Sooner or later you commit to one of the Colony's three factions, and that choice shapes your trainers, your class path, and how high your magic can climb. Joining a camp locks you out of the other two for the rest of the playthrough, so it is worth understanding what each one trades away before you sign on.
The three camps at a glance
The Old Camp is the gentlest start. It sits closest to where you begin, its admission quests are the most forgiving, and its trainers are easy to reach: 
Scatty for One-Handed Weapons, 
Diego for Strength and Dexterity, and 
Torrez for Rune Magic and Mana. Joining also grants early access to the Castle. The trade-off is that its quests hand out less Ore, and two-handed training takes extra steps.
The New Camp is built for loot. Its quests pay generously in both XP and Ore, the tougher local enemies drop better gear, and you can sell the 
Green Novice for ore. The catch is that admission conditions are easy to miss, and the surrounding wildlife is rougher than around the Old Camp.
The Swamp Camp suits a melee-and-magic spellsword. It hands you free 
swampweed every day, has self-contained admission, and offers early magic training. But it is hard to reach in the opening hours, its admission quests are harder, and its magic ceiling is the lowest of the three.
Camp comparison
| Camp | Magic cap | Strengths | Drawbacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Camp | 6th Circle | Easiest to reach and join, easy trainer access, early Castle access | Fewer Ore rewards from quests; two-handed training needs extra steps |
| New Camp | 6th Circle | High XP and Ore quest rewards, tougher enemies mean better gear, can sell Green Novice for ore | Easily missable admission conditions; tougher local wildlife |
| Swamp Camp | 4th Circle | Free daily swampweed, self-contained admission, early magic trainers | Hard to reach early, harder admission quests, magic capped lower |
Reaching the Swamp Camp early often means asking 
Baal Parvez to escort you from the Old Camp, but he has a high chance of dying on the way. Its admission also requires beating stronger monsters and spending 100 Nuggets to recruit a new Brotherhood member.
Class paths and magic
Each camp funnels you down its own progression. The Old Camp turns a Shadow into a Guard (melee and 
crossbow) or a 
Fire Mage who can train up to the 6th Magic Circle. The New Camp promotes a Bandit to a 
Mercenary specializing in bows, or to a Water Mage with control and freeze spells, also reaching the 6th Circle (though that path opens late). The Swamp Camp raises a Brotherhood member toward Templar, a two-handed spellsword who trains rune magic from the start and learns Rune Inscription for crafting scrolls through 
Baal Cadar, but whose magic stops at the 4th Circle.
- Old Camp: Shadow to Guard (melee/crossbow) or Fire Mage (up to 6th Circle).
- New Camp: Bandit to Mercenary (bows) or Water Mage (up to 6th Circle, late game).
- Swamp Camp: Brotherhood to Templar (two-handed plus rune magic, capped at 4th Circle).
The Swamp Camp's daily swampweed is not just flavor. 
Fortuno hands you 3 
Northern Dark rolls each day, which you can sell for nuggets, give to 
Theron toward Climbing training, or smoke to restore Mana.
Which one is right for you
If this is your first run, the Old Camp is the safe recommendation: it is the easiest to reach and join, its trainers cover the core build, and it still leads all the way to the 6th Magic Circle as a Fire Mage. Pick the New Camp if you want to maximize Ore and XP from quests and do not mind tougher fights, and note it is the only road to becoming a Water Mage. Choose the Swamp Camp if a melee-magic Templar build appeals and you can stomach the harder journey and the lower 4th-Circle magic ceiling.
Commit deliberately. Joining one faction permanently closes off the other two for this playthrough, so make the call once your build direction is clear.