NewEgg has a new article with what it calls the Seven most exciting features of Beyond Earth
http://gamecrate.newegg.com/civilization-beyond-earth-exciting-details/
#7 The African Union faction in Beyond Earth behaves a lot like Civ V‘s Shoshone, expanding and grabbing territory early and then fiercely defending it.
#6 Siege Worms are powerful alien units that you won’t be able to dispatch during the early stages of the game, and their travels through the Earth can lead to the destruction of tile improvements.
#5 Many areas of the planet will begin the game covered by a green mist that will damage your units…but dedicating yourself to the Harmony Affinity can allow you to research technologies that mean the mists heal your forces instead.
#4 The full-body animated leaders will change visually depending on what Affinity they are pursuing, with Purity leaders beginning to wear clothing with classical Roman influences.
#3 Affinities aren’t selected in the same way as social policies or religions in previous Civilization titles. Instead Affinities develop naturally as the result of many choices made over the course of a game.
#2 The Virtues system allows players to pursue victory in different ways, even when they have the same Affinity. Combining Supremacy with the Might and Knowledge Virtues can make you a technological military powerhouse, while Supremacy plus Industry and Prosperity will crank up the production of your cities.
#1 Players who follow the Harmony Affinity will have a chance to use a “Xeno Titan” unit…which was described by Firaxis as “basically a Kaiju.”
Hmm, chemical weapons that heal my own troops and my own pet xeno-Godzillas, I am starting to think I might want to play around with Harmony first instead of Purity.
They also have a more in-depth article here:
http://gamecrate.newegg.com/civilization-beyond-earth-hands-details-galore/
Some highlights, picture of a Supremacy City:
Some details on the resources:
The impact of Affinity even extends into the world of resources, as the alien world sports three special materials that can only be fully exploited by those dedicated to particular Affinity paths. Floatstone enables a Purity player to build some of the game’s most advanced military units, the glowing mineral Firaxite is of special interest to those dedicated to Supremacy, and the planet’s biological Xenomass can be used by a Harmony player. In this way, the resources surrounding your territory can provide strong incentives to dedicate yourself to a particular Affinity, even if you had entered the game with a different plan in mind.
Some details on the militaries:
According to Pete the toughest “switch” to make later in the game would probably be from “Supremacy to Purity,” as the military of the former is focused on smaller numbers of advanced units boosted by their spatial relationship to each other and the latter is all about giant armies.
More details on the leaders and factions:
Daoming Sochua (Pan-Asian Cooperative)
Strengths – Culture, Energy, Science
Weaknesses – Military, Diplomacy, Religion
Samatar Jama Barre (People’s African Union)
Strengths – Diplomacy, Growth, Health
Weaknesses – Production, Religion
Kavitha Thakur (Kavithan Protectorate)
Strengths – Religion, Growth, Culture
Weaknesses – Military Training, Infrastructure, Science
Suzanne Marjorie Fielding (American Reclamation Corporation)
Strengths – Science, Infrastructure, Production
Weaknesses – Culture, Religion
It seems like factions actually having negative modifiers is making a comeback.
http://gamecrate.newegg.com/civilization-beyond-earth-exciting-details/
#7 The African Union faction in Beyond Earth behaves a lot like Civ V‘s Shoshone, expanding and grabbing territory early and then fiercely defending it.
#6 Siege Worms are powerful alien units that you won’t be able to dispatch during the early stages of the game, and their travels through the Earth can lead to the destruction of tile improvements.
#5 Many areas of the planet will begin the game covered by a green mist that will damage your units…but dedicating yourself to the Harmony Affinity can allow you to research technologies that mean the mists heal your forces instead.
#4 The full-body animated leaders will change visually depending on what Affinity they are pursuing, with Purity leaders beginning to wear clothing with classical Roman influences.
#3 Affinities aren’t selected in the same way as social policies or religions in previous Civilization titles. Instead Affinities develop naturally as the result of many choices made over the course of a game.
#2 The Virtues system allows players to pursue victory in different ways, even when they have the same Affinity. Combining Supremacy with the Might and Knowledge Virtues can make you a technological military powerhouse, while Supremacy plus Industry and Prosperity will crank up the production of your cities.
#1 Players who follow the Harmony Affinity will have a chance to use a “Xeno Titan” unit…which was described by Firaxis as “basically a Kaiju.”
Hmm, chemical weapons that heal my own troops and my own pet xeno-Godzillas, I am starting to think I might want to play around with Harmony first instead of Purity.
They also have a more in-depth article here:
http://gamecrate.newegg.com/civilization-beyond-earth-hands-details-galore/
Some highlights, picture of a Supremacy City:

Some details on the resources:
The impact of Affinity even extends into the world of resources, as the alien world sports three special materials that can only be fully exploited by those dedicated to particular Affinity paths. Floatstone enables a Purity player to build some of the game’s most advanced military units, the glowing mineral Firaxite is of special interest to those dedicated to Supremacy, and the planet’s biological Xenomass can be used by a Harmony player. In this way, the resources surrounding your territory can provide strong incentives to dedicate yourself to a particular Affinity, even if you had entered the game with a different plan in mind.
Some details on the militaries:
According to Pete the toughest “switch” to make later in the game would probably be from “Supremacy to Purity,” as the military of the former is focused on smaller numbers of advanced units boosted by their spatial relationship to each other and the latter is all about giant armies.
More details on the leaders and factions:
Daoming Sochua (Pan-Asian Cooperative)
Strengths – Culture, Energy, Science
Weaknesses – Military, Diplomacy, Religion
Samatar Jama Barre (People’s African Union)
Strengths – Diplomacy, Growth, Health
Weaknesses – Production, Religion
Kavitha Thakur (Kavithan Protectorate)
Strengths – Religion, Growth, Culture
Weaknesses – Military Training, Infrastructure, Science
Suzanne Marjorie Fielding (American Reclamation Corporation)
Strengths – Science, Infrastructure, Production
Weaknesses – Culture, Religion
It seems like factions actually having negative modifiers is making a comeback.