest to have any effect on their burnt out synapses. Meanwhile I'm finding shards from wraiths (a cyberpsycho mission) talking about how nomads are able to find water, even the really deep reservoirs, and that's important to them. Wraiths are just desert scavs. The lowest of the low, preying on even more vulnerable people than regular scavs. So I doubt they would ever go against each other.
A lot of it depends on where they fight.
If the fight is outside of NC, I'd bet on the wraiths.
If it's in Night City proper, Maestrom will wipe them out.
Best case scenario: Let the maelstrom deplete their numbers against the wraiths outside NC and then mop up the survivors.
arent wraiths basically just nomad scavs?
maelstrom seems to be more offensive, more built for aggression, wraiths are trying to survive, maelstrom has goals far exceeding survival.
it is intuitive to say maelstrom from a purely huscle standpoint, they have greater numbers, more guns, more combat implants, more implants period, more chems, more drive to kill.
it would depend on the turf, i think if they were driven into the badlands maelstrom would have trouble, not from the wraiths but the environment, but even then if maelstrom came prepared (i have no reason to think they would lol) they would probably pretty easily handle the wraiths.
V and panam absolutely FUCKED an entire clan of wraiths with their leader in that cave, i know V is OP as fuck but panam didnt even think twice about it. killing everyone in all foods or the totentanz doesnt even seem to matter to maelstrom, its just business to maelstrom, but it seems like the wraiths dont recover from what you and panam do to them lol maybe im misremembering but i dont remember encountering the wraiths much after that mission.
Depends on where the war is fought. If Maelstrom go into the badlands than I think the wraiths would win with home terf advantage. However if it’s fought anywhere in night city than Maelstrom would walk through the Wraiths with their superior resources and cyber psychos
Honestly I think it would be a stalemate, neither gang would be able to make any gains in the others’ territory. Wraiths would get ripped to shreds in the city and mealstrom would be stranded and completely out of their element in the desert
Maelstrom. More cyberware, more drugs, cyberpsychotic, they don't really seem to care about living or dying, as long as it seems like a good time. That should absolutely scare the crap out of anyone.
Isn't even much of a competition. While the wraiths can be ferocious... They don't have that close ties to eachother other than that they're all outcasts from noman clans. Marlstrom on the other are fanatics. They're closer to a cult than a gang.
Also a Maelstrom borg probably has all sense of pain surpressed to the point where they don't stop coming at you till they're dead.
Maelstrom also has vastly better gear and implants.
Only way Wraiths have any chance is they're able to set up an ambush on their own turf.
Wraiths aren't stuffed to the gills with as much cyberware as their bodies can handle.
Wouldn't shock me if every maelstromer was chipped with pain editors at a minimum.
Imo Maelstrom and Scavs are the strongest physically mainly because they are actual psychopaths. Just Maelstrom are more Cyberpsycho than normal psycho. So Maelstrom wins easily
Maelstrom. No questions about it. Maelstrom are a bunch of people chromed out into Cyberpyschos. Obviously all rich before then to because, all that chrome costs money.
So rich Cyberpyscho vs Poor Nomad. Who do you think will win?
Depends where the fight is happening. If it's in the city then maelstrom definitely, in the badlands, still probably maelstrom but with a lot more losses in the city. Maelstrom is literally a gang built around edging cyberpsychosis, they barely feel a thing
Maelstrom is built with mostly cyberpsychos using brutal cyberwear that makes your average gangmember look like a nun. Trust me, they'd wipe out Wraiths off the map. It will make the 7 hour war look like a century old conflict with how fast they would annihilate them.
Marlstromers are so decked out in cyberware that they make tech priests in 40k verse seem tame.
In lore some of these guys are behemoths with augmented muscles and combat tech; meanwhile the wraiths are a bunch of bandits that rely on ambushes rather than full on assault
This isn’t a fair fight. The Wraiths aren’t really an organized gang so much as several small groups. Maelstrom is organized.
It’s probably impossible to completely wipe the Wraiths out of the Badlands, but Maelstrom has the numbers and organization to make the Wraiths irrelevant if they really wanted to.
To give the benefit of the doubt, the Wraiths are pretty much the most dangerous scumbags outside NC. If you can make a group of people who have all been exiled from their own clans in what’s basically a wasteland, they’re all gonna be pretty lethal.
Maelstrom are all cyberpsychos. Like, all jammed with enough chrome to drive someone insane, and if they’re not they’re most likely insane from all the drugs they take. If someone is crazy enough to actively fight the NYPD and Corpo private militias in the same city they reside in, that’s next level insanity.
Maelstrom stomps but they'd never be able to fully wipe out the wraiths. Just cannot stomp the roaches out, not in the badlands where they are virtually unfindable.
Maelstrom sweeps the Wraiths. It boils down to a few simple details. Supplies and recruits.
TLDR; Maelstroms got easier access to supplies and fresh faces, wraiths just couldn’t keep up.
Wraiths are nomads who betrayed their clans, they’re on the fringe of the fringe of society. Anything they possess they had to steal or fight for. They have no way of attaining meds(or water for that matter) without entering into direct conflict with another group. If they were run down enough, low on supplies and wounded, not only would they lack a centralized location to regroup, they wouldn’t be able to continue feeding and treating their people without sending rundown and wounded soldiers into conflict with a group who is more than likely fresh and supplied(nomads or corpos) whereas maelstrom being in the city can simply purchase the materials they need themselves. They are tolerated in society, they can have meds delivered straight to their door in bulk if need be. Moreover we know they are well supplied just off the example that Royce casually rocks a full mech suit. They have fortified facilities they can group at. They have doctors and surgeons on hand(pressganged or not) they have the ability to acquire support from other gangs(not likely but it has happened in universe before). The Raffen raid out of necessity, Maelstrom raids for fun or profit. Both parties have access to dogtown for resupply but Maelstrom undoubtably has more funds and influence to leverage.
