End of the Rikers and Cleaners
These two factions are opportunists at their finest. On one end, you have a horde of released criminals from Rikers Island. They want nothing more than to return to the streets they’ve wreaked havoc on in the past, and capitalize on the chaos. Led by LaRae Barret, this group of thieves, murderers, and downright scoundrels, are a ruthless bunch. What they lack in technology they more than make up for in tenacity. They are the easiest to kill, but don’t for a second think that they can’t put you down just as quickly.
On the other end you have the Cleaners, a group of somewhat psychotic individuals who want to cleanse the city by bathing it in flames. A burned body can’t spread the disease, even if that body is still alive when you set it ablaze (they’re one seriously dark group). The fear of the unknown is a powerful thing, and these well-armored, fire wielding soldiers will leave nothing up to chance.
Although the Rikers and the Cleaners are your enemy, their motivations aren’t totally far fetched given the circumstances. Survival and eradication of the virus is what it boils down to. What separates you from these groups, hopefully, is the fact that you adhere to a higher moral code. For that reason, you need to bring them to an end, even if you kind of understand.
While both give you plenty to do, neither is really important for the bigger picture. They’re hurdles between you and the source of the original threat. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should overlook them. They’re terrorizing the city and making your job of rebuilding it a lot more difficult.
Cut off the heads and the body shall perish. As the player works their way through the story they’ll come across the leader of each faction and dispose of them in an epic battle. After that, each faction starts to lose its hold on the city, making your life a bit easier.
