However, saving Armageddon's Blade in the first week is a completely different matter. In some places, the game becomes noticeably easier.
I read the very first walkthrough by RoseKavalier, and I understand that in that version, the map and the Faction were available for hire, and he even defeated (didn't destroy) Brewster and then immediately bought him back. Was this fixed, or is it something else in the version that is currently available, where Vertigo can be safely sacrificed?