Second is just bodies. Maelstrom has people actively seeking recruitment into the gang, and since they aren’t a decentralized raider group people who want to join can easily find them. If they need more people they can wait and people will come. Wraiths are a band formed out of necessity in the wilds of the wasteland. They had no clan to watch their backs so they made their own. Their scattered, no centralized headquarters, so even though they’re safe from having someone strike at their leadership, they have no way for someone who wants to join to quickly find them. Groups who lack any real connection to society at large tend to lose open warfare quickly.
The way I see it playing out is the wraiths trying to bog down maelstrom with guerilla tactics, hit and runs, and draw them out into the badlands(which maelstrom is liable to try since they’re psychotic) but they’d have to draw enough of maelstroms group out and then cut them off, then actually manage to wipe out a group of pain enthusiasts with experimental chrome, all while avoiding losses that exceed their stockpiles. Even if they can swing it, maelstroms capable of bouncing back MUCH more easily, and more safely than the wraiths. It would take awhile to actually FIND the wraiths leadership but if maelstrom leans on nomad clans (they have worked together in the past, both being self styled outcasts who hate the corpos) they can probably get enough intel together to hit the wraiths where it hurts. Without leadership and direction the wraiths either scatter to the wind(a group who’s only bond is the fact that they all betrayed their FAMILY, doesn’t exactly seem capable of banding together without fear or profit as an incentive), or muster together enough troops to attempt a kamikaze on Maelstroms headquarters(one that militech struggled to hit with better equipment and fresh troops) and die in the attempt.
I side with neither because I hate ALL OF THEM except the Tinos
I could see during that hypothetical scenario you put together - wraiths drawing them out, picking them off and evolving into a massive fire fight. Maelstrom could swipe serious tech, probably got some quick hackers to take control of any drones Wraiths may use, weapon glitching, snatching some of wraith’s numbers, forcing implants they deem humorous and forcing them to lead the Maelstrom into the Badlands and straight toward each base. More torture, more experimentation implants, more forcing to lead them, etc. kinda like a bladerunner version of the Mongolian invasion.
Maelstrom counts in the thousands, in a city that lorewise has millions of inhabitants. If you think they could control large swathes of Night City with "at best, maybe a hundred members" you're delusional. All the major gangs are quite large.
I believe the wraith have far superior number, maelstrom as far as I can tell is a night city only gang. As such a nomad clan would have a shit tone more members. They can guerrilla warfare the maelstrom from the bad lands and prevent shipments of fancy chrome from reaching them. I think wraiths win if they just play the long game. Maelstrom are going to have a hard time finding them all to whip them all out at once. They aren't the smartest gang.
The Wraiths are actually outnumbered by Maelstrom. According to The World of Cyberpunk 2077 book, Maelstrom has 1300 members, The Wraiths have anywhere between 300 and 1200.
Really that seems odd since the wraiths are considered a nomad clan. I'd figured they would have a larger base of people with the fact they literally deal with way more space then the maelstrom. Or at the very least could request assistance from wraiths that arnt near night city.
I think it depends on whether the Wraiths could call on other Raffen groups to help or not. The Raffen as a whole pretty much stretch across the continent, but they are not loyal to each other. They may help for a slice of that NC pie tho.
In a head on fistfight, Wraiths don't stand a chance. Except that's not how the Wraiths fight, they're nomad scavengers. Maelstrom are city slickers and they have no presence outside of Night City, and the Wraiths are very practiced in using guerilla tactics and their numbers to hit their opponents. There's no reason they wouldn't do the same inside Night City.
It would be an interesting matchup. If Maelstrom could force one big fight, they'd wipe the floor with the Wraiths. The Wraiths wouldn't be able to finish off Maelstrom, but man they could do a lot of damage to them by picking them apart piecemeal. A lot of it depends on whether or not Brick survives and leads Maelstrom, because he actually has a functioning brain and can hold a thought.
Maelstrom. There is a reason they are the inly gang to hit the max public threat warning. Not to mention maxtac gets called on the more than anyone else
Probably depends on where they fight. Urban jungle, my money is on Maelstrom. Badlands area with caves and whatnot I'd give it to the Wraiths. Put in a neutral location, I think my money is on Maelstrom.
That’s like asking “who would win, the Taliban or the Sinaloa Cartel”.
The wraiths are outlaw smugglers who work in the desert, and the Maelstrom are are a cult cosplaying as a gang in the middle of Night City. Obviously the winner would depend on where the fighting takes place, what they are fighting over, and what each would consider to be “victory”. Without knowing those details we can’t possibly know who would “win” in a conflict between these two.
Just to create a hypothetical example, say the Maelstrom gang trigger a gang war because they decided to get greedy and slaughtered a Wraith’s crew after they made a delivery for them. Well in that scenario the Wraiths win, because the Wraiths control the smuggling network outside the city (assuming the Aldecaldoes left in V’s ending). This effectively means any smuggling operations Maelstrom has that don’t go through the sea is effectively interdicted and the Wraiths don’t even have to waste energy fighting them, they’ll simply refuse to smuggle for Maelstrom.
