Diving Into The Syndicates Of 'Star Wars Outlaws': The Ashiga Clan
With less than a month to go before the release of Star Wars Outlaws, fans have continued to read and see more information drop regarding the various features of the game. One of the most notable for Outlaws is the flexible reputation system, divided between four core criminal factions Kay Vess and her small crew will need to interact with, be it in equal deals, acts of treachery, or straight-up brawls. But who are the criminal factions Kay will need to appease or reject as players make their way through this open-world game?
Today, in this final installment of our article series, we will be running through the Ashiga Clan, their history in Star Wars canon, their current status at the time Outlaws is set, as well as their leadership and likely focuses in-game, to help players feel informed about their choices! To learn more about the other criminal organizations playing a role in Outlaws, read our articles on The Pyke Syndicate, The Hutt Cartel, and Crimson Dawn.
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Background
As a new syndicate created for Star Wars Outlaws, we lack a lot of information regarding the Ashiga. We do unfortunately know that their future history is not good. Kijimi is likely best known to fans as a location from The Rise of Skywalker, where it was the home base for the Spice Runners of Kijimi. Surrounding material in the years since the film, most notably Poe Dameron: Free Fall, has given us a great deal of information about the Spice Runners, and their sharing any sort of space with the Ashiga Clan never comes up. It is therefore sadly possible that, regardless of player choices in Outlaws, by the time of the Sequel Trilogy, this criminal group has been run off of their world or lost its prominence.
But, we do know some information on the Clan. They are dominated by members of the Melitto, insectoids without eyes who first appeared in The Force Awakens. They are also noted to have something akin to a hive mind, yet the species is capable of individuality, something maintained here for the Ashiga. As for the group’s aesthetics and cultural inspiration, the Clan heavily draws from the visuals of samurai and Japanese culture, in line with similar inspirations for Kijimi itself.
Criminal Focus & In the Era Of Outlaws
We know a little about the criminal enterprises that drive the Ashiga forward, as the Ubisoft site for Star Wars Outlaws states their wealth comes from weapon sales. But, we are more aware of their current mission. It seems the hive’s monarch, Queen Ashiga, desires territorial expansion during this era and is willing to use violence to pursue this goal. For instance, a mission involving the Clan mentions a bombmaker. However, Ashiga is opposed by the younger generation, and a character who is likely her heir insists they do not need to take this course of action. Clearly, there will be both external and internal tensions to navigate with the Ashiga.
Homebase
The Ashiga Clan is set to inhabit the icy world of Kijimi in Outlaws and as mentioned earlier, their sense of style and visuals draws from the same sources of inspiration as those for Kijimi. It is unclear what other worlds they might be pursuing operations on, but if their queen’s desire for expansion is anything to go by, it may be that Kay will often run into the Ashiga while on their journey.
Conclusion
Given this limited information, should players side with the Ashiga Clan? For those more lore-minded, the answer may be a no, as who wants to back the losing side? But at the same time, we truly do not know the Ashiga Clan’s fate. The choices players make regarding the Clan may be part of choosing the direction Lucasfilm goes with any future content to feature this syndicate. There is also the fact that with so many gaps in knowledge, more than any other faction, players should seek to learn all they can, so they can try to make informed choices regarding this group of unique insectoids.
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Source(s): Wookieepedia, Wookieepedia, Ubisoft