Originally Posted by
Suctum
SC offers the best DPS, crit rating, and DPS so I would go for that as the first faction to max. However, it's not necessary to get a full set, other drops come close you can get for free during 6k modes. The Yellow Priests legs for example are decent compared to the SC legs.
I would avoid most Scholar's gear, and several of the Children's items are dog crap too. The Hyrkanian set has decent surviabilty, but totally lacks hit rating, which you need for most k6 and above content.
Also, there's a blue tali out of fort that's got 70 magic damage and some other stats. There's also Lathe of Stars and Sunward which are excellent blues until you get a better weapon, and they are free.
If you have a chance on tiered gear, see if you can roll on tos items, especially in t3. The tiered pom items are crap too. I wouldn't waste my rares getting a faction weapon when there are many free blues that are comparable and will hold you over until you get your armor and accessories right.