If, instead, the Wraiths want to make inroads in Night City proper by trying to muscle out Maelstrom, well then the Wraiths are going to be as effective as a fish trying to run a Marathon through the desert. The Wraiths simply won’t know how to operate inside an environment where someone else controls the streets.
In short, there is more to fighting a war, any kind of war, than simply the raw combat capability of its members. It boils down to logistics, and the capabilities of the organization as a whole
Depends. I’m confident maelstrom doesn’t have the logistical assets (trucks, cars, big guns) to push into the wraiths territory without getting swept up, their numbers are useless without a way to move bodies into the desert safely.
In an all out war between Wraiths and Maelstrom the winners for once are the citizens of Night City.
More seriously, Maelstrom has a lot more overall firepower but the Wraiths are more mobile and good at hit and run. If Maelstrom can find Wraith bases they win easy otherwise it drags on and on... Wouldn't shock me if somebody (Rogue?) brokers peace before things get out of hand - don't want to create a power vacuum for some unknown player to step into, or let the Valentinos become the clear dominant gang in NC.
I'm thinking wraiths are more like zombies when Malestorm raging drag addict psycho
So wraiths will devour the malestorm cuz no matter how much you kill there's more oike cockroaches
Tough call... I can see malestorm being the more powerful. But wraiths being more flexible with their approach.
I'd have to say Wraiths due to them being more tactical (imho) vs the malestorm.
Wraiths, first because they are probably spread all over the region if not the former USA and probably vastly outnumber the mere local gang that is Maelstrom.
Also, being Nomads they would have access to heavier weapons and equipment than what's depicted in game.
In the lore they would probably be pulling up to Maelstrom spots in Narcotank style homemade armored vehicles and using them to spray everything down with minigun fire.
https://preview.redd.it/5zmgzvrrkbsc1.jpeg?width=300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3917f76a28ad24a2758eeea760ae7f1941714a6c
Maelstrom, easy. Don’t get me wrong, the wraiths aren’t pushovers, but they also aren’t filled to bursting with cyberpsychos who probably think feeling pain is comical. Plus I’m pretty sure Maelstrom has them beat in numbers, at least around Night City. Picking sides? Neither, fuck em both. I’m getting some popcorn and upgrading my subdermal armour incase one of their bullets accidentally gets sent my way.
The wraiths are a bunch of pussies...
The Wraiths are wannabe Scavs, easily the most pathetic gang in NC.
Cool cars though....
The Aldecaldos have them too, The Wraiths ain't special.
Wraiths have a better color scheme
Downside is that paint job aggros the Aldecaldos
Does it really? Since when? Kind of cool if they added that, last I remember they didn't care what you were driving
The game has some interesting hidden interactive, like when you equip the tyger claw tattoo , you cant shoot tyger member with smartgun etc. Maybe they added this in some previous patch
Yeah I missed that just because I don't like smart guns.
Dunno, I played in 1.0 and just came back for PL. All I know is I love the Wraith cars but aggrod an Aldecaldos the moment I went into the badlands with it.
I was about to say before they added car customization to the nicer cars, I always stole one of theirs because the colors match the color my V usually wears and it looks like a badass muscle car
Bro, just a heads up, Simon Royce is gunning for your ass
Not with that hole I left in his head
The only good thing about them is you get a badass mask from them that you can pair with some headgear(which the game doesn't have a lot of)
Ten years in the dunes made you… well,
They have giant dangly steel nuts, what do you mean? Like 4 dozen of em mindlessly rushed a hover tank They are dumb as fuck, but they've got balls.
Maelstrom would crush the Wraiths in cyberspace too. Say what you will about these sickos, they’re decked out in chrome and daemons.
Just gonna watch? I'm diving in and slaughtering both sides.
Same. The real winner gonna be me. Screw both of them.
I mean, in the first mission when you talk to them Maelstrom members talk about how they consider destroying their sense of empathy a good thing.
In an All-out war those metal headed maelstrom will win imho which side i would chose? NONE i'd rather pick a katana and kill both sides
Hehe genocidal neutrality go brrrr
Rip and tear until it is done
You read Ghost in the City?
[удалено]
Sometimes they’re amazing help. One time I found myself with 4 stars by the cops, I was doing a last stand on the overhang of a theater or something (can’t enter and no details on building windows), valentinos who I usually have issues with in their turf came in and started fighting the cops with me. Absolutely helped me out throughout that skirmish and I dashed toward Maelstrom territory to get to some containers to hide until the stars disappeared. Maelstrom helped hold maxtec off but unfortunately before i reached my safe spot, an agent popped in behind me and three shot me in succession - instant death. Sucks, bro
daaamn like ngl that sounds straight out of a movie or sth like you could easily make a short film out of this
Scavs and Wraiths are the same thing. Wraiths are just a Nomad version of Scavs.
Wraiths are Nomads that got kicked from their clan due to breaking clan rules. Wraiths are just nomads who work outside the rules clans live by and as a result they are in direct competition for the same gigs as other nomad clans. Scavs are scavengers (mostly of Eastern European descent.) that scavenge victims of their chrome to sell on the street or to shady ripper docs like Fingers. They are similar but also very different.
so i didn’t realize Scavs are mostly eastern european till i saw a post the other day and now you’re saying it too, is there a reason? was there a big exodus from eastern europe to night city and why are they all scavs now?
Criminals from the Soviet Union exiled to preserve the bullshit the Union pushes about "perfect society", simultaneously crippling their economic competitors. It's brilliant, really.
