Guide to Reputation

Reputation is a big part of World of Warcraft, but it can be a bit confusing when starting out. We have consolidated the biggest questions about reputation and put them all together to help you better understand and track your reputation gains (and losses) in the game.

What does "reputation" mean in World of Warcraft?

Reputation is the status level you have achieved with different factions throughout the world. A high reputation can give perks, such as specific gear and crafting recipes. A lower reputation can cause a faction to be hostile towards you.

What do you mean by "faction"?

A faction is a group with which you can gain or lose reputation. Each major city is considered a faction (Orgrimmar, Thunder Bluff, Ironforge, Stormwind, Undercity, Darnassus) as well as the neutral groups that cater to both Alliance and Horde (Cenarion Circle, Steamwheedle Cartel, Cenarion Expedition, etc).

Why is reputation important?

A high reputation with a faction leads to gear and crafting recipes that you cannot get anywhere else. A reputation of Honored will give you a discount from merchants in the major cities. There are some dungeons in the Burning Crusade expansion that require a reputation of Revered for entrance. Some quests require a certain reputation level with a specific faction for completion. Shattarath City in the Outlands is split by two factions, both with different gear, recipes and quests available. A poor reputation will cause a faction to be hostile towards and attack you on sight.

To find out what gear or recipes are available for a certain faction, look for that faction's quartermaster.

How do I track my reputation gains?

To find the list of factions you have come in contact with, go to your character sheet (the portrait icon in the game window's taskbar) and select the reputation tab. The factions will be shown, along with your current reputation with each faction. If you click on a specific faction, a window will appear that gives information about that faction. You can also track your reputation gains by checking the box "Show as Experience Bar" that is in the same window as the faction information. This will cause a bar to appear above your experience bar to show you your reputation gains as they happen.

Under the Advanced Options tab in Interface Options (accesible through the main menu icon on your game window) you can choose to have your reputation gains displayed as you get them. Just choose "Enable Floating Combat Text" and "Show Reputation".

How is reputation gained?

There are several ways that reputation can be gained. Questing is the most common way. Quests given by a member of a faction will increase your reputation with that faction. You can turn-in items to a faction member (more commonly known as turn-in quests) to boost your reputation. The most common of these are the cloth turn-ins available in the major cities (give the cloth quartermaster a certain number of different types of cloth--silk, mageweave, runecloth, etc). Other factions may require beads or something else that drop from the corpses of an opposing faction.

Another way to boost your reputation is the slaughter of an opposing faction. The death of Bloodsail Buccaneers will boost your reputation with the Steamwheedle Cartel, for instance.

Dungeons are another way to boost your reputation. Kills made in some dungeons will increase your reputation with a faction that opposes the creatures that inhabit the instance.

How is reputation lost?

The easiest way to lose reputation with a faction is to kill members of that faction or to kill members of a faction allied with that faction. Completing quests for members of an opposing faction will also cause you to lose reputation.

What reputation level will I need in order for a group to be non-hostile (to not attack me)?

A reputation level of Unfriendly is sufficient to cause a faction to be non-hostile to you. This is useful in areas such as Felwood. If you are Unfriendly with the Timbermaw Clan, you can pass through the tunnel to Winterspring without being attacked. As Unfriendly, the faction's name will still show up in red; however, they will not attack unless provoked.

What are the reputation levels?

The reputation levels, in order, are:

• Hated
• Unfriendly
• Neutral
• Friendly
• Honored
• Revered
• Exalted

How many reputation points does it take to get to the next level of reputation?

• Hated to Unfriendly 36,000 points
• Unfriendly to Neutral 3,000 points
• Neutral to Friendly 3,000 points
• Friendly to Honored 6,000 points
• Honored to Revered 12,000 points
• Revered to Exalted 21,000 points

You can find an example of reputation rewards in our "Honor Hold Reputation Rewards: A Preview" article.

Many thanks to Savageblood and Dragonflie from the Emerald Dream server for their help with this guide.

Do you have a question not covered in this guide? Email me ([email protected]) or post on our forums!