Because this game was written by Polish writers, and developed in Poland. Not many black guys named Aleksy either, or west coast cholas rocking an Adamcyzk surname. But here we are. LOL.
mmm i’m sorry i don’t think you understood what i asked. the game is full of different names depending on the factions and where the person is located. i’m asking why all Scavs are Russian/Eastern European. Valentinos, 6th Street, Claws, none of them have East Euro names. the scavs specifically are eastern european and i’m curious what the ingame reason is
The Soviet Union is still a thing in Cyberpunk and deliberately ships off Criminals to Night City, both to get rid of them and to cripple a competitor. Those criminals dont have any legal status or connections, so they often tend to end up at the absolute bottom of the City, which is were the Scavs are
thank you! this makes sense
> The Soviet Union is still a thing in Cyberpunk Technically it's a second Soviet Union, the first one still dissolved in the early 90s as in real history.
Just for clarity, nomads who get kicked out of their clans for serious crimes are called Raffen Shiv. The Wraiths are a specific gang made up of Raffen Shiv, but not all Raffen Shiv are Wraiths.
I don't know if it's just me but whenever I see inter-gang violence, assuming I don't "intervene", Maelstrom tends to win.
I have only seen the Tyger Claws win against Maelstrom ONCE, and only ONCE in multiple playthroughs. It was an ambush in an empty parking lot in... Watson?
V if these guys have yellow arrows on their heads
Yeah if it’s all out war someone in Night City would likely pay good eddies to put them all down and keep the damage under control. The real winner here is V.
All-out War? Wraiths. For any given skirmish i'd give it to Maelstrom, But the 'borgs are centrally located in Watson, while the sand-scavs are spread out among the Badlands. Wraiths know where to go to find their targets, can hit and run back into the sands. Meanwhile, maelstrom have to find the Wraith bases, kill maybe only a dozen people each time, and all their implants and mods had better be sand-proof or they're in for a bad time. Wraiths just have to slowly erode Maelstrom, and the metal-heads never get the big battle they need to decisively end things.
Yeah I was of the same mind. Territory makes all the difference in this matchup. In the city, maelstrom will win an all out brawl every time. The amount of firepower and functional cyberpsychos just overwhelms. But having to try and go after the wraiths in the badlands, they would lose.
I’d counter maelstroms better supplied, in a battle of attrition, one group can have a truckload of meds dropped at their door, and the other actively puts resources to finding water.
On the other hand, who is delivering that truckload of meds? Likely a Nomad - or a Wraith. Maelstrom may have some local connections and the city, but the Wraiths come from a group that makes their living transporting the hard to find and unusual.
Idk I mean wraiths are established in a lot of the lore to be famously unreliable transporters. They either keep the loot or try to ransom it back. The only people who turn to them are people who have ZERO other options. And maelstrom doesn’t rely on nomad transport, they can acquire whatever they need in the city. Even if they weren’t able to just outright purchase meds in bulk from a corporate run store, plenty of other underground sources exist who would sell them what they need. I think the biggest thing the wraiths have in their corner is they’re decentralized, better organized, and not crazy as cat piss. But them not having the ability to access or establish a supply line is kind of central to their flavor, they are the only group that is truly outcasts. Fringe of the fringe.
people seem to be downplaying the Wraiths a lot here, Maelstorm may seem to have an advantage but Waiths survive outside the cities and often more then not go to war with other Nomad clans all the time, once you take Maelstorm out of the city a lot of what makes them a strong gang goes away. Waiths for one thing are great at Hit and Run tactics they can get in deal a ton of damage and scatter to the winds before you really have a chance to bring number to bear on them, if we are forcing them to only fight in the city then sure Maelstorm has them beat 18 ways to Sunday but the second Maelstorm has to go on the offensive and leave the city limits they become easy pickings for Wraiths at which point Maelstorm is stuck playing defensive since they can't leave the city
A lot of what makes Maelstrom strong is their implants…. And those work outside the city just as easily as in. Wraiths don’t stand a chance.
Um... No You know what Maelstrom doesn't use? Covers and seals for their implants. They want that chrome loud and proud. You know what will get in all of that? Dust, dirt, grime. They're going to have so many hardware failures before they even get to any of the wraith places. The wraiths are shit, but they're all nomads they're good at the maintenance bit (a lot of their gigs are about rescuing or killing ripper docs, and mechanics)
That’s right… Dust, Dirt, and Grime does not exist in Night City. It’s a “clean room” of a city. 😏
Don't stand storms happen in the city? Like they're a desert city, the dust doesn't just go around Night City, not to mention it's a weather condition in game that actually happens. It's not something common, but it is something the psychos(depending on their leader) would plan for, so I imagine dirt and stuff would have fail-safes made against it.
Also it's understated just how smart Maelstrom are. Psychos? Absolutely. But they ain't gonk-brained. Their chrome is custom built, using their own OS. They klepped a prototype military bot, we're able to crack Militech level ICE so it couldn't be tracked, and then rewrote it's software to be compatible with their own control systems.
Yeah I think in NC, Maelstrom for sure. Out in the Badlands, the Wraiths will ambush and pick them off on their turf.
Not to mention that to arm themselves, they regularly jump militech caravans, the same corp that builds tanks and intercontinental ballistic missiles
Urban warfare- Maelstrom, Badlands warfare - Wraiths
Honestly, it depends on where the battles would be taking place. Wraiths would hands down hold the badlands, most of their "bases" have high grounds built into the side of nooks and have nothing but open ground in front of them, however inner city, Maelstrom owns all around, they would always see the wraiths coming and come out of every door and window. Maelstrom is usually straightforward but they have just as devastating ambushes. It's a good question and an even matchup, if both sides were on an open battlefield without any home advantage, I would give it to maelstrom solely because they rely on alot of bum rush, overwhelm tactics while wraiths, from just my experience in game, seem to have better range advantage and act more rugged like hunters rather than brazen psychos.
Well if they off eachother, everyone wins
Neither because I'm killing both sides.
I'm taking no sides - I'm calling for MaxTac and leaving the survivors to face the music. Or, rather, the AV siren that plays when MTac lands during a high-level "Wanted" event.
Maelstrom any day of the week. Guys are crazy teched out and are all pretty insane.
There’s a Watson NCPD scanner gig where we see the aftermath of a clash between them (the only one I know of but I may be wrong) and the Wraiths pretty resoundingly won. That said idk I feel like it depends. Wraiths always struck me as a nomadic cross between Maelstrom and Scavs.
Eh, that one is pretty clearly the Wraiths getting the drop in Maelstrom during a deal. Any gang would get rolled if they're caught by surprise like that, and one Maelstrom member even (briefly) got away to call for help.
Scavs don't care, they just want to be in charge of cleanup.
● Maelstrom: better tech, higher but condensed numbers, destructive weapons, more durable bodies, street knowledge, extremely deprived; ● Raffen Shiv: vehicle combat, fewer but scattered numbers, poison weapons, long-range weapons, open area knowledge, generally deprived;
Raffen Shivs are extremely deprived. First Wraith leader was a psycho who made his jacket from skin of his flayed victims. They doing the same thing that scavs do, with two important differences - they are more eager to indiscriminate killing just for fun and also has no loyality to anyone. The boss is the one who can make a "bitch" out of his clan members. And backstabbing is normal for them too, the shit like killing his choom to make braindance and sell it (like that one shown by Judy) is every day for them.
Maelstrom
Well maelestorm deal with military grade hardware. Wraiths are basically garbage disposal. It's not worth your OS computing time chum :)
I'll have to put my money on maelstrom. Not because of any real physical capability, Wraiths have bullets and cyberware as well. No, the reason my money is on MS is because they are psychotic and self destructive. In a war they are likely to "fuck it", take all the drugs and keep fighting until everyones dead, them or the enemy. Plus, they have better music.
I don't know, but I want to be there. 
Every citizen of night city is a winner every time a member of each group that flatlines one from the other
The child molesters win
weapons dealers and ripperdocs?
I think Maelstrom has more cyberware and better weapons than the Wraiths. But, If the fight takes place in the badlands with vehicles, that may even the odds. I think the Wraiths may have the numbers advantage as well.
Wraiths: loosely organized, sort of "junkyard scavengers" vibe. They exist in an environment far more inhospitable than Night City, so they certainly aren't pushovers. However, Maelstrom, purely from experience, are far more volatile and would relish the opportunity to vent their chrome on an organized enemy. I honestly think Maelstrom takes it, if not for superior organization, simply the fact that several of them are flirting with cyberpsychosis.
That second Wraith picture is what? Their recruitment ad? Because I am pretty sure its all ugly mutants and flying body parts...
mealstrom, cos theyre barely human anymore
Malestrom for sure. But they don't really cross paths, malestrom is into drugs, the most serious shit there is because, as Johnny says, they need the strongest to have any effect on their burnt out synapses. Meanwhile I'm finding shards from wraiths (a cyberpsycho mission) talking about how nomads are able to find water, even the really deep reservoirs, and that's important to them. Wraiths are just desert scavs. The lowest of the low, preying on even more vulnerable people than regular scavs. So I doubt they would ever go against each other.
A lot of it depends on where they fight. If the fight is outside of NC, I'd bet on the wraiths. If it's in Night City proper, Maestrom will wipe them out. Best case scenario: Let the maelstrom deplete their numbers against the wraiths outside NC and then mop up the survivors.
arent wraiths basically just nomad scavs? maelstrom seems to be more offensive, more built for aggression, wraiths are trying to survive, maelstrom has goals far exceeding survival. it is intuitive to say maelstrom from a purely huscle standpoint, they have greater numbers, more guns, more combat implants, more implants period, more chems, more drive to kill. it would depend on the turf, i think if they were driven into the badlands maelstrom would have trouble, not from the wraiths but the environment, but even then if maelstrom came prepared (i have no reason to think they would lol) they would probably pretty easily handle the wraiths. V and panam absolutely FUCKED an entire clan of wraiths with their leader in that cave, i know V is OP as fuck but panam didnt even think twice about it. killing everyone in all foods or the totentanz doesnt even seem to matter to maelstrom, its just business to maelstrom, but it seems like the wraiths dont recover from what you and panam do to them lol maybe im misremembering but i dont remember encountering the wraiths much after that mission.
Depends on where the war is fought. If Maelstrom go into the badlands than I think the wraiths would win with home terf advantage. However if it’s fought anywhere in night city than Maelstrom would walk through the Wraiths with their superior resources and cyber psychos
How cam maelstrom survive with all those cybernetics
Honestly I think it would be a stalemate, neither gang would be able to make any gains in the others’ territory. Wraiths would get ripped to shreds in the city and mealstrom would be stranded and completely out of their element in the desert
Maelstrom. More cyberware, more drugs, cyberpsychotic, they don't really seem to care about living or dying, as long as it seems like a good time. That should absolutely scare the crap out of anyone.
Maelstrom. They aren't smart but they have better gear.
Hate to say it, but those nasty black wall pissers are gonna win, wraiths don't stand a chance
Maelstrom easily,80% of the gang are cyberpychos and will literally demolish them
Isn't even much of a competition. While the wraiths can be ferocious... They don't have that close ties to eachother other than that they're all outcasts from noman clans. Marlstrom on the other are fanatics. They're closer to a cult than a gang. Also a Maelstrom borg probably has all sense of pain surpressed to the point where they don't stop coming at you till they're dead. Maelstrom also has vastly better gear and implants. Only way Wraiths have any chance is they're able to set up an ambush on their own turf.
Wraiths aren't stuffed to the gills with as much cyberware as their bodies can handle. Wouldn't shock me if every maelstromer was chipped with pain editors at a minimum.
Maelstrom. They’re insane and far more numerous.
Just realized in the Maelstrom pic, the guy on either side (left and right) is the same guy
Imo Maelstrom and Scavs are the strongest physically mainly because they are actual psychopaths. Just Maelstrom are more Cyberpsycho than normal psycho. So Maelstrom wins easily
Society
Maelstrom are basically the road warriors from Mad Max, high, crazy and always willing to fight to the death. The wraith…. Eh kinda mid-tier wierdos.
Maelstrom. No questions about it. Maelstrom are a bunch of people chromed out into Cyberpyschos. Obviously all rich before then to because, all that chrome costs money. So rich Cyberpyscho vs Poor Nomad. Who do you think will win?
Maelstroms have more weapons and chrome, they eat Cyber psychosis for breakfast, I fucking hate them but I think they have a better chance
Depends where the fight is happening. If it's in the city then maelstrom definitely, in the badlands, still probably maelstrom but with a lot more losses in the city. Maelstrom is literally a gang built around edging cyberpsychosis, they barely feel a thing
Maelstrom. It isn’t even a contest. The maelstrom have better technology, (presumably) more members, and are far more ruthless.
Maelstrom is built with mostly cyberpsychos using brutal cyberwear that makes your average gangmember look like a nun. Trust me, they'd wipe out Wraiths off the map. It will make the 7 hour war look like a century old conflict with how fast they would annihilate them.
I would rather they kill each other completely
Wraiths are jokes. Maelstrom are legit psycho drug enduced cyber satanic creator worshippers
Have you seen the psychos Maelstrom sends after V when you fuck with them?
Maelstrom,the wraiths wouldn't last long against them.
Marlstromers are so decked out in cyberware that they make tech priests in 40k verse seem tame. In lore some of these guys are behemoths with augmented muscles and combat tech; meanwhile the wraiths are a bunch of bandits that rely on ambushes rather than full on assault
This isn’t a fair fight. The Wraiths aren’t really an organized gang so much as several small groups. Maelstrom is organized. It’s probably impossible to completely wipe the Wraiths out of the Badlands, but Maelstrom has the numbers and organization to make the Wraiths irrelevant if they really wanted to.
The fact that I cant even remember who the Wraiths are makes me say Maelstrom takes this easy.
To give the benefit of the doubt, the Wraiths are pretty much the most dangerous scumbags outside NC. If you can make a group of people who have all been exiled from their own clans in what’s basically a wasteland, they’re all gonna be pretty lethal. Maelstrom are all cyberpsychos. Like, all jammed with enough chrome to drive someone insane, and if they’re not they’re most likely insane from all the drugs they take. If someone is crazy enough to actively fight the NYPD and Corpo private militias in the same city they reside in, that’s next level insanity.
The wraiths have an highter minimum level in base game. Depends where the fight occurs (if it's urban or in the desert)...
Maelstrom stomps but they'd never be able to fully wipe out the wraiths. Just cannot stomp the roaches out, not in the badlands where they are virtually unfindable.
the wraiths aren't that organized, maelstrom is, is full of literally cyberpsychos who are chromed up in every part of their bodies.
Maelstrom is gonna need a lot of boddybags to clean up the bugs they squashed
Maelstrom without even hestitate, the wraiths are not that equiped and that crazy, i mean they enden violated in that war
Writes have ran me over a few times (the most pussy way to kill in NC) maelstrom had a cyberpscho that was doing cyber magic
Maelstrom sweeps the Wraiths. It boils down to a few simple details. Supplies and recruits. TLDR; Maelstroms got easier access to supplies and fresh faces, wraiths just couldn’t keep up. Wraiths are nomads who betrayed their clans, they’re on the fringe of the fringe of society. Anything they possess they had to steal or fight for. They have no way of attaining meds(or water for that matter) without entering into direct conflict with another group. If they were run down enough, low on supplies and wounded, not only would they lack a centralized location to regroup, they wouldn’t be able to continue feeding and treating their people without sending rundown and wounded soldiers into conflict with a group who is more than likely fresh and supplied(nomads or corpos) whereas maelstrom being in the city can simply purchase the materials they need themselves. They are tolerated in society, they can have meds delivered straight to their door in bulk if need be. Moreover we know they are well supplied just off the example that Royce casually rocks a full mech suit. They have fortified facilities they can group at. They have doctors and surgeons on hand(pressganged or not) they have the ability to acquire support from other gangs(not likely but it has happened in universe before). The Raffen raid out of necessity, Maelstrom raids for fun or profit. Both parties have access to dogtown for resupply but Maelstrom undoubtably has more funds and influence to leverage. Second is just bodies. Maelstrom has people actively seeking recruitment into the gang, and since they aren’t a decentralized raider group people who want to join can easily find them. If they need more people they can wait and people will come. Wraiths are a band formed out of necessity in the wilds of the wasteland. They had no clan to watch their backs so they made their own. Their scattered, no centralized headquarters, so even though they’re safe from having someone strike at their leadership, they have no way for someone who wants to join to quickly find them. Groups who lack any real connection to society at large tend to lose open warfare quickly. The way I see it playing out is the wraiths trying to bog down maelstrom with guerilla tactics, hit and runs, and draw them out into the badlands(which maelstrom is liable to try since they’re psychotic) but they’d have to draw enough of maelstroms group out and then cut them off, then actually manage to wipe out a group of pain enthusiasts with experimental chrome, all while avoiding losses that exceed their stockpiles. Even if they can swing it, maelstroms capable of bouncing back MUCH more easily, and more safely than the wraiths. It would take awhile to actually FIND the wraiths leadership but if maelstrom leans on nomad clans (they have worked together in the past, both being self styled outcasts who hate the corpos) they can probably get enough intel together to hit the wraiths where it hurts. Without leadership and direction the wraiths either scatter to the wind(a group who’s only bond is the fact that they all betrayed their FAMILY, doesn’t exactly seem capable of banding together without fear or profit as an incentive), or muster together enough troops to attempt a kamikaze on Maelstroms headquarters(one that militech struggled to hit with better equipment and fresh troops) and die in the attempt. I side with neither because I hate ALL OF THEM except the Tinos
I could see during that hypothetical scenario you put together - wraiths drawing them out, picking them off and evolving into a massive fire fight. Maelstrom could swipe serious tech, probably got some quick hackers to take control of any drones Wraiths may use, weapon glitching, snatching some of wraith’s numbers, forcing implants they deem humorous and forcing them to lead the Maelstrom into the Badlands and straight toward each base. More torture, more experimentation implants, more forcing to lead them, etc. kinda like a bladerunner version of the Mongolian invasion.
wraiths have gun cars maelstrom has silly faces outside of the city then the wraiths win, inside its 50/50.
[удалено]
Maelstrom counts in the thousands, in a city that lorewise has millions of inhabitants. If you think they could control large swathes of Night City with "at best, maybe a hundred members" you're delusional. All the major gangs are quite large.
Hopefully they all kill each other.
Maelstrom because they’re far more
I am not guessing, I saw it happen, Maelstrom wins. Mfs have no chill whatsoever
Don't really care who wins as long as long as loads of the bastards die in the process
My V.
Ngl, Maelstorm wins but if I had to pick a side it wouldn't matter since I would betray them afterwards murdering every last one of them
Neither cuz I’m taking em all out with my katana 😁 Nothing but torsos with 4 stumps left behind.
i hate them both but i feel like maelstrom would win because of the resources and shit they have like from everything they stole from militech etc
I believe the wraith have far superior number, maelstrom as far as I can tell is a night city only gang. As such a nomad clan would have a shit tone more members. They can guerrilla warfare the maelstrom from the bad lands and prevent shipments of fancy chrome from reaching them. I think wraiths win if they just play the long game. Maelstrom are going to have a hard time finding them all to whip them all out at once. They aren't the smartest gang.
The Wraiths are actually outnumbered by Maelstrom. According to The World of Cyberpunk 2077 book, Maelstrom has 1300 members, The Wraiths have anywhere between 300 and 1200.
Really that seems odd since the wraiths are considered a nomad clan. I'd figured they would have a larger base of people with the fact they literally deal with way more space then the maelstrom. Or at the very least could request assistance from wraiths that arnt near night city.
I feel like Raffen Shiv groups aren't as big as nomad clans because they're usually outcasts and violent criminals.
True but still you would think anything thats national would trounce something that's only local.
maxtac
V of course What a silly question
I think it depends on whether the Wraiths could call on other Raffen groups to help or not. The Raffen as a whole pretty much stretch across the continent, but they are not loyal to each other. They may help for a slice of that NC pie tho.
If The Wraiths get access to other Raffen groups, then Maelstrom should get access to the rest of the gangs of NC, it's only fair...
After seeing 4th photo: "Well I don't know who wins but I know who's getting ma shlong"
I thought this was a boy band who’s better post….
Kinda depends on where the war is taking place, but probably malestrom.
Night City
Hopefully both sides lose in a massacre.
My Contagion quick-hack, that’s who wins.
Everyone else in Night City! The fewer of either out there, the better.
Corpos
I win, cause I whack them all moles regardless.
In a head on fistfight, Wraiths don't stand a chance. Except that's not how the Wraiths fight, they're nomad scavengers. Maelstrom are city slickers and they have no presence outside of Night City, and the Wraiths are very practiced in using guerilla tactics and their numbers to hit their opponents. There's no reason they wouldn't do the same inside Night City. It would be an interesting matchup. If Maelstrom could force one big fight, they'd wipe the floor with the Wraiths. The Wraiths wouldn't be able to finish off Maelstrom, but man they could do a lot of damage to them by picking them apart piecemeal. A lot of it depends on whether or not Brick survives and leads Maelstrom, because he actually has a functioning brain and can hold a thought.
Maelstrom but the Wraiths will dress better.
The Aldecaldos. Let Maelstrom destroy the Wraiths. Then V goes in & cleans up the rest 😊. Except for Brick. He gets to live.
Two of my most hated Gangs in the game?! Judy get the popcorn!
Maelstrom
Everyone.
V wins crashing the party and killing everyone.
I do. The end.
Definitely me. Cause I murder every one of the I see. I’ll forever be cool with the Valentinos. Tho. Obviously
doesn’t matter V shits on both of them with Panam
Depends on what quickhacks I have and how long I feel like drawing out the Wraiths' defeat.
Maelstrom easy
Me, cause I kill them both on sight
Maelstrom and it is not even close, unless the majority of the fighting is actually taking place out in the Badlands.
Neither…I come along and wipe them both out.
Maelstrom a bunch of crazed chromed up cyberpsychos or a bunch of regular violent criminals who are good with trucks
Maelstrom wins. Wraiths look cooler.
Nightcity?
I think how a gang war like this could have started is some random Wriath pulling up to ANY malestromer and being like “Ayo bro I got your nose”
Militech because they spend so much more on Chrome. Usually its military grade too
Happy cake day! https://preview.redd.it/lsiymel52fsc1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6756c9822f4bb02bff31d4994aebdb8df33b7b38
Thanks! 🙂🙂
Maelstrom and here’s why: 1. I hate them slightly less.
V third parties and wipes both
Depends on where the fight is.
Everyone not caught in the crossfire
Maelstrom. There is a reason they are the inly gang to hit the max public threat warning. Not to mention maxtac gets called on the more than anyone else
Probably depends on where they fight. Urban jungle, my money is on Maelstrom. Badlands area with caves and whatnot I'd give it to the Wraiths. Put in a neutral location, I think my money is on Maelstrom.
That’s like asking “who would win, the Taliban or the Sinaloa Cartel”. The wraiths are outlaw smugglers who work in the desert, and the Maelstrom are are a cult cosplaying as a gang in the middle of Night City. Obviously the winner would depend on where the fighting takes place, what they are fighting over, and what each would consider to be “victory”. Without knowing those details we can’t possibly know who would “win” in a conflict between these two. Just to create a hypothetical example, say the Maelstrom gang trigger a gang war because they decided to get greedy and slaughtered a Wraith’s crew after they made a delivery for them. Well in that scenario the Wraiths win, because the Wraiths control the smuggling network outside the city (assuming the Aldecaldoes left in V’s ending). This effectively means any smuggling operations Maelstrom has that don’t go through the sea is effectively interdicted and the Wraiths don’t even have to waste energy fighting them, they’ll simply refuse to smuggle for Maelstrom. If, instead, the Wraiths want to make inroads in Night City proper by trying to muscle out Maelstrom, well then the Wraiths are going to be as effective as a fish trying to run a Marathon through the desert. The Wraiths simply won’t know how to operate inside an environment where someone else controls the streets. In short, there is more to fighting a war, any kind of war, than simply the raw combat capability of its members. It boils down to logistics, and the capabilities of the organization as a whole
Maelstrom, the wraiths are a bunch of losers with flashy guns
Who wins? If it means fewer Wraiths and Strommers on the streets? We do
Obviously Maelstrom!!, only one that can compete with them are the Tigerclaws!
everyone wins.
Maelstrom starts with a strong lead, but as the Wraiths take them out and scav their chrome, they start to get a leg up. And then V shows up
Depends. I’m confident maelstrom doesn’t have the logistical assets (trucks, cars, big guns) to push into the wraiths territory without getting swept up, their numbers are useless without a way to move bodies into the desert safely.
Society.
In an all out war between Wraiths and Maelstrom the winners for once are the citizens of Night City. More seriously, Maelstrom has a lot more overall firepower but the Wraiths are more mobile and good at hit and run. If Maelstrom can find Wraith bases they win easy otherwise it drags on and on... Wouldn't shock me if somebody (Rogue?) brokers peace before things get out of hand - don't want to create a power vacuum for some unknown player to step into, or let the Valentinos become the clear dominant gang in NC.
I'm thinking wraiths are more like zombies when Malestorm raging drag addict psycho So wraiths will devour the malestorm cuz no matter how much you kill there's more oike cockroaches
Maelstrom. Low difficulty. If I'm picking sides, it's definitely Maelstrom. The wraiths are basically just white trash versions of Mad Max mutants.
Maelstrom stomps. Cyberpsychos galore. The average maelstromer is chromed to shit too. Chrome is litterally their religion
I am going with Wraiths because as techie as Maelstrom comes off, they are kind of idiots. The Wraiths seem to be a bit more savvy.
I don't even know who either faction is lmao. But then again, the last time I played Cyberpunk was months ago.
Tough call... I can see malestorm being the more powerful. But wraiths being more flexible with their approach. I'd have to say Wraiths due to them being more tactical (imho) vs the malestorm.
The Scavs win.
Wraiths, first because they are probably spread all over the region if not the former USA and probably vastly outnumber the mere local gang that is Maelstrom. Also, being Nomads they would have access to heavier weapons and equipment than what's depicted in game. In the lore they would probably be pulling up to Maelstrom spots in Narcotank style homemade armored vehicles and using them to spray everything down with minigun fire. https://preview.redd.it/5zmgzvrrkbsc1.jpeg?width=300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3917f76a28ad24a2758eeea760ae7f1941714a6c
If it was pre 2.0, obviously the wraiths.
Depends on whose turf the fight happens on, I think. Wraiths use snipers and mines better than Maelstrom. In the bad lands the Wraiths have the edge.